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

"Little Tiger, where are we going now?"

"Young Master, are we going home? We're almost there!"

Hearing that they were almost there, Shen Lian quickly sat up. He checked himself and found that his work suit was still soaking wet.

"Young Master, your clothes are wet! Luckily, the trunk isn't wet, but I don't know how to wear those clothes, so I didn't give you a change. Fortunately, the weather is quite hot now, and it's not far from home," Shen Xiaohu said, sitting at the doorway.

Shen Lian moved a black leather suitcase over, opened it, and found several pieces of clothing and some books inside. It seemed to be the original owner's luggage.

The carriage drove into Linqing city and soon stopped in front of a square.

"Young Master, we're home!"

Shen Xiaohu reached out and lifted the curtain, helping Shen Lian out of the car.

This was a magnificent ancient mansion with a three-bay main gate and ornately decorated beams and painted rafters. Eight soldiers stood guard at the entrance, armed with rifles. This was the Linqing Guerrilla General's Mansion, where the original owner's father, Shen Hu, had served as the Linqing Guerrilla General for over thirty years.

"Young Master, you're finally back. What happened?" An old man with gray hair greeted him.

"Uncle Fu!" Shen Lian greeted him, relying on his memory.

"Father, the boat the young master was on just capsized at the dock. It's just that the young master was lucky to survive; many people drowned on board!" Shen Xiaohu chimed in from the side.

Upon hearing this, Uncle Fu's expression changed drastically, and he roared, "What kind of work have you done? How could you let the young master encounter such danger!"

The four attendants and Shen Xiaohu were all terrified, their faces turned pale, and they lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

"Uncle Fu, it's not their fault! I should thank them for their desperate rescue! Otherwise, I might have really drowned."

Shen Lian waved his hand. It seemed that the old steward did not suspect his identity, and Shen Lian breathed a sigh of relief.

Uncle Fu was taken aback by his words. His young master had truly grown up. The changes after several years abroad were remarkable. If it were before, these men would have been dragged away and beaten to death long ago.

"Hmph, I'll deal with you later!" Uncle Fu scolded again with a stern face, and hurriedly led Shen Lian inside.

"Uncle Fu, please don't blame them. They are not only innocent, but they have also done good. Let's reward each of them with twenty silver dollars!"

“This,” Uncle Fu stared intently at Shen Lian for a moment, seeing that he was serious. So he nodded.

"Hurry up and thank the young master!"

"Thank you, young master!" The five men were overjoyed and knelt down in front of Shen Lian with a thud.

"Alright, alright! Get up now!" Shen Lian waved his hand. He was not used to people kneeling so easily these days.

Shen Lian followed Uncle Fu through several courtyards and arrived at the backyard.

"Zhang Ma, quickly tell someone to prepare hot water for the young master's bath." A slightly plump middle-aged woman hurriedly agreed and went to make the arrangements.

"Young Master, please rest for a while, take a bath and change your clothes! I'll go and inform the Master first."

Uncle Fu led Shen Lian to an antique-style, luxuriously decorated room, and then left in a hurry.

"Young Master, even though you've been away for the past few years, your room is still cleaned every day."

Shen Xiaohu put down his suitcase. Since his father wasn't there, he started speaking normally again.

The furniture was all made of mahogany, and the display shelves were filled with various antique porcelain and jade items.

Wow, these things would be incredibly valuable in modern times! Shen Lian couldn't resist picking one up to admire it.

"Young Master, the hot water is ready!" A low voice interrupted Shen Lian's reverie.

Shen Lian put down the bottle in his hand and turned his head. A pretty figure stood in front of him.

"You are... Yue'er? I didn't expect you to have grown so much?"

Looking at the girl in the light pink dress in front of him, Shen Lian hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Yes, young master. It's me!"

The girl raised her head slightly, glanced at Shen Lian shyly, and then quickly lowered her head again.

What kind of moon is that? This is clearly a golden lock! Shen Lian almost drooled.

Such a stunningly beautiful woman is actually my own maid! This transmigrator's perks are just too good!

"Young Master, the water will get cold soon!" Qiu Yue whispered a reminder when she saw that Shen Lian hadn't spoken for a while.

"Um! Cough cough! Take a shower, take a shower first!" Shen Lian coughed twice and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

Shen Lian opened his suitcase and took out a black suit and a white shirt. The suit was a little small, but it was hot enough that he could wear it without buttoning it up.

Qiu Yue took the clothes and led Shen Lian to the bathroom, where a large wooden tub, about half a person's height, was steaming behind a screen.

"Moon, aren't you going out to scrub my back? Hehe!"

Qiuyue stood there, holding the clothes, blushing with embarrassment but too ashamed to leave. She could only bury her head tightly in her chest.

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore! Put your clothes on the stool and you can go now!"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yue felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She hurriedly dropped her clothes and fled in panic.

Hehe! This little girl! Shen Lian shook his head. According to the current rules, if he asked Qiu Yue to give him a bath and scrub his back, she wouldn't dare to refuse.

In essence, the maids of wealthy families were merely objects belonging to their masters. They had no rights of their own.

Shen Lian took off his clothes and sat in the wooden tub. The water temperature was just right, and he groaned comfortably.

After washing up, Shen Lian leaned against the tub and closed his eyes to think.

Since neither his personal attendants nor his steward and maids noticed, it seems that his identity should be fine in the first step.

The original owner returned this time because the old man was passing away and was probably making arrangements for his funeral. As the only son in the family, the original owner would definitely take over the family business next.

With the knowledge I possess, it shouldn't be difficult to make a name for myself in this era. At the very least, making money should be easy.

But what year is it now?! 1899! The Eight-Nation Alliance will be entering Beijing next May, thus beginning a century of humiliation. No, it should be the beginning of the First Opium War.

The corrupt Qing government was hopeless; all they did was cede territory and pay indemnities. The whole of China became prey for the foreign powers, who could come and take a piece of it at will.

Especially those damn Japanese!

Shen Lian used to feel immense hatred whenever he thought about these things. Now that he had transmigrated here, surely fate wouldn't have sent him here just to enjoy a life of luxury?

Time is a bit tight. If I could command an army myself, I'd probably be able to play a useful role then.

Unfortunately, I only graduated from a third-rate university and wasn't a special forces soldier. I'm not good at military operations either!

In novels, all the transmigrators seem to have invincible systems; I wonder if I'll have that perk myself!

"System, System, System Father, System Grandfather..." Shen Lian called out for a long time, but his mind was completely blank.

Oh dear! What a bad start! There's no system, which makes things a bit difficult.

You could at least give me a dual-transmigration option! I could travel back in time to retrieve some things!