In April of the same year, he served as the Deputy Minister of Justice in the first Tang Shaoyi Cabinet of Yuan Shikai's Provisional Government.

In June of the same year, when Yuan Shikai revised the law requiring presidential orders to be countersigned by the cabinet, Xu Qian joined the mass resignation led by Tang Shaoyi.

In the meantime, some Christian friends advised him to convert, Xu Qian replied: "If you have a good God, you should not allow people like Yuan Shikai to live in the world.

Yuan Shikai died soon after, and Xu Qian fulfilled his promise and was baptised in the Anglican Church, taking the Christian name "George".

In September, Xu Qian was again appointed to serve as Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Justice in the first Duan Qirui Cabinet, with the secret task of liaising with the Kuomintang members in the Legislative Yuan.

[2][3] In July 1920, on the eve of the outbreak of the Zhili–Anhui War, Feng Yuxiang led his troops from Changde to oppose the Beiyang government's policy of "unification by force", calling for federalism.

Sun Yat-sen and others in Shanghai called for "North-South peace talks" and exposed the crimes of the French-protecting military government under the control of the Guangxi warlords.

On November 25, Sun Yat-sen, together with Tang Shaoyi, Wu Tingfang and others, returned to Guangzhou from Shanghai to reorganize the French-protecting military government.

After the failure of peace negotiations, Xu Qian returned to Guangzhou in 1923, serving as the director of the literature department at Lingnan University and founding the "Evaluation Daily".

[2][3] In January 1924, 1st National Congress of the Kuomintang was held in Guangzhou, approving the creation of the First United Front between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party.

In October 1924, Feng Yuxiang launched the Beijing coup, imprisoned the president Cao Kun, and invited Sun Yat-sen to go north with the Communist Party to discuss the state of country.

Xu Qian also published a telegram in his own name, praising Feng Yuxiang for launching the Beijing coup as "a brave act of righteousness", advocating the dissolution of the illegal Yuan and holding a peace conference, stating that "The Abolished Emperor of the former Qing Dynasty is a criminal of the Republic of China, and should be governed by national laws.” Xuan was appointed by Feng Yuxiang as the director of the Russian Language School of Law and Politics, and the chairman of the Committee oversseing China's Boxer indemnity to Russia.

In July of that same year, the Guangzhou National Government was established, and Xu Qian elected to the Central Executive Committee as the member in charge of judicial administration.

After the tragedy, Xu Qian, Li Dazhao, Gu Mengyu and other 5 people were wanted by Duan Qirui's provisional government.

At that time, Feng Yuxiang was forced to leave the army due to opposition from the Zhili Clique, and set off to study the Soviet Union.

On March 10, 1927, the Central Committee of the Kuomintang held a plenary session in Hankou where Xu Qian made a speech announcing the establishment of the Wuhan National Government.

[2][3] On April 2, Wu Zhihui, Zhang Jingjiang and others convened an emergency meeting of the Central Supervisory Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang in Shanghai, and passed a resolution to investigate the Communist party.

From June 10 to 13, Wuhan leaders such as Wang Jingwei, Xu Qian, Sun Ke, and Ku Meng-yu came to Zhengzhou for a meeting with Feng Yuxiang.

At the meeting, Wang Jingwei denounced Chiang Kai-shek's dictatorship, while Feng Yuxiang advocated mending the intra-party rift and continuing the Northern Expedition.

They group decided to set up the Kaifeng branch of the Political Committee, with Feng Yuxiang as the chairman and Xu Qian as a member, responsible for the party affairs of the Kuomintang.

[3] On June 20, Xu Qian attended the Xuzhou Conference held by Chiang Kai-shek, Feng Yuxiang, Hu Hanmin, Wu Zhihui and others.

[3] After the Mukden Incident in 1931, Xu Qian and Fang Dingying and others organized the "Anti-Japanese Federation" to promote unity and resistance to Japan, and delivered speeches against Chiang Kai-shek's inaction.

[3] On November 20, 1933, the generals Cai Tingkai, Jiang Guangnai and others, the 19th Route Army, and others, together with Li Jishen, Chen Mingshu and others, formed the Fujian People's Government, openly opposed Chiang Kai-shek, and signed the "Anti-Japanese and Anti-Chiang Preliminary Agreement" with the Chinese Communist Party.

After the establishment of the Fujian People's Government, Xu was appointed as the President of the Supreme Court and the Chairman of the Agriculture and Workers' Happiness Committee.

[3][2] After the full outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Xu Qian returned to Nanjing to participate in anti-Japanese activities, and then went to Wuhan and Chongqing to serve as a member of the National Defense Commission.