Everything was going well on this auspicious day, the 26th day of the tenth month in the year 29, in the county of Zhaoping.
The sun had not yet risen, but the population of Shengjing City had awakened to the noise of firecrackers. Despite the cold, they got out of bed with excitement. There was about to be a wedding in Shengjing City's wealthiest family, the Ji family. It was guaranteed to be an absolute spectacle. They were also bound to scatter lots of lucky money, so, if fortune was on the spectators' side, they could walk away with a few new coins.
In the court where the Su family was staying, everyone also scrambled to get up early in the morning. There was an unusual liveliness, inside and outside the house. The Shengjing brothers, Su Cheng and Su Xing, and their wives and families were on good terms, even if they hadn't seen each other in a dozen years. Now, they rushed up to express their congratulations.
