Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Young people like to gossip, and there is a lot of this happening in the palace recently.

When Solovyov revealed that Ribeaupierre had made a lifelong affair with Ekaterina Potemkina, Paul also laughed.

"That's great! There is still pure love in this palace, and I don't need to arrange a marriage. The daughter of Princess Yusupov and the son of a Swiss banker, that's great!"

Alexander was angry because the Polish prince was Maria Naryshkina's younger brother, but at this time his new adjutant had lost his mind and suddenly told such explosive news.

That Ribeaupierre was indeed very handsome, and it could be said that he was in full bloom in the palace, but he never revealed his emotions easily. It turned out that the secret was here!

The Crown Prince no longer needs to keep a straight face. He now turns to an evil smile. This will always clear up the misunderstanding. A 20-year-old Guards Cavalry officer and a 17-year-old Polish prince should be acting like this purely because of a misunderstanding. of.

"Boris made a mistake, father, and the dispute between the two parties should have happened because of some unnecessary things."

"This is easy to explain and does not require too severe punishment. Solovyov, you take my order and release the two young men. They should choose to reconcile."

Alexander was also very happy, at least he didn't have to plead for Boris anymore. He had already explained before that Paul was prepared to spare Boris, who had made more serious mistakes. Now there was no need to make any enemies.

Of course, Solovyov also had to lament that the Polish boy’s sisters were all good-looking. The eldest sister was Konstantin’s mistress, and the second sister was Alexander’s mistress. They had such strong backers, and his father was pro-Russian. Pai died because of Russia, so he was relatively taken care of.

On the contrary, Ribeaupierre, who was injured, was almost driven away. He thought this was unfair. If he hadn't slipped it out, the misunderstanding would have been a big one.

Ribeaupierre was injured and lying in the solitary room of the Mikhailovsky Palace. Even Goethe, who happened to be visiting Petersburg by chance, knew about the duel between the two young men and wrote it in his book. In the diary.

"Mishka, why are you here?"

"I'm here to take you out, the emperor wants to let you go!"

"Okay, Your Majesty, I don't want to say anything more. Just let me out. I think there are some things that are weird!"

Ribeaupierre told some things, probably that the Crown Prince and Constantine came to mediate because Boris was involved, Count von Palen kept it secret, and Dmitry Naryshkin reported to Paul, but this matter The atmosphere is very strange.

Solovyov knew that what Russia lacked most was abstraction, but there was nothing he could do to tell the Swiss, so he had to rescue him first.

"Sasha, how are your injuries?"

"As long as you don't worry my mother too much, this injury won't kill anyone!"

Ribeaupierre's father was a soldier. He was Prince Potemkin's adjutant. He also served under Suvorov and was killed in Izmail, so he was particularly cared for by Potemkin's relatives. Having been raised by Prince Yusupov since he was a child, and raised with the children of the prince's wife's first marriage, the prince would not have thought that the piglets he raised would have to compete with the cabbage he had watered and raised.

Alexander's teacher Lahap was recommended by his father, so Alexander took good care of him. Paul always liked young people who were smart, capable and handsome, and he often took him with him.

This kid seems to be the real prototype of the protagonist, and Solovyov feels that he is incomparable.

"What I want to tell you is that someone may take action against this palace. Count von Palen muttered something. I can only tell you that you must either tell His Highness or tell the Emperor."

Liebeaupierre knew what he was doing, and he also found Count von Palen a bit suspicious.

"What were you mumbling about?"

"I didn't hear it clearly, but I heard March 15th and 'Caesar' very clearly. These Alemanni people are all the same. They speak with such an accent that it's hard to hear clearly."

"It's a bad thing, but there is no other circumstantial evidence, and there is no way to explain it clearly. Even what this sentence means is ambiguous, and there is no good way."

Solovyov thought of Talleyrand's approach, and that he himself often bowed in this way and said some ambiguous words.

If Count von Palen was asked, Solovyov guessed that he might tell a story that confuses right and wrong, which would be more disadvantageous and might lead to him being slapped down.

Therefore, he also gave up his plan to hit the ball straight. After all, given his status, it was inappropriate no matter what.

However, because Paul was very kind to him, promoted him to Major of the Guards, and awarded him medals and fiefdoms. Although a hereditary noble officer of this age had some connections, he was not strong enough. Being able to get here at the age of 20 was already an exception.

Moreover, this tsar still loves his people to some extent, and even has a relatively clear understanding. After getting along with him for a long time, I still feel that he is much stronger than many European monarchs, even the ones I have read in books that seem to perform very well.

Not to mention far away, from Peter the Great to Paul, there was also a Courland rich woman, Queen Anna, who occupied the throne. She almost took away the imperial power in a wave and gave it to Ivan V and his family who had made no contribution to the expansion of Russia. , no matter how you say it, this should be placed at the back.

As for Queen Elizabeth and Queen Catherine II, although they are great and loved by the people, it doesn't matter if they live a more luxurious life, but the court atmosphere of the two queens is very bad and has brought many ills.

Paul was now standing at such a juncture. In fact, he was aware of it, so he decided to carry out reforms. He even had the idea of ​​liberating the serfs a little earlier than those feudal countries in Europe.

There is actually some use in keeping him. At least this czar who is willing to reform and enrich the country and strengthen the army is really good to the people.

It can be seen from the several visits to the manor that the czar could sit in the serf's home and chat with the village elders. Except for Peter the Great who sometimes did this, there should be no czar before, and it will be rare in the future.

His murder would indeed seriously delay the liberation of the serfs. Even though Alexander defeated Napoleon, in the end he did not have the guts to recommend the reform. Instead, he acted as an actor on the throne to balance the various factions. Benefit.

Both in public and private matters, Solovyov had a favorable impression of the tsar, and he also particularly liked Chinese culture and supported his translation career.

You must know that Paul also liked the translation of the Three Kingdoms very much after seeing it. At least he is alive to see the completion of the translation work.

The upgrade of the Order of the Knights of Malta from Level 3 to Level 2 means that Paul still recognizes him.

But whether he can afford to save her now depends on his fate.

And another point is that in addition to the group of young nobles such as Count Stroganov and Solovyov, the loyal Guards and intelligence organizations around Paul are actually eyeing Count von Palen. The time has come for both sides to have a full showdown.

Paul and Alexander were still chatting about Ribeaupierre's little story there, and they didn't think it was strange, but after they knew it, they didn't intend to spread it.

"There are such pure and beautiful stories in this world, so we shouldn't interfere with them, at least because of things in the palace."

"Indeed, Father."

"How's Louisa?"

"When I woke up this morning, I saw that her belly was different from before. Father, you know that she is very thin, and there are some changes in her body, which can be seen soon."

"Treat your wife and children well, and treat your brothers and sisters well. You must take care of your family first, and then the country."

Paul had recently heard some stories about the Holy Fool, and there had indeed been some rumors in Petersburg when Empress Elizabeth died and Ivan VI was killed. The former is not surprising, but the latter is difficult to tell what is going on because of the secret detention.

He has also heard some rumors recently, such as that his lifespan will be as long as the letters of the inscription on the door of Mikhailovsky Palace.

The words of such charlatans always confuse the public, but they still have some effect on the superstitious Paul. He is also a little wary, and he always has some premonitions.

But he is in good health and does not look like he will die within ten years. He also exercises every day, eats a reasonable diet, and does not work too hard.

But for a superstitious person, he would always have some ideas, so he said this to Alexander without thinking.

"Yes, Father, but you are in good health, so there is no need to say this at this time."

"Kutaisov, Stroganov, you all go down, and we, father and son, will be alone for a while."

In the office, only Paul and Alexander were left.

"I received a secret report that someone was planning to plot evil in Petersburg. I didn't believe this kind of thing at first, but what the secret agent said was so detailed and shocking. The capital of our country actually wants to do this again. This is not a conspiracy group that your grandmother had more than thirty years ago. , when my mother took drastic measures. In 1762, that year, your grandfather and my father were overthrown. Now the world is peaceful in Russia, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and the nobles are living a prosperous life, but there are still people who are not. Satisfied, what are they doing?"

"Father, I don't know either."

Paul knew that Alexander was not acting today, but he was still very serious when the situation was serious. At this time, he handed a report to his son.

"It's best that you don't know. This is the report given to me by Prosecutor General Obolyaninov. Some people say that he is a 'grand vizier'. That is because none of you have experienced the real life of the Turkic and Persian courts. . As far as I know, there is always intrigue and chaos, and what our country ultimately pursues is law and effective rule, not an army that the Sudan cannot even recruit.”

"Father, if according to what is said above, what on earth are those who want to launch a coup going to do?"

"I think they need me to abdicate, or choose a commander they think is suitable, like the Roman Praetorian Guards. I know the story of Caligula. If something like that happens, I want you to protect your wife. and daughter, and also protect your brother, sister, sister-in-law, niece, and your mother. I don’t want any of the children in my family to be thrown to the ground like Caligula’s daughter. 's brain."

When Paul spoke, you could hear that he was a little angry, and the words in the report were very clear.

"Father, can such an appalling thing really happen?"

"I think there will be, but I don't know what will happen. Here is a list. I wrote it under the candlestick all night. It is the officers mobilized from the Guards, and some of my attendants who have some skills and may be useful in the future. You should keep this list well, so that if something really happens, there will be no one available. As for the civil servants, if you can use them, the young people around you are all good and can take on important tasks in the future, especially Count Stroganov. How did God create such a young man?"

Paul's words were actually equivalent to a showdown. What he wanted to confirm was that Alexander had not really been involved in the conspiracy, so he would feel more at ease.

Alexander was unwilling to join directly and did not express his position, but he had no way to resist his father's approach.

The list was not written by the important officials around Paul, but by middle and lower-level officers and attendant adjutants between the ages of 18 and 30. These people have been tested in the past few years.

Solovyov didn't know about the conversation between the royal father and son, so he just took the injured Ribeau Pierre to the imperial doctor.

He could guess that this was a murder, not a simple coup, and March 15th was the anniversary of Caesar's death, so it was obvious that someone wanted to kill the king.

However, the suspicious Count von Palen would definitely have his own set of rhetoric, and it might even be impossible for people to catch him.

Soloviev believed that at this time, they should not confront each other face to face, but should find sufficient evidence.

But Paul's problem was that he liked to confront each other too much. If he really got the news from somewhere, he would definitely show his cards and fight directly.

Alexander had heard a little bit, and Count von Palen had expressed it to him more than once, but he did not express his position. He was unwilling to overthrow his father unless his position as the crown prince was threatened.

Now Paul was talking to him about his family from the bottom of his heart, which also made his attitude loosen up a little. Whether he was acting or really, he had to express his position.

After all, although Boris Godunov's son was killed by the nobles before Romanov, he was an unrecognized Russian monarch, not to mention the pseudo-monarchs before him.

Alexander himself was unwilling to believe that a coup might happen, but regicide was impossible.

After Paul learned of his son's attitude, he prepared to confront Count von Paaren.

This method was not smart and would eventually lead to disaster.