Chapter 2: The First Snow (Part 4)

  Gao Shi, having been unanimously elected to the top seat, naturally took on the responsibility of controlling the pace of the banquet. After accompanying everyone to look at the scenery outside the window for a moment, he lightly coughed and smiled, saying: "Qinglian居士, today you are greatly mistaken again!"

  "What's wrong?" Li Bai turned back blankly, saw the people present, smiled and bowed his head in apology, "Suddenly remembered an old friend, Li Mou was distracted. Please forgive me!"

  "What's all this talk about missing the deceased!" Before anyone could respond, Gao Shi hastily said: "Such fine wine, I've salivated just from smelling it. You'd better pour a cup quickly, or else before He Lao can even take a sip, the Western Heaven Buddhas will intercept it one by one and snatch it all away!"

  Everyone heard and couldn't help but burst out laughing. After laughing enough, they slowly became aware that there was a very faint but persistent wine aroma floating in the air. Li Bai was a famous wine connoisseur, and upon smelling this fragrance, he immediately understood that he had stumbled upon a treasure today. He ordered his servant to pour himself another full cup, which he held in his hand and slowly rotated, "Good wine, good wine, I'm afraid it's been aged for at least twenty years. Such good wine, I wonder whose family brewed it?"

  "It's a fine wine stored in the Qin Mansion. Today, to entertain all of you brothers, I've specially brought it out!" Wang Xuan intentionally flattered his friends, nodding and smiling as he introduced it.

  As soon as the words were spoken, everyone raised their cups. Indeed, a cup of amber-colored wine slowly rotated along the rim of the cup. Perhaps it was just warmed up before being served, and on the surface of the wine, there was a layer of white mist that gathered and dispersed, swirling around like incense.

  After all, Gong Sun's wife had been rubbing shoulders with high-ranking officials and nobles all day, so her knowledge far surpassed that of others. She furrowed her brow, took a light sniff, put down the wine cup, and asked with a smile: "The formula for this wine is probably from the palace, isn't it? According to legend, the earliest brewer of this wine was a princess of the Tang Dynasty. I wonder if the rumors about the two young masters of the Qin family are true?"

  "The formula was indeed created by Princess Langling of the past for Emperor Gaozong. The Qin family was fortunate to have obtained the formula, and I added two more processes myself!" Mentioning the glory of his elders, Qin Guomo nodded repeatedly, with a smile all over his face.

  "That's indeed a rare thing? I'm just lucky to be sitting with Xian, Secretary Gao and Zhang Tanhua, and have the chance to drink this wine." Madam Gong Sun was very good at flattering and praising, and in her speech, she had already complimented all the main figures present.

  Look, it's about time, Wang Xun lightly patted his palm and ordered the waiters to start serving dishes. Those dishes were also rare delicacies that could hardly be seen in Chang'an City. Gao Shi looked at them with great interest, smiled, raised his wine cup, and said loudly: "Good wine and fine food, it's impolite to refuse. Come on, gentlemen, let's drink up this cup! Thank the owner of this house for his hospitality!"

  "Thanks for the host's generosity!" "Thanks for your presence, everyone!" The crowd raised their cups and sang in unison.

  After the host and guest toasted each other a few times, the atmosphere at the banquet became even more lively. Gao Shi looked around at everyone, then smiled and suggested, "Such good wine, how can we drink to our heart's content without playing drinking games? Everyone, I'm a bit older than you all, so today I'll take the liberty of calling myself the 'clear official'. As for the 'Lü Yu Shi' and the 'Gong Yan Shi', please let Gong Sun Da Jiang and Lei Da Xia act as judges."

  Having said that, he first slowly finished a cup of wine in his hand.

  "That's natural!" The crowd echoed in agreement. Gong Sun's wife and Lei Wan Chun couldn't decline, so they accepted the task. Li Bai smiled and loudly proposed: "Such fine wine, if we can only drink it when we lose, then I'd rather admit defeat every time. Why don't we change the rules? Only those who win get to drink wine, while losers only get a cup of clear tea. What do you all think?"

  Everyone responded enthusiastically, and the judge came up with a topic. Madame Gongsun looked around and saw that most of the guests were scholars and writers, so she smiled and chose a refined topic. It was to quote a line from the Book of Songs and name a plant or tree. Those who succeeded would drink wine, while those who failed would drink tea.

  Because he had just heard Mrs. Gongsun introduce the name of Bai Jue, and saw that she had been staring at Wang Xun since she took her seat, High Yu guessed that there must be some affection between the two. After thinking for a moment, he whispered with a smile: "The tender shoots of water chestnut, flowing left and right, the elegant maiden, seeking him in dreams and waking", Haha, thanks to Mingyun's blessing, High has wine to drink!

  Everyone smiled and covered their mouths, laughing so hard that the white face of the beauty turned bright red with shyness. Li Bai immediately followed after Gao Shi and said: "The mountain has hazelnuts, the valley has ferns. Whose thoughts are in the clouds? The beautiful woman from the west! Haha, I can drink two cups!" After speaking, he immediately drank up the wine in front of him, then ordered the servant to refill his cup again and swallowed it down in one gulp.

  Following Li Bai was Zhang Zhou, who smiled at Wang Xun and whispered: "There is a girl in the same carriage, with a face like Shunhua. She will fly and flutter, wearing jade pendants."

  After Zhang Xun, it was Cui Hu who spoke. He was a man of extraordinary emotions, but had spent half his life in turmoil. Habitually opening his mouth to speak, he said: "In the past I went away, and the willows were verdant. Now that I have come back, the rain and snow are falling." Having finished speaking, he smiled and shook his head, also draining his cup of wine.

  Lei Wanchun hadn't read many books, and although he had a strong craving for wine, he could only drink tea to satisfy his thirst. When it was Cen Shen's turn, he began to recite: "From the east of Bo, the first one is like a flying dandelion. Is there no elegant and refined lady? Who would be suitable as a match?" Although he was joking about Bai Yuzhi's phrase "A woman's beauty is for the pleasure of others", the tone he inadvertently took on was somewhat melancholic, which actually matched his current experience of being underappreciated despite his talents.

  The Qin brothers had been well-read in poetry and literature since childhood, so they could recite these simple lyrics with ease. One of them smiled and softly chanted, "How can I get the fragrant grass? The words are behind the trees. I wish to speak to my heart's desire." The other one tapped out the rhythm and sang in a low voice, "He gathers the elms, not seeing him for a day is like three autumns." Each sentence was perfectly measured.

  When he came to Wang Quan, he smiled and picked up a sentence, "The branches are wrong, the words are cut off; The son is returning, the words are fed to the foal." For Wang and Bai, after teasing, there was no envy.

  Bai Wei was teased by everyone until she hung her head in shame, barely daring to lift it. When the wine order came to her, however, she glanced at Wang Xun with a hint of a smile, lightly parted her red lips, and softly chanted: "The stem of the orchid, the child wears a pendant. Although he wears a pendant, can't I know? Gentle and soft, his sash is trembling. The leaves of the orchid, the child wears a sword. Although he wears a sword, can't I be aware? Gentle and soft, his sash is trembling."

  The song's gentle and charming voice brought the entire melody to a perfect end, only then slowly stopping, picking up the wine cup and lightly touching it to her red lips. This was almost a straightforward expression of her feelings, making everyone feel as if they had arrived in ancient times, seeing amidst the lush trees, a young girl actively showing love to a bewildered man with a mix of shyness and coquetry. Surprised by her boldness, yet also admiring her wisdom.

  The Tang Dynasty was able to attract visitors from all over the world, not just because of its military power and prosperous cities, but also due to its rich cultural atmosphere. This made people who came to visit feel like they wanted to become a part of it, with black hair, black eyes, and yellow skin, to share in this glorious era.

  So, although Wang Xun was not well-read, as a native-born noble son from Chang'an, his short poem was quite impressive. Under the expectant and encouraging gazes of the crowd, he cleared his throat and recited softly:

  "If you give me a wooden melon, I'll repay you with a jade zither. If not, I'll always think it's good!

  If you give me a wooden peach, I'll repay you with a jade pendant. If not, I'll always think it's good!

  If you give me a wooden plum, I'll repay you with a jade flute. If not, I'll always think it's good!"

  "Good, haha!" The crowd applauded and laughed, raising their cups again to toast the two young men. Madam Gong Sun saw that Lei Wanchun was not good at this game, so for the second round, she changed it to a simpler one, "Character Dissection". She broke down a character into two, without requiring any classical allusions or origins, as long as it matched today's scene.

  Everyone cheered and took turns drinking. However, it was still Lei Wanchun who used tea instead of wine, while the others drank to their heart's content. If they continued like this, it would be equivalent to bullying Old Lei alone. At the beginning of the third round, Lady Gong Sun thought for a moment and said slowly: "Everyone present is both literary and martial, and it's a bit monotonous to just drink in order. Why not change the rules and have each person bring their own specialty to entertain everyone? It could be poetry, song, music, or martial arts - anything goes, as long as it impresses the crowd. We won't follow the seating order, but rather go with the flow. If everyone has had a turn and the last person still can't come up with anything, then they'll have to drink tea!

  The wine order was indeed novel, and everyone laughed in agreement. Li Bai's thoughts were quick-witted, unmatched in the world. After a brief moment of contemplation, he smiled and said, "I'll go first to offer my humble poem, and praise the drink in this cup." He cleared his throat, lowered his voice, and recited: "The beautiful wine of Lanling, fragrant as golden osmanthus, fills the jade bowl with amber light. If only the host can get the guest drunk, who knows where is a foreign land?" The rhythm was not quite perfect, and there were repeated words, but it won out for being improvised on the spot, and able to match the beautiful wine in front of him. It was worthy of the name "Banished Immortal".

  Everyone had finished their fun, and Gao Shi looked at Li Bai, smiling and scolding him, "I originally wanted to use this as an excuse to be lazy, but I didn't think as quickly as you did. You beat me to it. Alright, alright, Cen Qi, lend me your precious sword."

  Cen Shen's treasured sword never left his side, and even as he drank, it lay horizontally across his legs. When Gao Shi came to borrow it, Cen Shen handed it over with both hands. Gao Shi received the sword with both hands, drew it out with a "whooshing" sound, first moistening his fingers with wine, then plucking it with curved fingers. Suddenly, a series of clear and ringing tones echoed through the air, like a spring bubbling up pearls or a gentle breeze rustling willows. The listener's heart felt warm and cozy, filled with an indescribable sense of comfort.

  With a sudden change of mood, the melody turns urgent. Outside the gentle breeze, the sound of horse hooves faintly appears. Immediately following, the clanging of swords pierces the air, and the clash of armor resounds. Soldiers rush to and fro, banners fluttering in the wind. From the peaceful serenity of spring's warmth and blooming flowers, it swiftly transforms into a majestic and stirring scene of steel on steel, making one's hair stand on end and blood boil with excitement. Alas, I wish I could draw my sword and join the fray!

  The music ended, and the crowd was still immersed in the atmosphere. After a while, Bai Xiezi sighed softly and praised in a low voice, "Fortunately, Secretary Gao only played the sword as a song, if he had a piano in his hand, half of the pianists in Chang'an City would jump into the river tomorrow."

  Note 1: In the Tang Dynasty, it was customary to have a "wine head" (jiǔ tóu) when drinking wine. Two recorders were chosen, one responsible for setting the rules of the wine order and the other for supervising everyone's drinking.

  Note 2: The words inside are all from the Book of Songs. Shunhua, refers to the Chinese Trumpet Vine flower.

  Note 3: The prosperity of the Tang Dynasty was not only in its military prowess. Its cultural flourishing, broad-mindedness and grandeur are all unmatched by later generations. I'll stop writing here, and pour myself a cup to toast the great Tang Dynasty.