Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 397 Open Class at Imperial Village Preparatory School

Giving an open class was not a difficult task for Solovyov, except that there was no syllabus for him to give the lecture, so he could only express himself.

When Solovyov saw the list of students, he had an idea in his mind. These were basically children of noble families in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Moreover, the names of Pushkin and his cousin would always be impressive when read out.

As for what Solovyov was going to talk about, he himself hoped to have an inspiring course, so he chose Chinese history. However, the content he chose was not familiar to Russians. They had no concept of the Tang Dynasty, but they had a lot of concept of the Khitan.

The reason is simple: the Western Liao Dynasty had a very strong presence in Central Asia. It beat the Seljuk Turks to the point where they could not take care of themselves, and its reputation spread to Kievan Rus.

The content to be discussed in class will involve poetry to some extent.

Moreover, members of the royal family will be attending this class.

The Queen Mother seemed to be very concerned about finding "study companions" for Nicholas and Mikhail. Alexander and Constantine had no sons, and even Constantine's wife had returned to her parents' home. Under such circumstances, if the two older sons were not still young, the Queen Mother would have to consider the next stage of intervention.

Before Paul and Maria, the Romanov dynasty had only Tsar Alexei who had several sons who succeeded him one after another. The problem was even the same as Paul's at that time: Feodor was sick and had no children, Ivan had a low IQ and Peter was young. If Peter had not succeeded in the coup in the end, Russia might have been doomed long ago.

As for Ivan's family, they once relied on the support of the Moscow nobles to obtain the throne, but they simply did not have the ability to maintain their position, and eventually it disappeared.

Solovyov could probably guess what was going on, but Russia's 19th century history was almost blank to the Chinese.

Although we are neighboring countries, we are afraid that we can only know a few figures from completely different eras. However, there are many memorable figures in literature, painting, music and science.

After paying you so much, I'm afraid you don't even know what kind of person Muravyov is. You just hold on to 150 million all day long. You should at least know how you lost it and what the other side is like.

It is also a tragedy to be unfamiliar with neighbors and opponents and only know how to clamor.

Solovyov felt that now that he was here, he had to do some research, especially the strange network of relationships within the Russian court.

As for the class, Louisa was among the auditors, which was quite embarrassing.

However, Solovyov could also remember that Louisa had told him in the past that she wanted to run the Tsarskoye Selo High School and the Smolny Girls' School as the main sponsor or even the manager.

No wonder she came here and sat next to the Queen Mother.

The relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is not good, especially since the Queen Mother knows that the child Louisa is currently pregnant with is most likely not Alexander's.

But Queen Mother Maria had no way to restrain her now. Alexander had already said that if the child was a girl, it would be acceptable, but if it was a boy, he would be sent to a monastery on the White Sea.

As the "first lady", the Queen Mother could not interfere in too many affairs of the court. Although Alexander's power structure was relatively loose, the military, domestic affairs and foreign affairs were still firmly in his hands. It was only because the young tsar lacked courage that a deadlock was created.

Before the class started that day, Solovyov distributed the content needed for today's class to the children entering.

"Okay, gentlemen, what we are going to talk about today is Chinese history. In St. Petersburg, everyone knows that I have done some research on Oriental Studies, but I can only lead you to have a certain interest. To truly increase your knowledge, you need not only the teacher, but also your own efforts."

When Solovyov saw the little curly-haired boy who was daydreaming under his eyes, he knew that he was Pushkin, the future famous poet. As for the way he looked, he was a little reluctant to deal with him.

"Therefore, only if you are truly willing to learn and master various knowledge can you complete your studies, such as"

Pushkin was distracted and his eyes were already on Louisa.

He didn't know why, but he had a natural liking for the young queen, especially Louisa, who was currently pregnant. She was full of maternal aura.

But class is not the time to pursue maternal love. Solovyov heard that Pushkin was very attached to his mother since he was a child. Being distracted in class is not only because he lacks concentration, but also because
Therefore, he also needs to be reminded.

"Alexander Pushkin, where was I?"

"Mikhail Sergeyevich, you said that only by being truly willing to learn and acquire all kinds of knowledge can one become a useful person and serve the motherland, the emperor, and the Russian people."

"Still a bit clever Sasha, but I need to ask you a question."

"What do you want to ask?"

"Well, what is the structure of Chinese poetry? I think your literature teacher should have talked about this."

It may seem a little difficult for a 7-year-old child, but it depends on the location.

For example, among the thirty or so students in this class, the success rate of future talents is relatively high. There is an imperial chancellor, several generals and senior civil servants, many Decembrists and this great poet.

If Solovyov had not witnessed with his own eyes how Katya was strictly educated by a tutor when she was a child, and had not neglected any of these subjects, including French, music, dance and court etiquette from the age of six until she entered the palace; or if Elena, who married to Mecklenburg, had used her belly as a bookshelf when she was pregnant, he probably would not have prepared a curriculum for the Tsarskoye Selo Preparatory School that went beyond the average academic level.

At the same time, they would not push their children all day long, asking Nikolay and Mikhail to do homework in class every day, homework after school, weekend homework, and holiday homework.
But the Queen Mother was satisfied. This teacher was very responsible and his results were visibly good. She also required Nicholas to obtain approval before going to the training ground.

Normally, dealing with these children from the Imperial Village is not a problem.

But Pushkin
"Poetry in a fixed format like the sonnet is really meaningless and should be left in a free form."

"It's interesting. You didn't answer my question directly, but it's also an answer. It's just like this. Sasha, we don't learn Chinese here. This is just my personal hobby."

And real native language.
"Chinese poetry also has a relatively free form. For example, during the Tang Dynasty, before the Khitan, there was a great poet."

However, that person often gets drunk and does all kinds of abstract things.

"But we don't understand the Chinese language, and we can't understand this unique literature."

"If I have time, I will teach you, but don't misunderstand it. It's better to read the original article."

Therefore, when Solovyov translated the Analects, he was afraid that someone would misinterpret the meaning, so he never taught Chinese to anyone in Petersburg, let alone classical Chinese. Otherwise, with Nikolai's IQ, he might have turned it into something strange like "Lunyu".

He was also reluctant to teach 10-year-old Nicholas Chinese because of this concern.

"But you can't hold the key and not open the door for us, sir."

Fortunately, in this class, there is a lot of interactive content, mainly in the teaching model. While increasing the homework, it is also necessary to reflect the interaction and expand the thinking.

In this regard, Pushkin, who was distracted just now, although just a child and one of the younger ones among this group of students, is actually a suitable supporting actor.

"I'll teach you eventually, Sasha."

Then he continued to tell the children in the preparatory school some things related to ancient China.

Even professors in St. Petersburg and Moscow rarely hear such professional lectures, which are even more profound than the superficial content mentioned by Mr. Voltaire in "Essay on Customs".

At such times, in addition to the students present, royal members, parents of students and teachers from various colleges who are attending can also ask questions and engage in interactive learning.

Solovyov soon received a question from old Count Stroganov.

He lived in the court of Louis XVI for a long time and had a personal relationship with Mr. Voltaire, so of course he would have some interest.

"Misha, then this should be a new subject. We always have to fill it with content."

Considering that the old count himself was an amateur encyclopedist, it was not surprising that he was curious about what Solovyov had to say.

"Yes, I have made some reasonable inductions based on Mr. Voltaire's Essay on Customs and Manners and according to the existing historical narratives in China. This is true both in history and foreign literature. There may be more complex descriptions in the future."

"Like with Egypt?"

"As for Egyptology, we still don't know what those symbols mean. Perhaps the stone tablet taken away by the British and excavated by Bonaparte's French army can explain some of the content."

"If this undertaking can be accomplished, it will be a great contribution to civilization."

"We should build rather than destroy. We hope that the world will develop in a better direction and everyone should have the best future."

Of course, he couldn't say it too bluntly. But great nobles like the old count and Prince Yusupov could do whatever they wanted. If they wanted to liberate the serfs, their indentures would be cancelled. If they wanted to have fun in France, they could go abroad immediately without fear of offending anyone.

Although Solovyov himself is now a hereditary nobleman with a title, his family foundation is not good, and he has to rely on currying favor with others and marrying a good wife to maintain his status.

Therefore, we can only say so much, and if we want to change something in Russia, we need to make efforts on one hand, but we also face great resistance.

As for "the best future", if I write the lyrics, the future is indeed very uncertain, but I hope it won't be so cruel.

During the interaction, the progress of this open class was also very fast. Solovyov divided the students into four groups and gave each of them a topic for discussion and research. The main purpose was to inspire rather than instill knowledge.

As for the classroom effect, it is natural that it is a bit off. After all, the final result is inevitably to let go of oneself.

Especially with a lively guy like Pushkin, the child has been naughty since he was young and is also very smart.

I'm just a little impulsive. There's nothing I can do about it.
"Well, now that we have a general understanding of China, if you were in my shoes, which era would you choose?"

Solovyov hoped that the children would answer on their own initiative, but he also saw that Gorchakov, who was wearing small glasses, kept pulling Pushkin and preventing him from standing up to speak.

"Mr. Gorchakov, what are you doing?"

"Sasha has an idea, but I think it's still a little under-thought."

After he said this, Solovyov also noticed that this child was relatively stable.

"But we are in class today, so we can all speak out."

"I think that the Tang Dynasty founded by Li Shimin is a good place to go. It is not only like the Shangdu mentioned by Marco Polo, but even more beautiful. If possible, I hope so."

It is obvious that Pushkin has had a tendency towards romanticism since childhood. Solovyov finds this interesting and it will not be surprising no matter how he develops in the future.

As for poetry, it was clear that he had some ideas, and Gorchakov was not wrong that there were some immature and ill-considered aspects.

".That's how it is. In class today, we mainly use our individual talents."

The effect was quite good. At least after listening to it, the Empress Dowager had some ideas, which was to send Nicholas and Mikhail here when the Tsarskoye Selo Middle School officially opened in the future.

If the Empress Dowager had spoken in this regard, the resistance would have been much smaller. Nicholas and Mikhail were unable to enroll in the Tsarskoye Selo High School because of opposition from conservatives, and ultimately they were unsuccessful.

As for preparatory schools, they will exist side by side in the future, and many parts of the previously set teaching syllabuses will not be changed.

But he himself could not have imagined that his time dealing with these children had just begun.

Of course, respect is one thing, but homework and the "Ryazan Secret Scroll" will be enough to make these students suffer in the future.

Although Solovyov did not need to teach students at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum or the preparatory school regularly, he still had to complete the lessons for Nicholas and Mikhail regularly as required by Queen Mother Alexander and Maria when he had no official duties or combat missions.

This also makes Solovyov feel a lot of pressure, but his hair volume is enviable, you know, Alexander is now beginning to be bald.
(End of this chapter)