Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 263 030 Just looking for relatives in this way makes people feel shocked

Although it is December 1803, this is the tropics, and the climate is unbearable even in the northern hemisphere. However, Solovyov still wears his army uniform and medals.

After all, we are here to "visit relatives", so we naturally have to behave decently.

The Russian army does not have tropical uniforms suitable for this kind of weather, so he made this outfit himself. Of course, it can still keep him decent and not make him faint from the heat.

Mr. Henri de Riviera had not expected any visitors today. He only learned from the courier that a Russian warship had stopped in Martinique and was seeking supplies there.

"Pierre, a warship from Russia is quite new."

"Yes, father, this is the first time a Russian ship has come here. What do they want to do here?"

"I don't know, but son, you have to learn how to run a plantation. I am old, and this business will always belong to you and your sister."

Moreover, in Martinique and Guadeloupe, their family has plantation businesses and sugar mills, and they really need someone to run them.

This old man also wants to find a good husband for his daughter, so he is also looking for a suitable marriage partner.

He had four daughters and one son, of whom Pierre de Rivery was the youngest and his current designated heir.

Of the four daughters, only the youngest daughter, Alexandrine, grew up safely and healthily. Two daughters died young, and the second daughter went missing after setting sail from Nantes, and her life or death is unknown.

He is now on the plantation, slowly aging.

Such a stable life also made him feel comfortable. As an adviser to the island's parliament, as well as the mayor and militia commander of Le Robert, he was indeed a prominent local gentleman.

However, those who ran the plantations were somewhat cruel to the black slaves.

When Solovyov rode into the town, he could see quite a few black slaves there. They were doing unskilled physical work, but some slave owners still cared more about their personal property and let them eat better, but they would still be whipped.

Anyone who praises slavery and serfdom will surely be beaten.

However, Solovyov was reluctant to whip his friend Count Nesherrode, who was a staunch supporter of serfdom and believed that serfdom was good for both landlords and serfs.

The reason why he was able to come to the West Indies this time was because he asked him to present the "special action plan" on his behalf, so the Tsar himself sent out the fleet.

There was another purpose. Alexander knew that his father had an older illegitimate son, Semyon, who had been missing during a voyage in the Caribbean for ten years. When he returned to Russia, he had received vague instructions for them to search for him locally.

But there shouldn't be any result. Those who are missing in a shipwreck and whose bodies are not found, usually go to sea to feed the fish. There is no other option.

And in the Caribbean, sharks are still very active.

When they arrived at the town government, someone came out to receive them.

"Sir, you are wearing a green uniform. Which unit are you from?"

"I am a Russian soldier, either in green or in chasseurs, which I know your First Consul prefers. And this is the pass given to us by Admiral de Joyce, the Governor of this island."

"So, Mr. Soloviev, what brings you here?"

"Our fleet stopped in Martinique for supplies, and I happened to have relatives in Martinique, so I came here to visit them during the stopover."

"Oh? I wonder who you are looking for?"

"Mr. Henri Jacob du Buc de Rivery, does that sound a little unbelievable?"

After Solovyov announced his name, he could see the other party's surprised expression, and he could fit a goose egg in his mouth.

What a big mouth, Solovyov thought, and the other party was already shocked enough.

"Are you related to the mayor? However, our mayor should not have any Russian relatives, and on this island... Wait, there is no problem with your identity, could it be that I remembered it wrongly?"

"No, my stepmother told me that her father was called this. He had plantations and sugar factories in the West Indies. I think you should know a little about the French-run plantations on the islands in the Caribbean."

"Ah, indeed, as for our mayor, the du Buc family that runs a sugar factory here is the only one in Martinique, and they also have a plantation in Guadeloupe, but not anywhere else."

"That's right, can you introduce me to someone?"

Of course, seeing that he was wearing two medals, one could tell that this Russian officer had some background, so the "civil servant" from the town hall took the group to the place.

He did not ask more questions, thinking that it was better to keep out of trouble and avoid unnecessary trouble. Besides, among these people, apart from the burly man who was more intimidating, the two officers looked decent people, and the little girl was a harmless cutie. They were definitely not bad people.

Besides, Mr. de Riviera was a respectable man, and there was certainly nothing to be said for that.

"Sir, I brought you here. Do you need to make an announcement?"

"Thank you. I think you can just send it here. There is no problem. You can go back to your business. What's more, we both speak French, so there is no need to worry about communication problems."

"Ah, that's right. I'll take my leave now."

When knocking on the door, you should also note that most of the buildings here are built very solidly to prevent hurricanes.

"What a nice building." Solovyov still had some yearning for tropical life, but he also had to rule out mosquitoes that spread diseases and poisonous insects and snakes. With the current level of technology, many diseases are big trouble.

After he knocked on the door a few times, two black men came to answer it.

"Sir, what brings you here?"

"I am here to visit the owner of this estate, Monsieur de Riviera."

"Please wait a moment. I will go and report to the master."

"Hey man, don't you want to know why I came to visit you?"

"Sir, you are well dressed and look like an officer. You look very kind and don't look like a bad guy. Here, only the British and pirates are villains. Our host is a warm and hospitable person. Anyone who can visit him must not be a bad person. That is the gentleman behind you."

"Ah, it doesn't matter, Belzoni is my follower, it doesn't matter. As for us coming here, we are also visiting relatives, relatives from Russia." "Okay, gentlemen, wait here."

Apparently, these black servants were well trained and had good nutrition. At least the master of the plantation could provide them with enough food.

However, Mr. Henry de Riviera was still somewhat curious about his visitor.

"Master, they claim to be from Russia."

"Father, this is a little strange. We don't have any relatives in Russia. It wouldn't be strange if he came to visit relatives from mainland France."

"Jacob, how many of them are there?"

"There are four people in total. The two leading officers are both dressed very respectably. There is also a little girl who looks like a maid. There is only one big guy who is the follower of the leading officer. He looks like a dangerous person."

"The Russian warship docked today, and some people came here. I don't think it's anything to do. Just invite them in and treat them well."

As for the tropical islands, there are also many local specialties when entertaining guests, including tropical fruits and sea fish and crabs caught nearby.

"Father, why don't you doubt it at all?"

"Ah, Pierre, a Russian warship just docked in the bay near Fort-de-France this morning. They are here now, which means they are familiar with the situation here. They must not be scammers, and there must be some reason for them."

Mr. Henry de Riviera felt helpless about his slow-witted son, but that was all he could do.

When these people came in, he also felt that the order was a bit strange.

"Hello, Mr. Henri de Rivery, I have no choice but to address you as such. I am Baron Mikhail Soloviev, Lieutenant Colonel of the Russian Guards, and an accompanying officer of the visiting Russian fleet. This is my deputy, Captain Louis Buffon, who is French but has been serving Russia. As for the other two, they are my attendant Belzoni and my maid Adela. The question of address comes from my stepmother, Amy de Rivery, who should now be called Baroness Soloviev."

M. de Riviera was also greatly surprised when he heard this.

"My daughter is your stepmother? This sounds like a joke. My daughter disappeared at sea after she sailed from Nantes."

"The story here is a bit complicated, sir. The ship sailing from Nantes was attacked by Barbary pirates in the waters near Morocco, and my young stepmother was kidnapped by pirates from Algiers. Later, when Admiral Ushakov was fighting pirates in the Mediterranean, he went ashore and rescued women from various countries, many of whom were French. My father was a widower at the time and was running a business in Crimea for his old commander, so they met and fell in love with each other. If you don't believe me, there are keepsakes here, including portraits and letters."

"It's incredible, but what you say is very logical, Baron."

"I was originally serving as a military attaché at the embassy in Paris, but due to some special reasons, I left my post and joined this fleet. The West Indies are too far away, and we only plan to look for my mother's cousin in Paris. All other relatives are here."

"No wonder. I can understand the letter to Rose. But I've always wondered whether Rose is dead or alive. Judging from the way the Governor-General takes care of Rose's mother, it seems more like he is taking care of his colleague's mother, not like a mother of a colleague. After all, there are rumors that Madame de Beauharnais, that is, Rose, was executed with her husband. We have always heard such news here in the past."

Now it was Solovyov's turn to be surprised.

"You mean de Beauharnais?"

"Young man, you seem surprised, and so does your deputy. What's going on?"

"Which de Beauharnais?"

"Viscount Alexandre de Beauharnais, the youngest son of the former Governor-General, Marquis François de Beauharnais. This sounds more surprising than your saying that we are related. What's the matter?"

"Shock!"

Solovyov only uttered one word. This incident was indeed shocking to him, and he was even more surprised when he saw Prince Enghien's expression.

It is quite amusing that a small lieutenant colonel of the Russian Guards is actually related to Napoleon in so many different ways.

"Are you familiar with the Marquis's family?"

"That's not the case. Where did you get the news that the Viscount and his wife de Beauharnais were guillotined together?"

"It's a royalist newspaper. Although I'm not keen on politics, what they claim seems to be true. We are also distant relatives. Although I often visit them due to my job, there are some things we don't discuss in detail."

"It seems that the royalists are spreading rumors! Madame de Beauharnais is still alive and has remarried and is now the wife of the First Consul."

This made the Duke of Enghien feel a little embarrassed. This kind of tabloid news was indeed a bit sensational and made him feel humiliated. After all, if all the royalists were at this level, he would have to rely on external forces to return to Paris.

"Interesting. We can't confirm the tragedy that happened in Paris, after all, many people were guillotined. How did you know about it?"

"I served at the Russian Embassy in Paris, and I met the First Consul and his wife at a reception. We also know roughly his family situation. Captain Buffon is also often in Paris. His father is an acquaintance of the Marquis de Beauharnais and can serve as a witness."

"Yes, sir, and we can prove it. Vicomte Alexandre de Beauharnais was unfortunate enough to be involved in a political struggle and was guillotined. His wife survived."

Then, M. de Riviera was also able to confirm Josephine's past name, and everything fell into place.

"That's really funny. You were going to look for relatives in Paris, but the answer came from me. Son, how is my daughter?"

"Very well, she gave birth to two healthy children with my father, a girl, Polina, and a boy, Anton, and when we set out, she was pregnant again."

"For your age, my boy, your father is still very strong!"

Mr. de Riviera had not laughed so happily for a long time. Although it sounded tortuous, he was able to confirm that his daughter's handwriting and the image in the portrait were correct.

"What a pity! You can only stay here for a few days at most. Otherwise, I would have treated you well and let you stay for half a year!"

The owners of tropical island estates were probably all so hospitable, and he immediately asked his servants to prepare a banquet.

"I haven't been so happy for a long time, old woman. Our daughter actually had such a bizarre experience. It's beyond our imagination!"

This was enough to make the family of four in the manor happy for a while, and they actually received such unexpected good news.

Moreover, Mr. de Riviera had prepared a reply letter, saying that the return journey across the Atlantic would have to follow the ocean currents back from the north, and it was unlikely to go through this route.

(End of this chapter)