At the Hour of the Dragon on the Seventh Month, Twenty-Seventh Day, Jiaxu, Emperor Sima Yu summoned the officials to Taiji Hall and bestowed seals and sashes upon the generals of the Northern Headquarters. Chen Caozhi and Huan Shixiu also received imperial swords, marking their exceptional standing within the Northern Headquarters. Chen Caozhi now served as a sixth-rank Provincial Sima while concurrently holding the fifth-rank military title of General Who Soars Like an Eagle; Huan Shixiu was a sixth-rank provincial registrar who concurrently held the fifth-rank title of General Who Wields Might from Afar. It was perfectly normal for a civil official's concurrent military rank to be one grade higher-
After the court assembly dispersed, Huan Shixiu, Tian Luo, and the other Northern Headquarters commanders, twelve men in all, accompanied Chen Caozhi to a banquet at the Chen Residence beside the Qinhuai River. They drank fine Jingkou wine and sampled the Chen family's dishes. Chen Caozhi was an accomplished host, warm, elegant, and witty; his guests felt as though they were basking in a spring breeze-
Cai Guang said to Huan Shixiu, "Tomorrow we must return to Jingkou and Guangling, but it would be a great regret if we could not attend Provincial Sima Chen's wedding. A marriage bestowed by the empress dowager, with Left and Right Wives—such a remarkable union and grand occasion has never been seen in all the ages. I venture to ask Registrar Huan to put in a word for us with Provincial Governor Huan when the time comes and secure five days' leave, so that we may come to Jiankang for a cup of Provincial Sima Chen's wedding wine."
Tian Luo, Wei Qian, and the others all agreed, urging Registrar Huan to be sure to speak favorably on their behalf.
Huan Shixiu nodded. "Very well.