Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 238 005 Madame Recamier's Lyon Salon

Solovyov was a man who could not sit still. After arriving in Marseille, he also walked around the streets, but he would not stay for too long.

In this case, he would not know that he had entered the prey list of Madame Pauline Leclerc. This charming female leopard was very picky about "ingredients".

He was now in a hurry to return to Paris, as he had a lot of things to do, especially the plays to be performed in the spring, which always needed to be released in advance at the Salon for the critics to give their suggestions.

Having helped Mrs. Lebrun and her daughter, I did receive rewards.

His wife is visiting England recently and is not in Paris. Mr. Etienne Vigée is currently working on some of the contents of "Asterix" according to Solovyov's previous script. Some adjustments are needed to be made, more of the comedy elements need to be highlighted, and fighting scenes need to be added. Overall, it still needs to be funny.

It’s actually a good thing that someone is in charge of everything in the theater. After all, he won’t be in Paris for too long.

1803 was a critical year. In addition to becoming the lifelong ruler, Napoleon had to continue planning his career. This ambitious conqueror actually still wanted to deal with Europe in another way.

Although France crushed two anti-French alliances, their political system was a republic. It was indeed quite troublesome to deal with these European feudal monarchs in the name of a revolutionary republic. Therefore, many people hoped that he could become emperor, with the title of "Emperor of the French People", and establish an empire.

For many people, they have never actually gotten rid of the shackles of past imperial ideology, and they still yearn for an emperor in their hearts, just like some places always want an emperor.

Napoleon was no exception, and he was also actively planning and even trying to implement a vote.

But he would not proclaim himself emperor in 1803, as France's diplomatic situation looked optimistic and would be able to bring a period of prosperity after peace.

However, France and Britain refused to give up an inch of territory on the issue of the Netherlands and Malta.

Indeed, the French had a strong army and could easily occupy the Netherlands; and the British had a strong navy and they also exerted their advantages in Malta.

In fact, if both sides refuse to leave, war will break out sooner or later.

Some signs can also be seen from the attitudes of diplomats from various countries in London and Paris.

At the same time, Napoleon was preparing to sell the Louisiana Colony, a vast colony in North America with only a bunch of forts and a few settlements, for a reasonable price.

This is also the reason why Monroe and Livingston came to Paris, and it can be seen in newspapers in Paris, Lyon and Marseille.

Solovyov had already arrived in Lyon and went straight to Madame Recamier's house there to pay a visit.

In fact, it is also due to some agreed factors.

Mr. Jacques Récamier seemed to have sensed something, so he let his wife spend the winter at her parents' home in Lyon. He also took this opportunity to renovate the official residence on Mont Blanc Avenue so that he could accommodate more guests, especially from summer to autumn, the peak period of social activities.

After all, the cultural salon hosted by this lady was still an important weathervane in Paris against Napoleon's lifelong rule.

General Moreau remained unmoved, despite the urging of his wife and mother-in-law, and even some people around him expressed their support for the "plan."

However, everyone knew that Napoleon had secured his position thanks to his victory in Italy in 1800, and controlled most of the generals in the two main armies, the Army of the Rhine and the Army of Italy. As for the less important Army of the North and the Army of the Pyrenees, that was another matter.

If you want to shake his position, it is inappropriate, whether it is real public opinion or manipulated public opinion.

What's more, some people carried out sabotage activities in Paris under the "instructions" of the royalists and Louis XVIII. This conspiracy has never been interrupted, even in the "severe attack on friendly forces" incident in Nantes.

The person the royalists would put on the throne would more likely be Louis XVIII according to the order of succession, rather than anyone else, especially the Orleans family who had lost their heads. The British also hoped that the "orthodox" line of Louis XVIII and the Count of Artois would return to Paris, and even weaken the power of France.

The British were quite skilled in conspiracy. They knew the serious contradictions between the royalists and the republicans. If Louis XVIII were to return to the throne, the rewards for the bankers and capitalists in Paris would not be reduced. The ones who would be really unlucky would be the proletarians in Paris and the peasants who were given land in the countryside.

In fact, it was external forces that ultimately forced the French to use another version of the "alliance of workers and peasants" and, together with the masters of Paris, pushed Napoleon onto the throne of emperor.

Even if the votes were manipulated, Napoleon still received a lot of support in the original results, and people were shouting "Long live the First Consul" everywhere. His prestige was all earned through fighting.

Therefore, Mr. Recamier was always worried. He also had to observe the situation in Paris, so he sent his wife back to her parents' home to avoid being beheaded together with her.

So far, Madame Recamier's body is still innocent, which more or less confirms both rumors, but in Lyon, these rumors seem to be irrelevant at the moment.

"Madame, I came to Lyon after returning from Italy as agreed with you. You are really homesick, spending the winter in Lyon instead of returning to Paris."

"Mr. Solovyov, you should know that I cannot hold a salon in my official residence in Paris right now because it is being renovated. And here, the locals in Lyon are familiar with us, and we can also hold a salon, even a purely literary salon that does not involve any political issues."

Then, Madame Recamier introduced Solovyov to the guests: "This gentleman is from Russia, Baron Solovyov, the military attaché of the embassy in Paris. I have introduced him to you. He is a very talented poet and playwright, and he is also keen on translating Chinese literary works."

France has always been enthusiastic about China. Even though Voltaire has been dead for 25 years, he still has some influence.

"Sir, have you really translated some Chinese literary works?"

"Yes, but in St. Petersburg, there is a Russian version. The French version needs to be proofread by a professional writer. After all, I am a diplomat and a soldier at the same time. I don't necessarily have that much time to spend on literature."

"But it is excellent, and I want to know your opinion of Mr. Voltaire's play."

"What else can I say? The story of 'Orphan of China' is set in an earlier time, when there were no Mongols. The respectable old man must have adapted the story to make it easier for French audiences to understand. In fact, this is a good method, but it may be a little different from the original meaning of the story."

"Well, Mr. Russian, what should I call you? After all, your Russian names are always very long."

"My name is Mikhail. In French, it should be Michel. You can call me that, but in Russian, Misha is more intimate."

"You sound like a little bear, young sir."

"Yes, ma'am, you should know that the most common thing in Russia is bears. There is also a story about a bear and a girl that has been circulating among us. In the story, there is often a bear with this name." Although what he said might be nonsense, it made sense. After all, the French were not very familiar with the Russians in the distant snowy land.

The subsequent discussion, as always, was about poetry and plays.

Fortunately, political views are not popular in the salons of Lyon. In cities other than Paris, political discussions may be more frequent in clubs.

You know, it was Lucien Bonaparte who made such a speech at the Jacobin Club in Corsica, which forced his entire family to leave the island and flee to Marseille.

"As for your literary views, Misha, I think all the gentlemen and ladies present here can accept them. After all, comedy is a form that everyone can accept."

“And it can also bring joy.”

Madame Recamier actually liked this young man very much, but she was still prepared to share this friendship, including Lucien and General Moreau in the past.

However, Solovyov still had some means. After all, in addition to scripts, he often wrote or translated poems. One has to know that the quality of translated works depends on the translator's cultural level.

For example, the story he told was very interesting to Madame Récamier. It was translated from Chinese into French, not just the spelling translation, but also the meaning in French.

When everyone else left, Madame Récamier was still somewhat interested in the script of "The West Chamber". After all, France is different from Russia. In Russia, everyone prefers real men, while in France, people are much friendlier to literary young people.

Therefore, the content translated by Solovyov here can still maintain the original meaning.

"Please stay a little longer tonight, Misha. I want to hear the rest of the story."

This lady is very beautiful, especially in the moonlight, sitting lazily barefoot on the sofa, or sitting on the fence. I have to say, beautiful women look good no matter where they sit.

Moreover, she is different from Louisa, who always seems shy and immature. She is of similar age but is more adept at showing off her beauty and is indeed very coquettish.

However, she communicated with these lovers more spiritually than with some ladies in society.

Well, even with her close male friends, the most she had was kissing her hands and touching her back when dancing, but if it was a kiss, it would be easy to move to the next stage.

This lady is surprisingly innocent sometimes. When she really wants to kiss someone, she might even blush and her heart beat fast.

Therefore, few people can reach the stage of kissing.

There are many men who like her, including Lucien, General Moreau, and the Foreign Minister.

Yes, Mr. Talleyrand also liked this lady, and because of this he offended one of his female protectors, Madame de Staël, a friend of Madame Recamier.
However, M. Talleyrand said: "Madame, since you are so great, you must be able to swim."

When asked which woman he would save first if both women fell into the river, Mr. Talleyrand's answer contained some humor.

But judging from the lady in the portrait, it is obvious that she has been beautified. David's painting can show the lady's appearance, but it is not a complete restoration. She is still very charming, and the way she wears the Empire dress, which is loose when the waist is loosened, actually highlights her beautiful figure.

"Ma'am, you are not wearing an ancient Greek dress tonight. You look like a social girl."

"Yes, Michelle, you have been very observant."

"In Russia, people often say that being an adjutant is a dead end, but the responsibility is huge and requires a lot of skills, especially reading people's expressions and conducting reconnaissance."

"Yes, you reckless boy, I can see that you are very calm, much more composed than those people I left behind."

"You are indeed very beautiful and outstanding in appearance, but it is not easy to have a closer relationship with you and to understand your heart more. I learned this when I was in Paris."

"Michel, you are a smart man. I think you can kiss my hand now. Then, I want to hear the rest of your story. After that, I will ask the servants to arrange a guest room for you to rest. You must have worked hard all the way from Rome."

"Yes, I just recovered from my injury and rode from Rome to Marseille, then to Lyon, rested for a day, and then went to Paris."

Madame Recamier also allowed Solovyov to kiss her hands, which were very long, but their bones were much stronger than Louisa's slender fingers.

Solovyov always used the young Russian empress as a reference. After all, they had a close relationship, and he didn't know how Louisa was doing recently.

As for the lady's figure, it was also very pretty. When we discussed some issues in the past, we always kept a certain distance. I didn't expect that we could be so close this time.

In fact, Solovyov really wanted to express that such a beautiful lady was indeed a wonderful gift to the world.

As for the subsequent content, the lady closed her eyes and rested. While listening to the young officer telling a story, her body relaxed a little, which made her a little sleepy.

Especially her feet. Normally, she kept the instep facing the customers, but today, because of fatigue, she straightened her curled legs.

"Ma'am, I think you must be sleepy."

"Yeah, Michelle, go get some rest."

The sole of the foot is facing the audience, which seems impolite. No wonder David's paintings were returned.

However, this lady is still a typical bourgeois lady and is also very interesting.

In a few days, she will return to Paris.

(End of this chapter)