The famous courtesans are not solely reliant on their beauty; they must be versed in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, with a particularly keen understanding of poetry. Only with quick wit can they enter the gates of nobility and be capable of presiding over the wine games during banquets. Lin Wanwan felt a bit ashamed; today, if not careful, she might become a mere plagiarist. Hopefully, it won’t be too difficult, something simpler, otherwise all the stored ancient poems in her mind would be of no use. Once everyone was seated, Lin Wanwan saw County Magistrate Lu at the head of the table—a forty-something plump fellow with a belly resembling a pregnancy of several months, sporting a handlebar mustache, looking as amiable as a Maitreya Buddha, he cheerfully said, "Play the drum music, let our guests enjoy a few drinks to start the festivities." As a courtesan adorned with pearls and jade started playing the pipa, the drum music joined in, and the eagerly waiting courtesans began to enter one by one. With bright eyes and smiles, their skirts fluttered, as fluid as clouds and water, gracefully dancing to the rhythm of the melody. Lin Wanwan took a sip of the Three-Le Wine, joyfully appreciating the Great Tang courtesans’ songs and dances. Among these performers, the pipa player was a renowned courtesan from Hangzhou West Lake, while the others were skilled musicians from the Music Bureau, all of higher caliber. When the atmosphere was high, County Magistrate Lu pushed himself onto the food table and began flamboyantly swaying his corpulent body, singing ancient melody songs, gyrating and swinging his sleeves, without any semblance of official dignity. Lin Wanwan was amazed by what she saw—has this banquet gone wild right from the beginning? At this rate, the elegant wine game won’t need to make an appearance, right? As the dance continued, County Magistrate Lu danced his way to Xiao Chong, who lifted his cup and drank, then pushed aside the food table, stood up tall, and swayed together with his uncle. After a while, County Magistrate Lu moved on to the next gentleman as Xiao Chong calmly resumed his seat, returning to his serene demeanor as if the dancing man earlier wasn’t him at all. All the gentlemen invited by County Magistrate Lu cooperated seamlessly, standing up, spinning, jumping, eyes closed—the duet included both of Lin Wanwan’s uncles; none were left out. The ladies sitting in the back row watched the chaotic spectacle in the center, covering their mouths with light laughter, also filled with joy. To be honest, although the banquet attendees were all nobles of the Great Tang, their ballroom dancing bore no difference from the fishermen of Lin Family Manor! Lin Wanwan might even say, they dance no better than Lin Mengbo and others, if it were a dance-off, this bunch of short, fat, earthy men surely would lose, only Xiao Chong looked more presentable. The host’s enthusiastic invitations to sing and dance to guests were evident; County Magistrate Lu was obviously in good spirits today. Well, during festive times of eating, drinking, and having fun, whose mood would be low? Back in the countryside, when Lin Wanwan hosted the feast for clansmen, during high moments, people danced together, without gender separation. However, noble households clearly adhere to more etiquette—at this banquet, only the gentlemen were dragged by County Magistrate Lu for a dance off, while the young ladies were merely watching the show. Clearly, although the Great Tang was open in its customs, there was still a distinction between genders among nobility, not mixed dancing. Nevertheless, compared to later dynasties where women couldn’t even attend banquets with outside men, the Great Tang was considerably more female-friendly. After the opening dance, the atmosphere was lively. The famous courtesan Madam Song set aside the pipa, sat to the side, and assumed the role of "banquet overseer," indicating the wine games were to commence. "With so many guests today, we should play a simple poetry game. I propose a spring-themed verse. Let me start with, ’Spring breeze does not understand unfeeling water’." With that, she drank a cup herself. The next person drank and continued: "Spring woods adorned with charming flowers." Taking turns, when it reached Xiao Jingkun, he was stuck; the poems he could think of had already been used earlier, leaving him unable to respond, so he cheerfully drank a big penalty cup, apparently enjoying being a jester. The rules changed and the game continued, by the time it reached Lin Wanwan’s row, several people ahead had already drunk penalty cups, and the difficulty of the wine game had increased each time. Initially, it was just matching rhymes, now when it’s Lin Wanwan’s turn, they were required to include an idiom involving "dragon"—how was Lin Wanwan, who always skimmed through poetry, supposed to respond? Her mind raced as she searched for an answer. Seeing Lin Wanwan unable to respond, Madam Song was about to tap the small drum when Lin Wanwan suddenly brightened and said, "The world treasures and dragons shine upon the Bull and Constellation’s abode." Madam Song smiled, "Although not a poem, I said earlier poetry, songs, and prose were all acceptable. What Lin Wanwan mentioned, Bull and Constellation, are names of stars. According to the Book of Jin, Zhang Hua’s biography, there’s often a purple aura between the Bull and Constellation stars, representing the treasure sword’s essence reaching the heavens. This barely counts as correct, right?" Lin Wanwan bowed towards Madam Song, admiring her erudition. Considering that although back in high school, memorizing the full "Tengwang Pavilion Preface" was required, after four years of college, Lin Wanwan had long forgotten the idioms within this renowned parallel prose, she merely guessed in hopes of luck. But this Madam Song as a banquet overseer could articulate it effortlessly, compared to people who immersed themselves in such skills since childhood, Lin Wanwan truly couldn’t compare. Little Qingyu, munching fruits and pork belly, completely unaware of the adults’ wine games, only understood her mother responded correctly, immediately raised her two greasy hands clapping, looking at Lin Wanwan with admiration, "Mother, you’re amazing!" Lin Wanwan felt embarrassed; what kind of amazing was this? Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, Lin Wanwan sensed a gaze upon her, and looking back, she saw Xiao Chong smilingly glancing at her. Lin Wanwan slightly frowned, why did it feel guy was watching her joke? She recalled their first meeting when she addressed him as "Master Xiao," he had the same bemused look as if watching her make a fool of herself, withholding any guidance, prompting her to glare at Xiao Chong, causing him to surprisingly laugh aloud. Beside him sat Lu Ying’er, quickly asking, "Why are you laughing, Cousin Zifang?" Xiao Chong turned to speak with her, and Lin Wanwan withdrew her gaze. Soon, the wine game filled with literary fun concluded. Lin Wanwan secretly breathed a sigh of relief; her seat’s next turn was always exceedingly hard—another two times surely embarrassing. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚑𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥 With the wine game ended, the small food tables were cleared, and in the center was placed a long table (similar to modern long tables), where the maids quickly arranged platters of fruits, desserts, and various wines. Afterward, it took a bit of a buffet style, as people gathered in small groups, each discussing their own topics. Lin Wanwan was pulled by the Xiao family sisters to a spot near Lady Lu and her group of noblewomen, sharing stories of the recent amusements to while away the time.