Chapter 1
Year Three of the Tai Lin Emperor
Zongzheng Yunlian ascended the throne during a time of immense turmoil. The empire was in chaos—unrest spread across the four seas, and foreign tribes were relentlessly causing disturbances. Under heaven, there was hardly a peaceful corner left.
However, the newly crowned Tai Lin Emperor, young yet exceptionally capable, swiftly brought order to the crumbling realm. With decisiveness and wisdom, he enacted sweeping reforms and quelled internal strife. Meanwhile, at the southern border, barbarian tribes launched invasions, threatening the empire’s stability. In response, a brilliant and valiant general came to the empire’s aid, securing victory after victory and pushing the barbarians back, saving Zongzheng’s southern borders from imminent collapse.
This general, Yue Yinggui, a seasoned warrior who had served two dynasties, was now in the prime of his middle years. During the previous reign, he was hindered by court infighting and the incompetence of the former emperor, preventing him from achieving the great feats he was capable of.
When the Tai Lin Emperor emerged victorious in his bid for the throne, he promoted Yue Yinggui to a position of prominence. In this role, Yue proved his mettle on the southern front, making vital contributions to the defense of the empire. His victories earned him widespread fame and instilled fear in the hearts of his enemies.
After four years of relentless fighting, General Yue decisively crushed the barbarian forces. In his crowning moment, he led a daring charge into the heart of the Wubei tribe’s camp and personally beheaded their chieftain.
Yet, upon returning to the imperial court, rather than bask in his triumph, General Yue announced that he was gravely ill. To the court’s surprise, he voluntarily resigned, relinquishing a future of potential glory to retire in his hometown, where he intended to live out his remaining years in peace.
Thus, the story begins in the town of Dayue, Huaixi—General Yue Yinggui’s humble hometown.
Several miles away in Wangjia Village
“Xiao Hu!! Xiao Hu!! Let’s go play!!” A seven or eight-year-old boy with a wide face and dirty appearance shouted from in front of a house.
“Coming!! I’m finishing my last bite of food!” Shortly after, a child, about five or six years old, bounced out of the house. Sun-darkened and with big, bright eyes, he looked lively and energetic. He ran, doing somersaults and tricks he had learned from the theater, showing off a bit.
A middle-aged woman followed, yelling, “The little rascal hasn’t finished his meal yet!!!”
The group of children laughed heartily and quickly disappeared from sight.
The child called Xiao Hu excitedly asked the boy who had called him out, “Dawei, what are we playing today?”
Dawei grinned mysteriously, “Today I found a fun place. I’m sure no one has been there before. It’s a secret, and everyone has to keep it. If anyone tells, they won’t be invited to play with us again!”
The seven or eight children’s eyes widened in excitement at the mention of a secret. They eagerly nodded and promised not to tell anyone.
Dawei, the oldest among them and seemingly the leader of the local kids, enjoyed bullying others but also knew how to find fun things. He was the tallest, and everyone feared and followed him. No one dared to offend him, or they would be ignored in the future.
The children followed Dawei, laughing and playing, winding their way for half an hour until they arrived at a place they had never been before.
“Wow, such a tall wall,” Xiao Hu said, looking up at the towering wall before him. The wall was not only high but also long, stretching as far as the eye could see in both directions.
Dawei patted the wall proudly. “Do you know where this place is?”
The children pushed through the wild grass, which was about their height, and touched the rough wall surface like they had discovered something new. After all, such a tall wall was unheard of in their village of Shaojia. The only wealthy family they could think of within several miles was…
“The residence of General Yue?”
Dawei said proudly, “That’s right, it’s the General’s residence.”
This Da Yue Town was the hometown of General Yue Yinggui, a celebrated figure who had won victories in the southern frontier and gained great fame. Despite his promising future, he suddenly resigned and returned to his hometown, where he built a grand residence.
The Yue residence was said to be extravagantly opulent, the only one of its kind in the area. Although General Yue was no longer an active general, the people of Da Yue Town still revered him as if he were a deity.
The Yue residence was so large that it was bigger than the entire Wangjia Village. No one knew just how big it was; everyone knew where the main gate was, but no one knew how far it extended beyond that.
The children looked at Dawei with admiration, repeatedly asking how he had found it.
Dawei grinned with pride and said, “My uncle worked at the Yue residence during the May Festival, clearing the wild grass beside the General’s residence. I came with him then and discovered a secret.”
The children were so eager they almost drooled, their eyes sparkling as they looked at Dawei.
Dawei’s face lit up with a broad smile. He waved his hand, “Wait a moment, let me find the mark I made.” Dawei squatted along the wall to look for the mark. He had actually been here several times and knew exactly where the mark was, but he was pretending to make a big deal out of it.
Sure enough, after a short while, he exaggeratedly exclaimed that he had found it.
The children crowded around, clamoring to see what he had found.
Dawei was nearly buried by them and had to push people aside. “Be calm! Stop crowding. Let’s take it slow. Xiao Hu, Little Tao, Da Ming, pull out the weeds here.”
The children hesitated for a moment before quickly reacting, pulling up the weeds enthusiastically. Those who were not named joined in as well.
Soon, the weeds were cleared, revealing the bare wall and a black hole at the base.
The children gasped in surprise. Xiao Hu immediately lay on the ground to peer into the hole. Unfortunately, it was too dark inside to see much, but the hole was large enough for children of their size to crawl through.
Everyone quickly realized what it might mean and became excited yet somewhat scared.
Dawei pointed at the hole and said, “Look, we don’t know where this dog hole leads. Anyway, when I was clearing the grass with my uncle, I covered it with soil to hide it from others. This hole might lead directly into the General’s residence.”
Everyone gasped, their excitement turning to nervousness.
For these children, the General’s residence was a place of great mystery and reverence, with its inhabitants perceived as gods. A girl from the neighboring Li family village had been chosen as a maid for the General’s residence, making the Li family village proud. When the Li girl returned home, she was received with the most extravagant celebrations in the village.
Hearing the daughter of the Li family talk about how luxurious and magnificent the General’s Mansion was—how the eaves were adorned with gold, the floor covered in silver, the doors embedded with fist-sized luminous pearls, the food was mountain delicacies and seafood, the clothing was made of silk and satin, and the treasure vault was as big as the entire Li village—made all the children drool with envy. They couldn’t help but dream of growing up to work in the General’s Mansion. It was truly a matter of family honor!
Everyone gazed longingly at the dark little dog hole, as if it led to a world of immortals.
But then everyone hesitated. Although everyone wanted to try, no one dared to. Even Da Wei was certain he wouldn’t go; otherwise, why would he have told others about such a good opportunity?
If the dog hole didn’t lead into the General’s Mansion, they would only be disappointed for a while. But if it did lead in, being caught by the mansion’s people meant they would face death.
Everyone looked at Da Wei.
Da Wei shouted, “Why are you looking at me? I can’t fit in there. Can’t you see how small the hole is?” Everyone looked with their own eyes and measured. Da Wei was tall and plump, and it was indeed a bit difficult for him to squeeze in.
The children glanced at each other, unsure of who would be brave enough to go first.
Da Wei yelled at them, “If I could go in, I’d go myself. I wouldn’t even want to tell you about such a good thing if I didn’t have to. But you’re my subordinates, and I can’t enjoy it alone. Don’t let me down. We’ve come all this way, and someone has to go in and explore.”
Everyone shrank back. The allure of the General’s Mansion was great, but being executed was worse.
Seeing that no one volunteered, Da Wei got annoyed. He pointed at the crowd, “Wang Erhu, you go!”
Wang Erhu, who had been named, was stunned for a moment before asking, “W-why me?”
Da Wei grabbed his shoulder and nearly shoved him into the wall. He pointed at the hole and said, “Look how skinny you are. You can fit through.”
“But they’re skinny too,” Wang Erhu pointed at the others.
“They’re only children. You still have two older brothers.”
The child said pitifully, “But Daming and Baosheng have older brothers too, and Baosheng even has an older sister…”
Da Wei glared and said angrily, “Why are you talking so much? Are you going or not? If you don’t, we won’t play with you anymore.”
The others nodded in agreement.
After all, everyone wanted to know what was on the other side of the hole, and no one dared to offend Da Wei. Letting Wang Erhu, the silly boy, go in was a good option for everyone.
Wang Erhu felt like crying and cursed Da Wei in his heart for being a bully who always made him do the dirty, hard, and dangerous work. The others were also watching to see him make a fool of himself. But if they wouldn’t play with him, he’d be left alone, as his poor family couldn’t afford good food or toys for Da Wei, and he wasn’t clever enough to have anyone stand up for him.
This time was the same. Everyone wanted to know what was inside, but no one dared to go. Wang Erhu was also scared, afraid of being executed. But if no one went, he had no choice but to be the one to go. If he didn’t go, no one would play with him in the future.
With tears in his eyes, Wang Erhu looked at Da Wei. Da Wei, feeling a bit guilty, reassured him, “Don’t be so scared. I told you, it might not even lead through. Even if it does, just look around and come back. If someone spots you, just crawl back quickly. If adults can’t fit in, they won’t be able to catch you. We’ll be waiting for you outside, and we’ll make sure to wait for you, okay?”
Wang Erhu hesitated as he looked at the hole. Da Wei patted his shoulder and said, “If you go this time, I’ll make you the deputy leader. How about that?”
Wang Erhu was a bit tempted and glanced at Da Wei. “Really?”
“Of course it’s real. You’ll be higher rank than them. Did everyone hear? As long as Xiao Hu leads us and explores, he’ll be our deputy leader.”
The other children eagerly agreed.
Da Wei, being clever, patted Wang Erhu’s shoulder again and warned, “But don’t try any tricks. If you come back saying it’s not passable without exploring to the end, I’ll send someone in to check. If you lie, I won’t play with you anymore, got it?”
Wang Erhu nodded and, with a particularly solemn expression, crawled into the dark dog hole under the eager eyes of his friends.
