Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

After the New Year, Solovyov also noticed it.

According to the book, during the Song Dynasty, the first month of the lunar calendar was full of festivals, so people could at least get some rest.

If it were the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Jiaqing would have to lead his civil and military officials to continue working overtime after the New Year.

On the contrary, these foreign envoys are quite relaxed and comfortable now.

In the Qing Dynasty, the emperor and officials worked every day, which was also the operation of this huge country. Every day, various reports were sent from below to the capital.

A centralized emperor—that's no job an individual can do.

To be honest, it's all about life and death.

Some died from exhaustion, while others persisted in their posts, reviewing memorials on their last day before death, or struggling to get up and write instructions.

Unlike in the Ming Dynasty, where at least the Taoist priests who cultivated immortality were actually in charge, his grandson was a real grandson.

The claim that the Ming Dynasty fell during the reign of Emperor Jiajing is somewhat unfair, even though the Taoist priest was a bad person.

After all, he's able to control the country, so he must be a bit shameless.

After all, there were people like Zhang Juzheng who were prolonging the Ming Dynasty's life. After the Ming Dynasty came to Wanli's hands, it forced both the border troops to rebel and the local chieftains to rebel.

He's done a lot of shady things.

The Qing Dynasty, on the other hand, was roughly the complete version of the political system of the Ming Dynasty.

Given that the Qing emperors were Bogda Khans, they naturally had a strong influence over Mongolia, so it's not surprising that they expanded their territory into the Kazakh Khanate.

If this were the Ming Dynasty, and it turns out that even winning over the various Mongol tribes required the help of a third wife, it seems that the officials of the Ming Dynasty couldn't really do much.

"His Majesty has also issued an edict, and the court will naturally send envoys to the Western Ocean to offer condolences. General Suo need not worry, now..."

"My lord, you don't know this, but what I'm more worried about is that my wife is about to give birth."

"Ah, this is a very important matter. The Emperor will not summon the general during the first month of the year, but the Grand Council will send the memorials to the Court of State Ceremonies, the Ministry of Rites, and the Court of Colonial Affairs in accordance with the Emperor's instructions, and there will be a final decision."

"If that's the case, then thank you, Your Excellency. I have certainly fulfilled my mission."

"The general takes good care of his wife, after all, she is a princess of a Russian hereditary princely family."

"It's natural."

"If there is anything I can help with, I will certainly lend a hand. However, I entrust this to Your Excellency, there are still many matters to attend to."

"Your Highness, please do not worry."

Yonglin's interruption at this moment was actually for one reason.

He definitely doesn't want to travel to Europe; that place is thousands of miles away.

Emperor Jiaqing never intended to send princes and nobles from the close relatives of the imperial clan. Prince Zhaolian of the Prince of Li was restored to his title because he had previously been a criminal, and it was a good opportunity to make use of him.

Moreover, Zhao Lian was indeed talented; when European countries discussed "Sinology," few could hold their own against him for more than a few rounds.

Of course, Zhaolian himself was very happy. He had heard that there were also great poets in Europe and that he was very interested in Sinology (Goethe). Therefore, he made careful preparations when he returned to the palace.

When Tozin returned and reported back, Jiaqing recalled what Solovyov had said to him on the platform below Changyin Pavilion during the New Year.

"If it is someone from the imperial clan, then Zhao Lian is the only suitable candidate. He can serve as the chief envoy for the pacification mission. As for the deputy envoy, among the princes and dukes, who is suitable?"

Emperor Jiaqing summoned his elder brother, Prince Cheng, Yongxing, today, also to hear his opinion.

There was nothing that could be done. Although the myna bird was in charge of the Imperial Clan Court, it always made a fool of itself in matters of clan management and affairs, big and small.

My brother is just someone who's in charge of hospitality; you definitely can't consult him on important matters.

Unfortunately, the tenth sister is a woman, so although she is knowledgeable, it doesn't count.

"So, who should be sent?"

"What if it were Delin, the son of Prince Fukang'an?"

“He has been negligent in his duties over the past few years, so I’m afraid he’s not up to the task.”

"However, if we were to select someone from among the nobles to serve, I'm afraid they would be ill-suited for the job."

Dong Gao sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and said this to Jiaqing.

The emperor himself understood that the quality of the princes and ministers in the Qing Dynasty at that time could not be compared with that of the Qianlong era or even the earlier Kangxi and Yongzheng eras.

Back then, both Songgotu and Lao Duozi encountered the Russians, but neither of them lost face. Well done!

Now that they're going to visit the Manchu and Mongol ministers, quite a few are hesitant and reluctant.

Delin, after all, was the son of Fukang'an, and could be considered a second-generation member of a ministerial family with some reputation in Europe.

Fengshen Yinde could be considered, but given his physical condition, he'd probably have to be buried at sea and fed to the fish on the peninsula; he'd be lucky to stay alive at home.

Uliastai is indeed not a place that ordinary people can go to.

An Cheng had his reasons for going.

His father, Hailancha, had once followed Fukang'an to fight the Gurkha, and the Europeans learned of this expedition through the British.

The fact that the sons of two meritorious officials went there suggests that their fame is quite high.

As for the other ministers, some young and strong men with experience in assisting the emperor were selected from among the Manchu officials, and members of the imperial clan were also chosen to go.

Yi Yu had been following Solovyov around. As a translator and a member of the imperial family, he was naturally quite accomplished.

Moreover, he was a natural-born civil official, although he did not take the formal imperial examination route, he was still a suitable candidate.

After all, the Russians speak Mongolian and Manchu, so communication is not a problem. If they make contact with the Torgut tribe, they can go and offer their condolences.

Turichsen had done it before, but he hadn't met the Tsar then.

This time, we're going to the Russian capital and taking a Russian ship.

"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, we should select a few more members of the imperial clan from those who are serving as guards or those who are not currently serving."

Dong Gao's words were also a way of leaving room for Tuojin to make a comment.

Seeing that Lord Dong was recommending members of the imperial clan, Tuojin also wanted to speak up for the Han officials.

Although the list of successful candidates in the imperial examination included not only Han Chinese but also a certain proportion of members of the imperial family and descendants of the Eight Banners, and both sides followed the same examination process, the fact that one came from the imperial examination system was indeed of paramount importance.

Emperor Jiaqing himself agreed to send some members of the imperial family, especially since many of the Russian ships carried supplies, and they would certainly provide meals. There would also be many stops along the way.

Bringing along some Hanlin scholars and other civil officials would certainly be useful. "Your Majesty, we should also select talented individuals from among the Hanlin scholars. Many records of the trip to the Western Ocean were written by those who assisted in the process, and they could also serve as assistants."

“This is excellent. Tuojin, I will have you handle this matter, with Zhang Xu assisting you.”

"Whoo."

As for the selection of officials and the finalization of various personnel, the Qing Dynasty was constantly busy.

Lin Zexu was originally the only suitable candidate, but Dong Gao rejected him on the grounds that he was required to attend lectures at the Imperial Academy and also taught at the Southern Study, so he could not be easily moved.

If we were to select people, we would have to choose from among the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) since the Jiaqing era, especially those who were selected during the period from the sixth year of Jiaqing's reign to the nineteenth year of Jiaqing's reign, when the examinations were held every three years, as well as those who were selected through special imperial examinations.

The ideal candidate is a junior official selected from the Hanlin Academy or above to assist in this task. The task also involves recording the local customs and scenery along the way, whether it is official intelligence or travelogue.

In addition, the princes and ministers who served as envoys also needed someone to help them with the task of appeasing and pacifying various countries.

Russia has many small, relative countries, and it's impossible for these counselors to visit all of them along the way.

Solovyov also stated that the Prince of Li and his ministers would be needed to travel to Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Russia along the way, while other arrangements would be made for smaller countries.

In addition, if Qing Dynasty envoys wanted to visit some countries along the way that did not pay tribute this time, it could actually be arranged.

If he had returned earlier, Solovyov could have made it to his apprentice's wedding, which was a major event in his life.

In the end, the first civil official chosen was Niu Jian, a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) from the nineteenth year of the Jiaqing reign.

He was a member of the losers in the Opium War. As for Yan Botao, a second-class Jinshi, and Yuqian, who might pass the imperial examination this year, they were all unlucky governors and ministers from the coastal areas.

Yuqian was still taking the imperial examination, so naturally there was nothing for him to do.

But! There's also Yishan, because he's quite skilled. Although he hasn't taken up the post of a third-class guard yet, he was selected as a member of the imperial family.

Solovyov looked at the list with a face full of black lines.

Why send such a bunch of brilliant but incompetent people when there's such a suitable candidate as Lin Zexu?
Of course, he couldn't say it out loud, so he just looked at Tuojin and Zhang Xu.

"Your Excellencies, with this arrangement, the delegation will need to familiarize themselves with European etiquette. However, when meeting the monarch, there is no need to kneel; a slight bow is sufficient. If the Queen extends her hand, a kiss on the hand is also a form of courtesy to a lady, especially since it is common in France."

That's right, there was a guy named Chirac who often kissed women's hands.

In this regard, Tojin felt that it might be a bit impolite to the Queen and the Duchesses.

They had also seen Solovyov kiss the backs of his wives' and concubines' hands. You are all one family. Although your behavior in front of Qing officials is always considered immoral, it is easy to talk about family matters.

However, regarding the Queen, they tend to elevate the discussion to the level of the unavoidable anecdotes about Meng Gong and the Empress of Jin, found in the notes of Southern Song Dynasty literati.

Therefore, the hand-kissing greeting evolved into the hand-holding greeting in dance, which conformed to European etiquette, and the Qing Dynasty officials did not find it offensive.

Speaking of which, although the central government during the Jiaqing reign was somewhat mediocre, it was still reliable, and no strange moral guardians emerged. We'll have to debate with them later.

Xu Naiji intended to give Solovyov a hard time, but he discovered that the other party knew the Four Books and Five Classics, but lacked the Book of Changes. So, the other party used a passage from the Doctrine of the Mean to defeat him.

To be fair, there wasn't much malice involved. It's just that Xu Naiji was only popular with opium dealers, criticized by Ma Dahuzi, and lost face in front of envoys from various countries during Solovyov's mission. He even lost face in Europe.

The most prestigious candidate was Long Ruyan, the top scholar of the nineteenth year of the Jiaqing reign.

He volunteered himself, and Emperor Jiaqing was reluctant to part with the top scholar he had personally selected. However, Long Ruyan had already received great favor and care from Emperor Jiaqing before passing the imperial examination. He was deeply grateful for the emperor's kindness and wanted to find an opportunity to repay his kindness.

Emperor Jiaqing could not dissuade him, so he included him in the list of envoys.

However, in the eyes of the British, a top scholar who could achieve first place in the civil service examination held by the Chinese emperor every three years must have been extremely knowledgeable.

Even if they went, it would be considered a boost to the Qing Dynasty's reputation and a sign of respect for other countries.

Solovyov was also considering how to make a scene to thoroughly piss off the British.

You came to do business, and even the Chinese emperor gave you leeway, but in the end, you couldn't even complete the most basic task of getting a meeting.

Russia and France sent a delegation, and the Chinese emperor treated them with great respect, arranging for them to stay in villas. He would often personally host banquets for them or send princes and high-ranking officials to entertain them. They also stayed to spend the winter and were invited to visit Europe when the Russian fleet was returning.

The difference in treatment was enormous. Even when Russian and French ships returned home, they were laden with various goods purchased from China, as well as gifts from the Chinese emperor.

The profits from this trip would probably make even the East India Company envious.

When considering his return route, Solovyov also paid special attention to India.

On the return journey, they also intended to give some warnings to the princes and ministers of the Qing Dynasty.

Zhao Lian's social circle also included Gong Zizhen and Wei Yuan, who would later become very famous.

As for Yuan Mei and his pipe, there's no need to mention them.

As for Long Ruyan, he was a good friend of Lin Zexu, and Solovyov also knew him before the hot air balloon took off, so he was also a suitable candidate.

If any intelligence were to be relayed back to Lin Zexu, Long Ruyan would be a suitable candidate.

By then, both Emperor Jiaqing and Emperor Daoguang would know, and the task would naturally proceed much more smoothly.

Further personnel selection and the appointment of attendants were not matters for the ministers to decide.

Solovyov had no objections after reviewing the list.

Although many of these people were among the losers of the Opium War, having been thoroughly defeated by the British, they were still considered among the best of the best. The Qing Dynasty's imperial examination system could only produce such a group of people.

This is better than nothing.

As for the envoys sent to offer condolences, on their return journey on Russian ships, they would inevitably witness Russian and French envoys negotiating with other countries.

North Korea is also in a closed-off state, and Solovyov has no interest in it.

But Japan is the key to the problem.

"Lord Tuo, after much deliberation, I believe that for the time being, the Celestial Empire should send capable personnel to Ryukyu to offer condolences and to further address the issue of Satsuma's exploitation of the Celestial Empire's vassal states."

"Since the general insists on this, I will naturally discuss it with Grand Secretary Dong first, and then report to the Emperor."

Tojin also couldn't understand why Solovyov was so interested in such a small place as Ryukyu.

As for this matter, Dong Gao had no objection.

If this had happened during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, and he had known about this, since they could borrow ships and get free transport capacity and warships from tributary states, he probably would have taken strong action.

Looking back, we also need to be wary of any moves by Russia.

But Solovyov's movements were no ordinary feat; his move left everyone bewildered. (End of Chapter)