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

"Stone, do you have something to say?" Shen Lian noticed Stone, who was hiding in the corner, move slightly, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Young Master, before we came, Xiao San told me something. I wonder if it's related to this?"

"The mistress? Young Master, it's that little beggar you adopted along with us. Before we came, he told me something..." Tan Ya whispered as he recounted the story.

"Because it was a very important matter, he wasn't sure either. So he didn't dare to tell me until he found out that I was going to the capital with Brother Tan Ya this time!" Shi Tou added an explanation after he finished speaking.

"Did he see clearly who those two people were?" Shen Lian asked, his face ashen. So that's why he'd transmigrated; the original owner of this body might have been murdered.

"He... he said it seems to be the garrison commander!" Beads of sweat broke out on Shi Tou's forehead. He knew that if he said the wrong thing, countless people would die.

“Chen Shan? Impossible. He’s older than the master and has always been timid and cowardly. It shouldn’t be him, right? Then it must be Zhang Dabiao? But he’s always been very respectful to the master. Why would he do this?” Uncle Lin shook his head and said.

Shen Lian knew that his father had two garrison commanders and four captains under his command. Chen Shan was responsible for assisting his father in managing the camp affairs, such as troops, money, and provisions, while Zhang Dabiao was specifically responsible for the defense of the prefectural city.

Of the four captains, Huang Sheng was responsible for guarding Linqing Pass, while the other three captains were stationed in the three counties under Linqing's jurisdiction.

"You can know a person's face but not their heart, who knows! Or maybe I'm in their way?" Shen Lian said coldly.

"That damn Zhang Dabiao! He always looks so respectable. How dare he plot against the young master! Let's go back and wipe out his whole family!" Shen Xiaohu jumped up, furious. The others also clamored to go back and take revenge.

"Sit down, all of you! Keep your mouths shut until this matter is thoroughly investigated." Shen Lian slammed his hand on the table. The men, startled, quickly lowered their heads and sat down.

"Our most important task now is to get my succession to my post in the capital and to arrange my marriage. Let's not cause any unforeseen problems. We can talk about other things when we get back."

Shen Lian gave everyone a dressing down, and they all dispersed. That evening at the dock, Shen Lian had Uncle Lin buy a lot of wine and meat, treating them to a good meal.

Lying in bed, the intense battle and fear of the day made it difficult for Shen Lian to fall asleep. He finally drifted off to sleep after playing two friendly matches with Yue'er in his arms.

Three days later, Shen Lian and his group finally arrived in Tongzhou. The journey, only three or four hundred kilometers, had taken a full ten days. Uncle Lin said that this trip was relatively smooth; during the dry season, it might have taken twenty days.

Standing on the ground after disembarking, Shen Lian felt a little dizzy and lightheaded. He had never been on a boat for so long before.

After resting for a while, Shen Lian, who was in no mood to visit the largest dock in the capital, rented three carriages and headed to the capital immediately.

More than an hour later, the carriage gradually slowed down. There were many pedestrians and vehicles on the road, and the ground was slippery as if it had just rained the day before. Shen Lian had no choice but to move forward slowly. A tall gatehouse gradually came into view.

“Young Master, there are nine inner and seventy-six outer city gates in the capital. We came from Tongzhou, so we'll enter through Chaoyang Gate first and then take a detour to the western part of the city. Our residence and General Nie's house are both in the west.” Uncle Lin sat next to the carriage handle, pointing out the sights of the capital to Shen Lian along the way.

There were many carriages and carts entering the city through Chaoyang Gate, mostly grain transport vehicles from Tongzhou. It took a long time for them to get through. This time, they were entering the capital in a small, unregistered manner, without any official rank. Entering the capital through Chaoyang Gate was not unusual for them.

Uncle Lin told me that local officials were required to enter Beijing through Chongwen Gate, where palace eunuchs guarded the gate and charged each official according to their rank. High-ranking local officials were no exception; Zuo Zongtang was once extorted for 40,000 taels of silver, and the matter even reached the imperial court.

Shen Lian was utterly astonished. This was unbelievable! It would be a miracle if such a court didn't collapse.

Is this the capital? The streets were quite wide after entering the city, but the ground was full of potholes; it was all dirt roads. There were large puddles in the middle that looked big enough for a carriage to sink into.

Shen Lian was truly astounded! This was worse than the most backward towns and streets of later generations. There were quite a few people on the streets, but most of them were poorly dressed and had blank expressions. It was a scene straight out of the end of an imperial dynasty. Shen Lian's initial excitement vanished completely.

After winding through the streets, we arrived at the western part of the city. This area was slightly better; at least there were bricks on the ground. Unlike the muddy roads over there, the pedestrians were dressed much more elegantly.

The carriage stopped in a small alley. "Young master, we've arrived!" Uncle Lin called out as he got out of the carriage.

Shen Lian got out of the car and saw that it was a typical two-courtyard house. He helped Yue'er out of the car, and the group walked towards the gate.

Uncle Lin went up and knocked on the door. After a while, an old man opened the door and came out. When he saw that it was Uncle Lin, he quickly bowed and greeted him.

"Old Sun, this is our young master!"

"This old servant greets young master!" The old man hurriedly stepped forward and bowed deeply.

"Alright, alright! Get up now!" Shen Lian waved his hand.

"Young Master, this courtyard is usually uninhabited; it's mainly for people coming to the capital to stay. So we asked Old Sun to look after it and keep it clean. It's a bit small, so please bear with us," Uncle Lin said as he led Shen Lian inside.

It was indeed quite small; you could see the whole thing in one glance through the hanging flower gate. The tiny garden was probably only about 200 square meters, with three main rooms and four wing rooms on each side.

Though small, this is the West District, within the Second Ring Road in modern times. Shen Lian estimated that in later times, you wouldn't even be able to see it without hundreds of millions.

Several people carried the luggage inside, most of it belonging to Shen Lian and Yue'er. The others each had only a small cloth bag.

Heaven knows, Shen Lian was speechless that he had to bring his own bedding when he went out. Yue'er insisted on bringing it, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Naturally, Shen Lian didn't need to ask Yue'er to do the cleaning; she readily arranged for Shen Xiaohu and the others. Since consummating her marriage with Shen Lian, her status in the mansion had risen considerably. The servants no longer dared to call her Yue'er; they all addressed her as Miss Yue'er.

Shen Lian and Uncle Lin sat under the pomegranate tree in the courtyard, and Yue'er had already skillfully brewed tea for them.

"Uncle Lin, please send a visiting card to the Governor's Mansion later. We'll be paying our respects to the Governor tomorrow morning. You'll have to handle the purchasing of whatever we need. I've already prepared the valuable jewelry. Just bring me back some fine gift boxes."

His future father-in-law, Nie Gongting, was now the Governor-General of Zhili Province, awarded the yellow riding jacket and the title of "Baturong Abaturu." He had fought countless battles both domestically and internationally, accumulating numerous military achievements. Even in the capital, he was a formidable figure. Shen Lian naturally dared not be negligent.

"Understood, young master!" Uncle Lin naturally knew what was going on; that was exactly what he was there to do.