As the morning mist began to thin, Lingzhou in the Southern Territory was roused by a cacophony of noise. Today marked the thirtieth wedding anniversary of Lingzhou Governor Qi Tianhua and his wife, Shi Xinyan. The entire city was a bustle of traffic, with drums and gongs thundering toward the heavens.
Qi Tianhua held absolute sway over Lingzhou, while his wife’s father, Shi Deyu, the commander of the Southern Territory War Guard, wielded immense power. Although Shi Deyu looked down upon Qi Tianhua and had never once set foot in the Qi residence, Qi Tianhua used this connection to act with impunity. Desperate to curry favor with the Shi family, the city's power-brokers fawned over the couple.
Before the sun had fully risen, the scarlet-lacquered doors of the old Qi estate were already being knocked upon. Liu Rongxuan, president of the Lingzhou Chamber of Commerce, arrived with men carrying a lotus-patterned bowl from the Song Dynasty’s Ru kilns. He bowed and said with a flattering smile, "This is a treasure praised by Emperor Huizong himself. May the Governor and his beloved wife’s love be as firm as metal, and may Lingzhou prosper."
Chapter 18