Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

When Solovyov arrived in Ryazan, it was truly a case of leaving home young and returning old, his accent unchanged but his hair gray. However, as soon as he stood there, everyone in Ryazan, from the lords to the peasants, recognized him.

It was even more obvious when he rode his horse alongside the Tsar.

The one with so many medals and a marshal's baton must be Prince Solovyov of Thrace, the most famous figure in Ryazan at that time.

But since the Tsar was walking in front, the cheers naturally seemed to be directed at the Tsar.

Moreover, the slogans are not wrong; they are even more enthusiastic here than elsewhere.

"Tsar! Our father! Hurrah!"

Nikolai was also somewhat moved after seeing it.

He was still more respected by his teacher's hometown, although this was largely because Solovyov was, in fact, the most famous person in Ryazan, and still is.

When Pavlov and his dog, Tsiolkovsky and his rocket theory, Michurin and his nursery, Markov and his mathematical theory, Yesenin's poetry and Duncan, Trusova and her fireworks-setting husband Mark, the last two couples are somewhat of a crossover.

And there are insects like Grachev, who are also native to Ryazan, as well as the Soviet superman, Leonov, a naval reconnaissance officer of the Northern Fleet who won the Order of the Gold Star twice. In short, there are indeed many famous people.

Before Solovyov, there was only Mr. Kazakov, who laid the foundation for the Russian architectural style. Before that, there was Pozharsky, who was always on par with Minin. His status was so great that the two of them always had a private seat in Red Square. Their statues have witnessed the review of the Russian army, the Red Army, and the Russian Federation. They can see even those whose hands are tired from carrying them.

Now, he is the most famous one in Ryazan.

"Your Majesty, it is our honor to welcome you here."

The nobles always spoke eloquently, but Nicholas could sense a degree of sincerity in the locals' words, though there was an undeniable element of flattery.

"It seems that the governance here in Ryazan is quite good."

“Your Majesty, we are acting in accordance with your decree. In fact, we have been following His Majesty’s instructions ever since Emperor Paul Petrovich was alive.”

Since the provincial governor has said so, then it has been implemented.

Moreover, the local nobles and serfs in Ryazan could all act as informants. The most famous local nobles were standing behind the Tsar, so it wouldn't be too difficult to file a complaint.
Many of his relatives live here, so he can easily strike up a conversation with them.

The next task for Nikolai was not to attend the reception, but to inspect the school.

Furthermore, during this trip, a strange supply wagon followed behind him. It looked very heavy and was loaded with a lot of things. The wagon stopped running after leaving Moscow and stayed behind the others.

Fortunately, Moscow is not far from Ryazan. In modern times, after leaving the Golden Ring, you can take the railway from Moscow to Ryazan. After passing the Dvovo station, the hometown of Yesenin, you enter the territory of Ryazan. It is not too far.

"Your Majesty, what is loaded on this carriage?"

"You'll know when we get there."

When the Tsar wanted to inspect the school in person, Solovyov accompanied him, though he had no idea what the Tsar was really up to.

If he didn't know, then there was no way he could expect these people in front of him to know.

Nikolai walked ahead, watching the students of Ryazan Provincial High School come to greet him, his demeanor quite natural.

Of all Paul's sons, Nicholas was the most down-to-earth.

He, a tsar, could chat with coal miners.

Solovyov was quite impressed with him on this point. It was just a matter of habit, but now that he was a prince of the highest rank, his servants weren't as close to him as they used to be.

On the contrary, the Tsar, Nicholas, although he was educated by himself, still changed a lot.

He came to the school to say something to the students.

Solovyov listened from below, watching Nikolai holding his own manuscript; the scene seemed somewhat familiar.

This manuscript doesn't sound like something Nikolai could have put together on his own.

They had been teacher and student for over thirty years, and Solovyov knew Nikolai's writing style best.

This was probably drafted by the secretary, and it mentioned one more thing at the end.

That's because the Tsar was also fed with exam papers when he was young.

Considering that the students of Ryazan Provincial Secondary School were all from the hometown of the Threst Prince, Nikolai specially sent a truckload of exam papers.

This is a tactic that Solovyov often uses.

"This is truly a great help; the Emperor has sent so many scrolls."

"Is that the exam paper from Huangcun Middle School? I heard the questions are really difficult!"

The students chattered away, saying a lot, but some were still not quite satisfied.

Because the "Ryazan Secret Exam Papers" were already very difficult, students at the Ryazan Provincial Secondary School often failed their final exams by only 2 points.

Then there's the "Royal Village Handbook," with five years of exams and three years of mock exams—that's quite a challenge.

But this is the Emperor's good intention, so they have to accept it. And who knows, it might come in handy in the future?
If they do well on their graduation exams, they can go to university in Moscow or Kazan, or they can choose to become a minor civil servant in Ryazan. This may not mean much to the children of nobles, but for the children of commoners, or even the children of serfs who are granted special permission to enter the school, it means they can earn money to supplement their family income, and may even be promoted in the future.

Once a civil official reaches the eighth rank, he is considered a nobleman; once he reaches the fourth rank, he can be granted permission to become a hereditary nobleman.

According to the Tsar's new policies, as they were speaking, the current division meant there would be no more serfs and everyone would be free.

However, to get promoted, your education and past performance will be considered; exam scores and achievements in your position will also be taken into account. Under this rule, although noblemen still have an advantage, it is much fairer.

Even when Nikolai finished speaking, there was thunderous applause from the audience.

"Your Majesty, may we ask you a question?"

"of course can."

"Your Majesty, when you were at the Royal Selo Lycée School, if we mean, what did you think about what you wanted to do in the future?"

"This is indeed an interesting question. When I was at Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, my brother Alexander Pavlovich was still in power. At that time, I thought about what I could do for Russia, but my abilities were limited. But I'm so tall, the ceiling here is almost touching my hat."

Nikolai, who is usually very proper, made a lot of witty remarks today.

"Your Majesty, what have you considered doing?"

“My thought at the time was to marry a wife and do everything I was supposed to do, and that’s how Alexandra came to be.”

"You and Her Majesty the Empress."

These students are quite gossipy, but Nikolai doesn't seem to mind.

He mentioned how, when he was a child, he capsized his sister-in-law's boat and pulled Charlotte, now the Queen, out of the water.

"Young man, study hard now. After graduation, you can become a civil servant or a military officer, or work for some lord. You will have a bright future. The better your grades, the better."

"Your Majesty, what were your graduation results? We've heard that the great poet Pushkin, who was on good terms with you, and Prince Gorchakov, who graduated first in his class from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum!"

There will always be some people who will point out the idols. In fact, the first graduating class of Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum would probably have had some other problems if Nikolai hadn't studied there.

What's rather upsetting is that many of Nikolai's classmates have gone to collect the Siberian meal.

But that's not the point. The real problem is that Nikolai's achievements are truly remarkable.

Solovyov was in the army at the time, and he knew that whenever he had some free time in the army, he would be in St. Petersburg supervising the Emperor's studies.

It's also not fair to say that Nicholas's graduation grades were bad, as that would make the Tsar lose face.

"I put in a lot of effort to graduate by passing every subject. You know, the textbooks used at Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum are the most difficult in the country. There were more than 30 students in our class sitting in one room, and our foundations were all different. At that time, Emikhil Sergeyevich would come from the army to tutor me in my studies during his spare time."

This explanation cleverly avoids some awkward questions. Nikolai's grades weren't great, but fortunately he passed on his first try without needing a retake. While no one in his graduating class delayed graduation, several students did have to retake their exams. Additionally, some students were expelled before graduation, but not because of their grades.

Even more outrageous things happened: some students in the second cohort had to postpone their graduation, and others came from the Royal Selo preparatory course but failed to graduate.

Learning is still very important. Nikolai looked at these students and had expectations for them, hoping that they could all become pillars of the Russian Empire and useful people in the future.

This goal isn't actually that high.

Even if you're not very good at your job, you can still start as a low-ranking civil servant if you can get a high school diploma. If you're willing to join the military and have a good education, you can also advance quickly in the officer corps.

At this point, someone might ask about Solovyov, because he defeated Napoleon, and to Russian students, he must be a great hero.

"But I must say something, children. Your living environment now is much better than when I was still living in Ryazan. Back then, there weren't so many schools. If you wanted to learn something, you had to find a tutor or study on your own."

"But you are very skilled. When we were learning statistics, there was a theorem that you and Dr. Gauss proved!"

“Gauss is a doctor, but I am entirely self-taught. I joined the army when I was thirteen or fourteen, and I didn’t have the same good conditions as you, being able to attend school. For a time, I even studied in the study of my superior, Prince Volkonsky. That winter, we were on the estate with nothing to do, and I read all the books on the shelves. You can also interact with your classmates, but I could only ask my superiors for advice and learn on my own.”

What about Prince Dmitry Volkonsky's level?
To be frank, Solovyov was still giving some face to his former superior, his friend and colleague Prince Pyotr Volkonsky's uncle, as he was basically self-taught.

Self-taught individuals are actually quite common in Russia.

So what are your feelings?

"I have a lot to say about my feelings. I am still self-taught. Even my papers published in the Royal Society, as the people of Ryazan should know, are not fluent in many languages. When I spell my papers in Latin in the Royal Society, there are some errors, and that's when I need my secretary to correct them."

"But your French is very good, and your French and Russian poetry is also excellent."

"Yes, that's a common saying, but we also have to consider the actual circumstances at the time, children. To achieve academic success, one needs a complete education. Otherwise, like me, who relied entirely on self-study, I could only end up in the army. But life in the army is very tough. If I had been a civil servant back then, life might have been easier, but I wouldn't have achieved these things. You've been fortunate to live in a good era, instead of risking your lives on the battlefield for thirty years, only to return wounded and with many of your comrades gone. We lost many outstanding people in the Patriotic War of 1812."

"Yes, you're absolutely right, you're an outstanding person."

Nikolai and Solovyov both became serious.

Solovyov then added, “Go ahead and do what you love, study hard, and find a good wife. If conditions allow, love your wife, live happily with her, and have several children, raising them all to be useful members of society. Then you won’t have wasted the exam papers and stationery the Emperor sent you.”

To be honest, these tests were quite difficult, Solovyov said with a touch of humor.

Everyone laughed, and they laughed heartily.

After all, the Tsar and Russia's most distinguished military commanders were here; one was a monarch, and the other was the most famous person in the area.

After Solovyov finished speaking, he also took off his hat.

“I have a scar on my forehead from the Battle of Trebia. It’s been a long time, so the scar isn’t very noticeable, but there are still some traces. You should be thankful that Europe will probably remain peaceful for a while during your youth. I was only 18 back then, but I had already walked through the gates of hell at Devil’s Bridge.”

Although Solovyov was a Field Marshal, he was clearly a peace lover. He mentioned this matter in the hope that the younger generation of Russia would not be like him, spending his youth and middle age constantly engaged in war, only settling down after he turned fifty.

Things are going as he hoped; at least in the European part, peace can continue for a while, as long as Europe doesn't experience another crisis. Life can continue. (End of Chapter)