Qianchu Banquet

During the reign of Zhao Kuangyin, when he was newly adorned in the imperial yellow robe, he discovered during the abdication ceremony with the last emperor of Later Zhou that the text for the abdication hadn't been prepared. At a critical moment, Tao Gu stepped forward calmly and took out a manuscript from his sleeve, claiming that the abdication text had been written long ago and just needed to be recited.

Tao Gu's extraordinary foresight earned him great admiration. Coupled with his erudition, talent, and literary skills, the abdication ceremony proceeded flawlessly. This also led to Tao Gu being hailed as the top scholar of the time.

In the third year of Kaibao (970) in March, Tao Gu, the Grand Scholar, embarked on his second mission to the Wuyue Kingdom.

At this time, Qian Chu wanted to establish good relations with the Song Dynasty and treated Tao Gu exceptionally well. He hosted a grand banquet for him in the picturesque Fenghuang Mountain within the palace of the Wuyue King.

It was springtime, and Qian Chu laid out a feast in the exquisite "Biboting" garden, presenting Tao Gu with a feast unlike anything he had ever seen or heard of before.

What was even more remarkable was that, in spring, the royal chefs of the Wuyue Kingdom managed to prepare a variety of dishes featuring crabs, with over ten different types. Though they varied in size, each had bright, natural red armor, arranged in a row, exuding a more majestic aura than the single set of golden armor bestowed by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.

This feast made Tao Gu feel embarrassed. Why?

Tao Gu had always considered himself well-traveled and knowledgeable. When Zhao Kuangyin became emperor, he wanted to have the grand processions of the imperial court. However, due to the prolonged wars in the Central Plains, the grand processions of the emperor had long disappeared, and there was nowhere to find a reference about it. It took Tao Gu several years of research to recreate the entire set of imperial processions, including various types of carriages, ceremonial attire, and banners, by copying illustrations from ancient texts. This effort delighted Zhao Kuangyin.

Of course, Tao Gu appeared modest in front of the emperor, claiming that he didn't have any remarkable skills and merely copied the patterns from previous literary works.

However, facing the lavish spread of seafood laid out by Qian Chu, many of which Tao Gu had never seen before, he couldn't even identify some of them.

Seeing his discomfort, Qian Chu picked up his chopsticks and began introducing each dish.

Tao Gu, feeling overwhelmed, sarcastically remarked, "Your Highness, I think this feast is not so good. Each crab is inferior to the next. Haha!"

Qian Chu, not expecting any criticism before even touching the dishes, felt quite displeased but couldn't lash out. He had to handle the situation ambiguously.

The formal banquet began. At this point, both sides were silently competing to show each other up. Qian Chu's two attempts to outshine Tao Gu failed miserably, not only failing to humble Tao Gu but also embarrassing himself. This made Qian Chu unable to swallow his pride. Just then, the chefs brought out an appetizer, a soup served in half a delicately carved gourd, which appeared very innovative.

Tao Gu, who had lived amidst constant warfare in the Central Plains and considered having a meal a luxury, had never seen such a finely crafted dish before. He couldn't help but express his surprise and admiration.

However, Qian Chu simply smiled and said, "The Grand Scholar exaggerates! The "Gourd Soup" was actually created during the reign of King Wusu in the past and was a common delicacy at the time. Although our chefs used the freshest and most authentic ingredients today, the preparation was nothing more than "copying from examples", hardly worth mentioning!"

Tao Gu was taken aback and wanted to retort but found himself speechless. Qian Chu had clearly used Tao Gu's own words, "copying from examples every year," to mock him for claiming to be the Top Scholar yet being fascinated by a common soup dish from the Wuyue Kingdom that had been around for fifty years, making him seem ignorant.

The "verbal duel" at this banquet ultimately ended with Qian Chu's victory.

Two days later, Qian Chu sent a letter to Tao Gu, saying that in honor of his recent visit, the kingdom had crafted a set of golden goblets and planned to host a grand "Golden Goblet Banquet", inviting Tao Gu to attend.

Being a smart man, Tao Gu knew that Qian Chu was up to something. So, he pretended to be ill and sent a message back, expressing his regret at not being able to attend the "Golden Goblet Banquet" personally due to his illness but eagerly requesting Qian Chu to send him ten pairs of golden goblets so that even in his sickness, he could have a glimpse of such magnificence.

Qian Chu readily agreed and immediately ordered ten pairs of golden goblets to be sent to Tao Gu. A few days later, Tao Gu hastily concluded his visit and returned to the capital, taking the valuable golden vessels with him. His trip to the Wuyue Kingdom turned out to be quite rewarding.

Perhaps it was this competition that led both Qian Chu and Tao Gu to "put themselves in each other's shoes". Qian Chu recognized the strength of the Song Dynasty and the inevitability of the world coming under its dominion, ultimately leading to his decision to surrender the land to the Song Dynasty. Tao Gu also witnessed the wealth and civilization of Jiangnan region, accurately recording this historical moment in his writings.