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Глава 57

"Floating Wine Cups with Lyrics? Is it the same as the Flower Drum Recitation?" Yi Qianxian tilted her head and said, "It's interesting. We've played Flower Drum Recitation before, but we've never played Lyrics with it."

At this moment, a round-faced girl sitting a little further inside said, "This sounds really interesting, I'll try it." Gradually, seven or eight people gathered and agreed. In the end, most of them wanted to try it. Zhenzhu was sitting coldly to the side, but Yi Qianxian pulled her over, saying that it would be good to play together.

Su Chen watched with a smile as Yi Qianxian went over and said something to Zhenzhu Shang. At first, Zhenzhu Shang ignored her, but later, after they talked for a while, Zhenzhu Shang reluctantly moved over.

It's strange. Knowing full well she was a troublemaker and didn't want to come, why drag her in and spoil the fun? Su Chen glanced around discreetly. Sure enough, when Zhenzhu Shang sat down, the girls around her lowered their heads and talked to each other, their faces showing slight displeasure. She even noticed that Liu Tinglin was giving Yi Qianxian a strange look.

Since the enemy's situation was unclear, she decided to make a clean break. Judging from the princess's expression, she wasn't planning to let her go today. This Zhenzhu Shang was anything but simple. She was the daughter of the former humiliated governor of Zhili (it's said she wasn't originally called Zhili, but was renamed after Emperor Huizong ascended the throne). She was the governor's beloved daughter, yet the governor had only recently arrived in the capital, and his transfer was orchestrated by the Vice Minister of State Affairs.

This current Vice Chancellor was once the Crown Prince's tutor.

Zhenzhu Shang's mother was the wife of Xiangzuo Gongzheng, and was the younger sister of the Queen.

To flaunt one's power against the daughter of a governor who has just returned to the capital and whose influence is not yet well established, especially since that woman's family are political enemies of one's own faction, it seems unlikely that anything will go wrong.

Upon careful examination, it was discovered that none of the people Zhenzhu Shang had ever reprimanded, insulted, or spoken harshly to his face were Liu Dangdi.

This is Kyoto, really. Even unmarried girls know how to vent their bad temper in a targeted way, depending on the factional affiliation.

Su Chen had originally intended to use Yi Qianxian as a shield, seeing how she was being manipulated. But seeing the current situation, and realizing she was a cunning and unpredictable person, he decided to leave her aside.

Xiangmin Gong remained neutral. However, this did not mean that his wife's niece's family was also neutral.

This is a troublesome place. This is a troublesome time. This is a troublesome gathering. I hate partisan strife. It makes me think twice before doing anything.

She dismissed these thoughts and smiled. "It's supposed to be a drinking game," she said, "but it's no fun without a prize. How about we play a drinking game?" She stood up and dragged over the tray with the teapot and teacups on it. Then she took out the teacups one by one and arranged them in order. Looking at the people already gathered around the table, she said, "Simply writing lyrics wouldn't be very interesting for all of you ladies. How about we play a drinking game? The drinking game is about writing lyrics. I'll be the game master."

She smiled, slightly embarrassed, and said, "Although I haven't been in the capital for long, I've served as an official in Suzhou many times. I've long wanted to try it myself, but unfortunately, I haven't had the chance. Now that I'm in the capital, please give me this opportunity. I'm grateful for your kindness."

Her words were extremely tactful. Being a magistrate was inherently a thankless and arduous job, and no one was really going to compete with her for it. But by saying it this way, everyone felt they had given her face, and that she owed them a favor.

Yi Qianxian had just settled Zhenzhu Shang's seat and was about to say something when she suddenly heard Su Chen's words. She was stunned and said, "Why does Sister Su Chen want to be the game master? Why don't you join us in playing the game? Being the game master is so boring."

That pearl still spoke with a sarcastic tone, "I'm afraid you won't be able to carry out the order and will be laughed at. Miss He, don't worry, none of us here will make things too difficult for you. We all know you fell into the water and your mind isn't very sharp anymore."

Su Chen smiled and glanced at her, but didn't answer. He simply looked down at the expressions of everyone present. Sure enough, everyone looked indifferent and didn't care.

In the past, as long as one reacted quickly and the rhyme was well-structured, it would be easy to gain respect. If the rhyme was talented, it would be even easier for it to spread within a small circle.

Women at this time valued talent and reputation. Even women who weren't particularly talented would eagerly compete to play drinking games. The reason was simple: who knew that they might one day come up with a brilliant line that would be praised? Even if they didn't do it perfectly, as long as it was passable, it didn't matter; everyone would only notice those who couldn't do it or those who did it well.

However, the role of the order-giver is different. Their function is to set the requirements for the execution of the orders, maintain order and sequence, and decide who should be punished and who should be rewarded. When a decision is undecided—whether to approve or punish the order with a drink—it becomes very awkward. If the order is approved, people might say the order-giver is lax; if a drink is punished, the punished person might say the order is making things difficult for them. Few people want to do something that offends others. Therefore, it is often necessary to draw lots to determine who the order-giver is.

To the average person, who would eagerly volunteer to be a commentator? Being a commentator also involves judging the poems and lyrics composed by everyone. To most, judging is far more difficult than composing! Therefore, everyone ignored Zhenzhu Shang's criticisms and fault-finding. They knew her personality; that's just how she was. He Ziyuan's daughter, how could she not be good at poetry? Perhaps she was new and didn't want to steal their thunder, so she quietly integrated herself, which prevented her from being disliked.

This is actually a very common phenomenon. When someone you don't know or are not familiar with does something that makes you feel like you're at a disadvantage or that's good for you but not beneficial or harmful to them, people will feel a strange sense of identification, as if they owe them something. Although it's not obvious, it's actually quite suggestive, and it makes people think that this person has a really good personality.

Su Chen's eagerness to become the official in charge stemmed from this consideration. Having studied a little psychology, she knew this was the best choice in this situation. Although she had crammed on poetry and literature, she was still far behind these women who had been immersed in it for over a decade. Furthermore, she couldn't plagiarize; most of the poems she remembered were incredibly famous, and if they were accidentally leaked to Emperor Huizong, her identity would be immediately exposed.

However, commenting on poems is quite easy to pick up. You can evaluate them from various angles; past political history isn't just a given, and you can analyze issues from countless perspectives—premises, conditions, background, the author's emotions, social status, sources, personal preferences—you can ramble on about anything, it's just chatting. I studied tour guiding, so I know how to chat.

==

That drinking game is really complicated; I'm piecing it together from different sources. If I can't create something original, I'll have to resort to a mix of original and plagiarized... ugh. My updates have been very inconsistent lately, so I'll just try my best to keep updating consistently.

There will probably be another update later... *scratching head*

Chapter Twenty-Two: Drinking Games

However, if they were to play drinking games, they would need to come up with something novel to attract attention and make themselves known in the capital. As she was pondering this, she heard Liu Tinglin say, "If we're going to play drinking games, we must pair them with good wine. Qianqian, I've heard that the pear blossom white wine brewed by the Duke of Xiangmin's mansion is famously not only unpleasant to drink but also doesn't cause headaches. I wonder if we could try some?"

Before she could finish speaking, a chorus of agreement erupted around her. Yi Qianxian laughed and scolded, "You little vixen, all you ever do is covet other people's good things. Last time you visited my house, you didn't forget to take a bunch of willow branches with you." She addressed the crowd, "Tell me, have you ever seen such a wicked person? Saying that our willow branches look so green and beautiful! Heaven knows she's not happy unless she's skinned alive wherever she goes! Willow branches aren't about being beautiful or not. Her mansion is full of exotic flowers and rare herbs, not to mention how much her brother spoils her. What can't she have? Yet this woman is so fixated on other people's things. Does she think other people's things are better than her own?"

A baby-faced woman wearing a light pink dress and a light blue shawl said with a half-smile, "Qianqian, you don't know yet, do you? Tinglin and I have already discussed it. From now on, whenever we see you, we'll try to get something from you. You can't blame Tinglin for always keeping good things to yourself."

Yi Qianxian pouted and said, "So, it's my fault then?"

Everyone around laughed. Zhenzhu Shang suddenly said, "That's not right. I think it's because you, Sister Liu, haven't seen these things before and are just curious, right?" The others fell silent again. Yi Qianxian tugged at her hand. Zhenzhu Shang was about to speak again when her expression suddenly changed, as if she were in pain. She finally shut her mouth.

Seeing everyone's interest, Su Chen said, "Since all the sisters want to play drinking games, I will be the game master. Let's make it clear first, the game master is in charge. Now that I am the game master, I am the most important person at the banquet. I am a newcomer, so I can't be more shameless than others, and I am capable of doing the most ruthless things! If anyone fails to pass the baton, they will be severely punished with a drink!"

Liu Tinglin laughed and said, "Su Chen, you're all talk now. If you let someone off the hook later, don't blame us for slapping you in the face." Another girl with an ordinary appearance replied, "What kind of rules are there? Please, Sister He, give me some rules quickly. I'm just trying to build a relationship with you. If I can't come up with any, please let me off the hook."

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone laughed. Someone said, "Sister Fengyan, you're right. Who doesn't know you're exceptionally talented? Are you just trying to steal our thunder and get involved with the He family's daughter?"

Then others chimed in. The atmosphere inside became cheerful and lively. Zhenzhu Shang's face was clearly unhappy, but surprisingly she didn't say anything to spoil the mood. Yi Qianxian sat next to her and laughed with everyone. Su Chen noticed that Liu Tinglin kept glancing at Yi Qianxian and Zhenzhu Shang, looking quite concerned and surprised.

Just then, servants and maids arrived at the door carrying wine. Upon seeing the servants, everyone stopped talking. After the maids carried in the large jars of wine, the servants greeted them outside, received their reward, and left. Only then did the conversation resume inside. They chatted for a while about the current food preferences in the capital. Knowing that Su Chen had just arrived, several people introduced her to the long-established Tang Bing Ji wine shop.

It is said that it was originally sold in the palace. It started decades ago, when the emperor was not yet emperor, but just a prince. At that time, Tang Bing Ji had just opened. No one knew about this shop. Those who tried it found the variety limited and strange. Some of the flavors were simply bizarre. Anyway, there were plenty of well-known, established shops, so people didn't bother with this newly opened, small shop. Later, Emperor Huizong, who was still a prince at the time, frequently visited the shop. Others found it strange, but out of a bandwagon mentality, and because some young people in the capital wanted to show they shared the prince's tastes, it gradually gained popularity. Later, Tang Bing Ji continued to expand and improve its offerings. It sold snacks, pastries, desserts, and various stews, and the flavors became increasingly closer to the tastes of the time. Four or five years after Huizong ascended the throne, it finally became a famous shop exclusively for the upper class in the capital.

Now, it has become a classic restaurant that everyone in Kyoto mentions when talking about food. Su Chen listened with a smile. He then chatted with the others about classic delicacies from Suzhou and Hangzhou. Everyone spoke with great interest. However, Zhenzhu Shang remained silent. At this moment, not only Liu Tinglin, but also the others in the room frequently looked in Zhenzhu Shang's direction.

Su Chen then realized that a powerful person doesn't need to speak to intimidate others with their aura. Like Zhenzhu Shang. Even when she speaks, a bunch of people pay attention to her. And even when she doesn't speak, a bunch of people still pay attention to her. Even if she's not there, a bunch of people will probably still be discussing why this powerful woman isn't here.

But was it really that strange? Zhenzhu was simply holding her teacup and drinking tea. Gradually, the room quieted down. Every now and then, someone would steal glances at her.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Su Chen tried to warm things up. He turned to Yi Qianxian and said, "Sister Yi, what exactly is this pear blossom wine? Although I'm new here, I've heard many people talk about it. Is it the homemade rice wine from the Duke of Xiangmin's mansion?"

Upon hearing the mention of pear blossom liquor, Liu Tinglin immediately forgot everything else and exclaimed, "It's not rice wine! It's not just rice wine! To be honest, I can't even tell what kind of liquor this is. Everyone in my family loves to drink. Although I'm a girl, my parents and brothers don't let me drink much, but I consider myself to have some knowledge of liquor. The pear blossom liquor from the Prince's mansion is completely different from what I find elsewhere. What I find elsewhere is just rice wine, but this has a lot of fresh fruit aromas in it. I think it's more like fruit wine. But if you say it's fruit wine, then you feel there's a rice aroma in it, so it seems quite like rice wine. The first time I tasted it, it really confused me."

I held that glass for ages, completely baffled. Later, I told my brother, and sure enough, he'd drunk it before, but couldn't quite put his finger on what kind of liquor it was either.

Su Chen had once heard someone say that there was no wine after the Song Dynasty. This didn't mean that wine after the Song Dynasty didn't count as wine, but rather that almost all major categories of wine in China had already emerged during the Song Dynasty. Any new wines added later were simply modifications or additions to this existing system.

While this viewpoint may be somewhat biased, the fact that it can be said in this way also reflects the advanced state of the brewing industry in the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty did not prohibit brewing, nor did it prohibit gambling. It is well known that most brewing requires grain as a raw material, so during years of famine or disaster, almost every dynasty's court would prohibit or restrict brewers. However, the Song Dynasty seems to have never prohibited it. The same goes for gambling. On his way back to the grand banquet, Su Chen saw countless gambling dens, where people partied all night long, a melting pot of all sorts of people. It is said that many gambling dens in the capital had been operating for over a hundred years without interruption, open day and night. This means that for over a hundred years, people have been gambling there, one group leaving and another arriving, never stopping. It seems that Emperor Huizong's ascension to the throne did not change this.