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

But how can I arrange a transfer to Jiangnan? Although I have a few classmates from the same year, their positions aren't high, and my mentor has long since passed away. Who can I turn to for help?

Wang Huaide racked his brains, and then, catching a glimpse of He Degang's enigmatic smile, he immediately understood. Who else was there to look for? The true master was right before his eyes!

"Lord He, I can only trouble you to help with this matter. Everyone in the court knows that Prince Qing holds a high position and wields great power, and you are his capable lieutenant. It should be a piece of cake for you to handle this. I beg you!" Wang Huaide bowed deeply.

"Alas! Of course, His Highness can decide all matters, big and small, in the court with a single word. But it's not easy for His Highness either! There are countless people who want to see him. When you return to the capital, you'll see how many people are queuing outside the Prince's residence every day. Some officials have been queuing for half a month and still haven't been able to see His Highness!"

"Yes, yes, Your Highness is very busy with affairs of state, and he works tirelessly for the court. He is a role model for us officials." Wang Huaide praised insincerely.

"Lord He, please sit for a moment. Please excuse me." Seeing that He Degang was not relenting, Wang Huaide knew the reason and hurriedly went back to the back room to get the silver.

"Lord He, this is a small token of my appreciation. Please give it to Prince Qing. Lord He has been traveling a long way, so please use this little bit of silver to buy him a bowl of tea!"

"Lord Wang, to be honest, this amount of silver is far from enough to transfer you to Huizhou. Anlutu and Chuzhou are rare, stable, and prosperous places in the world, and there are countless people eyeing them." He Degang took the money and saw that it was 52,000 taels of silver. He curled his lip.

"I understand, Your Highness. This small sum of money is a tribute to you. I will repay you handsomely once the matter is settled! I will repay you handsomely!" Wang Huaide said, wiping his sweat.

"Don't think we're taking your money. We're just using your money to do your bidding!" He Degang said, patting the banknote in his hand.

"Yes, yes, yes, I understand! I understand!" Wang Huaide said with a fawning smile, wiping his sweat.

"Alright! Since that's the case, I'll reluctantly help you run the errand!"

. . . . . .

In the capital, the first batch of cigarettes has arrived. Five thousand cartons in total, and without Shen Lian's promotion, a large group of royalty, high-ranking officials, and wealthy merchants came knocking. They sold out in less than three days.

Although it only sold for less than 50,000 taels, it made Shen Lian's reputation soar in the capital.

Nowadays in the capital, whether you're going out for tea and chatting or doing business, people will look down on you if you don't have a pack of Peony tea in hand.

Just when Shen Lian was getting impatient in the capital, he was suddenly summoned by Prince Qing.

Yi Kuang is looking for me? Could it be that things have come to a head? Shen Lian was overjoyed and quickly brought a large number of gifts to Prince Qing's residence.

Upon seeing an elderly man in a bright red python robe sitting in the hall, Shen Lian quickly knelt down; "This humble official greets Your Highness!"

"Yes! You are Shen Lian. Get up!" an old voice said.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Shen Lian stood up and looked up, only to see a thin old man with gray hair and a long beard sitting on the throne. His eyes, with huge bags, were staring at him.

Shen Lian knew that this old man was none other than the current Chief Grand Councilor, Prince Qing Yikuang. He was the grandson of Yonglin, the seventeenth son of Emperor Qianlong, and one of the Manchu princes with hereditary titles. He was also very famous in later generations.

He's not famous for his exceptional abilities, but for his greed. This guy is notoriously greedy and audacious enough to take any amount of money.

After Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu died, he actually accepted money to persuade Empress Dowager Longyu to abdicate in favor of Yuan Shikai. Even Puyi cursed that the Qing Dynasty was destroyed by him. Later generations said that his wealth amounted to hundreds of millions of taels of silver, making him a veritable second Heshen.

But this guy was luckier than Heshen. Despite the fall of the Qing Dynasty, he lived a life of wealth and honor and died a peaceful death.

Greed is good, Shen Lian is afraid he won't be greedy! Anyway, I'll get this money back sooner or later.

"Hmm! Not bad! He's quite handsome, and even more so, he has a heart set on serving his country." Yi Kuang stroked his beard and nodded.

"What are your plans after you take over as the governor of Taewoo?"

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness!" Shen Lian was overjoyed upon hearing this, it seemed that the official position was within reach.

"Your Highness, my first priority upon assuming office is to pacify the region and train the army, ready to be summoned by the court at any time."

"Yes! Your father and father-in-law were both loyal ministers and generals of the court. I hope you can be like them, loyal to your duties and serve the court!" Yi Kuang was not interested in who became an official, as long as it wasn't a fool who would cause him trouble.

The reason for summoning Shen Lian was twofold: first, he had heard quite a bit about him recently and wanted to see this major client; second, he wanted to see if he could squeeze any more money out of him. Since Shen Lian could send such lavish gifts to the palace, he must be very wealthy!

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness! However, Shandong is in disarray. To pacify the region and train the army, we need a large amount of money, food, and weapons. I hope Your Highness will provide support."

"The imperial court is in a difficult situation too! Money is needed everywhere, and the provinces are preparing to train new armies. There's not much left for you. Let me think about it some more!"

I'm just afraid that you, Shen Lian, won't have any demands, hehe!

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Shen Lian kowtowed and left the hall.

"Lord Shen, this way please. The Prince is waiting for you!" As soon as Shen Lian stepped out of the hall, a servant stopped him.

Shen Lian naturally knew what was going on, and followed with Shen Xiaohu.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" Shen Lian kowtowed deeply.

"Hmm! No need for formalities. How was it, Shen Lian? I did a great job for you, didn't I? Hahaha," the young man lounging on the couch said arrogantly, taking a drag of his opium.

"Thank you for your guidance, Prince!" This is Zai Zhen, just like his father.

No, he was even worse at squandering than his father. After Yikuang died, he, as the eldest son, inherited the largest share of the family fortune. He squandered tens of millions of taels of silver in just a few years, and eventually died in poverty and illness.

"Then, shouldn't you give me the money?"

"Yes! To prevent silver from offending Your Highness's eyes, I replaced it with pearls." Shen Lian said, taking a box from Shen Xiaohu and handing it over.

"Pearls are wonderful! I love pearls." Zai Zhen had his men take the box and eagerly opened it. His eyes widened when he saw the box was full of pearls. He reached in and grabbed a handful to examine them.

Shen Lian wasn't afraid of being fooled. Although the father and son were greedy, they actually did get things done once they took the money. Besides, with his father-in-law there, they probably wouldn't dare to cheat him out of his money.

"Your Highness, there's something else I'd like to trouble you with."

"Speak, speak!" Zai Zhen didn't even look up, only playing with the pearls.

"The civil unrest in Shandong is getting worse. My most important task after taking office is to pacify the local area and train the army."

"I plan to train ten battalions! Soldiers are easy to provide, but as for money, provisions, and weapons, could the imperial court allocate some horses?"

"Shandong already has Yuan Xiangcheng's new army, why are you still training troops?" Zai Zhen frowned.