Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 188 045 The roads are slippery on snowy days, please pay attention to traffic safety

There are many royal palaces in Stockholm. In addition to the castle in the city, there are also castles and palaces built over the years on the lake west of the capital.

Gustav IV also arranged for his father-in-law and mother-in-law to meet his mother. The in-laws had a good chat after the meeting, and many activities were held during this period. The palace of Gripsholm Castle also became a place where both the host and the guests enjoyed themselves. Gustav IV handed over many affairs to the ministers and lived in the castle by the lake.

He does look quite funny, but as a son-in-law and a son, he is quite filial and he arranges things very well.

But he was a man who had always been unreliable. Although he had good intentions, when he was preparing a carriage for his father-in-law, he specifically ordered that the best carriage be selected from the royal carriages.

Solovyov happened to arrive at the castle as well. In such a snowy day, he saw that the Swedes had prepared horse-drawn carriages. However, the climate here was not as cold as in Russia, so such preparations were a bit abstract.

Especially on the way here, he also saw many Swedish farmers using sleds in the winter. It seemed that there were only some differences in details from those in Russia. The snowfall here in winter was not so terrible and exaggerated, and it seemed very flexible to use.

Before his father-in-law returned to Karlsruhe, Gustav, the son-in-law, held a grand banquet and invited envoys from various countries.

Although he is unreliable, he knows that with Sweden's strength, no one can afford to offend it without a backer, not even its neighbor Denmark.

He was still very concerned about his friendship with Britain. He also had to take into account that the domestic situation in Russia was gradually stabilizing. Alexander's focus was not on the Baltic Sea, but on the European front and the Black Sea.

He still needed to show goodwill here, as ambassadors from various countries were here. Badberg also brought Solovyov here and heard the report about the carriage.

"I understand that you are here to take responsibility for Karl Ludwig's safety, but we cannot deny the King of Sweden's honor. This will worsen the relationship between our country and Sweden. What's more, you and I only have one baron title."

Although General Badberg was the imperial tutor, Laharp was the one most trusted by Alexander. No matter how hard he tried, he could only rank second among so many teachers.

He had been the ambassador to Sweden for a long time, and was recalled by Paul in the middle. When Alexander ascended the throne, he returned to Stockholm again. He knew very well what his mission was. Gathering intelligence was also something that needed to be done in peacetime, especially since Sweden was in a state of armed neutrality. It was a daily routine for him to meet ambassadors from various countries at cocktail parties.

"Misha, when you come here, observe more and make sure you are sure before speaking, including to women. I can feel that the girls here like you very much when they see you. After all, you are good-looking."

It wasn't like that in Russia. It was because he was familiar with the girls and the guys there were very lively. It's not like here where it feels a bit depressing.

"But I still have a mission."

"You can go dancing. It's a social occasion. Even if you don't like it, you still need to show yourself there. You might gain something."

The Ambassador was quite understanding, but Solovyov kept circling around the Baden family and even saw Karl go down to the dance floor.

"Mary, aren't you going to the dance floor?"

"I think it's not necessary. Apart from my brother-in-law, His Majesty the King of Sweden, it's rare to see young officers here today. What's more, I have an engagement and will be married next year."

She is indeed as girlish as her sister Louisa, but Louisa is a "big white rabbit" and she should be considered a "little white rabbit". She is engaged to Frederick William, the son of Prussian Marshal Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick. Speaking of that marshal, he has a connection with Württemberg, the King of Hercules is his son-in-law, and he also has a connection with Britain, the Prince of Wales is also his son-in-law.

In other words, he is the grandfather of William and Princess Charlotte of Wales. This field marshal is indeed a living fossil left over from the era of Frederick the Great.

"I've heard that Frederick William is a fierce warrior, and that seems good."

Mary did not resist Solovyov's invitation. On the one hand, he was a guest invited by the King of Sweden, and on the other hand, he could come to Stockholm as a "bodyguard", which was somewhat like a sister's pillow talk.

Thinking of the whispers her sister had said to her, she also found it very funny. Of course, Louisa did not dare to tell her anything too exciting. She just explained that this major was an aide-de-camp whom her brother-in-law trusted very much and who had protected her in danger.

"I am a little worried. Although the Duke is a well-educated old man, his son..."

In fact, the Duke of Brunswick only had this youngest son who was in good health. The eldest son had very poor eyesight, and the two middle sons were deprived of inheritance rights. Although his married daughters all had good in-laws, one of them suddenly died in Estonia, and the other separated from the British Crown Prince after giving birth to Princess Charlotte of Wales, and there were extremely complicated things involved.

Even though it is as far away as St. Petersburg, news about the royal families of various countries can be transmitted here. This is also a kind of intelligence work. Solovyov also wants to take advantage of the peacetime to visit London and Paris to have some understanding of Russia's opponents and allies in different periods of the future.

"That's all right. At least he's strong, and he takes good care of your fiancé, even sending letters from Berlin to Petersburg."

"He's a really nice guy, but I always feel scared and I had nightmares when we got engaged."

This girl was more lively than Louisa, but sometimes she was timid and had no opinion. She had just stretched out her dancing steps, but when she said this, she shrank directly into the major's arms.

This girl also wears perfume, but there shouldn't be any perfume that smells like licorice, right? She looks good with everyone, but nightmares may also have reasons and omens.

After all, his stepmother would occasionally engage in divination, saying that "Creoles" have some "psychic abilities" and even said that Mikhail Solovyov's life choices were all in his own hands.
"Don't be afraid. In Stockholm, you need to be careful of the middle-aged men here. They like girls who are noble, innocent and lovely. Have you heard about the Duchess of Sagan?"

The person involved was said to have returned to Sweden, and Mary became even more frightened when she heard this.

It wasn't that Solovyov fell in love with the girl. He was just extremely cautious when he was in Stockholm because he had an affair with Louisa and was entrusted by her.

"I see. At least my fiancé is a very reliable person. Thank you, Mikhail."

After the dance, the Baden family left the next day, passing through many Swedish cities along the way to Malmö, and from there to Denmark. Many places in the Baltic Sea were frozen, so it was also convenient to return home from there.

However, Mary had another nightmare at night. She ran out of her suite, walking barefoot on the carpet, and was scared in the corridor.

"I hope this isn't true. There's a sister and a father in my dream. What's going on?"

There is no interpretation of dreams yet, and sometimes psychological suggestions will appear, which makes her very scared.

But it was just a dream. Mary and Wilhelmina were in the same suite. She went back to sleep, but she didn't sleep well that night.

When they got up the next morning, the group left the castle in the Swedish royal carriage. During this journey, the surrounding scenery seemed to be covered in white. If there were not many trees in Sweden, it would have been quite clean.

Karl Ludwig and his son were in one carriage, Solovyov was also here, and Amalia and her two daughters were in another. "It's a beautiful view here, isn't it, Major?"

"Yes, you are quite right. Besides, it is not as cold here as in Moscow. When I was in the Grenadiers, I was stationed in Kaluga, which is in the heart of Russia. To be honest, it is still very cold there. If possible, I would not come to Moscow when it is so cold. It is even colder than my remote hometown of Ryazan. In winter, we should not ride in a carriage there, but in a sleigh."

"That would be fun. Sledding seems a little more stable."

Solovyov was reminding the father and son. After all, Baden and Württemberg were both Napoleon's loyal followers. They were also the maiden homes of the Queen and the Empress Dowager respectively, and the homes of his friends Karl and William. They always had to be reminded that Russia was very cold.

As for whether they can listen to it, that is another question.

When the carriage reached the Alboga area, there would always be some accidents.

The roads here are not all cleared, and the sections where carriages and sleighs pass may become extremely slippery due to the passing of vehicles and the sunlight during the day, and then freeze at night.

The carriage carrying Karl Ludwig was in front, and Amalia's carriage was behind. When they passed a road, the carriages suddenly lost control.

As a guard, Solovyov immediately thought of who to protect. The huge inertia of the carriage's rollover caused the fat Karl Ludwig to fall on him. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and had a great momentum. If the contact time was shorter, his bones would have been broken.

Fortunately, when the fat man crashed into his arms, there was some cushioning, otherwise it would have been fatal.

But he also heard the sound of bones breaking, which was not good.

At the same time, there is another problem, which is that no one should hit their head in a traffic accident.

Fortunately, this place is not too far from the Algard City Hall, so the city can send out sleds driven by farmers to pick up people.

"How are you now, Your Highness?"

"My leg seems to be broken, Major, how are you?"

"My arm seems to be broken."

"That's not a good thing, Major."

As for Karl, he fell on his father's body, and his big belly bounced back, so it was not a big deal.

"In a traffic accident, be careful of your head. Your Highness, did you hit your head?"

"No."

Later, Amalia and her daughters got off the carriage and saw the carriage in front of them carrying her husband and son, and the horses kicking their legs beside them, and they began to worry.

But when Carl climbed out from the top of the carriage, Amalia was relieved, at least her son was okay.

You have to know that in addition to the heir to the Margrave of Baden, there is also the illegitimate son of the old man's next marriage. Amalia doesn't want anything to happen to her husband and child, no matter from which perspective.

It was just that the husband broke his leg, and the adjutant sent by Russia had his arm broken by the husband.

Fortunately, Solovyov was good at first aid. He first fixed his arm, and then confirmed Karl Ludwig's condition, especially observing his appearance.

"In order to avoid the risk of a stroke, I think at this time, when the sleigh arrives, I will take him to the city for clinical observation and keep him warm. The servants have already gone to the city of Arboga."

Fortunately, this was the former king's residence during the Vasa dynasty, and soon the city's parliamentarians came to meet us.

After observation, it was found that Karl Ludwig was not seriously injured, he just had a broken leg and needed to recuperate here.

After the Swedish King and Queen heard about it, they came here two days later. They did not expect that the royal carriage would have an accident on the road.

"But you don't need to worry about me. This will prevent me from exercising or hunting. I may have to trouble you, Your Majesty, to stay at your place for a long time."

As for Solovyov's situation, Gustav did not go to take care of him, but Mary was here with her younger brothers and sisters.

"Thank you so much. I hope you can recover soon. With a broken arm, you may not be able to serve in the army in the future."

"It's better than having a lame leg. My father retired as a major, but he was crippled by a Turkic bullet during the war."

"You have to get well soon too. I don't want my sister and brother-in-law to send you out to protect my father and brother. I'm sorry."

"Mary, it doesn't matter. In Russia, we have generals with crippled legs and blind eyes. As long as they are not brain-damaged, it's OK."

"Indeed, if your brain is broken, you can't do anything."

Mary and Wilhelmina both gave him a kiss on the cheek, which was actually quite rewarding, and Louisa's sisters were also good-looking.

"Luckily you guys don't like lipstick like Her Majesty the Queen, so you just use ordinary lipstick, otherwise I wouldn't be able to tell."

It was good that nothing serious happened, as they still had to go back to Stockholm afterwards.

(End of Part 1)

(End of this chapter)