Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 167 Queen Elizabeth's Melancholy

After the memorial service, Paul's coffin was carried from the Mikhailovsky Palace to his resting place.

Due to the suddenness of the incident, even the coffin and many ceremonial props were arranged on the spur of the moment. There was no professional team this time, and the newly appointed Archbishop Ambrose presided over the funeral.

Starting from the Mikhailovsky Palace, we finally arrived at the core area of ​​the Peter and Paul Fortress, which is the resting place of the Russian royal family.

However, in addition to the burial ceremony, Paul's own preferences must also be taken into consideration. He wants to be with his soldiers, so the Guards will hold a small military parade here.

In addition to the Guards Infantry Regiment, the Guards Cavalry Regiment also appeared in the fortress. As for the temporary military band, the music played when the coffin entered the royal mausoleum was "Soldier's Narrative Song".

This was the piece of music that was played when the Field Marshal was buried in the monastery. Paul himself liked this piece of music very much. He certainly didn't know where it came from, but he just thought it was very appropriate.

The reason for choosing this piece of music was that the piece copied from Chopin was too complicated. Solovyov knew his own level and knew that it would be useless to invite the royal music teacher Ludwig de Ferguson to play such a complicated piece of music.

Queen Mother Maria was very satisfied with her current status, so she took her children to live in Pavlovsk, where the tomatoes have now been harvested.

In front of Paul's coffin, there were three plates filled with tomatoes. This was Solovyov's last gift. The former Tsar did not get to eat the new fruits and vegetables harvested in the Pavlovsk greenhouse this year.

This is somewhat like not getting to eat the new wheat. Fortunately, I haven't translated "Zuo Zhuan", otherwise it would be a headache.

After the funeral procession returned from the north bank of the Neva River, everyone went back to the palace. However, contrary to people's expectations, Alexander did not return to the Winter Palace, but went to receive envoys from various countries. As for what he was going to do.
Solovyov said, I don't know, he doesn't have any position now, except for the certificate for the baron title and the reward of a few villages, there is nothing else.

Of course, this made him very satisfied. After all, Louisa's place was free again, and he was ordered by Alexander to go and chat with her, so nothing would happen. Among these aides, he was the most knowledgeable, and no one else could take on this task.

After all, the queen's pregnancy made Alexander feel more at ease, and he could go out and have fun without any worries. As for what Solovyov would do, Alexander was not worried. After all, this guy was always passing by flowers, but there had never been any rumors or love affairs. Of course, his wife and the attendant adjutant were also actors, and they would have secret trysts and intimacy, but no one outside knew about it.

But the sight of the queen herself, with her hair loose and slumped on the bed, was truly heartbreaking.

"Your Highness, you look so haggard."

"I don't have a fever, and my body doesn't show any symptoms, except that I feel weak and dizzy. I look so ugly."

I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She just became the queen, but her hair is disheveled and her eyes are filled with tears. She looks more miserable than a broken heart.

The feeling of the camera is like Natasha's failed elopement. It seems that she was hit hard.

When he came here, only Natalia was here, and she might know something.

"What happened, Your Majesty?"

"Your Majesty has been in this trance since the last time he came. Lisa has never been like this before."

“But I’m not a doctor.”

"Misha, you are not a doctor, but you are very good at prescribing medicine. If it weren't for the medicine you got, His Highness wouldn't have recovered so quickly in the past few days."

Yes, although Louisa felt dazed, her complexion was much better, but it was like this again.

Solovyov's logical thought was that the young new queen had been mentally traumatized, especially since little Maria, who had grown up a little, was also taken away.

"I'll also check your Highness' pulse. Maybe I can find out something, besides the pregnancy."

Louisa has a very slim figure, and even lying on the bed like this, the shape of her belly is very obvious, and it's still early days.

“Is it so magical?”

"If you don't believe me, I can teach you, Natasha. In the future, you can also help the sisters with diagnosis."

Solovyov had some basic knowledge of pulse diagnosis. When he was with Louisa, in addition to listening to her heartbeat and breathing, he would often take her pulse.

"As for me, I don't want to learn these things either. Do you want me to be a female imperial physician in the future?"

"There are always some benefits, Ms. Shakhovskaya. If you feel unwell, you can try to diagnose yourself. Do you want me to take your pulse?"

She is Louisa's closest sister in the palace and also the daughter of a prince. Countess Sofia Strodianova is not often in the palace. Louisa's lonely living environment here mainly depends on her to liven up the atmosphere.

"Oh my, you bad guy!"

"Am I that bad? I'm just a guest doctor. Natasha, stretch out your hand. I can probably tell what's going on."

Moreover, she was older than Solovyov. The younger maids here were mainly those transferred from the Empress Dowager, but Louisa was not a person of pomp and circumstance. These days, they had taken the opportunity of the national mourning to go home and reunite with their families.

"I'll hold my hand out, what can you know?"

"Although your breathing is even and you don't cough, your heart and lungs are weaker. It's really strange. Most of the girls around your Highness are not in good health. Is it related to the environment? You should all walk more and breathe fresh air. I mainly want to tell your Highness to eat more fresh vegetables and fruits. If necessary, you can squeeze some fresh juice. I am still talking to your Highness. Don't resist meat, especially you should eat some relatively fresh ingredients. I am still talking to your Highness."

Louisa, who was not in a very good mood, also started laughing after seeing his funny look.

"Your Highness, are you feeling better?"

"You are such a clever little thing. You really have a way. It's a pity that you don't want to act in a play, and you always have more important work to do."

"After all, I am still a soldier, Your Highness, I just hope you are happy."

Louisa made a gesture, which Natalia did not know what it meant, but Solovyov knew that it was time to come over late at night.

Anyway, given the loose security status of the Winter Palace, it would be easy for him to sneak in.

Moreover, since Alexander was not there, the staff arrangement in the palace was relatively sparse, which made it easier for him to get close to the room with a direct view of the Neva River.

Louisa seldom tells others the reason why she is lonely now. It is a little hard for her to accept that little Maria is taken away, but this is also the rule.

She asked little Natalia to guard the door again. The girl felt sleepy very early and couldn't get used to living in the new palace, so she went back to the maid's room. One could sneak in through the front and the window.

Solovyov was actually very good at choosing the timing when he came in, and it was easier to sneak in in the spring.

"Louisa, here I come again." This time, Solovyov was not dressed as an art academy student, but as a eunuch. There were a few eunuchs of his age.

"I asked you to come today just to chat with you."

Louisa gave him a hug first, with an expression of doting on her brother like an older sister.

"Louisa, I know you feel lonely. If you feel wronged, you can tell me."

In fact, Solovyov could not imagine that they were relatives, and it would take a long time and several years to complete this chain.

"Mishka, my life is so miserable."

She buried her head in Solovyov's arms, tears streaming down her face.

"You are already the queen, why do you still say that you have a 'hard life'?"

"Sashka, he doesn't love me at all. That Polish woman has already stolen his heart. In the eyes of the Queen Mother, I am just a stupid girl who is in the way and can't seduce anyone."

To be honest, she is actually quite attractive, especially with her tearful eyes like this.

When Pushkin was studying at the Tsarskoye Selo Gymnasium, he was also attracted by the queen's beauty and wrote poems to present to her.

She was a bit of a universal charm, from Count Zubov in the 1760s to Pushkin, and even the boys in the future Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, all liked her.

But she felt no love for her husband.

"Lisa, if you want to cry, just cry as much as you can! Just don't hurt your body. You've just gotten better, and you can't degrade your body like this. People who love you and care about you will say this."

"Alexander said the same thing. He only cared about me being his wife and being able to give birth to an heir, but he didn't care about my position in the court at all."

Solovyov had heard that according to the new court etiquette, the emperor and the empress dowager were in front, the crown prince and the crown princess were in the back, and the empress was sandwiched in the middle.

No wonder Louisa cried like this, her deer-like eyes were full of grievance.

"Lisa, you've started coughing from crying. You should think about the people who love you and the people you love. If you cry yourself to death, how many people will worry about you? Do you know what the soldiers of the Guards say? They also want the Tsar to have such a beautiful angel by his side. I am willing to be your guardian angel, and the soldiers' spiritual sustenance is you. You are their angel."

Of course, the little queen would never call up the Guards in her lifetime, and she actually understood it very well.

The adults in this court, except for the straightforward Constantine and Juliana who was beaten at home all day, were all political animals. Louisa really disliked this kind of life and the pomp of the court, but she had to fulfill her responsibilities. When the most difficult times came, it was hard to find someone to speak her mind to.

Louisa was liked by her father-in-law. I don't know if this was a factor, but the soldier unexpectedly liked this "Queen Mother". It might have been better if she was the "Empress", but from her own wishes, this would never be possible.

"If possible, I would like to return to Karlsruhe"

"Louisa, Louisa, are you missing your mother? I envy you for having a mother. Although I also have a stepmother, she is always like a sister at home, not a mother."

Now it is Louisa who looks more like a sister who needs comfort.

"Let's go back to the Rhine. It's beautiful there."

"If you want, I can go with you. After all, the aide-de-camp is a guard all day long. Sometimes, I have to accompany you for a night to make you happy."

"little rascal"

Louisa put her arms around Solovyov and clasped them tighter.

"Lisa, this is not good, and there is nothing we can do now."

"You may kiss me, Mishka, you care more for me than for His Majesty."

This is the fact, he doesn't need to say words like "cold-blooded animal" or "political animal", he should just try to make Louisa happy.

"Don't cry like this. If you cry all your tears dry, are you going to be called by God? If something happens to you, we will all be sad. Lie down first. If you feel better, I will massage your shoulders and relax your body."

Louisa lay limply in the bed. She finally felt better now, but her eyes were a little swollen from crying.

In other words, she had to recuperate these days, and her depressed mood finally eased a little at this time.

After letting her relax, Solovyov took out the stethoscope again.

"I'd rather take care of your health, Louisa. I'll translate another story for you later. I just don't know if you'll like it."

"You should focus more on your future. I know you like me, but we can only be together at times like this. If you go away, I will miss you a lot."

"Not for now, but Louisa, I do want to ask the Emperor for leave and travel around Europe to broaden my horizons."

"Then you have to wait for a while, at least."

"I must stay in Petersburg when you are crowned. You must be very beautiful at that time, but..."

After hanging up the receiver, Solovyov began to speak seriously.

"Don't talk yet, Louisa. Let me listen to your heartbeat and breathing. Well, you're fine, much better than before. You still need to continue to recuperate and keep a happy mood, so that you can stay healthy and give birth to a healthy baby."

In fact, Solovyov was very attentive. He noticed that this was Louisa's third pregnancy, but her belly was bigger than before.

"Who knows, maybe they are twins!"

"Maybe. Although I am the third daughter in the family, I am the second child."

“Perhaps, that is a trait.”

Solovyov even tickled Louisa's armpits. Her laughter was very pleasant and she looked very cute, which finally helped to relieve some of her melancholy.

(End of this chapter)