The order was given. Thunder rolled without end, and lightning burst from the depths of leaden clouds, illuminating the surroundings.
A group of people clustered around Prince Qi and stepped into the torrential rain.
Cobblestones paved the ground beneath their feet, and water submerged their ankles.
They did not head outside the residence, but went straight toward a spot among the artificial rockeries behind the flower hall.
At some unknown time, a deep well had appeared there.
The sound of trickling water came from below the well, accompanied by the sound of wind.
"Even if Father Emperor has people watching me, he will never imagine that I would take the Well-Dragon Route."
Emperor Shizu of Great Wei had been erudite and learned. When he built the Capital City, he designed it so that every twenty households shared one well.
In the ninth year of the Jianwu Era, the old capital had become too cramped, forcing a move to a new capital. He sent people to investigate the water supply conditions beforehand.
In the fourteenth year of the Jianwu Era, the Well-Dragon Route to the Capital, drawing water from Wellhead Pool, was completed.
In the fifteenth year of the Jianwu Era, ten thousand wells were completed.
This water was carried through underground conduits, extending in all directions to deliver it to each wooden well.
The wells were wooden barrels, while the buried water conduits were mostly made of wood, or else stone.
This was true within the city, and even Emperor Shizu's palace was no exception.
The well water was always clear and free of silt. It was said that its sources connected layer upon layer, even reaching Coiling Dragon Lake and Moon Zither Lake thousands of li away.
Whenever it was time to wash clothes or cook, men and women