皖系
Following the death of Yuan Shikai, Wang joined Duan Qirui's Anhui clique. The next November Duan formed the New Provisional Senate (), with Wang as President. On March 8, 1918, he and Xu Shuzheng established the Anfu Club, which engaged in political works for the Anhui clique. On August 2 Wang was appointed Chairman of the House of Representatives and led the "Anfu Parliament" (). However, in July 1920 the Anhui clique was defeated by the Zhili clique in the Zhili–Anhui War, and the Anfu Club and Anfu Parliament were dissolved. Wang fled into exile in Japan, where he remained for the next four years.