Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The meeting at Versailles went very smoothly; the British had simply made fools of themselves once again.

Moreover, in this diplomatic setting, the British can be described as a prime example of being arrogant, unreasonable, ignorant of diplomatic etiquette, and bullying the weak.

This example is a perfect negative illustration, but it's not a job that's easy to take on.

After the meeting, the Queen Mother was to return to Little Trianon. Catherine was delighted, as it had been a long time since she had seen such a grand occasion.

"Mishka, will you come to Paris often in the future?"

“Your Highness, it’s hard to say. If the world is at peace, I may return soon. But Paris still needs to undergo urban redevelopment, and with the current sanitation conditions, who knows if there will be a plague in the future.”

"I feel the same way."

After Ekaterina finished speaking, she seemed rather proactive. If Solovyov hadn't known her since she was a little girl of nine, he would have thought she had switched numbers with Maria.

Of all the young ladies, only Maria always clung to her.

“But you shouldn’t do this. Even though you know many of my secrets, you still shouldn’t do this.”

"Of course I know, you also have a Catherine in your family."

"But."

"It's nothing. I do regret it a bit. My poor Mishka died in Finland. And you were getting married at that time, it was your sister-in-law who arranged it."

"That was around that time, but..."

“It’s nothing, that’s how it is in Paris. It’s better to stroll in the garden with familiar people than with those unfamiliar, sycophantic court nobles. Besides, my husband, your uncle, his marshals and generals are rather boring, even though they are very loyal and reliable.”

This girl, let's just say that, is almost thirty and still manages to stir up trouble.

Solovyov still had to find a way. Although he had often been so eager in the past, if Catherine married her historical cousin and unfortunately became a widow, then it wouldn't matter what he did.

However, she is now the Queen Mother of France, and she has brought her wife and children to Paris.

After getting married, he became much more restrained, aside from his past mistresses.

Sometimes, he even had affairs.

Keeping secrets is also very important.

“Your Highness, if my uncle, the Emperor, were no longer here, that would be fine, but he is still in Santo Domingo, and he has even taken care of things.”

"If we're asking you to take care of us, you should stay in Paris."

Solovyov is in a real predicament; he can't very well push Ekaterina away without being polite, especially since Maria has come to visit her.

Therefore, he could only find a work-related reason to refuse.

“Your Highness, the Chinese Emperor’s envoy is still at Versailles. You should also consider that his diplomatic mission this time is not limited to Paris, but will take him to many other places.”

"Why don't we just have them go to different countries separately? You've had a hard time on this trip, so why don't you rest at Versailles for a while? As for Katya, I'll talk to her for you."

Yes, these Siberian big cats, once they grab your arm, they won't let go; they're definitely going to eat you.

Among the Grand Duchesses of Russia, this generation was the most lively, popular, and beautiful.

Especially the two in the middle, they were both very proactive.

The two older sisters are much gentler and more virtuous.

Anna, that girl, was rather mysterious and preferred to be with her two younger brothers. It was Solovyov who helped her with her studies.

Maria and Catherine, after all, were somewhat his natural enemies.

Furthermore, he also had to consider that being too intimate with Catherine, who was the emperor's favorite younger sister, could cause even more trouble if the emperor found out.

What's particularly problematic is that Ekaterina always managed to cover up her official excuses.

Now, he can only mention the important issues.

“Your Highness, I must go to Amsterdam myself. I was the one who escorted Anna when she got married.”

"If it's your younger sister, there's no need to rush. She's always the last one to do anything."

No wonder you two, though sisters, are different from typical close sisters; there's always a sense of unresolved enmity between you.

She was so assertive, taking all the good stuff away. Her sisters didn't say anything, but Anna was always there behind the scenes.

As for Zhao Lian's "pacification of the barbarians" affairs, Catherine the Great arranged everything for the French side, even providing them with French translators, arranging ships and carriages for their journeys to Sweden and the German principalities. Along the way, she would also help entertain the smaller countries that did not send envoys, as they received letters from the French Queen Mother.

Not to mention, there are also several sisters there.

Solovyov's words were tinged with helplessness; he wished it were about the two older princes, in which case Catherine might have been more restrained.

It's true that spending too much time away from European service areas has made me a bit sluggish.

Catherine left the Solovyovs in Paris, and her reasons were quite plausible. After all, they were family, and Solovyovs had been a familiar friend of hers for the past twenty years, having served in St. Petersburg since she was nine.

As for whether things might escalate further to the bedroom, Solovyov himself was somewhat worried.

But Catherine was somewhat reckless, which was also a troublesome matter.

She even arranged everything afterward.

For example, he could write a letter to the King of Prussia, informing him that the Chinese emperor's envoys would be visiting several kingdoms and duchies surrounding Prussia, and hoping that the king would treat them well. If the Baltic Sea were to freeze, the envoys would eventually meet in Berlin or Königsberg, at which point Solovyov's main force would also have to return by land.

Now, Solovyov has no choice but to unleash his last trump card.

"Kolya is going to Berlin to propose marriage, isn't this inappropriate?"

After all, Solovyov was Nikolai's teacher, and he and Maria could keep their affair secret between them. Catherine was being far too blatant.

"If that's the case, there's no need to worry."

The person Ekaterina was referring to was Ortenberg's illegitimate son, and how Eugen covered it up back then.

Speaking of which, the most troublesome one was this cousin; Louis really had a hard time satisfying him.
Solovyov had resigned himself to the fact that he would be staying in Paris for a longer period of time.

However, if they choose to stay, they can make requests, such as arranging accommodations for their family and other members of the delegation staying at Versailles Palace.

These were all minor matters, and Catherine was very pleased with the gifts Jiaqing had given her. She even wanted to display them at Versailles Palace, as they were important props in her court salons.

Maria also came to persuade Catherine, who was being willful.

"She was spoiled by her mother and brother, and of course, I also bear some responsibility."

"Alright, Your Highness, I know what happened. How is our daughter now?"

As the two walked in the garden, they could relax a bit more. "Augusta is very good, and she's very intelligent, even as intelligent as Elena."

"That's good. We should prepare more toys for her, and her homework should be the same as the boys'."

“That’s alright. You know my husband, his brother is an expert in mathematics, and he even consulted your friend Dr. Gauss on some problems in the past.”

"That's good."

Solovyov's greatest strength was his focus on the growth of every child.

Octavia's studies were beyond her control, but she was perfectly capable of being a good wife and mother.

He was involved in the educational arrangements for the other children to varying degrees.

But even if he invented standardized homework, the kids would still scrutinize it.

"If there are no problems with Augusta's math lessons, then we should pay attention to her. She deserves a good husband."

Solovyov was unaware that Maria's second daughter had historically married...

We hope that Emperor William will return, the one with the long beard, the one with the long beard.
Sometimes things are just that strange. If a world war breaks out in Europe a hundred years from now, they'll all be relatives.

Being the great-grandfather of the head of the German gang is actually super fun.

But Solovyov didn't know that after sending Maria back, he would have to return to Katya.

As for what happened with the two princes today, it was a culmination of past romantic entanglements. Although Katya was magnanimous and could tolerate the Queen's sisters-in-law's misbehavior, Solovyov always had to comfort her.

For example, young ladies have little resistance to jewelry.

The crown that the "little fairy" ordered back then is now a well-known symbol of luxury goods.

Katya didn't like diamonds, so Solovyov put in some effort to design a beautiful crown using several gemstones as decorative elements, and then took it to the jewelers for modifications.

Sometimes, my uncle is right. To comfort a young wife, you should dress her up in jewels and at least prepare some jewelry for her.

And there were things to do after I got back.

Having spent more time in Paris, Nicolas actually wrote to me.

However, when writing the letter, the salutation was somewhat more formal, using honorifics such as "Mikhail Sergeyevich".

Although they were teacher and student, they were as close as brothers, and their age difference made them seem like father and son, uncle and nephew.

He mentioned his relationship with Lotte, and also expressed his hope that the boss could go to Berlin.

It seems the news of my return spread quite quickly.

It's only a few days, so staying in Paris is quite convenient.

Fortunately, Nicolas sent a letter at this time, saying that he would be going to Berlin to fetch his bride in a few days, which meant he wouldn't be in Paris for too long.

As for the congratulatory gift, it wasn't delayed at all.

Emperor Jiaqing already knew about it; when Solovyov introduced the Russian royal family, he had already made things very clear.

Nikolai is also going to propose marriage this year, so in the return gifts to Russia, Nikolai will receive a separate wedding gift.

This marriage was also diplomatically advantageous for Russia.

The princesses who have now married have formed a net that not only surrounds Austria but also isolates Britain.

However, Austria is not a real threat; the main threat comes from Britain.

The formation of a two-way marriage network between the major European countries, primarily France and Russia, did indeed pose a real threat to Britain.

The British should understand the crux of the matter best: once the continental alliance is formed, they will have no choice but to go to North America to find their son.

If they don't actively seek confrontation, they might have a chance to turn the tide in the next round. Sometimes, it's also necessary to consider the real interests of each country and try to win one over while attacking another.

While kinship is real, so are interests.

However, Britain has made too many enemies over the years, and even Portugal, which has been a benefactor to Britain in Europe, faces a huge practical problem.

The burden on the homeland is too heavy, and the royal family, who have moved to Brazil, are unwilling to return.

As for the other countries, in the last thirty years, even those that were previously allies of the British have been offended by them.

Belgium and Prussia may not be in such a bad situation, but considering that they all have direct or indirect kinship ties with Russia, this is not good for Britain.

Even relatives within Britain with no marriage ties were severely harmed, especially those from Denmark.

Although Denmark did not pay tribute, it was still working hard to plant trees and develop a new navy.

In this way, although Britain gained a large number of overseas colonies, its victory was not complete.

Also, because of the previous incident of planting landmines, he will offend a bunch of allies.

Especially now, with a young queen mother and a young emperor, France doesn't seem to pose much of a threat to Britain.

Britain's intervention in continental Europe has been less effective due to widespread food shortages.

Even more unexpectedly, the Year Without a Summer mainly affected Western Europe. For Eastern Europe, this drought was probably nothing. In fact, due to the increased temperature and sufficient heat, food production actually increased.

Global climate, under the larger environment, always maintains a certain balance in terms of total amount.

This subtle effect may vary in other situations.

Solovyov's current task is to get through this period in Paris.

But he couldn't have predicted that Catherine's letter to Alexander was meticulously planned, and that Alexander even issued a strange secret decree.

Solovyov broke out in a sweat after reading it.

Judging from the edict from St. Petersburg, as well as letters from Neserrodi and some noble friends there, Alexander already had a serious tendency toward mysticism.

Solovyov had no idea what changes had occurred during the year or so he had been away.

Another one is that Count Stroganov died of illness while traveling abroad for medical treatment.

The Countess became a widow, but it was still much better than the historical figure who first lost his son and then his husband.

Count Alexander the Younger inherited his father's fortune and had reached marriageable age.

The Countess's letter also inquired about Polina, Solovyov's second sister. (End of Chapter)