90: Chapter 90 (Final Chapter)

On the last day of 1899, a heavy snow fell in Jiangning Prefecture.

Snowflakes drifted down from the grey sky, wrapping the entire city in a blanket of silver white.

Thick snow covered the rooftops, tree branches, and streets, crunching with a creaking sound underfoot.

Children were having snowball fights and building snowmen in the snow, their laughter as crisp as silver bells.

Adults were busy putting up Spring Festival couplets, hanging lanterns, and preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, with the atmosphere of the New Year permeating everywhere.

Li Ling stood in the courtyard of his mansion, watching the swirling heavy snow, but his heart was on the distant battlefield.

In just over three months, the Northern Expedition would begin.

By then, this snow would melt, spring would arrive, and he would lead hundreds of thousands of troops on a journey to unify the entire country.

"Brother Ling!" Empress Su Wanqing's voice came from behind him.

Li Ling turned around and saw Empress Su Wanqing wearing a bright red cotton-padded jacket, a white pom-pom hat on her head, her cheeks flushed red from the cold like ripe apples.

She walked over with a smile, carrying a steaming bowl of dumplings in her hands.

"Hurry inside, it's cold out here." She shoved the dumplings into Li Ling's hands and pulled him toward the house.

Li Ling followed her into the dining room, where a wave of warmth greeted him.

In the dining room, the fireplace was burning brightly, the orange-red firelight reflecting on the walls, illuminating the entire room with warmth and brightness.

The table was filled with dishes—braised pork, sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed fish, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, chicken soup, and a large plate of steaming dumplings.

The Princess and Emily were setting dishes on the table; seeing Li Ling enter, they both smiled.

"Husband, come and sit." The Princess helped pull out a chair for him.

"Li Ling, try this dumpling, I made it!" Emily pointed to a plate of somewhat misshapen dumplings, her eyes full of anticipation.

Li Ling sat down, picked up a dumpling, and took a bite.

It was pork and cabbage filling; the taste was not bad, though the wrapper was a bit thick.

"Delicious." He gave a thumbs up.

Emily beamed with joy: "Really? Then I'll make them for you every day!"

"Don't you dare," Empress Su Wanqing said with a laugh, "If Brother Ling eats the dumplings you make every day, he'll ruin his stomach."

"Sister Wanqing, you're just jealous!" Emily pouted.

"What would I be jealous of? I'd be happy if you made them every day, so I wouldn't have to cook."

The two women bickered back and forth, their laughter ringing out.

The Princess watched from the side, unable to hold back a chuckle.

Li Ling watched them, a warm current welling up in his heart.

This was the life he wanted.

To have a home, to have love, to have warmth.

To protect all of this, he was willing to pay any price.

After finishing the New Year's Eve dinner, Li Ling took the three women to the courtyard to set off fireworks.

The fireworks were specially made at the Production Base and were much more advanced than those sold on the market.

Lighting the fuse, beams of light shot into the night sky, exploding in the darkness and transforming into thousands of colorful flowers—red, green, blue, and gold—dazzling and beautiful beyond compare.

"How beautiful!" Emily looked up, the glow of the fireworks reflecting in her eyes.

"Husband, look at that one, doesn't it look like a chrysanthemum?" The Princess pointed to a golden firework in the sky.

"It does!" Li Ling smiled, "But it's even prettier than a chrysanthemum."

Empress Su Wanqing did not speak; she just stood quietly beside Li Ling, watching the fireworks with a faint smile on her face.

After the fireworks finished, only the stars remained twinkling in the night sky.

The three women returned to their rooms to rest, and Li Ling went to the study alone.

In the study, the fireplace was burning brightly, the orange-red firelight reflecting on the walls, illuminating the entire room with warmth and brightness.

The map on the table had been replaced with a new one, marking the detailed route and troop deployment for the Northern Expedition.

He looked at it for a while, then picked up a pen and wrote a few words in the corner of the map:

"Unify the country, return power to the people."

After writing, he put down the pen, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long breath.

"System." He murmured in his heart.

"Hmm?" The System's voice sounded in his mind.

"Tell me, will I succeed?"

"Host, you have already succeeded many times." The System's voice was calm and firm, "This time will be no exception."

"Why are you so confident?"

"Because the System has seen the Host's growth." The System said, "When you first transmigrated, Host, you didn't understand anything and only knew how to throw tantrums to demand resources.

Now, Host is a true commander.

You can fight, govern, manage people, and win over the masses.

It would be strange if someone like that didn't succeed."

Li Ling smiled, a very warm smile.

"Thank you, System.

Although you are usually stingy, sharp-tongued, and always arguing with me, you have never let me down at critical moments."

"Host, are you complimenting me or insulting me?"

"Complimenting you." Li Ling laughed, "Of course I am complimenting you."

He stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

The cold wind mixed with snowflakes rushed in, hitting his face, icy and bone-chilling.

Outside the window, the heavy snow was still falling, and the world was a vast expanse of white.

In the distant military camp, soldiers were making dumplings, and their laughter could be faintly heard.

Further away, the chimneys of the Production Base were emitting white smoke, and the workers were working overtime to produce weapons and ammunition.

"System, tell me, where will I be in a few years?"

"Host will be in the capital." The System's voice was calm and firm, "You will be in the Imperial Palace, overlooking the world."

"The Imperial Palace?" Li Ling shook his head, "I don't want to live in the Imperial Palace.

That place is too big and too desolate.

I still prefer Jiangning Prefecture; it has the sea, mountains, friends, and family."

"Host can live wherever you want." The System said, "Host is the master, not a prisoner."

Li Ling nodded and did not speak again.

He turned and walked back to the table, picked up the pen, and wrote four large characters on a piece of white paper:

"The world is for the public."

Then, he wrote a line of small characters underneath:

"But it shall be my world."

Outside the window, the New Year's bell echoed in the night sky, one toll after another, resonant and distant.

The old year had passed, and the new year had arrived.

A new journey was about to begin.

And Li Ling was already prepared.