Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

When Qingpu, the Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs, arrived, the formal reception began.

The banquet was indeed quite lavish, with the women seated at a separate table.

The Governor-General of Zhili usually conducted business in Tianjin Prefecture. At that time, Tianjin was not even considered north of the Haihe River; that area was under the jurisdiction of Shuntian Prefecture.

Moreover, the Haihe River is what we'll call it from now on.

Another example is the Baodi accent, which was under the jurisdiction of Shuntian Prefecture at that time, so it's no wonder that it was all Pingju opera.

Before the banquet, the portrait of Emperor Jiaqing was brought up.

In fact, Emperor Jiaqing's physique was probably that of a large, chubby man, similar to that of Emperor Huang Taiji, but a scaled-down version.

This can also be seen from the portrait, and after it was put down, Qingpu, the Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs, also read out the imperial edict.

Although Qingpu was an imperial envoy, all he needed to do at this moment was listen to the imperial decree, which required envoys from various countries to express their gratitude to the portrait, and involved the etiquette of kneeling and bowing.

With the aim of getting the matter done, and considering that it was merely a matter of kneeling with no other demands, Solovyov and Ney discussed the matter, and the other envoys had no objections.

Moreover, Russia and France are quite familiar with Chinese etiquette. Every time the Dutch came to pay homage, they performed a grand ceremony, which was also known in France.

When Napoleon organized the Congregational Society, he specifically appointed a young president of the Chinese Society, Rémusat, who could understand what was going on.

In short, although the French emperor liked to win over allies, he always resorted to force first, which created a path dependency and was the root cause of his failure.

Solovyov led the way in bowing, after all, besides him, only the Dutch had practiced this etiquette.

Moreover, he even brought his son to bow down, which helped everyone understand what the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows meant.

Seeing this, Qingpu was also glad that he had met a knowledgeable foreigner this time, otherwise he would have messed it up like his predecessor.

"Since the envoy is so courteous, here is the Emperor's second edict. You may rise after hearing it."

Emperor Jiaqing had clearly made some new contingency plans. Since the envoys from the eight Western countries were able to accept the kneeling ceremony, he had to make a gesture in return.

After a string of classical Chinese phrases that only Solovyov and Remusa could understand, the rest of the text followed.

The meaning was clear: since the envoys from various countries were already familiar with the etiquette, it was a great comfort to the Emperor. After the banquet, except for those who had come to the capital, they were settled in Tianjin Prefecture and Dagu Port respectively. The banquet and reception were handled by Fang Shouchou, the Governor-General of Zhili, with Suleng'e, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, assisting in the arrangements.

Envoys entering the capital were granted special privileges, including the right to tour the Yuanmingyuan Garden and reside in the inner city, awaiting imperial decrees, and then paying homage to the emperor in the Forbidden City.

As for what happened afterward, Jiaqing made all the arrangements.

He knew that Russia's major in-law states—France, Sweden, and the Netherlands—would all trade with Russia, while the other smaller countries were there "admiring the prestige of the Celestial Empire," or even to support their in-laws. They would bring tribute and, in return, some rewards.

These are the key ones, the ones that are open to trade.

The edict also specifically emphasized that Russia and France have always been major powers, and described the friendship between China and France since the Kangxi Emperor and the relationship with Russia since the Shunzhi Emperor. It also stated that any subsequent diplomatic issues would be handled by Qingpu, the Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs.

Since Jiaqing understood this, it proves that although the French missionaries around him were from the royalist and Jesuit systems, they were always able to make the Chinese emperor understand the current situation.

As for future matters, that will depend on the efforts of the diplomatic mission itself.

Even the worst-case scenario was that the tribute missions brought so much that Emperor Jiaqing had to spend lavishly, bestowing many of the palace's treasures upon the foreign envoys.

Ideally, Solovyov's long-awaited trade regulations would be passed, allowing the Russian trading post to be opened in Guangzhou, and enabling him to discuss important issues with the Jiaqing Emperor.

In particular, an ally opposed to Britain was about to conclude a defense agreement.

Once Britain crossed the ocean and opened its doors wide to the Qing Dynasty, Russia and France took action against Britain in accordance with their secret agreement.

Moreover, the opium trade mainly consisted of Bengal opium dumped by the British and inferior opium imported by the Americans from the Ottoman Empire and Persia.

When he thought about this, Solovyov scratched his head.

How did it suddenly turn into a war on drugs?

But considering that's how the British are, while the Americans, because of the poor quality of opium, split into two groups: one group was willing to do legitimate business, and the other group, while doing legitimate business, also wanted to tinker with these things.

Winning over Americans who are willing to do legitimate business is probably also a long-term goal.

Solovyov had many ideas, but first he had to get past the banquet.

After the edict was read aloud, Qingpu handed it to Solovyov.

"His Majesty was greatly pleased by your visit to the Celestial Empire to pay homage, and has specially bestowed a banquet upon you. We also urge you all to diligently study etiquette, so that your future visits to the Emperor will be just as successful."

"Since you have said so, sir, we are willing to do our best to establish good relations between the Celestial Empire and European countries, and we will not be as rude as the British."

"Although the general is a military officer, he is also well-versed in the classics, which is quite rare. The naval and military personnel who accompanied him were also given imperial wine as a gift, and the women were given flower hairpins and jewelry."

After expressing their gratitude, the banquet began.

Solovyov has come to Tianjin, but he always feels that something is missing.

For example, there's the Jianbing Guozi from Yixingbu, and there are also the Niren Zhang, Bengdou Zhang, and Guoren Zhang, as well as our dear viewers.
But that kind of thing was absolutely unacceptable in the Qing Dynasty.

During the meal, Qingpu repeatedly toasted Solovyov and Ney.

However, because the surname Neiyi was too short, the unified title in the Qing Dynasty was "Nei Yuanshuai".

Moreover, China does indeed have the concept of "internal surnames," which is not merely the literal meaning of "same surname."

As for Solovyov, although he himself was not a heavy drinker, the imperial liquor was not very strong, so he could manage for a while.

But the utensils used on the table also caught his attention.

"Are these all official kiln wares?"

"Among the official kilns, besides those that supplied the imperial court, there were also those artisans who were granted special leniency during the reign of Emperor Gaozong Chun, who sold their wares among the common people."

"In terms of quality, it's not as good as the items in the palace?"

"Although the general is new to the Celestial Empire, he has put in a lot of effort to study."

“When I was in our capital, I told His Majesty that one must be familiar with the etiquette and laws of the Celestial Empire in order to conduct diplomacy. It was also by His Majesty’s grace that Russia and France were both ‘great powers,’ and that ‘tribute’ was changed to ‘offering state gifts.’ It can be said that His Majesty’s grace is boundless.” Ney frowned slightly after listening to Remusa’s translation.

This Solovyov, upon arriving on Chinese territory, became so familiar with it that he almost assimilated with the Chinese bureaucrats.

There's no other way; in a place like this, you naturally have to rely on mutual flattery in business.

However, in Tianjin, he wasn't asked to write any poems; they just chatted during meals.

Solovyov's ability to speak Mandarin was an advantage that other envoys could not replicate.

Qingpu also had an imperial edict from Emperor Jiaqing, which stipulated that Russia should be treated according to the old practice during the Kangxi and Yongzheng periods, and was not a tributary state. This was established during the reign of Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Yongzheng.

Moreover, even during the Qianlong era, when the late emperor was alive, negotiations between the two sides usually took place in Kyakhta, involving only officials of all ranks and not issues of etiquette.

This can be seen as an example of how the Qing Dynasty did not completely decouple from European countries. Moreover, because the Russian envoys were fluent in Mandarin and knew proper etiquette, Emperor Jiaqing specially relaxed the requirements.

Some officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Court of Colonial Affairs, as well as the General of Uliastai, were fortunate to have been spared the good-tempered Emperor Jiaqing. Had it been anyone else, they would probably have been sent to Ningguta or beheaded at Caishikou.

Even in the Qing Dynasty's own diplomatic archives, original records of the size of the missions can be found.

In this way, there's no way to fool anyone; the solution directly hits the pain point and addresses the real-world problem.

As for the Russian envoys, they were all following the lead of the great powers. Since the Chinese emperor was willing to bestow gifts and they were even allowed to tour the royal gardens, this was all very good.

Since there are very few disputes regarding etiquette, Solovyov doesn't need to worry.

As for moon-gazing at this moment, it's just a routine matter.

Meanwhile, in a town along the route where the British mission was also celebrating, the treatment was vastly different.

The second edict issued by the Jiaqing Emperor was to observe the performance of the foreign envoys and present it as the final result.

Otherwise, Qingpu would probably have submitted another memorial explaining the situation at the time.

If someone who doesn't know the rules comes along, it will indeed be a troublesome situation.

Solovyov had achieved great success. After settling into his accommodation in Tianjin, he awaited an audience with the Jiaqing Emperor.

A formal audience must be accompanied by ceremonial guards, and the arrival of envoys from multiple countries is indeed a rare and significant event.

The next day, Fang Shouchou, Qingpu, and Suleng'e also went to see those rare birds and animals. Solovyov even showed off his biological knowledge in front of them.

"It's a pity that this time we traveled by sea and were unable to reach the African coast, such as Mogadishu, which is the coast that Zheng He visited during his voyages to the West. There are giraffes there, and because of their appearance, they were called 'Qilin' at the time, but that was actually a misrepresentation. However, the giraffe has a close relative that lives hidden in the jungle and probably looks more like a Qilin."

"Such a strange beast actually exists?"

"It's only similar, and extremely rare. I've only heard about it secondhand. There are many poisonous insects and ferocious beasts there, so going would just be a waste of money."

"His Majesty is always frugal and would not do such a wasteful thing."

Suleng'e was actually a capable official. In his memorial to the Jiaqing Emperor, he had already mentioned the outflow of silver from the Qing Dynasty at that time. However, more specific details would have to wait until later Qing Dynasty officials, such as Lin Zexu, listed the harms of opium before the problem could be discovered.

Besides that, there are other things.

Solovyov knew that in the tea trade, the British had begun to gain an advantage in the processing stage due to their use of machinery.

China still uses traditional techniques, and even though its tea varieties and production volume surpass those of India and Ceylon, it will eventually be caught up with or even surpassed.

The outflow of silver during the Qing Dynasty at this time was not only due to the importation of opium, but also because the traditional advantageous project of tea trade began to decline, resulting in a large outflow of silver with a small inflow.

At this time, some merchants who tipped off the British also owned many tea plantations in Fujian, but they did not introduce machinery for processing, and gradually lost their advantage in trade.

What might remain, and still hold a certain advantage, is the camphor trade in Taiwan Prefecture, which flourished again in the 19th century, and the island continued its economic prosperity for several decades.

But it's not very useful to talk to these officials now; they'll still play dead if they want to.

It is necessary to see the emperor in person, not just Jiaqing, but also Daoguang, the Prince Zhi. Finding him can solve this problem.

At this time, the Qing Dynasty was still in the period after the peak of centralized power. If the emperor wished, he could still convey instructions to governors and viceroys in various regions through the Grand Council and the Six Ministries of the court.

While the feng shui issues of railways are difficult to resolve, the problems related to the use of machinery in some areas can still be explained.

Rare birds and exotic animals are merely stepping stones.

Qingpu also knew that when Fukang'an was still alive, he would always bring back some local animals whenever he conquered a place.

They weren't necessarily ferocious beasts, but we collected quite a few.

Among these animals offered, even the Qing Dynasty, known for its immense wealth, had never seen anything like them.

As for something that's so much smaller than domestic tigers, Wu Song could probably take on two of them, and it's still quite tame in its cage.

But spending money is ultimately too much, and all of it is money that has to be spent, which Su Leng'e understands.

"But the general also knows that all of this is a waste of money."

"However, it's not useless. If we open a zoo, charge admission, and let the public enjoy the attractions, it can be considered a way to share the joy with the people."

Then, Solovyov quoted a passage from Mencius's meeting with King Hui of Liang, adding: "The emperor is also a benevolent ruler who loves his people. Although it costs copper coins and silver, he can still watch rare birds and animals. Isn't this also sharing joy with the people?"

Suleng'e listened and thought it made some sense, but this was the first time he had ever seen a quote from Mencius's classics used in this way.

He didn't know that the Murong clan members of the Later Yan had previously made some outrageous statements, or even completely illogical and nonsensical ones.

Solovyov's citations are at least logically consistent and can generate some revenue, so they are feasible, but a charter still needs to be discussed.

Suleng'e could see the problem, but he had no solution to it.

Solovyov, on the other hand, was aware of the problem but unaware of the memorials submitted by Sulenge and some Qing Dynasty officials.

But he probably does know how to solve the problem.

However, no matter how they try to find a solution, they must meet with Emperor Jiaqing; nothing can be accomplished without a meeting. (End of Chapter)