2. Penalties for the Loser
Poetry and Wine Command:
The person in last place must improvise a five-character regulated verse. If the poem is not up to standard, they are penalized with three cups of bitter wine. An even more refined version involves engraving aphorisms from "The Book of Songs, Odes of Xiao Ya, The First Banquet" onto the wine cups. This gave Lin Zezu an idea: perhaps the Linjiang Mellow wine cups should be engraved with such things as well.
Music to Atone for Errors:
Those who miss the target repeatedly must go to the music pavilion and perform a verse from the "Deer Call" movement, symbolizing the cultivation of virtue through music. This is easy to understand—it is much like being forced to sing or drink as a penalty at a party in his previous life.
3. Honors for the Winner
Calligraphic Inscription:
The winner may inscribe a poem on the back of the target paper. Their fine work is then entered into the "Records of Literary Archery" to be circulated among the literati; this is another way for scholars to make a name for themselves.
Elegant Seal on the Bow:
Those who achieve three consecutive victories have their bow-grip sealed with vermilion ink by a person of high status. The seal text usually symbolizes a character that is illustrious in both martial and literary arts.
III. Metaphors
Metaphors were something Lin Zezu had summarized himself. The Literary Archery Meet combines archery deeply with literature and music to construct a unique cultural scene; …
Chapter 231