Chapter 216: The House

The ceremony ended, and the crowd began to disperse in order. He turned around, his face still flushed with excitement.

"Old Li," he said, "are you going back to Gongde Lin first, or taking a stroll around Yanjing City?"

Li Yuxuan thought for a moment: "It's been a long time since I properly toured Yanjing, I'll take a walk."

"Alright." He nodded, gave a few instructions to the Guard beside him, then said to Li Yuxuan, "I'll have someone accompany you. Stay safe."

"Thank you."

A Jeep escorted Li Yuxuan away from Tiananmen. The driver was still that young officer, with the Guard Platoon Leader seated beside him.

"General Li, where would you like to go?" the officer asked.

Li Yuxuan looked at the familiar street scene outside the window: "I want to see the house I bought in Yanjing."

"May I have the address?"

"Prince Gong's Mansion."

The officer clearly hesitated, glanced at Li Yuxuan through the rearview mirror: "Prince Gong's Mansion?"

"Yes," Li Yuxuan said calmly, "after the 1945 victory of the War of Resistance, I acquired it from Fu Jen University."

The officer asked no further, ordering the driver: "Go to Prince Gong's Mansion."

The vehicle traveled the streets of Beiping, passing Xidan and Xi Si, then turning into the Shichahai area. Li Yuxuan looked out; this place had not changed much from his memory of Beiping, only the streets bore many slogans and pedestrians wore more smiles.

Half an hour later, the car stopped outside the gate of Prince Gong's Mansion. The Qing‑dynasty mansion was extraordinarily grand, with red walls, green tiles, and imposing stone lions. The main gate was shut, but the entrance was very clean.

The officer got out and knocked. After a while, the side door opened, and an elderly servant with graying hair stuck his head out; when he saw Li Yuxuan, his eyes instantly reddened.

"Sir! You… you're back!" Zhou Fu said tremblingly, opening the main gate.

Li Yuxuan got out and entered the residence he had been away from for four years. The courtyard was the same—rock garden, pond, painted corridors—only the former clamor was gone.

"Old Zhou," he said to the servant, "didn't I tell you to leave? Why are you back again?"

Zhou Fu wiped away a tear: "Sir, I have no family left. If I don't follow you, where could I go? Besides, this house must have someone to watch over it."

Li Yuxuan sighed, turned to the officer and asked, "Comrade, can my house now remain without being reclaimed?"

The officer stood at attention and replied, "You're joking. This is your legal property; the Republic will not expropriate private houses. As long as you pay taxes according to law, the house is forever yours."

Li Yuxuan nodded and said to Zhou Fu, "Did you hear? The house is still mine, and also yours. If you're willing to guard it, then guard it."

He walked slowly through the courtyard, the Guard officer three steps behind. Reaching the back yard, he pushed open a moon gate, and before him unfolded a special garden—Hundred Beasts Garden.

This was built by Li Yuxuan in 1946 when he rose to power, housing various animals: several giant pandas brought from Sichuan, three Northeast Tigers, over a dozen Golden Monkeys, plus peacocks and Red‑crowned Cranes… After the victory of the War of Resistance, he became enamored with such lavish indulgence, feeling that after a half‑life of cavalry he deserved to enjoy happiness.

Now looking back, it only feels absurd.

The animals, seeing someone arrive, crowded to the cages. The Northeast Tiger recognized Li Yuxuan and let out a low roar.

"Old Zhou," Li Yuxuan said, "after I leave tonight, send all these pandas, tigers, and the like to the zoo."

Zhou Fu was startled: "Sir, this is…"

"There's no such thing as a sir," Li Yuxuan shook his head, "this is Huaxia. These animals belong to the nation, belong to the people, and should not be locked in my private garden."

He walked to the panda enclosure; the plump panda was chewing bamboo. Li Yuxuan recalled that when it first arrived it was the size of a small dog, now it had grown this large.

"Send them to Yanjing Zoo," he told the officer, "consider it my atonement."

The officer saluted solemnly: "Yes! I'll contact the zoo immediately."

After dealing with the animals, Li Yuxuan said he wanted to stroll nearby. The officer wanted to send a guard, but Li Yuxuan waved his hand: "No need to be so cautious; I'm an old man close to the grave, if I die, I'll die."

"That's the commander's order," the officer insisted, "we must protect your safety."

In the end a compromise: a few Liberation Army soldiers followed at a distance, keeping twenty meters apart.

Li Yuxuan walked slowly along the Shichahai shore. The autumn sunset turned the water gold, the willow leaves along the bank yellowed. It was quiet here, a stark contrast to the fervor of Tiananmen Square.

He recalled many things. He remembered his first visit to Beiping as a young man in 1914, returning to report, his mind full of ideals to save the nation. He recalled after the 1937 Lugou Bridge Incident, he advocated a stubborn defense in Jinling, while the Young Master decided to move the capital to Shancheng. He remembered the 1945 victory of the War of Resistance, thinking he could change the future, only to find nothing changed, and civil war flared again…

In his life, he had experienced the Northern Expedition, the War of Resistance, and the Civil War, witnessing the nation's most turbulent decades. Now the turmoil finally ended. A new nation was born; although he was not its Builder, even once its enemy, at least he lived to see this day.

"General Li," the officer followed up, asking cautiously, "what are you thinking about?"

Li Yuxuan came back to himself: "Thinking… about history."

"History?"

"Yes, history." Li Yuxuan gazed at the glittering water surface, "We are all grains of sand in the torrent of history. Some sand is washed ashore, some sinks to the bottom. Yet regardless, the river forever flows forward."

The officer seemed to understand, yet not fully.

The sky grew dark, the city lights flickered on. In the distance a faint song drifted, the crowd still celebrating.

"It's time to go back," Li Yuxuan said.

The car drove back to Gongde Lin. On the way it passed Tiananmen, where the square was still a sea of people, and the torch parade had begun. Tens of thousands of torches formed fire dragons that wound and danced in the night.

Li Yuxuan looked out the window and suddenly recalled his words from today: "Huaxia needs every person willing to work for it."

Perhaps he truly could still do something. Not as a general, not as an officer, but as a Huaxia person, an old man who has witnessed the nation's suffering and struggle.

The car entered the Gongde Lin Gate. Du and Ming and the others hadn't slept yet, gathered in the courtyard waiting.

Seeing Li Yuxuan get out, Huang Wei was the first to rush forward: "Director! Quickly tell us, how was today?"

Li Yuxuan looked at the eager eyes of these old subordinates and smiled.

"Come, let's go inside and talk." he said, "I'll slowly tell you what Huaxia is like."

In the night, Gongde Lin's lights were warm and quiet. Meanwhile, far away, Yanjing City celebrated through the night.