Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 153 010 The time for showdown is coming
Young people love gossip, and there have been a lot of such things in the palace recently.

When Solovyov told Paul that Ribeaupierre had secretly married Ekaterina Potemkina, Paul also laughed.

"That's great! There is still pure love in this palace, and I don't need to arrange marriages. The daughter of Princess Yusupov and the son of a Swiss banker, that's great!"

Alexander had a sullen face because the Polish prince was Maria Naryshkina's younger brother, but at this time his new adjutant blurted out such explosive news.

That Ribeau-Pierre was indeed very handsome, and he was the most popular person in the palace. However, he never revealed his feelings easily. So here lies the secret!
The Crown Prince no longer needed to keep a straight face. He now turned to a wicked smile, which was to clear up the misunderstanding. A 20-year-old Guards Cavalry officer and a 17-year-old Polish prince should be acting like this purely because of a misunderstanding.

"Boris is mistaken, father, and the dispute between the two parties should be due to some unnecessary things."

"That's easy to explain. There's no need for harsh punishment. Solovyov, take my order and release both young men. They should choose reconciliation."

Alexander was also very happy. At least he didn't have to plead for Boris. He had explained before that Paul was going to spare Boris, whose mistake was more serious. Now there was no need to make any enemies.

Of course, Solovyov also had to sigh. The Polish boy's sisters were all good-looking. The eldest sister was Constantine's mistress, and the second sister was Alexander's mistress. With such powerful backers, and his father was pro-Russian and died because of Russia, he was relatively well taken care of.

Instead, the injured Ribeaupierre was almost driven away. He thought this was unfair. If he hadn't come up with a paragraph, the misunderstanding would have been huge.

Ribeau-Pierre was wounded and lay in the confinement cell of the Mikhailovsky Palace. Even Goethe, who happened to be visiting St. Petersburg, knew about the duel between the two young men and wrote about it in his diary.

"Mishka, why are you here?"

"I'm here to take you out. The emperor wants to release you!"

"Okay, Your Majesty, I won't say any more. Just let me go. I think something is strange!"

Ribeau-Pierre told some stories, roughly about how the Crown Prince and Constantine were coming to mediate because Boris was involved, Count von Paalen kept it secret and Dmitri Naryshkin informed Paul, but the atmosphere of this matter was very strange.

Solovyov knew that what Russia lacked the least was abstraction, but he had no way of telling this Swiss man, so he could only rescue him first.

"Sasha, how is your injury?"

"Just don't let my mother worry too much. This injury won't kill me!"

Ribeau-Pierre's father was a soldier, and was formerly Prince Potemkin's adjutant. He also served under Suvorov and was killed in Izmail, so he was especially taken care of by Potemkin's relatives. He was raised by Prince Yusupov since he was a child, and raised together with the children of the princess's first marriage. The prince would never have thought that the piglets he raised would push the cabbages he watered and raised.

Alexander's teacher Lahap was recommended by his father, so Alexander took good care of him. Paul always liked young people who were smart, capable and handsome, so he often kept him around.

This boy looked like the true prototype of a protagonist, and Solovyov felt that he could not compare to him.

"What I want to tell you is that someone might do something to this palace," Count von Paalen muttered. "I can only tell you that you can either tell His Highness or the Emperor."

Ribeaupierre was a man of clear judgment, and he also felt that Count von Paalen was somewhat suspicious.

"What did you mumble?"

"I didn't hear it clearly, but I heard March 3 and Caesar very clearly. These Alemanni are all the same. When they say Caesar, it's hard not to hear it with that accent."

"It's going to be bad, but there's no other evidence, and there's no way to explain it clearly. Even if it's ambiguous, there's no good way to solve it."

Solovyov thought of Talleyrand's practice, and he himself often bowed in this way and made some ambiguous remarks.

If Count von Paalen was questioned, Solovyov guessed that he might tell a story that confuses right and wrong, which would be even more disadvantageous and he might even be blamed for it.

Therefore, he gave up the idea of ​​speaking directly. After all, with his status, it would be inappropriate to say anything.

However, because Paul treated him very well, he promoted him to major in the Guards and awarded him medals and fiefdoms. For a hereditary aristocratic officer of this age, although he had some connections, they were not strong enough, and it was an exception for him to get here at the age of 20.

Moreover, this Tsar still loved his people to some extent, and even had a clear understanding of the situation. After spending a long time with him, I still felt that he was much better than many European monarchs, even those who seemed to be outstanding in the books.

Not to mention the distant past, from Peter the Great to Paul, there was a wealthy local tycoon named Queen Anna of Courland who occupied the throne. She almost took the imperial power away to the line of Ivan V, who made no contribution to the expansion of Russia. This one has to come last in any case.

As for Empress Elizabeth and Empress Catherine II, they were certainly great and loved by the people, and it was okay for them to live a luxurious life. However, the court atmosphere of both empresses was very bad and brought about many problems.

Paul is now at such a crossroads, and he has actually realized it, so he decided to carry out reforms, and even the idea of ​​liberating serfs was a little earlier than those feudal countries in Europe.

There is actually some use in keeping him. At least this Tsar, who is willing to reform and enrich the country and strengthen the military, is really good to the people.

It can be seen from several visits to the manor that, apart from Peter the Great who sometimes did so, there has never been a Tsar in the past who could sit in the home of a serf and chat with the old people in the village, and it is unlikely to be seen in the future.

His murder would indeed seriously delay the liberation of serfs. Even though Alexander defeated Napoleon, he did not have the courage to recommend the reforms. Instead, he acted as an actor on the throne to balance the interests of various factions.

Both publicly and privately, Solovyov had some favorable impressions of the Tsar, and he also particularly liked Chinese culture and supported his own translation career.

You should know that after Paul saw the Three Kingdoms translation, he also liked it very much. At least he is alive to see the completion of the translation work.

The fact that the Order of Malta could be upgraded from level three to level two meant that Paul still recognized him.

But whether he could save him or not, he now felt that it depended on fate. And there was another point, that is, in addition to Count Stroganov and Solovyov, the loyal guards and intelligence organizations around Paul were actually targeting Count von Paalen. It was time for both sides to have a full showdown.

Paul and Alexander were still chatting about Ribeau-Pierre's little story there, and they didn't think it was strange, but after they knew it, they didn't plan to spread it.

"There are such pure and beautiful stories in this world, so let's not interfere, at least not because of the things in the palace."

"Indeed, Father."

"How's Louisa?"

"When I woke up this morning, I saw that her belly was different than usual. Father, you know she is very thin, and some changes in her body will be noticeable soon."

"You must treat your wife and children well, be kind to your brothers and sisters, and take care of your family first, then the country."

Paul had recently heard some stories about holy fools. When Empress Elizabeth died and Ivan VI was killed, there were indeed some rumors in Petersburg. The former was not surprising, but the latter was held in secret, so it was difficult to say what was going on.

He had also heard some rumors recently, such as that his life span would be as long as the letters inscribed on the gate of the Mikhailovsky Palace.

The words of this kind of charlatan always confuse people, but they still have some effect on the superstitious Paul. He is somewhat wary and always has some premonitions.

But he is in good health and doesn't look like he will die within ten years. He exercises every day, has a healthy diet, and his work intensity is not too high.

However, as a superstitious person, he always has some ideas, so he said this to Alexander without any reason.

"Yes, Father, but you are in good health, and there is no need to say this at a time like this."

"Kutaišov, Stroganov, both of you go down, so that we can be alone for a while."

In the office, only Paul and his son Alexander were left.

"I received a secret report that someone was planning something bad in Petersburg. I didn't believe this at first, but the secret report was so detailed and shocking. There is such a conspiracy group in our capital. This is not the time more than 1762 years ago when your grandmother and my mother took drastic measures. In , your grandfather and my father were overthrown. Now Russia is peaceful, the people live and work in peace, and the nobles live a rich life. There are still people who are not satisfied. What are they going to do?"

"Father, I don't know either."

Paul knew that Alexander was not acting today, and he was still serious when the situation was serious. At this time, he handed a report to his son.

"It's better that you don't know. This is the report given to me by Attorney General Obolyaninov. Some people say that he is a 'Grand Vizier'. That's because you have never experienced the real life in the Turkish and Persian courts. As far as I know, it's full of intrigues and always leads to bloodshed. What our country ultimately pursues is law and effective rule, not the army that the Sultan can't even recruit enough soldiers!"

"Father, if this is what is said, what exactly are those who want to launch a coup going to do?"

"I think they want me to abdicate, or choose a commander they deem suitable, like the Roman Guards. I know the story of Caligula. If that kind of accident happens, I want you to protect your wife and daughter, as well as your brother, sister, sister-in-law, niece, and your mother. I don't want any of my children to be like Caligula's daughter, with their brains spilled all over the floor."

When Paul spoke, you could tell he was a little angry, and the report also made it clear.

"Father, is it true that such a horrific thing would happen?"

"I think there will be, but I don't know what will happen. Here is a list that I wrote under the candlestick one night. It is composed of officers mobilized from the Guards and young people among my servants who have some skills and may be useful in the future. You should keep this list well, so that if something really happens, there will be someone available. As for the civil servants, if you can use them, the young people around you are all good and can take on important tasks in the future, especially Count Stroganov. How did God create such a young man?"

What Paul said was actually a showdown. What he wanted to confirm was that Alexander was not really involved in the conspiracy yet, so he would feel more at ease.

As for Alexander, he was unwilling to join directly and did not express his opinion, but he had no way to resist his father's approach.

The people on the list were not the important officials around Paul, but middle and lower-level officers and aides-de-camp between the ages of 18 and 30, all of whom had been tested in the past few years.

Solovyov was unaware of the conversation between the royal father and son, and he just took the injured Ribeau-Pierre to the imperial physician.

He could guess that this was an attempt at murder, not a simple coup, and March 3 was the anniversary of Caesar's death, so it was obvious that someone was trying to kill the king.

However, the suspicious Count von Paaren will definitely have his own story, and it may even be impossible to find any evidence against him.

Solovyov believed that at this time, instead of a face-to-face confrontation, sufficient evidence should be found.

But Paul's problem is that he likes to confront others too much. If he really got any information from somewhere, he would definitely reveal his cards and fight.

Alexander had heard a little about it, and Count von Paalen had expressed it to him more than once, but he did not express his opinion. He was unwilling to overthrow his father unless his position as crown prince was threatened.

Now that Paul is talking to him frankly about his family, his attitude has loosened a little. Whether it is just an act or his real attitude, he has to express his stance.

After all, although Boris Godunov’s son was killed by the nobles before the Romanovs, he was an unrecognized Russian monarch, not to mention the pseudo-monarchs before him.

Alexander himself was unwilling to believe it. A coup d'état might happen, but regicide was out of the question.

After Paul learned of his son's attitude, he prepared to confront Count von Paaren.

This method is actually not smart and will ultimately bring disaster.

(End of this chapter)