Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 176 033 Be careful when working for the Kurakin family
When Solovyov returned home, he saw his father coming out of the bedroom in his pajamas.

"Misha, where have you been today?"

"I'm coming back from Nevsky Prospekt. I'm not on duty these days, so I'll have more time to go home."

"I have a question, raised by Prince Alexei Kuragin. There are a lot of properties and real estates confiscated this time. How should we deal with them?"

"Dad, I am only an aide-de-camp, although my rank is equal to that of a retired major like you."

"Son, it doesn't matter. We have to study it. After all, it's a senator who asked me, and I have to give him a reply."

Prince Kurakin's brothers and his cousin Vasily, also known as the old Diamond Prince Alexander, are nice people. Prince Stepan usually lives in Moscow and cannot see them.

Princes Alexei and Vasily were both more or less evil-minded. Alexei was, after all, a decent man, and he would not do anything bad unless someone offended him. As for Prince Vasily, even Alexei disliked him a little, as he was always thinking about other people's property, just like his two sons who were always thinking about other people's women.

"Dad, you have to think about it carefully. I can't trust them."

"How can you say that? Although you have established contact with the Emperor himself, our family is not of high status after all. We may be a respectable family in Ryazan, but we are not as good as Count Rostov and those local nobles. When we arrived in Petersburg, we were also under the shade of a big tree."

"You have to consider what consequences our proposals will cause. This prince is not a kind person like Count Stroganov."

In short, Solovyov was always very cautious when it came to the Kuragin family, especially those who liked to covet other people's property.

"Yes, we have to see the emperor and present the method of disposing of the property directly to him, so as not to be shirked of responsibility later. Son, you are right."

"Dad, we are here to help, and all the property will go to the national treasury."

Then, he added, feeling uneasy again.

"Don't make the same mistake that Grandpa made again."

"Okay, Mishka, you clever little thing, I'll listen to you. I know what to do about this matter."

Solovyov will not go to Louisa easily recently. It is true that he likes the queen, but he does not want her to be involved in trouble, and he also wants to stay safe. He never pursues excitement.

However, thinking of the Tavrid Palace, Solovyov recalled some things. In the case of the theft of Prince Potemkin's property, although the two stupid thieves who embezzled were released, a lot of their properties were confiscated and put into the national treasury. It was a pity that the huge mansion was a guards barracks and could not be auctioned.

Some plots of land in St. Petersburg still have no houses built on them. However, many plots of land in the Russian capital have been acquired using a method often used by real estate developers: after acquiring the land through purchase or donation, they build houses on it or wait for the land's value to increase before selling it off.

This method has been around since ancient times. Solovyov was quite curious about how his father bought the land at No. 29 Moika Embankment. Was the price low because it was a haunted house?
"No way, this place is cheap, but it's not a haunted house. Compared with other plots of land, it's far from it."

"Okay, but Amy always says this place looks haunted and she's not used to it."

"You can't keep calling her 'mother' and I understand that."

"After all, we are too close in age, and calling her 'Mom' always feels weird."

"Okay, son, go get some rest. We still have a lot to do tomorrow."

Solovyov returned to his room. Yulia used to live next door to him, but now she went to the girls' school in Smolny Palace, so her room was usually empty.

His own room is probably even bigger than his home at 4 Laundry Lane, so it is more convenient for him to put all his collections in it.

There were also letters from friends. He also saw a letter on his desk. The color of the envelope was very familiar.

It was the kind of envelope that the "little fairy" often used. She was about to give birth to a baby, and the palace had been much quieter recently without her. After all, she was a lively girl who was loved by everyone from the Queen to Louisa.

The letter is from Prince Bagration. If you have time, you can visit his home.

Over at No. 25 Italy Street, Prince Bagration asked for leave and invited a doctor to his home. After fighting on the battlefield for a long time, he trusted doctors more than midwives. As for calling the relatives and friends of the couple, they should not have too many of them. After all, the more people who knew, the more pain the mother might suffer.

Therefore, the only people at home were Bagration's mother-in-law and younger brother. Maria was lucky enough not to be implicated because she was married to Count Pavel von Paaren. She did not come here because her relationship with her sister would be awkward.

When Solovyov came here, he was more familiar with the situation and helped out by running errands.

"Misha, I am very grateful that you can come at this time."

"Don't be polite, Peter Ivanovitch. After all, you are still my senior."

"Kadis has been taken inside. Everything is done as you said. A clean room will be prepared for him. However..."

"What's the matter?"

"That disinfectant doesn't look good to Kadisch."

"Isn't it just applying some disinfectant? It's not for anyone to see. Besides, it's not like she hasn't visited Her Highness Elena before, so there shouldn't be anything wrong with her figure."

Solovyov knew that when Alexandra and Elena were pushed onto the delivery table, Paul was more worried about Elena who had not yet fully grown, but in the end she was safe and sound.

At that time, alcohol and vodka were still used for disinfection. Now we have finally used some extracts to make iodine tincture. Although the effect is subjective, the tests done in civilian hospitals before did not show any major problems.

"While there is still some time, go and talk to Katish. As a husband, I have advised her many times."

What a hypocritical girl. She has always been willful and there is nothing we can do about it.

"Madam, you should come in with me, and we will persuade Katish not to let her act like a child."

"Well, she is my daughter after all, and I would feel bad if she cried out in pain."

The Countess also looked at the "little goblin" who was covered with a white cloth and had a hat on her head. Seeing her like this, she felt a little scared.

Solovyov was in an awkward situation, as normally he shouldn't be an outsider giving advice.

But considering the extremely complicated relationship, I still have to help. "Katya, you should listen to the doctor, and this iodine has been diluted, the color is not good, but after washing, it will heal soon."

She was probably worried that her flawless white skin would be stained, and after listening to Solovyov's explanation, which she didn't quite understand, she agreed to the doctor's advice.

"I can't help it, ma'am. Your daughter was spoiled by her relatives before she got married. I am also responsible for this."

"Yes, Misha, but I also want to thank you. If you hadn't enlightened her, she wouldn't be able to live so happily with me, her son-in-law."

Bagration was a typical soldier. He was not very good at pleasing women. The way he made his wife happy was to spend more time with her. His base was very close, so it was always convenient for him to go home.

"I am a little scared, Misha, after all..."

"Don't worry, everyone is like this. I saw the emperor was very nervous when he became a father for the first time."

Speaking of which, Alexander was sometimes a bit "cowardly". When Louisa gave birth to her eldest daughter, the calmest person in the family was the current Queen Mother. After all, she was a veteran and had seen a lot. She herself had an experience where she almost lost her life.

"What if one day it's your turn?"

"If I were married, I would definitely be scared when my wife was in the delivery room, but I couldn't share her pain. I could only think of ways to make good preparations."

"That's your style. You're always calm. No wonder Alexander Vasilyevich admires you."

Another thing is that I love to think.

But there was no need to worry too much. The "little demon" went in and out very quickly, and just yelled "Oh my god" a few times and that was it. There was still some time between the beginning and the end, so the result was easier to guess.

This girl is a hassle-free person, and the midwife also came out, muttering, "There are so many little girls giving birth to twins recently."

Then she also saw Prince Bagration, and turned and said: "Congratulations, Prince, your wife has given birth to twins, both girls."

When Solovyov saw Bagration wiping his sweat, he realized that even such a brave soldier would be very nervous at this stage.

Then he added: "Just don't let the child look like me."

Good guy, he also knows his face and is not very liked by his wife. It is because he takes good care of her that they are close to each other.

"Well, we all want to congratulate you and hope that the children will grow up safely and healthily."

"Yes, brother, I hope my niece is as healthy as you and your 'little' sister-in-law."

Of course, the Georgian prince is still a little bit unsure, that is, after washing and wrapping the child, he is so "ugly" that he should not be seen in the room, especially because of his long nose and face.
Fortunately, he is not bald and does not have the sad eyes like a horse, otherwise it would be even worse.

For this reason, he thought about it and decided to ask Princess Yusupov's eldest daughter, Miss Potemkina, also named Ekaterina, to hold the baby. The girl was not very old, but very lovely.

As for naming, he was not in a hurry, but he had already thought about it.

There was only one thing. When Solovyov saw the white shoulders of the "little fairy", he thought of Helen. Although she had a good relationship with Elena, this name was really difficult to come up with.

However, during the heyday of the Bagration dynasty of Georgia in the 13th century, the queen was named Tamara. This name could actually be chosen, and it is also a traditional name in the prince's family. Bagration must have considered this because he mentioned it when he was chatting with Miloradovich before.

Now it is the time of Alexander again. When Paul arranged the marriage, the prince from Georgia was always grateful. However, he is no longer with us. When the child is baptized, the queen can be invited, and the name can be Elizabeth.

But this couple was really generous. The "little goblin" actually had the energy to laugh, saying that the child's skin was pink and tender after washing, and looked nothing like her husband. This was a good sign.

"If she's a 'black' girl, it's not easy to marry. She needs alabaster skin like mine."

"Okay, daughter, stop talking and have a good rest."

"Mother."

"Have you forgotten the pain now? Not everyone is as healthy as you. If it were someone else, they would probably be at the gates of hell."

Hearing this, the "little fairy" thought of a few good sisters. When she was waiting outside, they were all sweating. It was indeed not comparable to her situation.

When Louisa heard the news, she was very calm in the palace and was still doing needlework.

"I think we should congratulate Kadis. The teaching of this 'little white cat' was not in vain, and she didn't suffer too much."

However, she has cut her expenses almost to a minimum, but some of the brooches and jewelry she used can be given as gifts to children.

"Natasha, go get two identical crosses as gifts for the children. As godmother, I will be there as long as I am able to move. God bless you, I was very worried about Katish at the time. She, like Elena, had not fully grown yet. If everything goes well, the children will be blessed in the future."

However, Louisa was also worried that this girl would be restless and would want to go out and play and forget about the things at home. Given her personality, she might very likely do such a thing.

She herself was not like that. Apart from the activities recommended by the doctor, she was like a hermit, quietly staying in the garden or the palace.

Now as the queen, she has more things to worry about than before, including the new school building of the Order of Catherine for Girls for civilians and the establishment of a middle school in the Imperial Village. These are all things she cares about.

Alexander agreed and also approved her idea of ​​turning the Tavrid Palace into a large nursery, which would be a suitable place to raise children.

This memorial, written by the Queen herself, was presented by Solovyov when he was on duty in the palace.

Come to think of it, Louisa positioned herself as a kindergarten principal, and her image is quite suitable.

Alexander himself had thought about this problem, but if he were to open a school, his determination to carry it out would definitely be far less than Paul's.

Even if we want to establish the charters of these imperial universities now, we are indeed lacking funds.

Now that he was going to auction those properties, he also had to consider whether the Kurakin family had done anything to them.

(End of this chapter)