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

"I heard that Lord Yuan and Magistrate Wang had a bit of a falling out?" He Degang said slowly, taking a sip of tea.

"Hmph, that damned Wang Huaide is a miser. Asking him for a little money is like asking him for his life, and he even accuses me of exploiting the people. Don't think I don't know what they've been doing! They even impeached me for disturbing the peace!" Yuan Xiangcheng was furious at the mention of Wang Huaide.

However, since he was still a circuit intendant, even though he was subordinate to him, he had no right to appoint or dismiss him; he could only submit a memorial to the emperor and file a lawsuit.

"Hehe! Governor Yuan, don't be angry. Don't get upset over such a small matter. So when the Prince found out about this, he specifically sent me to ask Governor Yuan if he wanted to replace this Circuit Intendant for you?" He Degang said calmly.

"Oh! Then I thank Your Highness for your kindness!"

“However, Lord Yuan also knows that matters of the court are far-reaching and have far-reaching consequences. Replacing a circuit intendant is quite troublesome, this…” He Degang subconsciously rubbed his fingers together.

Yuan Xiangcheng cursed inwardly; "That damned Yikuang, I knew it wouldn't be so easy. He wants money again." But then he thought about how he'd fallen out with Wang Huaide these past few months, and getting rid of him sooner would save him some trouble. Spending a little money was worth it.

"Hehe! I am aware of the situation in the imperial court. Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for Your Highness."

"That's good!" After chatting for a while, He Degang got up to say goodbye.

"Lord He, you must be tired from your journey. Please go back to the inn and rest for a while. I will host a banquet for you tonight. I also have some local specialties here that you can take back to Prince Qing." Yuan Xiangcheng said with a smile as he saw him to the door.

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Yuan, but I have to go to the Daotai's office later. I probably won't be able to attend the banquet. I'm truly sorry!"

"Lord He is truly decisive and efficient! I admire him."

He Degang returned to the post station with a smug look on his face. Soon, a servant came in to report that Governor Yuan had sent someone to deliver something.

He Degang opened the box and saw 31,000 taels of silver notes inside. Needless to say, 30,000 taels were for the prince, and 1,000 taels were for himself. Not bad, this Yuan Xiangcheng is somewhat sensible. He Degang stroked his beard with satisfaction.

There was no need to travel so far to the Daotai's office. He Degang took a bath, changed into a clean set of official clothes, and had his attendants hire a sedan chair. They then made their way to the Daotai's office.

Upon hearing that the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel had arrived, Wang Huaide hurriedly led a large group of officials out to greet him.

Once they were all in position, He De slowly stepped out of the sedan chair.

"Welcome, Lord He!" Although Wang Huaide was of a higher rank than He Degang, he still bowed respectfully. All the other officials knelt on the ground.

"Hmph!" He Degang snorted coldly and walked into the yamen with a stern face.

Wang Huaide's heart skipped a beat; this He Degang was clearly up to no good! He exchanged a glance with his advisor and hurriedly followed. The other officials also looked at each other in bewilderment, then scrambled to their feet and followed in a chaotic scramble.

"Lord Wang, your Daotai's office is quite powerful, isn't it? You actually dare to challenge the Governor's office!" He Degang sat down in the main seat with a swagger and started criticizing as soon as he saw Wang Huaide and his group enter.

"Lord He, since Governor Yuan took office, he has increased tariffs and is now issuing permits to suppress the army. I really..." Although Wang Huaide had a bad feeling in his heart, he was still prepared to argue.

"Shut up, I don't want to hear your reasons. Do you know why Governor Yuan came to Shandong? To suppress bandits! Do you understand? The Boxer Rebellion is getting worse and worse. If we don't intensify our efforts to eradicate it, who will be responsible if something serious happens? You?"

"What's wrong with collecting a little more tax? It's not like we collect it every year. Once we wipe out the Boxers, we won't have to collect it anymore, right? How dare you make excuses? If the Boxers become too powerful because of you, how many heads do you have to chop off? Hmm!"

He Degang's reprimand left Wang Huaide pale, while the other officials were sweating profusely and swaying precariously.

“You, Wang Huaide, are quite bold. Do you know who Yuan Xiangcheng is? He’s a trusted minister of the Empress Dowager, and even our Prince Qing has to give him some face. You dare to go against him? I think you really don’t want to be the governor anymore! Heh heh!” He Degang sneered and shook his head.

Wang Huaide wanted to curse a couple of times. "You're just a lowly fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Personnel, how dare you sit there so arrogantly and berate me, a fourth-rank official?"

But he really didn't dare. He thought about how he had studied diligently for ten years, finally passing the imperial examination and becoming a Jinshi. He had also spent over a decade in officialdom climbing to the position of Daotai (a high-ranking official). He was only in his early fifties and wanted to serve the court for a few more years!

Everyone knows that He Degang is Prince Qing's man, so it's okay to criticize him. But now Prince Qing wields immense power, so dealing with him would be as easy as crushing an ant.

"Lord He, please put in a good word for us with the court and the prince. It's not that we really want to go against Governor Yuan, it's just that he's levied too much tax. We're afraid it will cause a popular uprising!" Wang Huaide pleaded.

"It's too late to say all this now! I'm here today to investigate and deal with this matter. You definitely won't be able to stay as the Daotai!" He Degang shook his head.

Ah! Wang Huaide's vision went black, and he collapsed into his chair. Ten years of hard study! It's all over! My high-ranking official position and generous salary are gone! How am I supposed to support my beautiful wife and concubines now?

Seeing Wang Huaide's distraught state, He Degang smiled slightly. He hadn't expected this guy to be so useless; a few words and he was paralyzed with fear. It seemed the rest of the plan would be much easier.

Having seen that he had given enough of a warning, He De said unhurriedly, "However, there is still a chance to be tactful."

Wang Huaide, who had been slumped in his chair, heard these words as if they were divine music. He immediately sat up; "Lord He, is there any other way? Please save this humble official, I will be eternally grateful."

"Ahem!" He Degang coughed and glanced around. He took out a cigarette case from his pocket and pulled out a cigarette.

"You all get out!" Wang Huaide, of course, knew what was good for him. He chased everyone out, took the matches from He Degang, and personally lit his cigarette for him.

"Hoo," He Degang squinted his eyes, took a puff of smoke, and slowly exhaled. Watching this, Wang Huaide wondered to himself, "Is this cigarette really that good?"

The cigarettes Shen Zhiyuan makes are really good; they're not only invigorating but also have a wonderful aroma, and most importantly, they're easy to carry. They're just a bit pricey, ten ounces a pack, and you finish one in a day. He Degang sighed inwardly.

"Lord He, what did you mean when you said there was a chance to turn things around?" Wang Huaide asked eagerly.

"Lord Wang, I don't know if you're unlucky or lucky!" He Degang shook his head and sighed.

"You're definitely not going to get the Taiwu Lindao position. However, there's a vacancy in the Huizhou Anlutu Chuzhou Circuit, so let's see if you can pull it off! Hehe."

Huizhou, Anlutu, Chuzhou? Wang Huaide's eyes lit up. Huizhou was far better than this turbulent Shandong. Being a circuit intendant there would certainly be more lucrative than here.