The poem's meaning is quite clear: when one is at the height of one's success, one should drink heartily of millet wine and not be concerned with temporary gains or losses, for what belongs to you will eventually return to you.
After Zhao Xian finished reciting, the scene fell into complete silence; you could hear a pin drop.
"What a wonderful poem!" someone shouted, and the entire audience erupted in thunderous applause.
Wang Zhibo and Li Qi immediately cast approving glances at Zhao Xian. Zhao Xian's literary level was too high; they, as scholars, could never produce such high-level verses in their entire lives.
"Dear fellow poets, let us now taste the specialty millet wine of Zhengyang County. Due to limited quantity, we can only provide one hundred servings, which can only be tasted by a few people. Please understand."
This was indeed a bit of a challenge for the organizers of the poetry gathering. The four jugs of millet wine were divided into one hundred portions, so even if they could taste it, they could only get a small sip and barely get a taste of the millet wine.
As music began, ten beautiful maids carried trays into the hall, each tray holding ten small wine cups, each containing only a little millet wine.
The entire hall was instantly filled with the aroma of wine, a scent they had never encountered before.
One hundred portions of millet wine were only available for a select group of officials, special guests, and business tycoons to taste. Everyone else could only watch longingly. Even the literati and the main figures of the poetry gathering at the event did not receive a single portion of the millet wine.
The person who received the millet wine was very excited and began to sip it.
The official in charge has just introduced millet wine, which is a new type of wine, unlike any other wine on the market, and has a unique flavor.
The rich aroma of the wine tells you that it must taste amazing, but unfortunately there's no wine to taste. There's nothing more agonizing than this.
Those who tasted the millet wine were excited, praising it endlessly, and some business tycoons began to get restless.
"This wine is truly exceptional; I have never tasted such fine wine before."
"Yes, this wine has a pure taste and a wonderful aroma that makes it irresistible. If I had to choose between this wine and my wife, I would definitely choose the wine."
"No, I must taste this fine wine, no matter how much money it costs, I'm willing to pay."
"..."
The venue was in a bit of chaos. Some people who hadn't tasted the wine started to get frustrated, wondering what was wrong with the organizers and why they were only providing so little wine. They thought it would be better not to provide any at all and that no one should drink.
At this moment, Magistrate Cao stood up from his seat, and everyone's eyes immediately turned to him.
"Please be quiet, everyone. The millet wine that some of you tasted just now was a sample we brought over yesterday. There wasn't much of it, so it was only for a few people to taste."
To ensure everyone can enjoy the fine wine, Zhengyang County has specially sent two jars, which have arrived at the door and can now be brought in for your tasting.
The crowd cheered. It turned out that there were two more jars of fine wine waiting for them, and they were in for a treat.
The official in charge was also pleasantly surprised and quickly arranged for someone to fetch the two jars of wine from outside.
Prefect Shen, sitting in the main seat, secretly applauded, believing that Magistrate Cao and Zhao Xian had planned this in advance, as this was the only way to maximize the promotion effect of millet wine.
Soon Zhao Cheng was led into the venue, and two jars of millet wine were also brought in.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the two jars of wine were quickly filled into wine cups and served to each person.
This time, the group did not taste the wine immediately. Prefect Shen had already instructed that the wine tasting should be conducted according to the host's instructions, and everyone should taste the wine together.
Throughout the entire poetry gathering, Prefect Shen remained silent, but this time he finally spoke.
"Qing'an has five counties and one prefecture, and it is rich in barnyard grass. Although farmers do not like barnyard grass, they can make a refreshing herbal tea from its leaves to relieve the summer heat. This herbal tea is very popular among the locals. It is called Qinghe tea."
The reason this herbal tea isn't called "barnyard tea" is because the word "barnyard" sounds the same as "spoiled brat."
The wine I tasted was made from barnyard grass, and I think naming it "barnyard grass wine" is inappropriate. I suggest calling it "Qinghe wine," or something else. What do you all think?
Prefect Shen's suggestion was approved by everyone, and Zhao Xian also felt that calling it "barnyard wine" was not very good, and naming it "Qinghe wine" would be more appropriate.
The naming of the millet wine was settled, and Prefect Shen picked up his wine cup and began to taste the wine with everyone present.
Such fine wine cannot be drunk in one gulp; it must be sipped slowly and savored gradually.
At this moment, an elderly man stood up from the guest seats. He appeared to be over seventy years old and was wearing light armor, clearly a general.
The old general slowly walked to the center of the hall, holding a wine cup in his right hand, but not his left.
Upon seeing this person, Prefect Shen quickly rose from his seat, approached the old man, and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, General Lin. I apologize for any shortcomings in your hospitality."
"Prefect Shen, you are too kind. Thank you for hosting this poetry gathering. It has given me the honor of tasting such fine wine."
The old general's name was Lin Feiyang. He was a veteran of three dynasties and had been stationed at the border for more than ten years. In a battle with a foreign country, he captured the foreign commander and brought peace to the border for many years. However, he was seriously injured in that battle and lost his left arm.
After that, he left the border and returned to the capital to serve as an official. He was a military general with an upright character, which offended many high-ranking officials in the court. He was ostracized and had no choice but to retire to his hometown in Qing'an Prefecture.
In Qing'an Prefecture, everyone knows General Lin. As an important guest, General Lin was invited to the poetry gathering.
General Lin was a very particular man. Even in the sweltering heat, he still wore his light armor to boost the morale of his troops.
Having tasted such fine wine, he certainly wouldn't miss the chance. He wanted to ask Prefect Shen if there was any more wine so he could take some back and savor it properly.
"That's no problem, but we don't have Qinghe wine right now. We'll send a few jars to General Lin later," Prefect Shen said with a smile.
The old general nodded. It seemed he would have to be patient for now. As long as there was wine, he would drink until he was completely drunk.
Then General Lin came to Zhao Xian's side and began to look him over.
Zhao Xian quickly stood up and bowed deeply to General Lin, showing him great respect.
"Although I am a military officer, I can understand the meaning of the poem. This poem was written for you young people, and it is not suitable for us soldiers."
Back in the day, before we went into battle, we would always have a cup of wine to boost morale. If I had been able to drink such fine wine back then, I'm sure I could have killed more enemies on the battlefield.
"General Lin risked his life on the battlefield, fought bravely against the enemy, and served his country with utmost loyalty. He is a role model for us all. It is a pity that I am a scholar and cannot fight on the battlefield. I can only write a poem to send to the old general."
Zhao Xian was about to compose another poem, which immediately piqued the interest of everyone present. The previous poem had already amazed everyone, and they wondered what kind of poem he would present to the old general.
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