Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 287 The Hospitable Count Rostov

If it were placed in Moscow, it would obviously be inappropriate now. Moreover, Russia has two capitals. The main dramas are still in St. Petersburg in this era, while Moscow is the stage for some old aristocrats.

Speaking of which, there were quite a few great nobles who did not enjoy the family bucket treatment even after the revolution. The ones who were mainly unlucky were the Russian royal family, excluding a few with better reputations who had participated in the assassination of the evil monk, and those whose fathers ran away and left their children here.

Solovyov had long known that Kropotkin was actually a nobleman of high status, and even had a big house on Arbat Street.

But he was just passing through, and his time in Moscow was almost over, spending the whole month of August.

Count Bobulinsky was going to his estate in Tula, so he had to take his entourage and hire a car to travel from Moscow to Ryazan.

Fortunately, this road is not far, and Ryazan is indeed relatively close to Moscow from the perspective of a country with a vast territory like Russia.

But this section of the road is also very long, especially when passing through some villages and towns that are directly under the jurisdiction of Moscow, you can feel that this place is not small.

"Russia is huge, boss."

"Yes, Belzoni, you can use your strengths here, unlike in Italy, where the Franks and Alemanni are fighting all the time."

When many Russians see themselves as the "Third Rome", they feel that some countries did indeed evolve from barbarians.

They don’t take their own barbarian attributes into consideration.

However, Solovyov also knew that his sister's best friends in the girls' school, apart from Lazareva, were the two Komnenos children.

It is indeed strange that in this era, we can still see living descendants of the Eastern Roman royal family.

That was after the fall of Constantinople. The Komnenos family fled everywhere and established their own countries in Epirus and Trebizond, but they were too far away from Constantinople. Only the nearby Nicaea Empire finally recovered Rome, and then began a long and weak rule.

"Boss, it seems that you have a lot of resentment towards those Alemanni people."

"Well, when we were marching through Italy, their supplies were always short of weight. The ones who helped us the most were the Austrian cavalry. Apart from that, there's not much else to say. I guess you also want Italy to be an independent entity, right?"

"I'm not that interested in politics, I just want to make more money."

"Your point is very good. If you don't have power but are interested in politics, it really doesn't make any sense. Look, we are here. This is our family's manor. I haven't seen it for nearly ten years."

By the way, the last time he came back, it was the original Solovyov.

As for the situation in the manor, it is indeed very comfortable, but although the main building is solid, it looks a bit dilapidated on the surface.

"Boss, your father earns so much, but he doesn't know how to paint the fence?"

"This house is habitable, and while it looks like this from the outside, it is very solid inside. You will know once you go inside."

In fact, the reason is very simple. When this manor was built, it was originally an annex to Prince Menshikov's huge manor for his minions to live in. Now most of it has been nationalized.

The Solovyov family was lucky because their house in Ryazan was just outside the confiscation area.

As a result, they were able to keep the estate, as well as the lumber mill and brewery that were here.

After entering, Belzoni was still quite surprised.

"Sure enough, all the good stuff is in there. Whose portrait is this?"

"It's Queen Anna. We all call her 'the rich lady of Courland'. To be honest, her taste is really bad."

Apparently, the Solovyov family often complained about Empress Anna. Ivan V's branch finally messed everything up and triggered a coup.

Even worse was Queen Anna's poor taste and the gossip-mongering of the press.

In fact, among the Russian empresses, only the periods of Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine II were okay. The former two were puppets of Menshikov, and the other was just idle.

In the world, perhaps only the rank of marshal in Tsarist Russia was filled with nobles, making this highest military rank look like a fake one.

Allowing people like Rumyantsev and Suvorov to join this group effectively raised the average age and enhanced the value of the title of Field Marshal of the Russian Imperial Army.

"Master, you are back."

"Ah, Uncle Sergey, are you okay here?"

"After the master, the mistress, and the eldest lady left, this place has been left to us to take care of."

"Arrange the rooms for them. Mr. Belzoni is the engineer I hired. And Adela is the maid I hired in Paris. Make sure they are all settled in."

"Master, when will the master come back?"

"There are so many things to do in Petersburg. Hasn't our family always been acting as a broker for the masters?"

"Yes, young master, the master also wrote to me, saying that the lady has added a young master and a young lady to the family."

"Well, maybe my father will come back next year. We can't leave this place unattended forever. We also need to build a new factory next to the brewery. I still need to discuss this with the local noble leaders."

"Master, you mean Count Ilya Rostov?"

Although he already knew it, Solovyov still wanted to confirm it.

"I heard about that count in Moscow. He was a good man who always entertained guests. How many children did he have?"

"Four, two sons and two daughters. The Count has been here for a visit."

"Oh?"

Solovyov still needs to gather intelligence and find out the situation of Count Rostov's family.

It's not like he's working here based on a book or knowledge of history.

"This master is such a kind person. He cares about the masters who are not at home. He also hopes that the masters or young masters can come to his house to attend the banquet. He even has the latest banquet invitations."

Having said that, the uncle handed a new invitation to Solovyov.

"Interesting, the earl still has the mind to invite nobles like us who are often away from home."

Speaking of which, in terms of title, Count Rostov is of a higher rank, and in terms of personal status, the local aristocratic leader is also worth making friends with, especially such a kind-hearted noble lord, who is relatively rare.

"It'll be two days later, but it's not too far."

Solovyov saw the address written on it, which was between Mikhailovsky and Ryazan, and their home was in the southernmost part of Ryazan Province. On the way back, he had passed there.

"Uncle, prepare the carriage. We still have to go there. I just don't know what their requirements are for guests?"

Apparently, Solovyov had a little problem: when he went out to eat, he always liked to take his entourage with him, even servants.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Even servants and serfs will be welcomed by their family. They are really good people."

Of course, this kind of family is also prone to doing things based on their own enthusiasm, and sometimes cannot distinguish between good and bad.

But it was only when we went to Count Rostov's house that we could see the real situation.

Count Rostov's reception was also very famous in Ryazan Province, and even high-ranking officials often visited.

Shishkov had been serving in the army during Paul's time and became a general in 1800. Later, he was dismissed from his post for "untidy dress" and returned to his hometown in Ryazan, but he also encountered problems.

As a nobleman, he sent a petition to Alexander, hoping to be able to hold public office because of his poor financial situation and his desire to serve by holding public office.

So he became a high-ranking official.

Solovyov had never expected that a retired general could be appointed to a high position by writing a petition. The reason why it was approved by Alexander was probably related to the punishment he received during Paul's time.

Sometimes you really can't judge Russia by common sense. When Solovyov came to Count Rostov's estate, he also saw the carriage of the senior official himself.

"Hello, I am Baron Mikhail Solovyov, the eldest son of Baron Sergei, the current commander of the Selenge Regiment and a staff member of the Governor of Smolensk."

"Ah, it's the son of the Baron of Lannenberg, young master. Welcome here. If you want to see our master, he is in the living room."

As for Count Rostov's characteristics, he has white hair, is fat, and looks old but kind.

"Hello, Ilya Andreevich."

Solovyov's uniform is easy to recognize, and it is rare to see a young officer with three medals in Ryazan Province.

He also has a medal from the Kingdom of Sardinia, which makes him easy to identify.

"You must be Misha, the son of Sergei Osipovich. I have never seen you, but I know you are a wonderful person when I see you."

"Am I famous in the province?"

"You are still very promising. You have become the leader at such a young age. I think you will have a bright future. But since we are here, we should just live happily and enjoy the party."

"Thank you, but I think..."

"Are you Mikhail Soloviev, who served as a page to the Emperor?"

As for the high-ranking official being here, in terms of status, among the nobles around him, only Count Rostov, as the leader of the nobles, does not need to salute him.

Solovyov had heard about the dismissal of this high-ranking official when he was with Tsar Paul. When he was the commander of the 19th Jaegers Regiment, he was inexplicably punished by the Tsar himself.

His tone didn't seem to be friendly to him, but the reason he didn't have any hostility was probably because he was once Alexander's aide-de-camp. If he wrote a petition with this identity, he could still get the senior officials in trouble.

After all, the relatively "poor" noble lords who hold local offices all aim to make money to some extent, and they have been performing traditional Russian dramas.

"Yes, your Excellency."

One only had to look at his epaulettes to know that the Russian rank system made it relatively easy to identify people, including those hapless minor civil servants.

However, Solovyov was classified according to the civil servant rank. He was not a ninth-class civil servant or a small civil servant, so he would not be scared. On the contrary, high-ranking officials would be more afraid of this young officer who came from the Tsar himself.

"Your family is in Lannenberg, but you often live in Petersburg."

"Yes, because of my employment, and because my father is engaged in business in Petersburg."

"Well, we've all heard about the Solovievs. They're reliable as housekeepers, but cunning as businessmen."

"It seems that everyone knows that our family is a 'profiteer'. This is not very funny, sir."

"Yes, you must have something to do when you return to Liangzan."

"We need to build a pen factory and a canning factory. The former is Count Bobulinsky's business, and my father is the manager. The canning factory is entirely for military supplies, and it is good here in Ryazan. We don't need to speak French like in St. Petersburg and Moscow."

"So, what are the main products of this munitions factory?"

"We can make food that can be stored for a long time, put it in glass or iron cans, and supply it to the front-line troops. In this way, we don't need the Austrians to provide us with supplies. We can carry a lot on our carts."

Speaking of which, the Russian army is still very impressed by Austria's usual behavior as a bad teammate.

"That's a good thing, but where should it be built?"

"I think Lannenberg would be a good place. It's easier to recruit people there, and it's close to the county seat."

"Well, that would indeed make management easier. You can find your own relatives and housekeepers and supervise them."

"That's a good thing, Dmitri Semyonovitch. We don't have to worry about the army's supplies. You know my son is going to the Hussars. It's always hard for soldiers to go out. No wonder some people envy the artillery."

The reason is that homemade food can be carried on the gun carriage.

"To the Hussars, your son?"

"Yes, my son Nikolai is going to the army. He is 19 years old, so he should be younger than you."

Come to think of it, they all match up, and it is indeed Count Rostov's family.

However, his children are not in the living room at the moment, and they are probably not the protagonists of this party.

More importantly, it was a place to entertain nobles, and local nobles came to Count Rostov's estate to socialize.

However, entertaining guests like this frequently would always lead to financial problems. However, the Earl was hospitable by nature and didn't care much about this aspect, so everyone could only let him do what he wanted.

This family is all good people, but they always like to do things according to their own interests, which is indeed quite troublesome.

(End of this chapter)