Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The Ryukyu Kingdom came to pay tribute that year, but they arrived earlier than usual.

The Korean envoys arrived much later, in winter.

However, while these people were chattering away and making no progress, Solovyov was still living in the royal palace.

He also knew that the Jiaqing Emperor had some hobbies.

When these tributary states come, it's merely a matter of appearances.

He was truly wronged when Hong Liangji criticized him before.

Although Emperor Jiaqing had always loved opera and was said to have a high level of appreciation for it, he was also quite good at writing plays.

But those were just occasional little hobbies when he was a prince.

Whether it was his "training" as Prince Jia, or his cautious companionship with the retired emperor for the first three years after becoming emperor, or his current existence as emperor.

He didn't have time to deal with matters related to opera, except for occasional visits during holidays.

He knew very well how Li Cunxu lost his throne. During this period, the education of Qing Dynasty princes was still very strict, and they received a lot of education.

Emperor Jiaqing was quite restrained in his personal hobbies.

It's unclear whether Hong Liangji's original memorial was directed at Emperor Jiaqing or Emperor Jiajing.

Therefore, when entertaining foreign envoys, the Jiaqing Emperor also enjoyed watching operas, as this was the most relaxing form of entertainment.

After Solovyov's previous audience, the foreign missions that came to the capital were gradually allowed to resume their activities and go out on the streets.

However, if only the head of the mission is accompanied by an entourage, it is sufficient to simply inform the officials at their accommodations that they have traveled, thus keeping their travel record.

As for the others, they need to ask for permission in advance.

Solovyov wants to take his wife shopping, but Katya is pregnant.

The two children were very fond of Prince Qing's wife and the Tenth Princess, so they stayed there.

Mihrima wanted to stay and take care of Katya, as she was worried about the servants in the palace.

There's also a strange idea that Easterners don't know how to take care of Europeans, and that language barriers can be a problem.

Mihrima had some talent for languages; she communicated with the servants in the palace much more smoothly than Katya herself.

Even the servants and maids in the Prince's mansion thought that this foreigner's "concubine" was capable and tolerant of the servants, but their own master, the Prince, was just alright.
There was a slight misunderstanding, but the misunderstanding itself wasn't too far off.

Solovyov himself could only take his younger brother Anton with him when he went out.

The two brothers rarely spend time together, so this was a rare reunion.

Since he planned to get married back in Anton, Solovyov would not keep him at the embassy or the trading post in Guangdong as an assistant.

That's for later. What's important now is to build up connections in the capital.

But when foreigners walk on the street like that, it always attracts onlookers.

Solovyov still preferred to go to the theater, which gave Yi Yu, who was in charge of receiving him, a bit of a headache.

"If you two were to go to the theater, wouldn't that be..."

"what happened?"

"It's hard to tell!"

Yi Yu really is a descendant of the Fourteenth Prince. He said it's hard to say, but the meaning is different.

It was still a bit of a dilemma, but Solovyov knew what was going on.

"It's just going to see a play. I'll see which theater has some good pieces and listen to them. Besides, I'm not short of money, so what's wrong with going to a theater to see a play?"

Anton chimed in, "Brother, you don't know this, but my elder brother loves listening to opera. He learned it from going to the theater with you."

This kid, because of himself, is more than ten years younger than Yi Yu, but he's been given a super seniority.

"Besides, what's wrong with going to the opera together?"

Speaking of which, it was during the Jiaqing era that the emperor was more strict, and at that time there was a "Clan Instructions" for the imperial clan.

Yi Yu was still an official, and he was not allowed to go to those restricted places. If he went there, he would not only lose his position but also be sent to the Imperial Clan Court.

As for theaters, it's best to avoid them if possible.

His cousin Yishan, who also came from the same great-grandfather, hasn't been officially appointed yet, but he sometimes goes to the theater.

This isn't a big deal, but he was an official after all.

But it was Yonglin who spoke up on this matter.

He's a prince; you can't disobey him.

Besides, since the requests made by foreign guests are not excessive, it is perfectly acceptable to go.

So Yiyu took the Solovyov brothers out for a stroll in the street.

He realized that this man was indeed wealthy, and his pockets were always full of double-headed eagle dollars.

"This is the place. This one silver dollar of yours will last you a long time."

"Brother, you have been helping me all this way, and my elder brother is just expressing his gratitude."

These two brothers, the elder one, clearly speaks fluent Mandarin and can even quote the words of sages.

The younger brother speaks with a more colloquial tone, and the two are quite different.

There was no way around it; Anton had been raised from a young age to inherit the family business, so he was somewhat willing to deal with money and liked to talk a good game.

After leaving the restaurant, Yi Yu took the two brothers to the Sanqing Opera Troupe.

"If we consider the general's usual preferences, this place is probably the most suitable. The sign was put up today because the troupe leader, Gao Langting, wants to put on a play."

Gao Langting was the troupe leader. He was the troupe leader when the Anhui Opera Troupe came to Beijing and led the Sanqing Troupe for many years.

Now that I'm getting older, I rarely perform anymore, but when someone invites me, I can't very well refuse.

Solovyov also heard Yi Yu say that Gao Langting, the troupe leader, was also a female impersonator.

His most proficient play is "The Fool Gets Married," which is probably a local tradition in the Anhui Opera's place of origin.

But he acted very well. Even though he was a middle-aged man who had gained weight, his performance on stage was still outstanding.

Upon entering the courtyard, Yi Yu indeed saw Yi Shan and introduced him to Solovyov.

Anton is a very outgoing guy, and he's not much younger than Yishan. He's even bowing to him right now.

Didn't you see the constipated look on your elder brother's face? This is one of the "Sleeping Dragon and Phoenix Chicks" sent by the imperial family to fight against the British.

But we can't blame Yishan. When he went to serve in the Northwest Army, neither he nor the veteran general Yang Fang had ever seen the British in such a manner.

Now, as he bowed respectfully, upon hearing that the Russian envoy was being specially entertained by the Jiaqing Emperor, he became quite deferential.

"I did not know that the Russian envoy had arrived; I have failed to greet you properly."

"It was just a coincidence that I came here. I just like listening to opera, so I came to take a look. I didn't expect the troupe leader to put on a show today, so I naturally had to watch it."

"Today's play is good, it's a bit different from the usual ones."

What kind of play is that?

Yishan explained it once, and Solovyov understood.

Because the Anhui Opera and Qinqiang Opera were competitors in the capital, but also learned from each other, the Anhui Opera would also learn from the strengths of Qinqiang Opera.

When Qinqiang opera performers were driven out of Beijing in the past, they inevitably had some needs. The Anhui opera troupes originally had an advantage, but they also had to incorporate the strengths of others. But at this time, Da Tan Er appeared, which even Solovyov felt was a bit premature.

But in the TV series, the adults are still singing "Three Shops," and that gets broadcast.

It's certainly not wrong to sing Kunqu Opera with adults.

The crown prince naturally wouldn't have a steel whip in his hand, and Solovyov knew this too.

He sat in the front row with his eyes squinted, which was naturally a pretty good seat.

However, with two members of the Qing Dynasty imperial family sitting on either side, one of whom was a current official and a graduate of the translation department, things got a bit lively.

"Why are there two foreigners downstairs today?"

There are always people who are curious; these actors are backstage, watching from behind the curtain.

"Don't just stand there looking outside, come and put your things away."

The crowd dispersed, but the audience wasn't surprised to see two foreigners sitting in front.

Today's guests include quite a few prominent figures from the city, those who hold official positions and receive substantial rewards.

They were naturally aware that the Emperor had recently received foreigners who were paying tribute, and that they were not leaving yet, seemingly intending to stay until spring before returning home.

"Let's see what this person looks like, hey!"

It was quite a coincidence that Solovyov looked handsome.

If he dresses up, it won't be easy for anyone to tell.

"That's interesting. This foreigner is dressed in green, with a head full of hair and green eyes, but his nose isn't very big. When my father was working, he saw a man from England whose nose was much bigger than this man's. He was quite handsome. If Master Gao were a little younger, he might be able to hide it in his disguise."

Solovyov was indeed handsome, even though he was over thirty.

He was sitting below, and when he saw the stage set up, he knew it was going to be a palace drama.

On the Qing Dynasty stage, the appearance of Ming Dynasty official robes was not strictly prohibited.

Even now, those who come out and line up in two ranks, dressed as officials, look like they belong to the Ming Dynasty.

But if people from foreign lands come out, that's a different story.

Many audience members came to see the play today because of Gao Langting, since he doesn't perform much these days.

If he came, it would be like the current situation on the field: a famous actress becomes a nobody, probably because he's eaten too much pork knuckle, but he'd still be popular.

After all, he was a good actor; his every smile and frown seemed no different from a woman's.

Now, he's just a bit more well-off.

However, the operas adapted from Qinqiang opera are a bit strange; they don't quite fit the historical context.

Solovyov, having read extensively, was bound to have such questions.

"General, you don't know this, but Qinqiang opera has always been like this. Although you are a foreigner, an envoy of Russia, and have studied the classics, you don't know that the gentlemen in the capital are not like you, who are well-educated. They don't care about such things. What matters is singing and acting well."

"I see."

After listening to Yishan's introduction, Solovyov didn't say much.

This guy is still so free. If it were Yi Yu, he would have already entered the officialdom as a special talent in the translation department.

He didn't become a third-class bodyguard until he was thirty years old, and he also joined the army when fighting Zhang Ge'er.

However, it's unclear what skills he possesses.

Solovyov didn't care about that; he was listening to the opera from below, and he could even keep up with the rhythm, slapping his thighs to the beat.

This way, the audience has to keep an eye on the stage while also keeping an eye on the audience below.

Are there foreigners who understand opera?

The world is truly vast and full of wonders.

The emperor is busy with state affairs all day long and doesn't have time to listen to operas.

But they know their stuff; the news coming from the palace is something the emperor often makes up during the New Year.

This foreigner knows opera too; no wonder the Emperor summoned him specially to stay in the capital for the winter.

There were many onlookers among those who lived off the land in the capital and ordinary people in the outer city.

As for the performances on stage, some people here also throw towels.

The main point is that it's chaotic yet lively.

"Is this your first time watching a play, gentlemen?"

"Yes."

"Our troupe leader just stepped back and mentioned that Your Excellency was entertained by the Emperor at Changchun Garden a few days ago. You are a distinguished guest, and it is our honor that you have come here. Here, we would like to offer you gentlemen tea and some freshly served fruit. Please accept them."

"Thank you very much, sir."

After returning the greeting, Solovyov continued to wait and watch the show.

In some places, he would even hum along with his groans.

Yishan was taken aback and then said to Yiyu.

"This gentleman actually knows about opera."

"He's good at singing, reciting, sitting, and fighting. He's been living in the prince's mansion for a while now, and he even plays matchmaker."

"That's a good tactic too."

Yi Yu, on the other hand, was much more serious and didn't want to talk about these things.

Yishan, however, was somewhat curious, as he happened to be sitting next to Solovyov.

"General Suo, you certainly know your stuff."

"It's a pity I've been living overseas for so long, so I rarely get to hear about it."

"Now that you can move around freely in the capital, why don't you enjoy yourself more?"

"That won't be necessary; I've heard quite a bit about it lately. But I'm missing a few scenes, so please let me tell you about them."

After listening, Yishan nodded in agreement.

Indeed, at that time, many operas were still newly reformed from the vulgar and lowbrow styles.

Wei Changsheng's Qinqiang opera troupe was driven out of the capital, which was due to Emperor Jiaqing's campaign against vulgarity.

As for the Anhui opera troupe, although they also had some problems, they were in a better situation because they were constantly striving to improve themselves and were not eliminated by the emperor.

The story that Solovyov heard was actually quite old.

This was adapted from Qinqiang opera. If it were a historical drama, then a certain level of knowledge and culture would be required to perform it.

It's not that you have to be familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics, but you should at least be familiar with some historical stories, that would be good.

Those storytellers alone are not enough. If the level is high enough, we also need some scholars and officials to write plays so that the level can be improved.

Solovyov shared this idea with those around him, and they all thought it made some sense.

In particular, these Manchu people all like to listen to operas about the Three Kingdoms, which truly targets the market and precisely addresses their pain points.

As for other plays, they all had to be drawn from traditional Chinese operas and novels, in order to be popular with the audience. (End of Chapter)