The story opens with a description of the era of the tianbao, which was the period from 742 to 756 A.D. . It was a time of great prosperity and splendor. The narrator tells us that he was once a young swordsman who wanted to become a famous swordsman. He was brought in by the emperor and ordered to write a poem about the beauty of the peony, a flower that was highly valued during the time. He also tells us about the village of Duling, where flower farmers sell their flowers. On the fifth day of spring, a lushan, a member of the jiegu tribe, enters the court. He tells the emperor that he will not come unless the emperor issues an edict summoning him. The emperor grants the lushan the title of military governor with a thousand households, a manor, a mansion, and a group of servants. The lushan also requests that the emperor grant him the titles of commanders, wushu, and wutai. He asks the emperor to bestow an imperial amulet on his soldiers so that they will not be caught in the perils of the battlefield. The banquet has ended, and the emperor sends someone to summon zai, the commander of the changshan army. He says that he is a hereditary official, upright, and capable. He has been given the position as changshan commander in the 14th year of the Tang dynasty. He and his brothers have extraordinary penmanship, and they have caused xi yu, the assistant Minister of Appointments, to sigh of admiration. He wants to become the leader of golden turtles, the official symbol of authority. He requests that gao li, the emperor's secretary, recommend him. He is also asked to be the chancellor of changle hill.