Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 199 Further Journey in Finland

We stayed in Frederikshavn for another day and then entered Helsinki. Along the way, the Swedes had repaired the roads, whether for the dignity of the royal family or the importance of this foreign affairs activity and the royal "visit to relatives".

Of course, the scenery along the way was just like that, swamps, lakes and forests, as well as scattered manors and villages. The locals spoke Finnish, which Solovyov had heard in Suvorov's manor. Even if he wanted to learn it, it would not be so easy.

But if he were to shake the green onions, the local Finns might find it fitting.

Queen Frederica of Sweden, Louisa's fourth sister, will meet her sister in Turku. What was originally supposed to be a meeting in Finland has turned into a trip along the way and a grand reception in Stockholm.

The carriage was more bumpy during the day. Although the road from Vyborg all the way to Helsinki was very flat and close to the coastline, even if you drove a car, you would still feel uncomfortable on this kind of road.

The city of Helsinki also had a grand reception for the Russian Queen. After all, she is the sister of the current Queen of Sweden. Apart from her unknown emotional problems, she is also well-known in the Baltic circle for her simple lifestyle and love of charity. As a queen, she cuts her personal budget and likes a simple life, which will more or less win the respect of her subjects and other countries, not to mention the relationship of kinship.

The final outcome of the Russo-Swedish War of 1741 was that the heir designated by Queen Elizabeth was replaced according to her request. The two countries then maintained peace for more than years and fought one more time, which resulted in an alliance and stability that seemed to last for a long time.

It was on this basis that the governments of Russia and Sweden rarely made public statements on any occasion because of the unpleasantness of the marriage incident. It was also because of the major events in France that Sweden and Russia both appeared in the anti-French alliance and armed neutrality.

When they arrived in Helsinki, several Swedish generals came to welcome them. Knowing that Queen Elizabeth also disliked crowds, they had already made a plan when they were in Stockholm. After all, she was the Queen's sister, so a simple dinner would be enough.

The Baden sisters, probably influenced by the living environment since childhood, are all equally simple in their lifestyle. Except for the eldest sister, each of them wears simple clothes, which already looks good enough and does not require too much jewelry to set off their looks.

These Swedish officials and generals could not say anything here, and the ball did not go on.

Today, they entered a small Swedish town in Finland, the future capital of Finland. Solovyov also wanted to see what it looked like.

Helsinki was built very early. It was a trading base established during the reign of Gustav I. It also had some military functions, but the city never developed.

In addition to frequent fires and plagues, during the war with Russia, the Swedes burned down their own city at least twice before the Russian army destroyed it, leaving only 3000 people living here. Few people could have imagined that it would replace Turku as the largest city in Finland.

Even in the game, Finland is indeed not a good place to develop, but Solovyov no longer has a computer. His daily entertainment has now become reading, playing cards and chess. Although he is willing to go hunting, it depends on the season.

As for a lover, having Louisa is enough, and she is the queen with a high status. Solovyov also thought that before he got married, he probably always maintained such a relationship. At least it must be so stable when he was in the country. This time he took on the responsibility of protecting the queen's safety.

He was not in a hurry. Once they arrived in Turku, the Swedish side would arrange a new schedule. Alexander also regarded this trip as a chance for his wife to relax and did not ask her to go back in a hurry. At the same time, the Tsar himself did shift his focus to Maria Naryshkina.

As for Louisa, both of them are still very young, Alexander is 25 years old and Louisa is just over 23 years old, they still have a long time to go.

Along the way, Solovyov was teased many times, mainly by Louisa's elder sister Amalia. After all, it was strange that such a handsome young officer had not announced his engagement so far.

Her meeting with Czartoryski brought great mental trauma to the latter. After all, what the Polish prince wanted was the favor of the queen, not to become husband and wife with her sister. This also made Alexander promise his friends that no unmarried girls would be introduced to him in the near future, and he had the right to make his own free choice.

"Your Highness, I am only a child, and you want me to find a wife. And you know that the maids in the palace are all of noble status. I am the son of a squire and baron. Although my status has been confirmed by the emperor, I really have to talk about this aspect."

When the man dressed up as a woman, Natalia said that even if Solovyov's family background was "upgraded", although she also liked this brother, her family would definitely not agree, and they were just friends.

For a girl of this level, the Solovyov family must have more property, or her status must reach the level of count, before a marriage of similar status can be considered.

"You always say you're from the country, Michael, but I know from Louisa that you've been in the city a lot since you were in the army."

"But when fighting, I still have to go to far away places, and I won't always be a guard. Your Highness Amalia, if you don't mind, I can help you find a boy you like."

"Hahaha, you are such a kind-hearted person! If there is a tall young officer like that, I would certainly like that too."

This also has to be taken into account, as Amalia is indeed in relatively good health, unlike Louisa whose health has only recently improved. This may be a common feature of her and the Queen of Bavaria, as both sisters are relatively healthy, while Louisa's problems are more of a congenital deficiency.

"We have to look for someone among the Royal Guards and the officers of the Imperial Household. My situation is rather special. I was arranged by Emperor Paul to be with His Majesty, and the people that the Emperor brings out himself prefer tall people."

"It's different. You are kind of cute. I don't know which lucky girl will be your bride."

When talking about "cute", Solovyov blushed a little, which made Amalia laugh. She was also a little heartless, but it was not easy for her to find a husband with such a big heart.

Perhaps the failure of marriages over the years had made her too careless. The time wasted in the lawsuit for the marriage to King Frederick William III of Prussia alone had caused Prince William (also known as William IV), who was originally planning to marry her, to cancel the marriage plan.

It's not that she has no charm at all. After that incident, she had some opinions about the Prussians, and she was definitely not going to be able to beat a contestant of Queen Louise's level.

"That depends on the situation. If I can become a colonel in the Guards at the age of 25, I might have a better chance."

"I wish you good luck, and our journey this time will definitely be a pleasant one."

Since Amalia has always lived next door to Louisa, Solovyov now goes to Louisa's bedroom just to chat with her and to check his conscience - after all, her health care plan has always been arranged by Solovyov.

After leaving Helsinki, the group was not in such a hurry. They just enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Finland and arranged a meeting between the Queen of Sweden and the Empress of Russia in the small town of Salo between Helsinki and Turku. There was no other way, after all, when doing business with the King of Sweden, it was a daily routine to change the itinerary.

"As for Salo, the schedule was sent by the Swedish side yesterday. A picnic will be held here. The Swedish side has arranged a lot of receptions throughout the journey. In Stockholm, a reception will also be held in the palace. Your Highness cannot refuse this arrangement. After all, it is the King of Sweden who is personally hosting the banquet."

"Well, that's it, what happens next?"

"Afterwards there will be concerts and opera performances, but no balls. In between, there will be a meeting with the Queen Mother of Sweden, a visit to the palace on the shore of Lake Mälaren, and a rest in a cabin on the lake."

"Misha, let's go ahead with this arrangement. When we get to Lake Mälaren, we can relax and you don't have to be on guard. Just enjoy the beautiful scenery."

"Yes, Your Highness. When I went to Lake Mälaren before, it had already started to freeze over. The scenery here in summer is very beautiful. There are thousands of islands in the lake, which is very suitable for boating and swimming. However, you must pay attention to safety. After all, this is open water, not the pond of the Imperial Village."

"I know, but my schedule these past few years hasn't allowed me to go to the pond in Tsarskoye Selo."

Louisa had a little secret, which was to take off her clothes with her close maids and sisters and swim in the pond of Tsarskoye Selo in the summer. Even Solovyov didn't know this, after all, Louisa had spent several years of her life sick, pregnant, and taking care of her children after he came, and she swam more in the bathing place. When she was in the aquarium and kissing the dolphins, she always wore a cumbersome swimming skirt.

"Then you should pay more attention to safety when you get there."

That being said, the Queen of Sweden, the sister of Louisa and Amalia, had been waiting in Salo for a long time.

The sisters had not seen each other for many years since they parted in St. Petersburg. However, because the Swedish court was overly particular about complicated etiquette, it was unlikely that they would hug each other in such a public occasion. They just shook hands with tears in their eyes. It was this sisterhood that moved the Swedish nobles present.

They have an unreliable king, but the queen, apart from not liking to be in the limelight, has been satisfactory to all classes so far. And the queen mother of Sweden is not so hard on her daughter-in-law. Frederica lives well here except that she is occasionally tormented by her childhood illness for a few days.

"Luisa, dear sister, we are going to have an open-air dinner here, and the ingredients are."

Ask the Swedish and Russian attendants to ride into the nearby forests to fight.

Solovyov loved to show off at times like this, and the gun he carried was a breech-loading rifle to which he had the intellectual property rights.

The hunting went well, and vegetables and fruits were obtained locally in Salo, as well as bread and honey. Solovyov's harvest today was quite popular among the nobles who enjoyed bear hunting in the Middle Ages.

"Mr. Major, you really did hunt a bear!"

"After all, this is Sweden, not Russia, and a bear appeared in front of us, and I shot it."

Moreover, the bear was standing up and was shot in the heart.

"It's a shame. If it were in the past, some people would have eaten the bear's heart raw after digging it out."

“How many years ago was that the way of eating?”

In Solovyov's mind, there emerged a knight in armor, with a big nose, a horse face, and melancholy eyes. And he also had a follower, a fat man who looked a bit like
Thinking about this, it is indeed a bit funny.

However, everyone's attention was not on his expression management, but on how to deal with the bear.

After all, there are still quite a few followers, so a bear like this is enough for everyone to share.

But Louisa's appetite was so good that she only ate a little, and also a small piece of bear meat brought to her by the servant for her to try.

"If you want to eat game, venison is better."

Count Stroganov raised some deer at home and kept them in the deer farm on his estate.

After all, venison is more to her taste, and those who feasted on it today were the officers and followers, since it was difficult to eat bear meat at other times.

It’s just this bear skin. After all, it’s bear hunting season now. After processing it, it will be made into a carpet ornament.

Frederica thought that after the bear skin was tanned, she should give it to her sister as a gift.

"Mr. Major, you are the hunter who successfully hunted the bear. How about this arrangement?"

"Your Highness, this is good. It is better than making a bearskin hat. Although we, the officers of the Guards, still need bearskin hats."

"Then it is settled, sister. Our leatherworker will skin this bear skin and give it to you as a commemoration of our meeting this time."

Louisa also nodded in agreement. After the dinner, they would continue their journey to Turku, where they would take a boat to reach Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.

(End of this chapter)