Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 17 017 Will the garden construction submitted to the Tsar finally be settled in Gatchina?

Tsar Paul was also dissatisfied with winning money from playing cards, but he also said that he wanted Kutuzov to show his true skills, and then he suffered a series of defeats. He lost a lot of money, but he was very happy about it, which made Ross Topchin was also very happy, at least he had won a lot back, and if the emperor was happy, there would definitely be a reward.

Kutuzov and Rostopchin each received a silver pocket watch. Many of the objects in the Tsar Palace were built in large quantities during the period of Empress Catherine. A lot of money was spent on these luxurious daily necessities. Just like running water.

At least after Paul succeeded to the throne, he also found that Russia's financial situation was not optimistic. He had already melted a lot of silver products to issue silver rubles and burned invalid banknotes to curb inflation, but the effect was not good.

The tsar still needs to pay attention to his pomp, but reforms still need to be carried out. The rewards he gives to his ministers are essentially the same as those of the tsar in the past. They still spend money like water.

After all, he is also an emperor and always has to maintain his own pomp.

Count Bobulinski was not surprised by the scene of his brother playing cards like this. When Paul was still the crown prince, he often played cards and chess. He knew that he was bad at chess, but his card playing level was not high. If a All these people at the poker table are playing haphazardly, so no one can tell their level.

"Ah, Alyosha, you are here."

"Your Majesty, I'm here."

"Don't say it yet, let me guess what you want. If the money is not enough, I can increase your annuity. If you are not satisfied with the house in Petersburg, I can change you to a better one. If there are not enough serfs in the manor, Yes, this won’t work now, it’s the law I just enacted.”

Count Bobulinski just shook his head when he heard what the royal brother said.

"None of them?"

"Your Majesty, I am living well both in Upper Palen and Petersburg. If I have any shortcomings, I only have to build a Chinese-style garden in the manor. After the drawings of the Zovo Manor, a grenadier adjutant who helped me said that it was not a real Chinese-style building, and everything from pagodas to gardens were inappropriate. "

Paul was somewhat interested after hearing this. After all, Chinese style was popular in French culture, and there were several French masters from the Enlightenment era who played Chinese music, especially Voltaire.

Also, he himself considered himself an admirer of Prussian culture, while the old Prussian Fritz said that he was an admirer of French culture.

"Will such a thing happen?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

If it were a more relaxed occasion, without courtiers and two generals present, Count Bobulinski might be able to speak more freely, even in terms of titles.

"What are the problems?"

"Your Majesty, what Count Bobulinski is talking about is an unauthentic Chinese style. It's like pickled cucumbers and pickled pork from farmers in the countryside. The farmers will say, it's okay for us to eat these things, but No matter whether you are a gentleman or an emperor, they are not used to it."

Kutuzov intervened at this time and made Tsar Paul amused. You must know that those generals did not have this sense of humor. Although Suvorov had some sense of humor, he opposed Paul all day long. His apprentice was unusual. He is very cunning and very good at making his leaders happy. Otherwise, in his heart, Paul would still be very willing to use the old marshal who had never lost a battle. Other veterans would not be suitable for him.

"That's true, Mikhail Ilarionovich, but you must have eaten pickles and pickled pork, whatever you could get during the war."

His partner Rostopchin said angrily, Kutuzov did not forget to eat and drink during the war.

"Well, that's it. If you sit at home or here with the emperor, you can still eat something good."

Kutuzov and Rostopchin didn't say much. Instead, they showed an optimistic attitude as always. When competing for favor in front of the emperor, they always found ways to make jokes. Anyway, if the emperor was happy, their lives would be comfortable. Paul was a man who sometimes felt deep sympathy for the serfs, but he had a moody temper, which was not a good habit.

After winning money, the ministers told him the truth again, and his brother came to the court again, Paul was still very happy. At this time, the atmosphere was very relaxed.

"No wonder you are always looking for something to eat there. Well, Mikhail Ilarionovich, what do you think about the garden?"

"You know, Your Majesty, my father is a lieutenant general of engineers. It would be fine if he built a fortress. Gardening requires art, and art requires some inspiration."

"But war is also an art, and King Frederick loved music. It can be said that military affairs and art have something in common."

"But Your Majesty, on the battlefield, smelling the smoke and corpses is another situation. People who have never been on the battlefield, even those who have never been to the royal parade ground, will not feel it. of."

Paul often went to the military parade ground, because he was a tsar and did not have many opportunities to go out to fight. It was not like Peter the Great's time, and there were not many tsar's who went to war personally.

In short, he was just watching the troops on the parade ground at home, but he could smell the smell of gunpowder smoke at the training ground in Gatchina. These words were not offensive to him. He was towards his favorite minister. And those generals are still somewhat tolerant.

"And the war that determines the fate of the country has nothing to do with art! If we could have sent troops to France a few years ago, we wouldn't be facing such a situation now! And we shouldn't be involved in the war now. There must be a suitable reason to fight a war. Alyosha, you have been to France, how is it there?"

"Your Majesty, I have also been to Italy. To be honest, Paris is not very good, otherwise our diplomats would not always want to go to Italy and Spain, or our mortal enemies, those damn Turks' territory, these places are more civilized. Unfortunately, the capital of France, which is obviously the center of culture, is sometimes not what we imagined."

"No wonder French nobles like to live in villas in the countryside or palaces in the suburbs of Paris. According to what you said, Paris is indeed not as good as that in Italy. Some cities are far inferior to Petersburg. "

"The simplest thing, Your Majesty, is that it is not convenient to get water in Paris, and the water supply system of such a city is not very good."

"Indeed, but I have thought about it, friends," Paul's tone was still very strong. He gestured to the court servants, "Sit down, sit down, at this time, it is best to drink tea, and then have some jam and bread. People always need to fill their stomachs. Moreover, Mikhail Illarionovich, you have been playing cards, and you, Count, need some snacks to relieve this time. As for the gardens we mentioned, and the water supply in Paris, it is indeed necessary to pay attention to it. The water supply in Voronzovo is good. It has its own pond and running water, which is much better than being squeezed in the city of Paris. "

"So." Count Bobulinsky was about to speak when Tsar Paul spoke directly. "If you want to build a garden, that's fine. I also want to build one in Gatchina as a place for the royal family to escape the summer heat."

At the latitude of Petersburg, the days in summer are long and the nights are short. The light is long but cool, which is a good place in summer. The Chinese garden is the place where Tsar Paul wants to imitate Frederick the Great. It is also the work that every Tsar must do when he is in power. The civil engineering work is not only palaces, but sometimes manors and cities, and some villages.

Who will build it is also particular. Paul let his brother put his name here, which is an opportunity for him to get benefits. Tsars of all generations would do this. It is still good to build a palace, a garden or some other house and park. If Paul's other son was in power, the Russian state-owned railway could become a place to use power for personal gain.

In comparison, in 1797, the way the gentlemen made money was still relatively simple and strong. They didn't have as many tricks as later generations. They just took the money for the project, which was a kind of institutional technical adjustment.

"So, Your Majesty, I have considered building such a garden. It would be best to transform a swamp on the edge of the imperial village without affecting the surrounding environment. At the same time, water can be brought in. The drawings are already there."

"I said, Alyosha, you must have thought about it before you came. It's not like when your mother was still alive. When you saw a beautiful maid, you said you liked her at that time."

When it comes to chasing young girls, Paul envied his younger brother. After all, he can freely choose who he likes.

As for contracting this project, Count Bobulinsky still found a professional construction team. In front of his brother, he had to show his ability. He was the illegitimate son of Peter III's enemy and the empress. Although his brother attached more importance to family affection and treated him very well, and the rewards he gave him in the past few months were almost non-stop, he still had to be honest and work hard sometimes, or find a place where he could not be seen to be a happy manor owner.

After he got the job, he called back Solovyov, who was still in Upper Palen and building a factory in his manor, because he understood Chinese architecture.

As for Solovyov himself, he could only put down his work. The count was the big moneymaker at this stage, and he had done everything he should do in Upper Palen. What was left was to ensure that the transportation from the manor to Tallinn or St. Petersburg could be smoothly connected to the regular roads. The Baltic coast was a "German-speaking area" anyway, and the roads here were much better than those in the Russian mainland.

As for when he arrived in Petersburg, Count Bobulinsky asked him to go to Tsarskoye Selo and start selecting a location.

"I'm afraid I can't do this if you ask me to do it."

"It doesn't matter, just come and check it every few months."