I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Not far away, the white, ribbon-like waterway meandered and flowed, constantly sending up a mist that was only an inch high.

Admiring beautiful scenery can indeed cleanse the soul.

It's been a long time since I've relaxed, which isn't bad... Qingdeng thought to himself.

So he simply devoted himself entirely to appreciating the plum blossoms and the scenery.

His body and mind, which had been exhausted by the tedious formalities and unpalatable food, immediately felt much better.

……

Today's banquet is purely for entertainment, not a political gathering.

Therefore, whether they were court nobles, feudal lords, or members of the "Hitotsubashi faction" or the "Nanki faction," they all consciously avoided topics that were likely to cause arguments.

Therefore, although the atmosphere at the scene was slightly delicate, it was generally harmonious.

The topics of conversation were nothing more than, "Oh my, what beautiful plum blossoms!", "Oh my, what a beautiful scene!", and "Oh my, everything is so beautiful!"

After the meal, a recurring element inevitably appeared at every banquet—regardless of its level, whether it was a high-class banquet for nobles or a vulgar banquet for commoners—and sure enough, games were played.

Finger-guessing games, drinking contests, and strength competitions... these vulgar games that are hardly considered refined would naturally not appear here.

Incense ceremony, tea ceremony, and poetry writing—these three are the essential "three-piece set" for high-end banquets in Japan.

The basic procedure for upper-class people in the Edo period to enjoy incense ceremony was roughly as follows: first, put spices into the incense burner, and after the fragrance wafted out, the guests would take turns appreciating the fragrance, and then say things like, "Oh! It smells so good!" or "These spices are amazing!"

The tea ceremony follows a similar format.

Japanese tea ceremony is divided into two forms: "passive drinking" and "single drinking".

As the name suggests, "rotating drinking" means that guests take turns tasting a bowl of tea, while "single drinking" means that each guest has their own bowl of tea.

According to the custom of the Edo period, tea masters would first brew strong tea, and then brew weak tea.

Strong tea is often served in a "passing around" manner, meaning that all guests at the table must drink from the same spot on the teacup.

After finishing the strong tea, have a light tea served.

When drinking weak tea, people usually switch to "drinking it alone," with each person having their own bowl of tea.

Qingdeng quite likes the art of incense appreciation; the aroma of those precious spices is indeed refreshing.

As for the tea ceremony... he really wanted to avoid it at all costs!

Putting aside the fact that Japanese tea was completely to his liking.

No matter how bad the tea tastes, you can force it down your throat even if you have to hold your nose.

However, the way he drinks tea... to be precise, the "round drinking" method in Japanese tea ceremony is something he simply cannot accept!

So many people drinking from the same bowl of tea... to be honest, he found it rather disgusting.

Especially since his last tea drinker was Katsura Rintaro—this made him even more uncomfortable!

It's not that he dislikes Katsura Rintaro, but he really doesn't want to touch the old man's saliva!

……

After appreciating the precious spices and drinking the hot tea, everyone finally arrived at the most indispensable part of such an elegant banquet—composing poems.

Poems, writing brushes, and ink were distributed one by one.

"Everyone, have you all received your paper and pens?"

Tokugawa Iemochi, glancing at the plum grove not far away, said with a smile:

"Since we are gathered here today to appreciate plum blossoms, let's take 'plum blossoms' as our theme! There are no restrictions on the subject matter, so please feel free to express yourselves with your brushes!"

As Tokugawa Iemochi finished speaking, everyone, including Aoto, picked up their pens and buried their heads in their work.

The poems most commonly created by ancient Japanese literati fall into three main categories: Chinese poetry, waka, and haiku.

Han poetry is easy to understand; it is simply poetry in the Chinese style.

The latter two are poetic forms unique to Japan.

Waka is a type of Japanese poetry that evolved from the Yuefu poetry of ancient China through continuous Japanization. It includes long poems, short poems, katakana, and renga.

As for haiku, it is a type of classical Japanese short poem, which evolved from the quatrain form of ancient Chinese poetry through Japanese adaptation.

It consists of seventeen syllables in total, arranged in a "five-seven-five" pattern. That is, the first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the last line has five syllables, with strict requirements. Of course, this is based on Japanese (kana) as the standard.

Aoto has never been particularly interested in Japanese classical literature.

He was in no hurry to write... nor did he intend to write.

In his previous life, he loved reading and, when bored, he would flip through several collections of haiku—thanks to this, he now has many excellent works stored in his mind.

If he wanted, he could simply copy some of the great works of later generations directly onto the poetry paper.

But there's no point in doing this, and he has no reason or motivation to do so.

Let's slack off!

Qingdeng said this to himself in a resolute tone.

When the time was almost up, he would say that he was illiterate and had no idea how to write... Having made up his mind, he raised his head with a sense of satisfaction and looked around.

Some people have already started writing calligraphy.

Some people are still thinking about it.

Qing Deng could tell that many people couldn't write poetry at all. They just held paper and pen, pretending to be thinking hard, but in reality, they didn't intend to change a single word—like Tian Zhang Yuan.

The stunningly beautiful woman was frowning and tilting her head.

It has to be said that her focused expression was truly endearing.

Although at first glance, Tenshōin looked like she was deep in thought, Aoto knew very well that her mind was definitely blank right now!

Although it may be a bit impolite to say it like this, Tenshōin's true nature is exactly in line with the stereotypes that people in the Kyoto region have about daughters of samurai families.

They dislike composing poems about the wind and moon, but prefer to frolic and play.

He disliked reciting poems and composing couplets, but preferred wielding swords and spears.

How could someone like her possibly know how to write poetry!

She couldn't be said to be completely ignorant of poetry, a refined art; rather, she was only half-knowledgeable.

"Your Highness, I'm really putting you in a difficult position..." Qing Deng thought to himself.

Soon, people began to put down their pens and enthusiastically recite their masterpieces in public.

Their works are all haiku.

In terms of form, they all strictly adhered to the "5-7-5" format of haiku.

But the content itself... was really nothing special.

It's either empty and meaningless or just making a fuss over nothing, basically on par with the "seal-stamping maniac" Emperor Qianlong.

Just then, Kazumi put down her pen.

In an instant, most of the eyes in the room fell on her.

Upon seeing this, Tokugawa Iemochi immediately asked with delight:

"Lord Kazumiya, have you finished writing your poem?"

He Gong nodded slightly.

Tokugawa Iemochi pressed on, asking:

"May we take a look?"

According to the traditional ethical view of "male superiority and female inferiority", the dominant person in the family should be Tokugawa Iemochi, the husband.

However, in terms of social status, Princess Kazu was above Tokugawa Iemochi.

Therefore, even Tokugawa Iemochi, who held the dual titles of "Shogun" and "husband," had to address Princess Kazu with utmost respect as "Princess Kazu."

The people at the table all cast expectant glances at He Gong.

Princess Kazu, who was born into the imperial family, has always presented herself as a refined person who is "learned, cultured, and skilled in poetry and literature".

Everyone is eager to know what kind of poems such a talented woman can write.

Amidst everyone's eager anticipation... Kazumiya made a move that contradicted the high expectations of Tokugawa Iemochi and the others.

She gently placed the poem she held on her knee, then, expressionless, spoke in the soft, slow tone characteristic of Kyoto verse:

"This humble work is not worth mentioning."

The instant Kazumiya spoke, Aoto shivered – he had been given PTSD by the meddlesome gossips around Kazumiya.

As soon as Kazumiya finished speaking, the atmosphere became awkward.

The Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate asked you to present your poem, but you refused in public without hesitation... Even if you are a princess, isn't that a bit too disrespectful?

In the blink of an eye, the faces of the pro-shogunate retainers, court nobles, and daimyo of the domains at the banquet all turned ugly.

However, Tokugawa Iemochi, the person directly involved, turned to face Kazumiya with a gentle smile, seemingly unconcerned.

"Lord Kazumiya, I really want to see your work!"

He Gong paused for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, a faint blush rose on her cheeks.

After hesitating for a moment, she silently picked up the poem she had just covered.

Everyone consciously stopped what they were doing.

Kazumiya's gentle voice echoed in the plum grove.

"In the plum grove"

"The red light is swaying."

"It's fire."

The banquet hall fell silent for a moment.

Then, exclamations of amazement and praise rose and fell.

"Wow! That's so well written!"