Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 177 Flying Flower Order

The newly appointed Jinshi means that he was previously only a Juren.

If one does not have a strong family background and is only middle-aged or young, the vast majority of people will hover around the seventh or eighth rank.

A very small number of them can reach a rank higher than six.

Of course, this is also a false proposition. If at this age one is merely a successful candidate in the imperial examinations and has already risen to the rank of fifth or sixth grade official, there is no need to continue studying hard.

Just follow the path paved by your own father.

Therefore, everyone here is considered 'humble'.

Apart from Sun Qian, who had seen a dragon once in his childhood because of his relationship with Sun Situ, none of the rest of them had ever seen a real dragon in their lives.

The crowd felt not only nervous, but also a sense of anticipation.

After the eunuch announced the Empress's arrival, Song Shi'an led the way to the main gate of the palace.

The moment you step into the hall, the dome supported by thirty-six golden pillars with coiled dragons looks like clouds in the high sky, and thirty food tables are scattered among the misty incense smoke.

The students entered the hall one after another and wanted to pay their respects, but they were quite surprised when they saw a man in a python robe in front of two bronze tables at the end.

Not many people know both of them.

Song Shi'an was dumbfounded.

Aren't these Ziyu and Zisheng? What are you doing here?
Where is your father?
The other successful candidates were even more surprised and became nervous and uneasy.

"King of Wu, you speak," said King of Jin.

"Since the Prince of Jin is presiding over the imperial examination, you are naturally invited to the Qionglin Banquet. Please come." The Prince of Wu was not at all forceful.

This scene was also observed by these fathers-in-law.

"Then I'll go first." After a slight smile, Prince Jin said to everyone, "Distinguished scholars, the Qionglin Banquet is originally to be hosted by the Emperor himself, but His Majesty is unwell, so Prince Jin and Prince Wu will be hosting you together. Please forgive us."

Upon hearing this, all the students understood that the two men were the King of Jin and the King of Wu.

"See Your Highness."

So everyone bowed deeply, paying their respects to the two kings.

"Then please take your seats," said the Prince of Jin.

Then several eunuchs reached out their hands, bowed their backs, and guided each of the successful candidates to their seats.

Song Shi'an was the first to leave. He was directly invited by a eunuch to sit at the table to the left of the two kings.

In the Great Yu Dynasty, the left side was considered superior.

This time, it was an official seating arrangement at a state banquet.

This is much more proper than some frivolous celebration of Sun Situ's birthday!

"Thank you, father-in-law."

Before sitting down, Song Shi'an gave the eunuch a slight bow.

He appeared so gentle and refined.

He had originally planned to behave himself today, but after coming in, he became even more determined to do so.

This arrangement is absolutely fucking wrong.

Old Wei's claim of being unwell was utter nonsense. He had fought countless battles and was now quite old; even if he caught a cold, it wouldn't prevent him from attending the Qionglin Banquet.

He has never missed this banquet since he started the imperial examination system.

If it's not a minor illness, then at this age and in this body, getting sick is a big problem, so what's the point of having a banquet?

As is well known, the King of Wu and the King of Jin were engaged in a factional struggle and were irreconcilable enemies. What was the meaning of them jointly hosting the Qionglin Banquet?
This is meant to give the world the impression that the two kings are very friendly and that there is no false dignity of a life-or-death struggle between them.

If there are rumors that two people have fallen out of friendship, public figures usually quell the public opinion by having the two of them release a video of themselves together recently.

The rumors then fall apart on their own.

So, is Wei Ye really going to do this kind of self-deceiving, rotten work?
Or perhaps... this is a test for the two princes?

Anyone who breaks the rules, acts aggressively, or publicly solicits favors will fail the test.
That's actually quite possible!

Anyway, my son Wei wasn't tested, so it's none of my business.

After Song Shi'an took his seat, he sat up straight and maintained his handsome smile.

The rest of the people took their seats one after another.

There are a total of thirty tables, fifteen on each side, but they are not arranged in a straight line, otherwise the last few would have to be placed near the door.

There are two rows on the left and right, with varying heights, eight on the bottom and seven on the top.

Of course, even from above, the height was still below the desks of the two princes, and one would always look up to them.

When everyone was seated, King Wu glanced at Song Shi'an, gave a slight smile and nodded.

In response, Song Shi'an nodded politely in agreement with the interaction.

Although this moment could not be described as 'forming cliques for personal gain,' Song Shi'an vaguely sensed that the King of Wu probably did not realize that this was a test.

Or rather, His Majesty certainly never told them what to do or how to win back the hearts of talented people for the Great Yu.

If Song Shi'an were the emperor, even if he liked a certain scholar, he would not flirt with him in public.

The purpose of the Qionglin Banquet was to let the scholars know that the emperor cherished them, wanted to personally receive them, and entrusted them with important responsibilities, so that they could become the backbone of the empire.

At this time, everyone should be treated equally.

Sure enough, many students noticed the moment when the King of Wu deliberately winked at Song Shi'an.

The three Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) from Yangzhou, in particular, felt somewhat uneasy...

They weren't actually part of the Prince of Jin's faction, but because of this household registration, they now naturally resembled the 'Sun Situ faction'.

Meanwhile, some members of the Jin Prince's faction who had already been identified were filled with unease.

The King of Wu is currently in power. If we don't side with him, or even side with the King of Jin... won't we be suppressed?

"Your Highness, King Wu, please say a few words."

The King of Jin had already started the proceedings, so he took the initiative to pass the process to the King of Wu.

After a brief moment of contemplation, the King of Wu said, “You are all newly appointed scholars, destined to be entrusted with important responsibilities. The six prefectures of Dayu cover thousands of miles. After today, when you all gather together again, and the King of Jin and I see you all again, such an opportunity will be hard to come by again. Therefore, today, let us treat this as a family banquet, without distinction of rank or age, only colleagues. Drink to your heart's content, and make merry!”

Upon hearing this, everyone bowed to the two kings, Wu and Jin, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."

After speaking, thirty eunuchs in crimson robes presented a heavy jade platter with crackled ice patterns. The first dish was a famous imperial dish, "Hun Yang Mo Hu" (literally "Hollow Sheep's Demise"). A goose stuffed with spices and glutinous rice was placed inside a sheep's belly and roasted. The goose meat was removed before serving.

After the dishes were served, the dancers gracefully entered. The red silk gauze tied high around their waist billowed like a blood mist, and the nine-bell dangled from their ankles swayed rapidly to the beat of the drums.

"This is a dance from the Western Regions. These thirty women are beauties presented as tribute by various kingdoms in the Western Regions," King Wu introduced. "Each one is passionate and unrestrained." Indeed, they were unrestrained; their slender waists were quite alluring.

Most students have never seen anything like this before.
They all stared wide-eyed.

Even the rather serious Song Ce couldn't help but let his gaze follow the women at the table...

Wang Shuishan, on the other hand, seemed a little uneasy.

If he hadn't passed the imperial examination and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and his father had been a high-ranking official of the eighth rank, he would never have had the chance to witness such a grand spectacle.

"Everyone."

Amidst laughter and conversation, the King of Wu raised his wine cup. The King of Jin, standing beside him, also slowly raised his cup.

So all the students raised their glasses and looked over there.

"This is Liangzhou Langjiu, which is clear, sweet and refreshing with a long aftertaste. I would like to take this opportunity, along with the great victory of the top scholar in Beiliang, to offer this toast to everyone."

After saying that, he prepared to drink.

All the scholars below also joined in the toast, drinking to the very end.

Song Shi'an felt the same way, but his mind was somewhat troubled.

Don't click on me, you idiot.

I know you're trying to show that you're close to me and want to make me look good, but you're about to fail your exam.

This is practically equivalent to saying, "Song Shi'an is my man, and he's my favorite person. You all need to curry favor with him after you go down here!"
Who is this King of Wu?

Gao Yunyi, sitting on the sidelines, noticed something was wrong.

He had never attended the Qionglin Banquet, but some members of his family had and told him about it.

At this time, the emperor basically did not discuss politics.

They chatted about everyday life and marriage, and during this time they played games with prizes, such as pitch-pot, drinking games, and original flower-themed games.

Later on, when everyone was a little tipsy, they were able to relax and be natural even in front of the emperor. They even dared to beat the emperor when they competed in pitch-pot. The atmosphere was very harmonious, just like drinking with courtesans.

The King of Wu seemed more amiable than the Emperor, and even told everyone to treat the banquet like a family gathering, but the atmosphere created was somewhat tense.

Hopefully nothing bad will happen today.

After the dance was over, the thirty dancers flew directly into ordinary people's homes and knelt down beside each of the scholars, pouring them wine.

It smells good.

The woman next to Song Shi'an is still the most beautiful lead dancer.

Her eyes and brows exuded tenderness and allure.

Don't think of the women in the palace as too taboo; no one but the emperor could serve or defile them.

Palace maids and beautiful concubines were given away by the emperor like iPhones.

However, Song Ce had never been to such a situation before, and as soon as the other person sat down, he instinctively shrank to the side.

Unlike the older brother who sits below the other...

And then they started chatting?
This is truly life experience accumulated from listening to music in brothels.

Continuing on, let's serve the second dish.

"The banquet will last a long time, so please enjoy yourselves to the fullest," King Wu said with a smile. "Those who cannot hold their liquor, even if you drink until you pass out, it will not be considered an offense. Just indulge in the feast, and someone will escort you out of the palace when it's time."

After saying that, he picked up another cup.

The scholars followed the group.

After a few drinks, I was slightly tipsy.

The joy of the banquet was accompanied by the soft, melodious sounds of string and wind instruments.

During this time, there were also games of pitch-pot and drinking games. Amidst the clinking of cups and toasts, the guests were all in high spirits.

Even the underage Song Ce, who had the lowest alcohol tolerance, was already slightly tipsy. The King of Wu, on the other hand, was quite drunk, raising his cup repeatedly. At this moment, the King of Jin whispered a reminder: "King of Wu, if you offer a toast, no one will dare refuse. I see that Scholar Song Ce is already a bit overwhelmed by the alcohol; perhaps we should let those who can drink drink it themselves?"

King Wu was somewhat annoyed by this reprimand. He had originally intended to ignore him, but he calmed himself down and said, "Then King Jin, please say a few words."

"How about we play a drinking game while everyone's slightly tipsy?"

"Yes," King Wu agreed.

Moreover, this is precisely an opportunity for Song Shi'an to shine.

So, they waited for a group of women from Jiangnan, wearing flower crowns, to finish their dance before starting the games.

Song Shi'an had a good drink today and was completely relaxed in this high-class KTV. He even clapped his hands gently along with their dance moves.

After the dance, the women went one by one to each of the scholars who had passed the imperial examination.

She removed the flower wreath from her head, knelt before them, and, with a sweet smile, placed it on the scholars' heads.

This is good, this is good...

Song Shi'an likes this kind of business karaoke game with a storyline.

How do I look?

After the flowers were put on, the palace maids withdrew. Song Shi'an asked a question to a foreign dancer kneeling beside him, whose soft waist was exposed.

"The top scholar is extremely handsome; I am far inferior to him," she said shyly.

"They're all beautiful." Song Shi'an raised his wine cup and toasted with the dancer.

The other person was quite pleased to drink with him.

Their gazes were almost locked.

"You are all the most learned and talented scholars of my Great Yu," said the Prince of Jin. "Why not use this opportunity to play the 'Flying Flowers' game and showcase your talents?"

Everyone immediately looked over.

"When ordinary people play drinking games, they usually recite the poems of the ancient sages," said the Prince of Jin. "But you gentlemen are all scholars who have passed the imperial examinations. Do you have any pride in impromptu compositions?"

As soon as these words were spoken, confidence shone on everyone's face.

Having read books all one's life, one can't even compose a single line of poetry. What good are those trivial things?

So the Prince of Jin jokingly said, "In that case, who should start? Gentlemen, please say it together."

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone laughed and exclaimed, "Top Scholar!"

Only the King of Wu secretly glanced at the King of Jin.

Is that guy even one of yours? You're joking!
(End of this chapter)