The Empress Dowager looked kindly at Chen Wener and said with a smile, “Wener, you’re the main guest of this palace banquet. The wine game should be started by you.”
“How about using a passed object as the medium? You’ll call out to stop, and whoever ends up with the object will compose a poem. What do you think?”
Chen Wener, clever as ever, understood without needing much explanation. Her almond-shaped eyes turned slightly as she smiled and nodded, “Alright. To keep it fair, I’ll turn my back to everyone. When it reaches Prince Wei, please remember to remind me, Grandmother and Mother.”
The Empress Dowager and Empress both nodded slightly.
Chen Wener didn’t hesitate and stood up gracefully to propose, “I’m very pleased that all of you could attend my coming-of-age ceremony today. But a celebratory banquet without entertainment is rather dull. Why don’t we play a poetry wine game to make it more lively? What do you all think?”
Everyone clapped in approval.
“Brilliant idea.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
Most of them had entered the palace to join in the fun anyway. With this kind of activity, they were more than happy to participate.
Chen Wener added, “We’ll pass an object to start the game. Whoever ends up with it when I call stop must compose a poem within ten steps of me. If the poem is completed, they’re exempt from drinking. If not, they must drink.”
Everyone became excited by the idea.
Chen Wener picked up a silver wine pot and said, “Let this wine pot be the object passed around. If any wine spills during the passing, the one holding it must drink three cups. If the chosen person cannot finish the poem within ten steps, they must drink the entire pot.”
Many people hesitated. After all, a pot of wine could be at least half a catty. If someone with a low tolerance drank that, they might be carried out.
Seeing their concerns, Chen Wener playfully smiled and reassured them, “There are so many guests here at this banquet, and I’ll have my back turned. The chance of hitting the same person twice is less than one in a hundred. There’s nothing to worry about.”
After hearing the Third Princess’s words, everyone found it reasonable and nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Chen Wener smiled and instructed the eunuch to start passing the wine pot from the first person. She then turned her back to the crowd.
Yet, as the wine pot passed from hand to hand, she never called stop.
Wei Ran watched the wine pot getting closer and closer to him, his brows slightly furrowing. A thought arose in his heart—could this be targeted at me?
The wine pot soon reached the person just before him.
That man had dark skin and a rugged face, stood over eight feet tall, and his waist was just as wide. When he sat down, his neck practically disappeared…
“Stop.”
Just as he was about to hand the wine pot to Wei Ran, Chen Wener suddenly called out.
The burly young man’s hand froze midair.
Chen Wener turned around, and for a moment, her expression stiffened slightly before she smiled and said, “Dugu Nengwen, I didn’t expect the first lucky draw to be you. Now it’s your turn to compose a poem.”
She glanced at the Empress. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Shi Lingwei looked slightly awkward and muttered, “Oops, kicked too early.” She withdrew her embroidered shoe from beside Chen Wener’s foot.
Chen Wener had no choice but to step forward. She walked very slowly and reminded him along the way, “Dugu Nengwen, you must compose a poem within ten steps of me, or you’ll have to drink the whole pot. Of course, you can choose to forfeit…”
Despite his bear-like build, Dugu Nengwen moved quickly. As soon as he heard that, he sprang to his feet and said in a deep, booming voice, “The Dugu family has two generations of generals. Both my grandfather and father have always dreamed of a scholar in the family. Now that I’ve been chosen, I absolutely can’t let them down. Princess, please walk slowly. I’ll definitely compose a poem.”
After he finished speaking, he stared at the wine pot and began thinking hard.
But even after a long while, his brows were knotted into a ball and he still couldn’t come up with a single word.
The Empress Dowager chuckled and waved her hand. “Dugu Nengwen, if you can’t think of anything, just forget it. Your grandfather and father are both military men. You only started speaking at age seven and learned to read at nine. It’s unfair to expect you to compose poetry. Anyway, you can handle your wine. Just drink the pot.”
Dugu Nengwen immediately refused. “No way! If I don’t compose a poem today, I’d be ashamed to face my ancestors!”
His impassioned response drew loud laughter from everyone.
A double surname, Dugu?
Wei Ran thought carefully and soon recalled the Dugu family’s background.
The Dugu family rose to prominence with Dugu Xiong. When the former Emperor was still a prince, Dugu Xiong followed him into battle across the land. During the desperate battle of Yongcheng, he suffered seven stab wounds and thirteen arrows, yet still carried the former Emperor out of a sea of corpses.
For his loyalty and achievements, he was granted a hereditary title of Duke. His son, Dugu Xin, also became a formidable general. But in the late reign of the former Emperor, as civil over military values became favored in the Great Li Empire, a literary trend spread across the land.
Dugu Xiong realized the importance of knowledge and thus named his grandson Dugu Nengwen—literally, “capable of literature.”
Looking at the man’s massive frame, he was clearly the perfect mold for a warrior, able to carry a horse on his shoulders. If you didn’t know he was a person, you’d think he was a black bear once he removed his robe.
Seeing his honest face, Wei Ran couldn’t help but chuckle—someone built like this, it’s a pity he didn’t become a monk and steal robes.
The whole hall burst into laughter.
“Dugu Nengwen, if you can’t compose a poem, sit down already. Don’t waste our time.”
“Exactly! You’ve been standing there like a bear for half a stick of incense. I’m getting nervous just watching you.”
“Your Dugu family are all rough soldiers. Leave poetry to the scholars.”
“Yes, you just protect the Great Li Empire. Don’t embarrass yourselves trying to act cultured.”
These sarcastic voices darkened Dugu Nengwen’s face. Not that it changed color—it was already dark; it just turned red, and no one could tell.
Wei Ran thought silently: if I can draw the Dugu family into my camp, it might help me completely escape my impostor status in the future.
With that in mind, he crushed some of the cherries gifted to the palace, dipped a chopstick in the red juice, and wrote a four-line poem on a clean silk handkerchief. He then casually tossed it to Dugu Nengwen’s feet.
Dugu Nengwen looked down, saw the words, and immediately perked up. He glanced at Wei Ran with eyes full of gratitude.
Wei Ran gave him a small nod.
Chen Wener urged, “Dugu Nengwen, I’ve taken eight steps already. If you still can’t recite your poem—”
“Grapevine wine in luminous cups,
About to drink, but the pipa sounds from horseback rush me.
If I lie drunk on the battlefield, don’t mock me,
Since ancient times, how many soldiers ever return?”
His tone rose and fell with emotion, full of passion and energy.
At that moment, the entire hall went silent.
Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief, staring at Dugu Nengwen.
This “Ballad of Liangzhou” was the most fitting poem Wei Ran could think of for a family of generals like the Dugu clan.
Even the Empress Dowager and Empress exchanged stunned looks, barely believing their ears.
Dugu Nengwen grinned. “Heh, Princess, I’m done.”
The Empress Dowager nodded repeatedly with praise. “Wonderful. Dugu Nengwen, your family has had two generations of warriors and not a single scholar, yet you’ve composed a poem worthy of being passed down. Truly eye-opening.”
The Empress also nodded in approval. “It’s an excellent poem—fine wine and battlefield scenes, vividly expressing a warrior’s unrestrained spirit and fearless sacrifice. With this poem, no one can ever again say the Dugu family is uncultured.”
Chen Wener didn’t hold back either. “Very good. Dugu Nengwen, you’ve impressed me today. It seems old General Dugu made the right decision sending you to the Imperial Academy. This poem will surely become popular throughout Chang’an City.”
Dugu Nengwen scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, but his gaze toward Wei Ran was filled with even more gratitude.
Once seated, his back straightened, and he trembled with excitement. So… this is what it feels like to be acknowledged by scholars?
“Dugu Nengwen, what’s the title of your poem?”
A noble son excitedly said, “I want to copy this down. Please, name it.”
Dugu Nengwen froze.
Because he had no idea what the title was supposed to be. He turned to Wei Ran with pleading eyes.
Wei Ran turned his head away. Speaking now would expose him.
Dugu Nengwen stammered, “Uh… it was too rushed. I-I haven’t thought of a title yet.”
Chen Wener giggled and said, “If you haven’t, then take your time. There’s still plenty left of the banquet. Let’s not delay. Let’s begin the next round.”
Only then did Dugu Nengwen breathe a sigh of relief.
During the break, Wei Ran discreetly whispered the poem’s title to him.
Chen Wener returned to the front and, turning around, gave the command: “Begin.”
It seemed perfectly timed—just as Wei Ran received the wine pot from Dugu Nengwen, he heard the word, “Stop.”
Wei Ran’s eyes narrowed slightly. Damn it… so it really was targeted at me.