The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

"Alright, alright! Everyone, have some food first!" After everyone had finished their drinks, Shen Lian invited them to start eating.

Under Shen Lian's leadership, the atmosphere at the table was very harmonious, and everyone enjoyed the meal.

Uncle Fu had drunk too much and was helped back by Shen Xiaohu.

Shen Lian drank a bowl of hangover soup and went back to his study to write.

"Young Master, the bed is made! You should get some rest!" Xiao Yue'er quietly walked in.

"Moon, aren't you going to warm my bed? Or are you going to sleep with me later?" Shen Lian stared at Moon and chuckled.

"Young Master, it's summer now!" Xiao Yue'er said, her head bowed, her face as red as a big apple.

Her shy and timid appearance made Shen Lian's heart flutter. Unfortunately, he had many things to do and didn't have time to tease her tonight.

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore! You should go and get some rest! I'm going to the provincial capital tomorrow, and I still have some things to pack."

Xiao Yue'er felt a sense of relief upon hearing this, followed by a slight pang of disappointment. She nodded gently, turned, and went out. A short while later, she brought Shen Lian a pot of tea.

After Shen Lian finished organizing what he wanted to buy, the courtyard was quiet; it seemed everyone was asleep. He stretched, stood up to move around, and walked to the display shelf.

"A gourd-shaped vase from the official kiln of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty." Shen Lian had just put a piece of porcelain into his spatial storage when this information immediately popped into his mind.

Wow! This space even has the ability to appraise treasures! That's wonderful! Shen Lian's face lit up with joy, and he immediately put another jade pendant into his pocket. The name "Ming Dynasty Chenghua Period Hetian Jade Pendant" immediately came to mind.

Haha, great! That's wonderful!

Shen Lian then stored all the antiques that looked valuable into his spatial storage. Then he looked at the wall.

He took down a painting and put it into his spatial storage; it was a landscape painting by Wang Shimin during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty. A piece of information appeared in his mind.

Shen Lian wasn't very knowledgeable about antiques and paintings. However, he knew this painting must be very valuable, and he wondered where Shen Hu, a military officer, had gotten it.

He then added a bird painting by Zhu Da (Bada Shanren) to his space.

Shen Lian felt a little dizzy; it was already late. He had packed up most of what he needed to pack. He carefully carried the candlestick to the bedroom, blew out the candle, lay down on the bed, and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Shen Lian opened his eyes feeling refreshed and full of energy. He hadn't felt this way in many years!

Checking the antiques in the space, I was surprised to find that it had doubled in size. It used to be only about ten square meters, but now it's about twenty. Could it be because of these antiques?

If that's really the case, I'll need to collect more antiques in the future. If I could expand the space to several hundred or even a thousand square meters, its future use would be even greater.

And what about my own body? Has it been strengthened too? Could it be that they were worried my body was too weak to handle a larger space, so they strengthened my physique as well? If that's the case, that would be even better!

"I wonder if my abilities there will be enhanced?" Shen Lian looked at his furious second brother and smiled crookedly.

Shen Lian couldn't resist trying it out!

He looked around at the furniture in the room. There was a desk against the wall. Shen Lian walked over and tapped it. It was very hard and blackish-red in color, probably made of mahogany.

Shen Lian estimated that it weighed about 100 pounds. If it were his old self, although he could move it, it would definitely be very difficult.

Shen Lian tidied up the things on the table and lifted the table up without even using any force.

Shen Lian was overjoyed and gently put the table down. Then he reached out and grabbed one of the table's legs, and with a burst of strength, he lifted the table above his head.

"Hahaha, hehe, ha, ha!" Shen Lian couldn't help but burst into laughter after putting down the table, and then threw two punches.

He felt his strength had more than doubled, and his whole body was brimming with power. While he might still not be as strong as professional athletes, he was certainly no match for the average person.

"Young Master, are you up yet?" Just as Shen Lian was feeling happy, Xiao Yue'er heard the noise outside the door.

"Ahem, Yue'er, I'm up!" Shen Lian quickly set the table.

A short while later, Xiao Yue'er came in with two maids, carrying hot water, towels, and toiletries.

After washing up, Shen Lian followed Xiao Yue'er to the restaurant. Breakfast included porridge, fried dough sticks, steamed buns, soy milk, and several side dishes.

Shen Lian felt extremely hungry and grabbed a meat bun without any hesitation, starting to gnaw on it.

After breakfast, Uncle Fu and Shen Xiaohu were already waiting outside.

"Young master, this is the five hundred taels of silver you requested, all of which are official ingots from earlier years." Uncle Fu placed the tray of silver in front of Shen Lian.

There were ten silver ingots, each worth fifty taels. Shen Lian had only ever seen them on television, and he refrained from reaching for them.

He remembered from watching Douyin (TikTok) that Qing Dynasty silver ingots were quite valuable, so he asked Uncle Fu to prepare ten to test the waters. Apparently, some copper coins are also quite valuable, but he doesn't have time to deal with that now.

"Okay! Uncle Fu, how are the children?" Shen Lian forgot to ask last night.

"Young Master, everything is fine. I've made arrangements; let them eat porridge for a few days to soothe their stomachs!"

"Hmm! Very good! Uncle Fu, I'll probably be in the provincial capital for two or three days this time. Hurry up and find a tailor to make two sets of clothes for each of these children. Also, find a few quick and efficient women to take care of them."

"Also, find a few teachers. I'll meet them when I get back. You can ask Tan Ya to handle these things; that kid is pretty good."

Uncle Fu nodded, indicating that he understood.

"I also have an important task for you to handle: quickly send capable people to purchase tobacco leaves. I studied tobacco making in the West, and I think this business is worth doing."

As he spoke, Shen Lian took out a cigarette and lit it, though he had already cut off the filter.

"Young Master, can we really make these cigarettes?" Uncle Fu asked, watching Shen Lian puffing away. He had seen cigarettes before, but he hadn't expected his young master to be so capable, even making things made by foreigners.

"Also, here's a wooden box for you. You should find someone to make it right away. It must be made of the finest wood, and the ladies and peonies on it should be inlaid with silver wire." Shen Lian then took out a wooden box and handed it to Uncle Fu.

The box was crooked and uneven, and the ladies and peonies on it were painted in a way that was hard to look at.

"Ahem! I'm not good at drawing. You should find an expert to redraw it nicely." Shen Lian couldn't help but blush.

"Young master, how many do you want?" Uncle Fu asked, suppressing a smile.

"The more the better. I need at least three to five hundred spares when I go to the capital."

"Young Master, let me go with you! It's not safe outside right now!" Shen Xiaohu pleaded after Shen Lian finished explaining his business.

"There are so many things to do at home, you should stay here and help out. Why are you coming with me! I'll be back in two or three days at most. I've traveled thousands of miles alone, why would I be afraid to go to the provincial capital?"

Shen Lian rolled his eyes at Shen Xiaohu. Of course he couldn't take him with him, otherwise how would he get away!