光緒二十一年（1895年），出任湖南按察使，喺巡撫陳寶箴支持下宣傳維新變法。光緒二十四年（1898年）八月，獲任命為出使日本大臣。戊戌變法失敗之後，俾清政府列為「從嚴懲辦」嘅維新亂黨，但由於外國駐華公使等幹預，清政府允許黃辭職還鄉。光緒三十一年（1905年）3月28號，黃遵憲喺鄉下病逝，終年58歲。
In the twenty-first year of Guangxu (1895), he served as the Hunan Governor, and with the support of Governor Chen Baozhen, he propagated the reform of the law. In August of the 24th year of Guangxu (1898), he was appointed Minister of Japan. After the failure of the Wuxu Reform, the Qing government listed Huang as a "severely punished" rebel party, but due to the intervention of foreign ministers in China, the Qing government allowed Huang to resign and return to his hometown. On March 28, the 31st year of Guangxu (1905), Huang Zunxian died of illness in his hometown at the age of 58.