Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

During his time in Ryazan, Nikolai fully felt the people's love and respect for him.

Although he was the Tsar, several levels removed from the serfs, his new policies were still great news for some more enlightened regions.

After all, labor was freed up, and one advantage was that many of the landowners in Tsarist Russia were also opening factories.

If the serfs were still in the factories, the local officials who investigated them, with typical Russian bureaucracy, could have driven them into bankruptcy.

Because of the practice of employing serfs, the officials in charge of the relevant departments considered it a violation of regulations during industrial construction.

This was even something Nikolai forced into the project before the reforms even began, causing immense suffering for many people.

Solovyov only found out afterward because his family's factory already had labor contracts, unlike other places.

In this respect, it can be said that Nicholas played a significant role in the emancipation of serfs.

However, industry was still under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance at this time, and there was no separate department for it.

"Your Majesty, at an appropriate time, the various industries should be divided into different departments."

Why do this?

“You should know that our officials can’t focus on one thing and often mess things up.”

Now that you mention it, Nikolai suddenly remembered that when he last met Pushkin, the great poet said that when he was wandering around the countryside, he had met some minor civil servants who only knew how to do one job. They used to be tax collectors, but now they were sitting in offices as eighth-grade civil servants and they couldn't do any work at all.

This kind of thing is actually quite common in Russia.

Even the Tsar himself was helpless. After his teacher said that, Nicholas realized that his reforms did indeed need to be improved.

At this time, Russia sometimes needed those responsible for reforms to explain things clearly.

Otherwise, those below might not understand what they are saying, just like defining the obligations of each class.

Russians have this characteristic.

Nikolai had no choice but to proceed with the new policies in this way.

Every reform and every decree he issued was a supplement to the previous ones, and sometimes even required deletions and revisions. The third document would also emphasize the corrective role of the second document in relation to the first, otherwise the officials below might not follow his wishes.

There are many officials who outwardly comply but inwardly defy authority; there's nothing that can be done about it.

If you do something good, they might oppose you.

However, if you set up a bad deed, these people might carry it out very well because they can profit from it.

Even when Nikolai traveled with Solovyov this time, he saw that his teacher, who hadn't written a script in a long time, had suddenly become interested again.

What are you writing?

“Some people want to write about an imperial envoy, but I don’t have that need. What I’m writing about is a rigid junior official who can’t do anything else once he’s done one thing. There’s also a stupid superior who needs three documents from his superior to emphasize the same thing before he can get anything done. And then there are some ignorant senior officials who don’t take the emperor’s words seriously.”

"This is also a satire; if you were to write it, I would have to censor it."

"The review process is not a problem, Your Majesty. As you know, being a reviewer is your job. Don't you have to read all of Sasha's manuscripts?"

Nikolai knew that his teacher was referring to what he had done in the past—monitoring Pushkin—and what he was doing now—censoring his manuscripts and even personally supervising him.

This actually made it easier for Pushkin to get his manuscript approved, because Nikolai greatly admired his work.

If we were to reconstruct history, this classmate relationship might not exist; Nikolai simply admired his talent and intended to make use of it.

But now they are classmates, and as long as that bond remains, he will bring up old feelings.

Russians are always like this; at certain times, they have to consider personal relationships.

However, the teacher's script, relatively speaking, was not as brutally satirical as Pushkin's and Gogol's, and even had more humor, so even if he reviewed it, he couldn't see anything wrong with it.

"It looks good. Even though you've been on the battlefield, this article is still very sharp."

"This is only the second worst period, Your Majesty. This is just how the satirical script for the government goes."

What did you say?

Nikolai also wanted to know, so he continued.

"You mean, what's the worst?"

"It praises the government."

Nikolai actually found it quite reasonable.

What Solovyov trusted most about his student was his straightforward personality; as long as that nature remained, nothing too serious would happen.

He even agreed with his own ideas?
This was something Solovyov couldn't have imagined; he had no idea how ridiculous the Third Department's secret police in Benkendorf would become.

One of the officers of the Third Bureau, while reading revolutionary magazines, wholeheartedly agreed with the opinions of these revolutionaries.

Furthermore, during the censorship of newspapers and periodicals, extremely serious criticism was given: "The printing of the publications needs to be improved; the paper quality is too poor."

This official did not die at the hands of the revolutionaries, but was killed by someone imitating them.

Sometimes, some gentlemen die quite unjustly.

But Solovyov didn't know that this kind of dark humor meant that the Third Hall wasn't as abstract as it would be seventy or eighty years later.

The Tsar's current attitude, much like that of his superior, perhaps reflects a certain underlying nature within Russia's consistent abstractness.

Even after Nikolai finished reading Solovyov's play, he was not entirely satisfied.

"You should also create some other works. The poems you wrote for your sister-in-law and the songs you wrote for your sisters are all very good."

"Your Majesty, that was an early work. It's the poem for Elizabeth Alexievna. How did you know?"

“Lottie found it among your sister-in-law’s belongings. I know you and your sister-in-law have a good relationship, maybe even a close one, but there’s no proof. I was trained by you, and your sister-in-law arranged for Katya to be your wife, which was a kind of care.”

The two men mentioned Louisa, and couldn't help but feel a little sentimental, reminiscing about her as her brother-in-law and former lover, respectively.

"When we return to St. Petersburg, Your Majesty, we should go and see them at the Peter and Paul Fortress."

“I think so, Mikhail Sergeyevich. The most amazing thing is that you are so affectionate, and there is evidence of it everywhere, except with the Empress Dowager.”

"Ah, you know?" "The sisters all like you, and Maria is so close to you. In Chinese terms, it's like being in a compromising situation. It's inevitable that something unexpected will happen, like your green eyes."

Of course, Nicholas's chain of evidence with Maria was incomplete, but his teacher was still his "unofficial brother-in-law." Although Tsar Nicholas I was constantly reforming the court, he would make exceptions for his mentor.

He couldn't let his older sisters down, especially since his third and fourth sisters doted on him the most and took him everywhere when he was little.

Now, his eldest and second eldest sisters have passed away one after another and are buried in foreign lands. The only family ties he can maintain are with his second brother, his three older sisters, and his younger brother.

Even if Nikolai had evidence, he wouldn't do anything to Solovyov, because he needed his teacher to do many things for him. Such a loyal, capable, and reform-minded pillar couldn't be found anywhere else.

Just as his grandmother received Prince Potemkin, Solovyov clearly had even more.

"Your Majesty, if we're talking about green eyes, there are many other people with green eyes as well."

Nikolai wasn't that clever. He thought of his two green-eyed nieces, who looked like replicas of his sister-in-law, and didn't pay much attention.

However, one point was overlooked: Solovyov, who had some feminine features in his youth, although his eyebrows and eyes were very different from his sister-in-law's, his facial contours were somewhat similar.

This was due to the unstable Baltic German ancestry of Solovyov's mother, whose sister-in-law, Nicholas, came from Baden, also from a German princely family.

"Your Majesty, is there anything else you wish to do?"

"I think it's gone now."

Nikolai's suspicion was fleeting, and he quickly returned to his usual self.

He greatly admired his teacher's poems from his youth, even believing that the poem was written on behalf of soldiers away from home for all noblewomen.

This is somewhat of a derivative work, but it's not really a problem.

Starting from Ryazan and heading south, Nikolai stopped at the confluence of the Samara River and the Volga River.

“We should build a city here first; we’ve even caught a big market day.”

With a lot of people coming and going, Nikolai realized that this place was indeed conveniently located and suitable for building a city. The loss of some farmland was compensated to the landlords and farmers, so it was not a big deal.

Solovyov was considering a "third capital," and Samara was certainly a suitable location, even safer.

If several major transportation hubs fall, this place will not be attacked immediately.

"Your Majesty, if you were to build here, what should it be named?"

“Let’s keep calling it Samara. There can only be one St. Petersburg. It wouldn’t be appropriate to name it after me.”

“But there are many places called ‘Nikolaevsk’, Your Majesty.”

"Samara is short, just like Pensa, isn't that good?"

Nicholas echoed the opinions of the other ministers, these court yes-men.

Solovyov certainly agreed with this opinion, but Nikolai still needed to have his own personal style and characteristics.

Therefore, Solovyov suggested building the Nicholas Church in the city, a traditional wooden structure.

Nikolai did not disagree with this point. Solovyov was not a devout believer. His apparent piety was only because Katya was devout and he often went to church. He was always with his wife.

They offered to build a church, and it was a very good idea.

Compared to the flattery of those ministers, the advice of one's own teacher is better.

The Russian Tsars named Nicholas are all somewhat contradictory figures. The latter one was also a useless person who couldn't make decisions. At first, he even hated the sorcerer entering his daughters' private rooms, but he couldn't stand his wife. Because of this, he even drove away Nicholas II's cousin Dmitry, whom he had raised himself (who was an important participant in the killing of the sorcerer and Chanel's ex-boyfriend).

Nikolai himself was a contradiction, which was reflected in his desire for reform, but at his core he was conservative.

If Solovyov hadn't been there, he probably wouldn't have been able to make such a big decision.

Now a church is to be built, and a new city is to be built, in addition to Samara, there is also the expansion of Tsaritsyn.

For the Tsar, there was still much to be done.

The next step is a further southern tour, to Tbilisi.

Solovyov will accompany them; they will also spend the winter there.

Furthermore, Solovyov noticed something else: during their inspection tour, when they arrived at Rostov-on-Don, Nikolai had prepared some gifts there.

"Your Majesty, what are you planning to do?"

"To Griboyedov's poor widow, the girl is so pitiful, she lost her husband before she could enjoy the happiness of marriage. Loti feels sorry for her, but because she is unwell, she cannot come. So she asked me to take some things to her and her daughter. If I bring them back from Moscow, they will probably spoil. It is more appropriate to bring them from Rostov. Giving them wine is not good either, I heard that Nina's own winery has excellent wines."

"Yes, it's a very good white wine."

“Then my decision was probably the right one. You’ll probably be more welcome in Tbilisi; there, you’ll be seen as a savior.”

"Your Majesty, you don't need to say it that way."

Sometimes, when Nikolai started being polite, it was a string of adjectives.

Although Solovyov had a close and deep relationship with the Tsar, having been teacher and student and friends for decades, and even helping each other find wives, he would immediately step in to help Nicholas's children if the Tsarina's milk supply ran out and Katya happened to be breastfeeding.

In a way, Solovyov was quite different from other high-ranking officials, which was determined by his personal character traits and his family environment.

Nicholas would not have the same level of trust in the other ministers as he did.

"You deserve my 'compliments,' but there's nothing more I can offer you."

"Your Majesty, if possible, I would be very happy if you could grant me early retirement."

"Whenever the country needs you, I will need you too."

“I know that, but you can’t keep a minister like me forever. I will eventually grow old, but you will still be the Tsar.”

Of course, Solovyov never imagined he would live so long, just like his father who is still alive today. He is about to turn 90, and according to the recent obituary, he actually outlived his stepmother.

Anton was still in the Qing Dynasty and had not returned. Fortunately, Vasily had gone to Italy to take care of his parents, and his sisters, including his widowed younger sister Julia, were able to go in time.

Solovyov himself remained in Russia and was unable to see his stepmother one last time. His relatives in Western Europe were always informed of their passing by a letter. (End of Chapter)