On the night of the banquet, there was a bustle of people in the Feng residence. Most of the gentries in the capital received the invitation and attended the banquet with pleasure.
When Yan Sikong arrived,
he saw Uncle Xue welcoming guests at the door. When he saw him coming, he
warmly greeted him and said, "Lord Yan, thank you for coming."
Yan Sikong looked around and said quietly, "Have you tied Feng Hun up properly?" Many people came here. If that giant wolf was let out, he’ll probably scare a few people to death.
Uncle Xue laughed: "Don’t
worry, Lord Yan." He instructed the servant next to him, "Take Lord
Yan to his seat."
"That’s not necessary." Yan Sikong stopped him, "I'm just an insignificant official, so it's inconvenient for me to take a seat. Let me find a place myself."
"This..."
Yan Sikong said with a
smile, "If Shizi has an opinion, I will explain to him." Without
waiting for Uncle Xue to say anything, he went straight into the residence.
It is currently early summer, and the weather was pleasant. The tables were placed in the courtyard. Yan Sikong scanned around and saw his acquaintance, Zhou Mixing.
Zhou Mixing was also
surprised to see him: "Brother Yan, what a coincidence..." Feng Ye mostly
invited high officials and aristocrats. Although Yan Sikong had just been
promoted as the crown prince’s royal tutor, he was still not a well-known
figure. Since Yan Sikong was also invited, Zhou Mixing couldn't help but be
surprised.
Yan Sikong didn't explain either and said with a smile, "May I share a table with Brother Zhou?"
"Please sit
down." Zhou Mixing said, "Hey, let me introduce you. This is the
minister of the Imperial Court of Judicial Review, Lord Gao’s second son.
This is Lord Zhang of Jinan province. He happened to return to the capital to
report on his work. This is..."
Several people arched
hands at each other.
"This one is a popular man in our capital recently." Zhou Mixing patted Yan Sikong on the shoulder and said with a smile, "When the flowers were blooming in May, the emperor resumed the jingyan. It was this young fellow Yan Sikong who surprised all the people present with his talent and Chen Ning’s appearance* at the jingyan. Even the emperor greatly praised him."
"Oh, I'm very pleased
to meet you."
"I've heard that during
the jingyan, my dear brother was in the limelight. Even Shen Hexuan, who consecutively
scored first place
in the civil service examinations at three levels, was inferior to him."
Yan Sikong said humbly,
"I'm not talented and have shallow knowledge, that’s all. There are many
unnoticed talents in the Hanlin Academy. I'm really nothing."
"You’re modest, too
modest, hahaha."
"I heard that brother
was promoted by Senior Official Yan to be the crown prince’s royal tutor?"
Yan Sikong said, "That's right."
Everyone's eyes lit up:
"Is the prince studious?"
Yan Sikong said with a smile, "The prince is extremely intelligent and fond of studying. Over time, he will become a generation among wise rulers." He knew that these people didn't care whether the crown prince was "studious" at all, but wanted to get some good information from him.
They wanted to continue to
inquire, but Yan Sikong skillfully avoided the topic.
Feng Ye appeared at the
right time, and the guests in the courtyard were immediately attracted by that valiant
and wild wolf king.
Today, Feng Ye wore a lake blue jacket with a rhinoceros belt around his waist. His black trousers were stuffed inside his golden silk embroidered boots, which made him look like he had a narrow waist and long legs. He was handsome, tall, and straight. At a glance, his good body made people feel inferior.
Feng Ye first apologized to the guests and explained that he could not see them because he was not acclimated, was ill, and so on. Then, he thanked everyone on behalf of the King of Jingyuan. There were no loopholes in the words he spoke. Even though he spoke in a modest and polite manner, that pride that seeped into his bone marrow could not be concealed at all.
Feng Ye was scanning
around while he was speaking.
Yan Sikong listened to the
whispers around him discussing Feng Ye's appearance and the King of
Jingyuan’s great power. He turned a deaf ear to it, and his gaze couldn't help but
drift towards Feng Ye.
When the two gazes met from far away, Yan Sikong pulled the corners of his mouth and concealed his smile. He knew that Feng Ye must have been looking for him.
The banquet began. The
dance and music started, and the atmosphere was quite enthusiastic.
Yan Sikong, Zhou Mixing, and the others were drinking wine, but his attention was not there. He glanced secretly from time to time and saw Feng Ye talking and laughing with people.
Feng Ye was born and grew up in a military camp from a young age. He couldn’t help but emit the wildness and unruliness of a man on the battlefield. He obviously lacked etiquette in everything he did and spoke. Sometimes he was so blunt that he was domineering. Of course, superfluous rules and usages did not mean it was a good thing. It's understandable that he didn't stick to etiquette, but on the surface, Yan Sikong was more or less worried that he would offend people instead when he entertained the guests.
But when he saw that he seemed to be able to handle it skillfully and easily, he felt a little more at ease.
After one round of dance
and music, Pei Fan, the assistant censor-in-chief of the Chief Surveillance
Office, had a stomach of good wine and a strong poetic inspiration: "Wine
with poems, wine with poems. The wine will only be good when there are poems. I
suggest that those who have a poem in mind shall compose it, and those who have
wine shall propose a toast. How about it?"
"Okay!"
"Lord Pei starts first!"
"Then I'll throw out a brick to get a jade in return* first." Pei Fan smiled until his whole face was flushed with a red glow, held up his wine goblet, swirled the wine in his goblet a few times, and recited loudly:
The yellow leaves sway along with the autumn breeze, and clusters of green reeds appear in the dawn.
The cries of cranes alert the beginning of the season, and the
wild geese prepare for the approaching cold.
The bright moon is like opening a box, and the cloud tassels were like a stitched crown.
The
clear wine fits the autumn season, and the grand banquet is filled with joy.
"Good! Good poem!"
"Come, let's toast to
Lord Pei."
Pei Fan got the ball
rolling, and the scholar-officials were also itching to display their skills.
They composed and recited poems one after another and used poems and wine to
make friends. They really lived up to the wonderful time in the peaceful and
clear night.
When it came to Yan Sikong's table, Zhou Mixing coaxed, "Let’s have Brother Yan go first.”
Feng Ye slowly walked over
with a goblet of wine and looked at Yan Sikong with a smile: "I heard that
Lord Yan has excellent talent. I'm looking forward to it."
"So Shizi has heard
of Lord Yan too."
"No one hasn’t heard of the only person who’s received praise during the jingyan." Feng Ye raised his goblet to Yan Sikong, "Please."
Yan Sikong smiled and
arched his hands at everyone: "Then, I shall show my inadequacy."
"Please."
Yan Sikong looked at the
copper goblet in his hand, thought for a while, and slowly recited with a clear
loud voice:
Good wine is provided by God, and we accompany each other on the road to heaven.
Mats are laid in front of the Azure Dragon, and a pot is held by the White Tiger.
The Southern Dipper plays the guse, and the Big Dipper plays the shengyu.
The falling dew became the curtain of the carriage’s cover as the meteor came to drive it.
After the poem was recited,
everyone was amazed.
"‘Good wine is provided by God, and we accompany each other on the road to heaven’. After drinking a pot of wine, the rest of us would go straight to heaven. Hahaha, beautiful poem, it really is a beautiful poem."
"Good poem, Lord Yan really
amazed all of us."
Yan Sikong said repeatedly,
"You're welcome, you're welcome."
Feng Ye narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Yan Sikong's flushed and handsome face. That pair of eyes which were filled with intoxication and emotions made Feng Ye’s breathing become rapid. He was listening to the admiration and praises made to Yan Sikong around him and felt proud as if they were praising him.
"Lord Yan, I want to offer you a toast."
"Brother Yan, come. You must drink this goblet of wine. You must come to my family's banquet to admire the full moon on the 15th of next month."
"Lord Yan, I’ll offer you a toast too..."
Seeing that Yan Sikong was
about to be drowned by the people who were toasting him, Feng Ye squeezed to
Yan Sikong’s side and took the wine goblet in his hand: "Gentlemen, I'm
afraid Lord Yan would have to be carried home if he continued drinking one cup
after another."
"Hahaha, why is Shizi
starting to drink on his behalf?"
"Although I am a military general, my father taught me to cherish talents since I was young." Feng Ye said with a smile, "Why don’t I drink three goblets on behalf of Lord Yan? The rest will be saved for next time." With that, he drank Yan Sikong's wine without waiting for those people to agree.
Yan Sikong wanted to stop him, but he was too late. He thought: Feng Ye’s drinking capacity can’t even be compared to mine, so how can he have the courage to help me by drinking on my behalf?
Feng Ye did not allow others to intervene at all. He quickly downed three goblets of wine, and then looked at everyone with a forced smile.
Those who were tactful
retreated one after another. This young Shizi had a domineering aura, as if he
would bite if they were to take one more step forward.
After the crowd dispersed,
Feng Ye’s body swayed, and Yan Sikong helped him sit down: "Shizi, are you
alright?"
Feng Ye waved his hand: "It’s just a few glasses of wine. There’s no harm."
Yan Sikong smiled
helplessly, came close to him, and said in a low voice, "Your drinking
capacity is not as good as mine, so what's the point of acting strong?"
Feng Ye feigned anger and
said, " It's fine
if you are not grateful to me for helping you drink on your behalf, but you
still dare to ridicule me for it?"
"I dare not, I dare not." Yan Sikong said with a smile, "Drink some green tea to dispel the effect of the alcohol." He poured a cup of tea for Feng Ye.
Feng Ye pushed the cup of tea away: "I don’t want to drink it."
"You..."
Feng Ye held the wine goblet
in his hand: "I just heard that they were going to ask Senior Official Yan
to arrange a marriage for you. I heard that it was some daughter from a
minister’s family."
Yan Sikong raised his eyebrows: "Really, which minister? How old is his daughter?"
Feng Ye squinted at him:
"Looks like you’re looking forward to it."
"A grown-up man and a
grown-up woman should get married. I'm not young anymore."
Feng Ye glared at him:
"I didn't even accept a marriage proposal. What rights do you have to get
married?"
"What is there to
compare? Do you want to beat me on this one too? No matter what, I’m still 5
years older than you."
"Do you want a wife
that badly?" There was anger on Feng Ye's face.
Yan Sikong didn't know where Feng Ye's anger came from, but when he saw that he was really unhappy, he could only smile and said, "Actually, I don’t have that kind of intention, but my parents have passed. If my teacher arranges a marriage for me, how can I not follow through?" He didn't lie. He didn't want to get a wife at all. He didn't even want to have children, but how can he decide his marriage? His idea of marrying a wife was no different from the idea he had when he was young. The only difference was that although he didn’t want to marry, it doesn’t matter who he marries. If he wants to marry, she must be the daughter of a great aristocratic family.
Feng Ye pursed his lips,
pushed him away, got up, and left.
"Shizi..." Yan
Sikong shook his head helplessly while smiling.
----
PS:
first Sikong looked like Pan An, now he looked like Chen Ning, I wonder who
else is he going to look like next LOLOLOL
PPS: *me with -100 IQ squatting in an isolated corner drawing circles while the bunch of people with 260 IQ makes poems* MY BRAIN IS OFFICIALLY FRIED
PS from Emzie: Someone call an ambulance!! Ari needs to be resuscitated!!
Chen
Ning’s appearance* [宸宁之貌]--- Describe the appearance of men without signs of aging.
throw out a brick to get a jade in return* [抛砖引玉]--- to attract others' interest or suggestions by putting forward one's own modest ideas to get the ball rolling
Poem Pei Fan made:
Poem Sikong made (SQC
eliminated a few phrases from the original poem. Original poem is longer
(scroll down to see full poem):
天公出美酒，相从步云衢。
Good wine is provided by
God, and we accompany each other on the road to heaven.
*(Describes
a place where people seek leisure) 相从 = Accompany each other, 步云衢 = embarking on the road to heaven
青龙前铺席，白虎持榼壶。
Mats are laid in front of
the Azure Dragon, and a pot is held by the White Tiger.
*(The
Azure Dragon, also known as Green Dragon, is one of the Dragon Gods who
represent the mount or chthonic forces of the Five Forms of the Highest Deity.
He is also one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations, which are the
astral representations of the Wufang Shangdi. The White Tiger is sometimes
called the White Tiger of the West. It represents the west in terms of
direction and the autumn season. Poem phrase’s meaning: Azure Dragon came to
arrange seats at the banquet, and the White Tiger came to pour wine). The first
2 sentences you see in this poem is describing the banquet.
南斗工鼓瑟，北斗吹笙竽。
The Southern Dipper plays
the guse, and the Big Dipper plays the shengyu.
*(南斗六星, South Dipper Six Stars) is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations, located within Sagittarius. It is one of the northern mansions of the Black Tortoise. Guse (鼓瑟) is a type of string instrument, sth like guqin (see pic 1 below). Big dipper is located in the northern hemisphere. Shengyu (笙竽) is a type of free reed wind instrument with vertical bamboo pipes (see pic 2 below) Poem phrase’s meaning: both Dippers came to perform their specialties. The 3rd line of this poem is talking about music and dance.
垂露成帏幄，奔星扶轮舆。
The falling dew became the
curtain of the carriage’s cover as the meteor came to drive it.
*(The 4th line of this poem is talking about the end of banquet.)
The original version of Sikong’s recited poem:
今日乐上乐，相从步云衢。
天公出美酒，河伯出鲤鱼。
青龙前铺席，白虎持榼壶。
南斗工鼓瑟，北斗吹笙竽。
妲娥垂明珰，织女奉瑛琚。
苍霞扬东讴，清风流西歈。
垂露成帏幄，奔星扶轮舆。
Edited on 17 Aug. 21 (Emzie)
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