Great Xia's state banquets could be said to blend Eastern and Western styles. The first half followed the Eastern style: the Crown Prince bestowed the banquet, the guests offered their thanks, and everyone sat properly before their tables in the banquet hall, solemnly enjoying the finest delicacies prepared by the imperial chefs of Great Xia, along with the beauties' songs and dances. The latter half, however, followed the Western style. After the formal banquet, everyone rested and mingled briefly, then moved from the front hall of Anyan Hall to the rear hall to enjoy a reception and freely socialize.
Zhang Tie did not know who had decided upon this style of state banquet, but it was indeed interesting. At the very least, it kept such a banquet from becoming dull. Moreover, during the latter half, whether they were Great Xia's powerful court officials and His Highness the Crown Prince, or the envoys and royal nobles of various nations attending the banquet, all could use the opportunity for private discussions, secret dealings, and of course, even mating...
Such a state banquet was a stage upon which Great Xia displayed its leading position among humankind, but also a hunting ground for human desires and an abyss of fame and profit. Behind such banquets, a single decision or transaction by one of Great Xia's court magnates or His Highness the Crown Prince could determine proxy wars across the subcontinents and the rise and fall of royal families in small nations. A glance or subtle hint from certain people could likewise decide whose bed many women attending the banquet would tumble into that night.
The front hall of Anyan Hall had many VIP lounges, where male and female guests could touch up their makeup or straighten their appearance after the formal banquet. When the