The dusk was like ink, quietly seeping into the sky. The full moon like a silver plate slowly climbed up to the branches of the willows, pouring down its cool light.

Suddenly, snow began to fall from the sky. The fluttering snowflakes were as light as catkins, and they shimmered in the moonlight.

Juzhou is located in the southwest, so winter snow is rare. Even if a few flakes fall occasionally, they are just scattered snowflakes that disappear in a flash.

But today the snowflakes are getting bigger and bigger. The goose-feather-like snowflakes are carried down by the wind and land lightly on the students' shoulders. Before people can take a closer look at them, they turn into crystal water droplets, penetrate into their clothes and disappear.

This sudden heavy snow seemed to inject vitality into the quiet night. Excitement lit up in everyone's eyes and their faces were filled with surprised smiles.

Grandpa Gu puffed on his pipe and said with a smile, "Auspicious snow indicates a good harvest. Next year will definitely be a bumper year."

"Yes, fortunately we planted the wheat early, and now it's snowing, so we won't have to worry about having no wheat next year." Grandma also put down her needlework and agreed.

The students jumped up excitedly, waved their arms, and finally burst into poems and songs about snow.

At this time, someone loudly suggested: "With such a beautiful view, why don't we play a drinking game?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone responded and heated discussions broke out instantly.

Speaking of drinking games, it has a long history and can be traced back to the Western Zhou Dynasty.

At that time, drinking orders were mainly used to maintain etiquette and order when drinking, which was solemn and dignified.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it gradually broke free from its constraints and evolved into a form of entertainment among aristocrats and literati, full of fun and elegance.

As time went by, during the Daqian Dynasty, drinking games reached their peak. With diverse forms and exciting content, they became an indispensable part of the fun at literary gatherings.

There are three main types of drinking games.

The first of these is Yaling, a drinking game full of cultural flavor that requires participants to be well-read and able to compose poems, couplets, guess lantern riddles, or play word games.

The well-known "Flying Flower Order" is the most common form of Yaling. Participants must take turns reciting verses containing specific characters, without repeating themselves, which is a test of both knowledge and reflexes.

The second is the general order, which is simple to understand and easy to operate, and is suitable for people from all walks of life.

Common games such as dice rolling and finger-guessing belong to this category.

During the game, both sides shout out numbers and make hand gestures. The atmosphere is lively and the winner is decided instantly, leaving the loser helpless to raise his glass and drink.

In Juzhou, where wine culture is prevalent, Tongling is loved by all walks of life, and even old men in the fields can make it skillfully.

The last step is the chipping order, which requires the use of wine chips.

Wine chips are bamboo or wooden sticks with inscriptions or patterns on them, with various drinking rules written on them. Participants draw wine chips and drink according to the requirements or complete tasks, which is quite similar to modern playing cards.

People in Juzhou often use wine chips to play "water fish" and "twelve points", which is very fun.

Zhang Sheng and others were all scholars, so they naturally suggested playing elegant songs.

Everyone nodded, their eyes full of anticipation. Even Gu Jiayue leaned forward slightly and participated in the discussion with great interest.

Song Zhixu was the first to pick up the wine glass and walked under the eaves leisurely.

He tilted his head slightly, reached out to catch the falling snowflakes, and felt the coolness of them melting in his palms. A confident smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said loudly, "Since it's snowing, let's write a five-character quatrain on the theme of snow. If you can't finish it in three breaths, you will have to drink a glass of wine as a penalty."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was immediately in an uproar.

Someone's eyes lit up and they clapped their hands in approval: "Hmm? Brother Song, this is a very good suggestion."

Some people frowned, looking troubled: "Three breaths? Isn't that too short?"

Others cautiously inquired, "Can we only create original works? Can we borrow from the works of our predecessors?"

Everyone was discussing the rules enthusiastically.

Soon, the rules were established: whether it was original or quoted from the works of ancient sages, as long as it could be said within three breaths, it would pass, but the words could not be repeated, and it had to be a five-character quatrain.

At this time, someone turned his gaze to the several masters sitting in the upper seats and loudly suggested: "Masters, please take your seats. Why not let the master start the topic?"

Everyone echoed: "Yes, yes, that's how it should be."

The teachers who were pushed out looked calm. They really didn't care about this little game. But since they were all together today, they weren't the type to spoil the fun.

Jiang Luli was playing with his wine glass nonchalantly; writing poetry was a piece of cake for him; Master Du narrowed his eyes slightly, looking relaxed, and writing poetry was as common as eating.

But this relaxed atmosphere was in stark contrast to Gu Jiayue. Her fingers were tightly clenched around the corner of her clothes, her palms were slightly sweaty, and her eyes were filled with anxiety.

After all, her knowledge of poetry was limited to what she had read in books, and in her day, poetry writing was not a requirement for job exams.

At this moment, she was filled with anxiety.

After some pushing and shoving, Jiang Luli spoke first, "Snow falls, and the mountains are still. The wind blows, and the valleys are empty. I seek a secluded path alone, where the shadows of plum blossoms cast a shadow on the fading red."

His voice was clear, like a spring on a mountain.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone cheered and applauded loudly, with admiration on their faces.

Jiang Shanchang is indeed a rare genius in a century, and the poems he improvises are so charming.

The wine glass was passed to Master Du, who took it up slowly. He then spoke, "On a cold night, snow falls, a solitary lamp illuminates my clothes. My hometown is thousands of miles away, but my thoughts follow the wind back."

His voice was low, with a hint of melancholy, and his eyes looked into the distance, as if he had traveled thousands of miles to return to his hometown.

As soon as this poem came out, the atmosphere instantly became depressed.

The students remembered that they had been away from home for a long time.

Especially the few people who came from Kyoto, they have never returned home since they left with the headmaster at the beginning of the year.

There was longing in their eyes. Some of them turned their backs quietly and raised their hands to wipe away the tears from the corners of their eyes; some of them were silent, drinking one glass after another to drown their sorrows.

Zhang Sheng saw the oppressive atmosphere and quickly shouted, "Master Gu, it's your turn!"

Everyone finally came to their senses and forced a smile on their faces.

When Jiang Lu left, Gu Jiayue was so nervous that her whole body was stiff and her heart was beating like a drum.

She racked her brains, the poems she had learned flashing through her mind. But the more anxious she was, the more blank she became.

Just when she was extremely anxious, the system's voice suddenly rang in her mind, scaring her so much that her body trembled and she almost jumped up.

She pretended to be calm and asked in her heart: "Where have you been during this time?"

The system responded with a hint of grievance: "Didn't the host ask me to brush up on Xuexi Qiangguo?"

Gu Jiayue then remembered the promise she had made casually. She felt a little embarrassed for a moment and said perfunctorily, "Are you done?"

The system immediately became excited: "Of course! So, host, when will you fulfill your promise? I have already chosen the skin."

But at this time, Gu Jiayue had no time to care about it. She quickly put the system behind her and continued to think hard.

She bit her lip, frowned, and tried hard to think of a poem with balanced rhythm and parallelism.

System: "Host, do you need my help? There are many excellent poems in the mall. You can get them with just a few points."

"No, I haven't eaten pork, but I have seen pigs run."

Under the expectant and slightly curious gazes of the crowd, Gu Jiayue took a deep breath and stood up.

He cleared his throat and said in a trembling voice, "The long street is silent on a snowy night, and the frosty wind chills the bones. I think of my youth, when laughter filled the silver beach."

After saying that, she quickly sat down, picked up the wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp. She avoided everyone's gaze, not daring to look them in the eye, and silently said to herself: "As long as I don't feel embarrassed, others will be embarrassed."

But just when she breathed a sigh of relief, a sudden laugh came from behind.

Gu Jiayue's face turned red instantly, and the burning sensation spread from her cheeks to her ears. She wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

Jiang Luli raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and looked in the direction where the laughter came from with a hint of ridicule in his eyes.

Su Yichen lowered his head, his shoulders shaking constantly, as if he was trying hard to hold back his smile.

Seeing this, Song Zhixu feigned a cough and began to smooth things over, "The masters' use of words and phrases in their poems is truly exceptional! Every word is precise and vivid."

Others chimed in, "Yes, yes, the rhythm is harmonious and catchy. The rhythmic parallelism is well-balanced, and the reading is like flowing water with a brisk pace. The beauty of rhythm and poetry are perfectly integrated, bringing the ultimate auditory enjoyment to people. It is truly a masterpiece!"

Listening to these compliments, Gu Jiayue felt uneasy. Filled with helplessness and embarrassment, she silently complained in her heart: "I don't want this to happen either, but, in our time, poetry writing really wasn't tested in exams!"