The human world is like mist and smoke.
Dreams are as ethereal as immortals.
A thousand years pass in the blink of an eye.
Leaving behind only footprints.
Winter arrived. Though no snow fell, icy winds howled, bringing with them a biting, bone-chilling cold.
By the shores of West Lake, the entire surface was covered in a thick layer of ice.
This was Dương Kinh, the capital of Đại Việt.
The Đại Việt dynasty, while not the most prosperous in the world, truly possessed abundant resources—golden forests, silver seas, and fertile lands were no exaggeration.
What the Đại Việt dynasty perhaps lacked most was population.
Đại Việt was located in the southeast of the Thiên Trì continent, a second-tier nation. Above it were first-tier nations, and below it were third- and fourth-tier nations.
Most first-tier nations possessed vast territories, abundant resources, and powerful armies.
Conversely, third- and fourth-tier nations had relatively weak military strength and smaller territories.
Although Đại Việt was a second-tier nation, its military strength was in no way inferior to any first-tier nation.
The most reliable proof was that throughout tens of thousands of years of nation-building and defense, Đại Việt had defeated a series of first-tier dynasties.
For example, to the north, it bordered Đại Chu, and to the west, Hoa Trì…
Typically, lower-tier nations would be dependent on higher-tier nations.
Firstly, they sought protection from larger nations. Secondly, they wanted to acquire better methods for military training, weapon forging, and agriculture.
Of course, the price these smaller nations had to pay was their resources, minerals, and even their culture.
To put it bluntly, they were no different from colonies of the larger nations.
Đại Việt was perhaps the only nation that did not depend on first-tier powers.
Precisely because it refused this domination, Đại Việt became a battlefield for the larger nations. They sought to deter, to annex Đại Việt, and to elevate their own status.
Fortunately, Đại Việt always had wise rulers who rose to pacify foreign invaders.
Of course, the price to pay was tears, blood, poverty, and a declining population.
However, each time a war passed, Đại Việt seemed to undergo a rebirth, a renewal.
The vitality of this nation continued to burn brightly, never to be eroded, no matter what.
South of Dương Kinh, a magnificent, opulent mansion occupied a vast estate spanning hundreds of *mẫu*, situated in a prime, south-facing location. In front of its gates stood a pair of qilin as tall as three adults.
The grand red gates, adorned with gleaming copper studs and two lion-head knockers holding copper rings, further enhanced the mansion's imposing aristocratic aura.
Above it hung a plaque inscribed with four large characters: "Huyết Y Hầu Phủ".
Huyết Y Hầu was a legendary figure of the Đại Việt dynasty, known as Dương Vân.
He not only held a high title and achieved glorious military feats but was also greatly trusted and admired by the people.
Legend has it that two hundred years ago, Đại Chu deliberately provoked conflict, sending a million troops across the northern border.
The Việt King at that time, Đinh Khải, ordered Grand General Dương Thiếu Du—who was also the father of Huyết Y Hầu Dương Vân—to take two hundred thousand troops to block the enemy and await reinforcements from other cities.
Unexpectedly, Huyết Y Hầu, with his unparalleled command and strategy, used guerrilla tactics to gradually wear down the enemy.
More than half of Đại Chu's soldiers suffered heavy casualties, while Đại Việt's side lost less than one-tenth of its forces.
Đại Chu's commander-in-chief at that time, Vũ Tài, seeing his troop numbers rapidly diminish and Đại Việt's military momentum growing stronger by the moment, became so terrified that he fled back to his country by boat in the middle of the night.
No one knew exactly what happened in that battle; only a few vaguely witnessed the enemy's miserable cries amidst a sea of crisscrossing shadows.
After the battle, Marquis Huyết Y Dương Vân became a name no one would ever forget.
Both his outer and inner armor were stained red, his face filled with murderous intent, and his eyes bloodshot; just looking at him would scare the soldiers out of their wits.
From then on, King Việt bestowed upon him the title of Huyết Y Hầu. Later, when his father passed away, Dương Vân was appointed as the succeeding Grand General, and the title of Huyết Y Hầu was to be passed down to his descendants for generations.
Early in the morning, the cold wind continued to blow relentlessly.
Inside a small house, nestled in a secluded eastern corner of the Marquis Huyết Y’s manor.
From within the small house, occasional bursts of giggling could be heard.
From the laughter, it could be discerned that there were two people inside, a male and a female.
Peering through the window, one could see a youth of about sixteen, of decent appearance, holding a bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other, carefully feeding medicinal broth to another person.
He kept smiling and talking, but his words sounded a bit forced and awkward.
The other figure was a young girl, about twelve years old, very delicate and pretty, but her face was pale, showing signs of illness.
The girl lay on the bed, opening her mouth to drink each spoonful of medicinal broth the boy fed her. Her eyes were brimming with tears, as if she was crying, yet also as if she was smiling, making her expression incredibly difficult to decipher.
These two youths had no names; acquaintances often called them "the fool" and "the invalid."
Judging by the arrangement of the house, many people thought these two youths were merely servants or maids in the manor.
Only a few people knew that these two youths were the grandchildren of the current family head, Dương Hiển.
Marquis Huyết Y had four children.
It was unknown whether it was due to divine favor or some other reason, but all four of his children were sons.
This was a joyous matter and what he was most proud of, remaining so even until his death.
And rightly so; in an era where eight out of ten births were female, who wouldn't be overjoyed to have four sons?
The four sons of Marquis Huyết Y, in order, were:
Dương Thanh Hồng, Dương Thanh Long, Dương Thanh Hổ, and Dương Thanh Hồ.
The four also followed their father's example: one excelled in literature, one in martial arts, one in business, and one in diplomacy.
Later, Marquis Huyết Y divided his land among the four, establishing four branch families.
However, after Marquis Huyết Y passed away, the choice for the marquisate title became difficult.
Logically, the eldest son should have been chosen, but whether by accident or design, King Việt chose the second son, Dương Thanh Long, as the successor.
Of course, outwardly, all members of the marquisate would not object, but behind their backs, they were far from pleased.
Also because of the title issue, the four brothers constantly vied with each other. Eventually, the other three moved out, leaving only the second branch in the marquisate.
Seeing the struggle for the title, from then on, before their deaths, the marquisate family heads would submit memorials to the imperial court, pre-designating their successors.
From the time of Marquis Huyết Y, three generations had passed, and there were no longer disputes like before, though, of course, outward compliance masking inner displeasure was unavoidable.
The current head of the Dương family is Dương Hiển.
He is sixty years old this year, and due to his poor health, he only had one son, named Dương Thành Phong.
This person was spoiled rotten by his mother from a young age, living without purpose, spending his days gambling, causing trouble, and womanizing.
When Yang Chengfeng was 17, his father, not wanting his son to sink into a life of luxury and debauchery, arranged a marriage for him with the daughter of a renowned general, Zheng Hongyue.
Although Zheng Hongyue came from a military family, she was not only beautiful but also incredibly shrewd.
Sure enough, how could Yang Chengfeng, a playboy young master, not be subdued by Hongyue?
Day after day, he was tormented. Although he wasn't physically beaten, even a glance or her icy expression was enough to strike terror into his heart.
Unable to indulge in his previous debauchery, he resorted to humiliating the maids in the manor.
The mother of "The Fool," Yun Die, was one of his victims.
After giving birth to "The Fool," she not only received no respect but was instead subjected to the complete coldness of the household.
In the end, for the sake of her child, she gritted her teeth and endured, hoping only for her son to be acknowledged.
But life rarely goes as one wishes. Her son was born unlike ordinary people; though his appearance was very handsome, he was a fool.
At one year old, he couldn't crawl; at two, he couldn't walk; at three, he couldn't speak. The boy was so slow and simple-minded that anyone who met him would sigh and shake their head.
However, things became even more bitter when she was once again trampled upon by Yang Chengfeng.
She gave birth to a second child, this time a daughter.
This child was incredibly beautiful, loved by everyone who saw her.
Sadly, Yang Chengfeng's wife became enraged. No matter how Yun Die pleaded, that woman adamantly drove the mother and her two children out of the manor, with only a few old clothes and some loose silver in their hands.
After leaving the marquis's manor, the mother and her two children lived a wandering, precarious life. Yun Die cared for both her infant daughter and her simple-minded son, doing all sorts of work from sewing, washing, farming, cooking... Eventually, due to her weakened body, having given birth twice, she wasted away and died.
From then on, "The Fool" and his sister had to live without parents.
"The Fool" was ten years old that year. Although he was foolish, he still knew how to care for his sister.
In the mornings, he went out to beg for every coin, every piece of bread, every scrap of leftover rice. In the evenings, he caught crabs and snails.
The two siblings relied on each other, living in an old temple outside the city.
His sister, at six years old, fell gravely ill. Her body was so weak it seemed she wouldn't survive. Fortunately, one day, his grandfather passed by the dilapidated temple, saw them, and brought them back to the manor.
In truth, the two children had names: one was named Yang Tianyun, and the other Yang Qiufeng.
However, the two children had no acknowledged father, no household registration, and the authorities would not accept them.
Living in this era, for women and servants, if they weren't protected by a master or a man, their lives were truly harder than that of a dog.
If Yang Xian was dissatisfied with his daughter-in-law by one measure, he was ten times more dissatisfied with his son.
Although Yang Xian did not approve of his son taking a maid as a concubine, he also did not want his grandchildren to live a life of hardship and suffering.
After a long period of persuasion, Yang Xian finally convinced his son and daughter-in-law to accept the two children.
Of course, as the head of the family and a marquis, no one could dispute his words. However, those two unfortunate children could only live as servants.