Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The Grand Councilors and the Minister of Rites issued an edict to demonstrate Emperor Jiaqing's welcoming attitude towards foreign delegations.

The previous incident involving the British did indeed cause a great deal of dissatisfaction, and the Qing Dynasty's Grand Council did indeed discuss and draft a set of regulations.

As for three days later, one must be courteous and always receive foreign envoys in the Hall of Supreme Harmony within the Forbidden City.

This also brings up the last question: the number of people in the mission to the audience.

Solovyov and Zhang Xu discussed this very issue at the Prince Qing's residence.

"Lord Zhang, among the European countries, if we consider the order of seniority, Russia and France came first, followed by Sweden and the Netherlands, then Portugal, and the rest of the countries came last. Therefore, regarding the matter of summoning the Emperor, should the official letter be presented by the ministers to the Emperor, or should we present it ourselves?"

“If we follow the old custom from the time of the Holy Ancestor, we need to perform the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows. If it is just an envoy coming, that’s fine. He can simply present the imperial edict and His Majesty will accept it. In terms of etiquette, either way is acceptable. This is His Majesty’s decision. However, it is inconvenient when envoys from various countries come to pay their respects together.”

"In this regard, it would be better for Russia and France to have our envoys present books and seals."

What is a precious seal?

"It is a medal. In Europe, monarchs have always presented each other with their highest-ranking first-class medals as a courtesy. Our monarch has also received medals from many countries."

"The Great Qing is a celestial empire, and you are from Russia and France, which are also great powers. The Emperor can still look at you with respect. Moreover, there is no precedent for this in our dynasty. However, we can still report this to His Majesty."

"In your opinion, Your Excellency, what should be done?"

Solovyov passed the ball to Zhang Xu as a way of testing the waters.

"The letter of credence can naturally be presented by your esteemed envoy. As for the imperial seal, what is it?"

Although Zhang Xu was not young, he still had some interest in foreigners.

Solovyov pointed to the various medals he was wearing: "This is the Order of Malta, awarded by the late King, a second-class medal, now no longer in use. This is the Order of St. George, first class, awarded to military officers of our country, a general who must have distinguished merit to receive it; this is the Order of St. Anne, first class, also a medal of military merit, introduced by the late King Peter when he entered the court for the third time as crown prince, and only awarded by the late King Paul; this is the Order of St. Andrew, the medal to be presented to the Emperor, which I received when I first entered Paris, the capital of France, and is of the highest rank."

Solovyov also explained the origin of the Legion of Honor medal, stating that those presented to the Jiaqing Emperor were the highest-level medals, made by each country's own workshops selecting the best enamelware and inlaying it with gemstones.

Furthermore, Solovyov had his younger brother Anton hold the treasure box and present the medals intended for the Jiaqing Emperor, so that Zhang Xu could come and inspect them.

The Grand Councilor could also tell that the pearl was more exquisite and better made than the one worn by Solovyov, even though they were the same shape and were also carefully crafted and selected.

"Your Excellency, may I present the imperial seal to His Majesty?"

Solovyov smiled as well, and after he finished speaking, Yonglin picked up the thread.

“Lord Zhang, I think it would be best to let the Emperor know. The monarchs of the two countries mean well.”

"Your Highness, I think we should also report this to the Emperor. As for the various formalities, does General Suo have any objections?"

"No, it is a great honor to have seen Your Majesty's face. I wish for lasting friendship between our two countries."

Well, it's fine for him to do that.

Ney lived in Haidian, and Solovyov wrote to him explaining the situation.

Since he was already there, Ney believed that if he could get things done, he should be better than the British, so he didn't express any opinions.

Envoys from other countries used to kneel gracefully before the Chinese emperor, and some smaller countries had no objections at all.

As for etiquette, a decision was quickly made.

The ceremony for the meeting was also that when the emperor went to court in the morning, all the officials would rise and receive the envoys from various countries in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Since the envoys from various countries were staying in Haidian, they had to come in from outside the city.

Solovyov, on the other hand, was to depart from the residence of Prince Qing, Yonglin, and they were all waiting outside the Xihua Gate.

After entering through the Xihua Gate, one must first go to the South Study to await an audience.

After the officials have taken their places in the morning court session, it is time for the envoys from various countries to enter the hall, perform the three kneelings and nine kowtows ceremony, and then present their official letters.

Envoys from Russia and France could present their credentials, which the emperor would personally receive to demonstrate the importance attached to them.

The letters of credence from other countries, as well as the "treasured seals" presented by each country, were presented by the officials in charge of ceremonies.

Back at the Grand Council, Lords Dong Gao and Tuo Jin were also waiting for news from Zhang Xu.

"Lord Zhang is back. How did the mission go?"

"My lord, it really depends on the person you're dealing with. The British incident caused quite a stir in the court, and the Emperor was furious. But the Russian envoy was quite respectful, and his manners were fine. However, there is one matter that needs to be reported to the Emperor."

"I wonder what's going on?"

"In addition to presenting their letters of credence, the Russian and French envoys each had a secretary presenting a seal. As for the reason for this, the Russian envoy has already written it down in his memorial."

After reading it, Dong Gao had some doubts.

If Emperor Qianlong were to be so temperamental, he would probably say that China and European countries are of equal status, but he would still accept it out of consideration for appearances, and then he would grumble a bit about it later.

As for Emperor Jiaqing...
Although he is easy to talk to, he is quite rigid about rules.

So the four Grand Councilors held a meeting here, and in the afternoon they submitted another memorial.

After reading it, Emperor Jiaqing remained quite calm.

"Gentlemen, in this situation, should we accept this imperial seal or not?"

Dong Gao's reply was simple: "Your Majesty, this memorial is acceptable, and the reasons are all written on it."

After reviewing it, Emperor Jiaqing nodded in approval. As long as the overall rules were in order, he could pass the test.

"European countries have always had issues with etiquette, so this is quite unusual. Zhang Xu, have you ever seen the design of the seal?"

"Your Majesty, the Russian envoy kept the seals in a treasure box. They were indeed well-made, and there was even a necklace to match them. They were very exquisite and precious."

As for the French Legion of Honour, the highest level can only be worn by the King and his son, as clearly stated on the medal.

Emperor Jiaqing, still holding a vermilion brush, directly wrote two characters on the document.

"Performance"

The reason is simple: at least the envoys of the two countries accepted the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows. The envoys of the other countries who followed them, having come with the two great powers, and at least three of them having previously sent envoys to the Celestial Empire, were all well-mannered "foreign vassals," so their request was also granted.

Solovyov heard from Yonglin about some of Emperor Jiaqing's little habits, such as his particular emphasis on etiquette and rules, and therefore had some concerns.

However, the reply came so quickly. This time, Grand Councilor Tuojin arrived again. His rank was higher than Zhang Xu's, and he was ranked second in the Grand Council.

The final rules were settled so easily that both sides were surprised.

Next, the most important thing came up. Emperor Jiaqing got up very early that day. When he first became emperor, the retired Emperor Qianlong was still alive. Every morning, his father, who suffered from insomnia and was an early riser, would call him to the Hall of Mental Cultivation for a lecture.

Therefore, he also developed the habit of calling for the Qing Dynasty officials to take their positions first.

When he attends the morning court session, he speaks in a more relaxed tone, since the subsequent matters involve meeting with envoys from various countries.

Among them, apart from Solovyov, the chief envoy, who was fluent in Chinese and could write poems and long memorials, the others all needed translators when they came up to present their credentials.

French missionary Nan Mide in Beijing is about to undertake a very important task.

In fact, it was common for Qing emperors to receive foreign envoys. Russia, the Netherlands, and Portugal were the most frequent visitors. The latter two were involved in economic interests and were also small countries, so they all adopted a more humble attitude when meeting with the Qing emperor.

Moreover, Portugal had once contributed lions, which pleased Emperor Kangxi greatly.

Later, during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, a Portuguese envoy came to the capital. Because of his respectful manners, he even received praise from Emperor Yongzheng, who was known for his sharp tongue and willingness to challenge others.

As for the most recent event, it was when the Dutch envoys arrived. Emperors Qianlong and Jiaqing were very satisfied with what they saw, and they stayed in Beijing for a long time. The deputy envoys later stayed in Guangzhou until the Dutch East India Company was dissolved.

This time, it's unprecedented. If Emperor Qianlong were to see it, he would probably be especially pleased.

Eight countries from Europe came, and along the way, smaller countries either sent envoys to offer tributes or presented rare birds and animals and treasures, bringing the total number of countries to more than ten.

According to the standards of the Ming Dynasty, those were all territories, and the countries that came to pay tribute would always be comforted.

In contrast, the rules of the Qing Dynasty were clearer. At least the three countries of Britain, France and Russia were not considered "outer vassals" at this time. In fact, due to the influence of French missionaries, France's status was even higher.

However, when Louis XIV wrote his letter, the land route never reached Kangxi, but the water route did.

Russia has always been a neighboring country, and the two sides have always seen each other and have always been involved in border issues.

Emperor Jiaqing knew that there would definitely be negotiations, so if the Russian envoy stayed longer, the two sides would need to hold negotiations, and he would have to stay even longer.

As for the other countries, we'll have to see how things go at that time.

The officials were all waiting to attend court. A eunuch was about to stand up and crack his whip to signal that the court session was about to begin. The ministers were also preparing to go to the front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

If you go to Qianqing Gate, it means you are attending court, and there are some differences between the ceremony and the court assembly.

However, considering that during the Shunzhi reign, it was always in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, it was just a change of location.

As for the envoys from various countries, they were all waiting outside the Xihua Gate, which made it easier for them to enter the palace.

In order, Solovyov and Ney stood side by side, each accompanied by their entourage.

Ney had no deputy; he was accompanied only by his translator, Remusa, and two adjutants.

As for Solovyov, besides his appointed deputy envoy, Rear Admiral Bellingshausen, he had two adjutants and his son.

Pasha was led by him, and he would have to bow down before the emperor.

Moreover, he had an important duty to present the Order of St. Andrew.

After entering Xihua Gate, one must walk to the South Study. While waiting there, the Qing officials who received them were used to it, but the envoys encountered some minor troubles.

Because several of the soy sauce vats used in the palace to make soy sauce were located outside the Southern Study.

Solovyov and Ney were both veterans of battle, having fought their way through countless battles, so they naturally wouldn't lose face here. Besides, this smell wasn't even the worst of it.

However, it might be a different story for diplomats and envoys from court noble families.

However, considering the formalities of this audience, they had no choice but to accept them as well.

Meanwhile, Emperor Jiaqing was still waiting in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony for a while.

The emperor was already seated on the throne, with civil and military officials lined up on both sides.

Emperor Jiaqing, seated in the main hall, was looking at the Taihe Gate and the gates on both sides. After the ministers had lined up, he ordered the envoys from various countries to come to pay their respects.

As for relaying messages, it was still the eunuchs and guards who basically relied on shouting to do so.

The eunuch in charge of cracking the whip in front of the main hall had to crack it three times, which was also a signal.

The ceremony is about to begin, and the ministers must remain silent and not whisper to each other.

The envoys from various countries who were waiting in the Southern Study were also waiting.

Qingpu, the Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs, personally took charge of the matter. After a clerk he sent informed the officials of the Ministry of Rites, two officials from the Ministry of Rites and officials from the Court of Colonial Affairs were assigned to guide them into the venue.

This was Solovyov's first time entering the Forbidden City. He had only walked around outside before, and there were just too many tourists. It was quite uncomfortable to squeeze in inside.

For more than twenty years, it has now become a matter of envoys coming to see the emperor, which is quite a strange thing to think about.

As for the way he walked in with a cane and his son, it seemed a bit pretentious.

But when Ney stood there, he was the imposing French Marshal.

Of course, the two of them were still wearing bicorn hats at this time, and they entered slowly, so their movements couldn't be too fast.

If they were walking at their usual pace, they would have already reached the steps of the Hall of Supreme Harmony by now.

After the envoy entered, some officials who had previously met the British also noticed the difference.

Solovyov was wearing black trousers, which were not the white tights that Europeans usually wore when they were going to the palace for an audience.

Ney's side was dressed similarly.

In fact, the use of tight-fitting trousers began to decline after the War of 1813.

Solovyov was aware of the kneeling rumor, and his choice to dress in such a manner despite wearing a formal suit was also due to that factor.

However, the younger brother is still a teenager, and the son is even younger, so it doesn't matter that they wear white leggings.

Besides, children are flexible and agile, so it's not a big deal.

Now that we've arrived in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the formal audience is about to begin.

When Emperor Jiaqing saw that the envoys from various countries were already lined up in front of him, he signaled to the chief eunuch beside him to pass on the imperial edict.

However, this string of country names did indeed test the lung capacity of the eunuch delivering the imperial edict.

Finally, it was changed to the sentence "By imperial decree, the envoys of various countries are summoned to the palace."

The highlight of this ceremony is about to begin. (End of Chapter)