Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Except for some artworks placed here, the Tavrid Palace is very plain.

This is not surprising. After Potemkin's death, his manager's house was confiscated for stealing the property of the Tafrid Palace. After that, Paul moved many of the furnishings and jewelry here to the Winter Palace and Mihailo In the Vsky Palace, many of the luxurious decorations from the time of Prince Potemkin have also been scraped off.

When Louisa moved in, the cavalry regiment moved out, and all the old furniture moved in was the old furniture from the Winter Palace. It wasn't until the summer when Louisa lived here for a long time that it seemed a little deserted.

But with such a palace, for Karl Ludwig, who was "Europe's good father-in-law", the small court in Baden could not ask for these things. Their court may not have the style of the bishop's court in some places.

Even though Louisa didn't like luxury, as the de facto new owner of the Tavrid Palace, she made the place very simple, which also made the Baden family feel that even if the Russian court did not consider the Winter Palace, A top-notch palace, even in such an inconspicuous palace, is very spectacular.

"Your Highness, this is the Tafrid Palace. It used to be Prince Potemkin's palace and was specially gifted by Her Majesty the Queen. It was recently changed to a resting place for Her Majesty the Queen. Well, this place used to be the barracks of the Guards Cavalry Regiment. It served as an officer’s quarters for a while.”

"Have you ever lived here?"

"No, my home is over the Moika Canal, where the Guards are stationed. We are also in the auxiliary building of the Winter Palace, where the general regiment is on duty."

"Haha, yes"

Louisa usually wears loose clothes, with her bare feet leaning on the lounge chair. When needed, she is helped by the attendants to go to the courtyard. Today, when she knew her parents were coming, she changed her clothes and dressed more formally, but she was still pursuing Loose clothes to make yourself more comfortable.

There was nothing she could do about it. During her pregnancy this time, her belly was obviously bigger than before, and she also felt that her feet were a little swollen. This also required specialized care from a doctor. Of course, it seemed to be normal.

At the doctor's instruction, she also changed to a pair of larger-sized mules and waited in the palace for the arrival of her parents, sisters and younger brother.

At this time, it was not convenient for Louisa to salute, and the Russian court arrangements were relatively cumbersome. However, due to the queen's physical condition, the female official also simplified a lot of ritual procedures. With the Baden family, the atmosphere in her hometown was tense. It's relatively loose, which dilutes the atmosphere here.

"Dad, Mom, I'm glad you can come to Petersburg. I haven't seen you for a long time, and"

Except for the eldest sister who has never been married, the younger brothers and younger sisters have not seen each other for a long time, and each of them has grown a lot taller.

"Louisa, do you know how much we miss you in Karlsruhe? We are always worried about you and how are the children?"

"The children are all in the garden. The most common thing I have here are children. Apart from my own children, there are also..."

While speaking, the folding fan in Louisa's hand pointed to the edge of the pond, where many little girls were playing. There are also many nannies accompanying them. The reason why I say this is because some of the children are still in their infancy. In the yard, the air can be more comfortable in this summer, and it is better than indoors. What's more, Louisa feels that they can bask in the yard more. The sun can make children healthier.

Raising children is actually a very troublesome matter. Children cannot be hungry or overfed, especially children aged three or four, who are bound to have bumps and bruises.

As for the eldest daughter of Alexander and Louisa, Evdokia, her "New Year greeting" appearance by falling directly on the blanket and kowtowing, inevitably made several aunts and uncles laugh.

"This kid is really healthy and runs really fast, but he's just not very careful."

"I think about the time when I gave birth to Tonya, and I suffered a lot. Mom, I feel that it is not easy for you to give life to our sisters and brothers, and you have to raise us all. I also want to raise these two little ones, as well as the two children in my belly, mother, just like when my sisters were born."

"Yes, it looks even more obvious when you are so slim, Louisa."

As a mother, Amalia looked at her daughter, hugged her, and kissed her cheek. She could also feel that Louisa might have to suffer a lot this time.

"During this period, we will stay with you here, and your sister will also stay here for a while according to your wishes."

"My sister may stay here for a long time. After all, if it is difficult to find a husband at home, there may be some opportunities in Petersburg. There are many people coming here. I need to find a suitable husband for my sister."

Louisa has actually been worried about her eldest sister. Her parents must also consider her thoughts. Amalia's blind date experience in Baden was very unsatisfactory before. Now she is only 25 years old. If she can get married while she is young, it is still too late.

If anyone is more suitable, Louisa is the queen. Even if her status as a woman in the palace is just a non-existent second place, with such a position, someone will actually agree to be a matchmaker for her sister. of.

In particular, the Queen Mother's speech on the night of Paul's assassination truly offended all the generals and officers of the Guards from her son down. How many people here were willing to listen to Alexander and Louisa? Very clear too.

Especially some of the Guards soldiers, who were loyal to Alexander and Louisa at the same time. After all, there was no current queen who braved the cold night to speak to the soldiers despite being unwell, asking them to be loyal to Alexander. The noble lady of Petersburg People, I'm afraid they're going to turn into a bunch of clowns that night.

This is also the reason why Louisa is resented by Queen Mother Maria. If the eldest sister can stay by her side, Louisa will have a sense of security, and someone will be able to take care of her. After all, people from Baden’s family have many local palace rules. He can't even control her.

Louisa's maids and sisters are still very afraid of the Queen Mother due to etiquette and status issues. It would be better if Amalia stayed.

Moreover, she can come and go relatively freely, and can also go to Stockholm to take care of her fourth sister Frederica. Although the Queen of Sweden is favored now, her husband is like a teddy and always needs a powerful person to deal with him.

Think about where Amalia, who is relatively strong among the sisters, will go. Although her punch may not be as powerful as that of Maria Naryshkina, it is enough for Gustav IV to drink. Damn it, this aunt is still very protective of her sisters.

However, the more important thing is to find a husband for Amalia. Although they cannot marry the emperor's sister, some people may still be more willing to become a brother-in-law with the emperor.

For example, take the Swedish jackass King Teddy. As long as he doesn't seek death, Alexander will protect him.

In fact, the children's views are very consistent. The two little nieces hang around their uncle Karl. This is not surprising. Although the two children are still very young, in a place like Petersburg, seeing When it comes to relatives of the opposite sex, you still have choices.

Both of them are willing to play with their uncle. This is the first time for grandpa to see him. He is also tall and a little fat. The old man himself knows this, so he mainly takes care of his daughter.

"Dad, you don't have to worry too much. There are many fun places in Petersburg. You can ask Major Solovyov to accompany you for a walk on the street. Uncle Alexei is Bobulinsky." Earl, the chain of restaurants he runs here is the latest trendy local cuisine.”

Louisa asked Solovyov to take his father for a stroll on the street, also in the Tafrid Palace, where the women were the main ones.

So Solovyov took the Russian father-in-law and uncle-in-law to walk around the streets, and he also had to consider a problem.

When Alexandra and Elena got married, Württemberg was still under the control of the French. Mecklenburg was better off, so when Elena got married, she even brought Boblin with her. A branch of Count Ski. In the past, donkey meat restaurants were taboo in some churches, but in the German region.

"It's not surprising. Some people over there eat cats and dogs. If we eat donkey meat, it's better than horse meat, right?"

The two of them went for a walk today. Although the fat Karl Ludwig would feel tired after walking for a while, it was easier to move around with the carriage here.

As for what he said about people eating cats and dogs in South Germany, this is somewhat confirmed by Juliana. There are indeed dog butchers in Saxony, but Constantine's wife actually escaped from marriage and returned to her parents' home, and she has no similar interests here. figure.

"I heard from Louisa that you also have gelatin cubes made from donkey skin, which is a tonic."

"Yes, this is also sold exclusively in Count Bobulinski's chain store, and there are really exquisite packaging gift boxes that can be used to replenish the body."

And there are already branches in Stockholm, but they are all operated in the name of the Queen of Sweden.

By the way, we also invite them to eat the not-so-authentic donkey meat roasted on fire, as well as Petersburg's "specialty" "Lao Luo's secret donkey meat in Tsar sauce".

"It's very lively here too, that is to say, this child Louisa likes to be clean too much."

Of course, the identity of the Queen does not usually appear on the streets, even if the father and son Paul and Alexander are relatively close to the people, the Queen Mother now lives in Gatchina, while Queen Elizabeth lives in the Tafrid Palace.

"You also know that there are actually many German-speaking people here. The generals come from various German states. There is not much difference between them and Berlin or Königsberg. Even in winter, it is not as hard as imagined. Cold. After all, this is not a place like Moscow or my hometown, Arkhangelsk.”

Speaking of Arkhangelsk, it is not a good place for these German nobles. Everyone knows the tragic end of Anton Ulrich's family. His children were not released until a few years ago and sent to Go to Denmark.

However, this involves the fight for the Russian throne, which is generally forbidden in Petersburg, especially the relationship between the deposed and death of Ivan VI and the two empresses.

"Are you from Arkhangelsk?"

"My grandfather is, and everyone of our generation lives in Ryazan. My relatives are all in these two places."

"That's a long way from here."

"Yes, it's Moscow. Her Royal Highness the Queen wants to invite Madame Le Brun to come back. Even the famous painter will have to wait for a while. After all, the horses on the road are drafted, and the roads are very muddy during this period. She gave Many people here have drawn portraits, including me, but some people always say that I look like a Frenchman, especially her brother, but I don’t have these green eyes.”

"You can see it. I heard that there are many people with green eyes in the Caucasus."

"Maybe I am like this, which has something to do with the Caucasus, but our family is very far away from there. It may also come from my mother, but she died very early, and she was gone after giving birth to my sister Yulia."

"But how a child grows up depends not only on the parents who gave the child life, but also on God's will. My two granddaughters are very much like Louisa when she was young, especially the bright eyes. Among my daughters, Louisa's eyes are the brightest, like two gems. This is my most precious sweetheart. In addition, do you have beer in your donkey meat restaurant? I think you are a good guy. How about we have a drink?"

If Karl Ludwig knew that Solovyov was Louisa's secret lover and was probably the father of one of her unborn children, I wonder what he would think.

"There is beer here, and the beer here tastes really good. I don't usually drink, but since you invited me, I have to have a big glass!"

Soloviev's alcohol tolerance is not very good, but according to Russian rules, no matter what kind of wine you drink, as long as it is served, you can't be timid, after all, drinking it also means that you look up to the other person.

Of course, a big glass of wine doesn't make you talk nonsense, but it makes Karl Ludwig see that he drinks too fast, and the young man's alcohol tolerance is not very good.

"This is a good young man, with elegant conversation and decent manners, but his alcohol tolerance is not very good, and he was knocked down by a big glass of beer."

He also knew that this young man had been on the battlefield and might be the hero with the worst alcohol tolerance in Russia. He shook his head helplessly and asked the servant to help him get on the carriage.

But this distinguished guest didn't know which house number of the Moika Canal Solovyov's house was, so he was taken back to the Tafred Palace.

This was quite embarrassing. Solovyov usually paid great attention to his image, especially in front of Louisa. Now he was in a coma and had no idea what he looked like outside.