Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 482 059 Before the next stop, it’s time to make some preparations

The Swedish king's return of the medal was a serious diplomatic insult, so Alexander still had some resentment in his heart.

But when Badberg was summoned, the impact was taken into consideration and no discussion was held.

Moreover, Sweden's location is also stuck on the main route for Russia's foreign trade. Combined with the blockade of the British Royal Navy, Russia will be locked in the Baltic Sea in the north.

Therefore, at Tilsit, Napoleon and Alexander agreed to form an alliance. The official commercial flattery was a set of routines, and the Continental Blockade had to be implemented. Apart from this, there was the division of spheres of influence.

Sweden is located in Northern Europe, and the French army is unlikely to deploy troops in this direction. Their attention is mainly on Central Europe and the Strait. Spain has not yet encountered any serious problems.

The situation seemed very favorable to Napoleon. On the issue of Sweden, Napoleon even hinted that Alexander could do whatever he wanted with it.

As was his usual style, he would always find a place to sit down and negotiate with the Swedes first.

If the negotiations fail, the garrison in Vyborg will be mobilized to negotiate with Sweden.

If Gustav IV was a discerning man, he should not have provoked Alexander's sensitive nerves like this and returned the medal.

"This medal of the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle will be awarded to a man with military merit in the future as the highest reward. Solovyov, you have made great contributions in Poland this time. Are you interested in receiving it?"

"Your Majesty, according to convention, this medal is awarded to military officers with the rank of lieutenant general or above, senior nobles with the rank of third-class civil servant or above, and foreign monarchs. For my current rank, although there are rules left over from the time of Peter the Great, this fast-track promotion has never been implemented."

"Yes, being promoted too quickly will cause jealousy. This is in Russia. Maybe it won't be like this in France?"

"But the changes over there are too rapid, and from the perspective of the revolution, the ones who benefit the most are not the farmers, but the bankers in Paris. This is the worst situation."

"You know the French very well, and the French emperor has acknowledged you as his nephew. What are you going to do next?"

"Your Majesty, there are many things to do. I still owe the newspaper manuscripts and the steam locomotive for the Tsarskoye Selo Railway. I also think I need to take a leave to go to Moscow to get married."

"Don't worry. Katya is Lisa's maid and the youngest of the Queen's maids. You are still lucky. If you were not so promising and taught Nikolai, you would not have been able to marry Prince Krimsky's granddaughter."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

But when Solovyov saw Alexander like this, he didn't know what he was up to.

"Well, you can go and prepare for your wedding. I remember that a manor is still being built on the land given to you. I wonder how it is going now."

"Your Majesty, according to the report of the engineer I hired, Belzoni, it should be completed in the fall, but the style will be Rococo, like the small villa that Madame Pompadour once built. As for the surrounding swamps and woodlands, they should also be properly developed and can become a nice manor."

"You still have some leisure time, but why do you decorate it in this style?"

"Your Majesty, if you want to marry a wife, you must choose someone she likes more, and she is a little girl who has not grown up yet. This can also be considered a 'girly' style. I also asked my stepsister Adela to give her the pattern."

"That little maid you brought back from Paris?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Since she is your adopted sister, she should also have the status of a noble lady. Otherwise, when she gets married in the future, it may not even be considered a marriage between a noble and a commoner."

"Then I would like to thank His Majesty on behalf of Adela."

Although Alexander has various problems, his attitude towards his subordinates is okay. He is just too ambitious and has some unrealistic ideas like his father, but they are also exposed to the current facts.

Now, he no longer has those wild ideas and feels more normal.

"You deserve this for your outstanding service, go home."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Solovyov was finally able to temporarily leave his duty and bid farewell to this court life in St. Petersburg.

At the end of the summer, Queen Louise came to Petersburg with her daughters. Her fever had apparently subsided, and her visit was a routine one.

Considering that she has always lived a simple life and was invited by Elena and Maria, there was not much expense.

Moreover, the Queen's purpose was relatively clear. Solovyov's plan seemed to have been tacitly approved by Alexander, and Charlotte could come to the Winter Palace to meet Nicholas.

According to the school system, it is still summer vacation. Nicholas has his own troubles. During the vacation, he has some freedom, so he came to visit Solovyov's new home near Tsarskoye Selo.

"Your Highness Nicholas, you are the first visitor to visit here since it was built."

"Boss, don't be so polite. You are still my teacher."

This kid is very straightforward, and Solovyov also discovered that this kid has grown very fast and is now almost as tall as himself.

It is indeed a bit uncoordinated for a boy to be so tall and strong yet look so delicate. It even gives one the illusion that he is already an adult.

If it weren't for the fact that she hasn't even reached the voice change stage and still has a baby voice, it's hard to imagine.
"If you are willing to stay here for a while, I would welcome you very much, but I don't know if the Queen Mother would allow it."

"My mother thinks that I am an adult now and can visit my friends with a few followers. You are my teacher and my friend, so of course I am willing to come to you."

"Is there any other purpose?"

"Not yet, but the Queen of Prussia came with her daughters, and Sister Maria took me to meet them."

Hearing this, Solovyov understood what was going on. It seemed that the queen herself had taken action.

"How's Charlotte?"

"Are you talking about the Princess of Prussia? Her voice is a little hoarse and she looks like she has just recovered from a serious illness. But she is also very cute, like a doll."

Although Nicholas was precocious, he had not anticipated what his brother, sister, mother, and teacher were thinking. However, from the tone of his voice, it seemed that he had no aversion to Charlotte.

This was a good start, and Solovyov did not intend to ask too much about this issue. This would be the key point when the queen sent her daughters to visit the palace in the future.

Nicholas simply thought it was new and came to visit his teacher's home.

It can be said that it is a home visit in the opposite direction.

"The doll is Princess Charlotte. Maria likes her very much and often invites her to come over to play."

"My elder sisters got married when I was very young. The impression I have of them the most is..."

"What is it?" Although Nicholas wanted to use some not-so-nice words to describe his fourth sister, he still held it back.

You know, at home, besides their mother taking care of them, there are also their brother, sister-in-law and a sister like this.
The image of sister-in-law is still irreplaceable to him, but Ekaterina always gives people the feeling of a "deadly female devil".

But in front of the person she likes, she will become like a little bird.
I have to say, this change is really fast.

"I think it's better not to mention it. It's just that your place looks really beautiful. If my sisters see it, they will probably like it too. When they visited Lopushin's house before, they praised the decoration of the hostess's living room."

"I must have taken you there too."

"Yes, but that family doesn't have such a big study."

"There are a lot of materials I have collected here, which are still needed for translation and writing."

"Are there any military studies?"

"Kolya, didn't I tell you about your grades? Huh?"

"Yes, the Queen Mother was very dissatisfied with the final exam this semester."

"If I put you in the school in Tsarskoye Selo, it wouldn't be a good idea if I had a reference."

It was obvious that Solovyov didn't allow Nikolai to touch his bookshelf, as Nikolai's favorite books were military studies.

This kid, even though he tried to correct it himself, he couldn't completely get it right. Mikhail, on the other hand, really liked studying mathematics, after all, his military service was artillery.

After hearing these words, Nicholas naturally retreated.

"But coming to my place makes you feel at home. My chef cooks delicious dishes. What would you like to eat?"

In the end, we have to get back to the issue of eating.

Solovyov was also quite troubled by Nicholas' education. After all, he was the second in line to the throne and this aspect could not be neglected.

As for military books, because of a "correction agreement" with the Queen Mother, he would definitely not be allowed to read too many of them. Especially since his home was the place that Nicholas cared about the most. He had collected quite a few of them over the years, including military theories co-authored with Archduke Karl, and some memoranda left by Suvorov. It could be said that everything Nicholas wanted most was here.

But it is also troublesome for a master to control his heart.

"This soup tastes good, sir. Life is quite different in the barracks and at home."

"I can't go against my stomach. Since I'm at home, I have to eat good food. These fish are from Lake Ladoga, so they're very fresh. And the scenery is so beautiful. It's close to Lishcher Fort, but the swamps are not developed, so they don't look that noticeable. After a few years of transformation, this place should become a paradise."

"Boss, what do you think?"

"We will transform part of the land into farmland, plant some fruit trees on the edge, raise some livestock, and have a school for the serfs and a small fishing port on Lake Ladoga."

After listening to this, Nicholas was not very interested, but was more concerned about his teacher's married life.

It would cost a lot to carry out large-scale construction in this manor.

"Is that all?"

"What else should there be? You won't tell me, it's the parade ground?"

"That's it. You're a brilliant general, why don't you get one here?"

"Forget it, we are at home, not in the military camp, Nicholas. I have to deny your idea. But if we want to hunt, we can arrange a hunting ground and go hunting in the woods when it is suitable. We can go hunting deer. When the late emperor took us to the royal hunting ground to hunt, it was the deer that Count Palen and I hunted and roasted. You were still young at that time, so you probably don't remember it, right?"

Nicholas tilted his head and thought about it. He really had no memory. The impression his father left on him was probably that of a little old man in a black uniform. It was even less likely that he had any memory of the Guards officers going hunting and bringing back a deer.

"But I'm interested in going hunting with you."

"After Katya and I get married, the hunting ground will be ready next year. I can then bring you over to stay for a few days, but don't delay your studies."

When it came to homework, Nicholas shuddered involuntarily.

The boss, or Brother Mishka, is very nice to me and is never very strict in class. On the contrary, other teachers are strict.

But probably the scariest thing about him is that he leaves a lot of homework.

Even though summer homework was assigned, it was not as scary as the homework, especially math.

"Boss, it's homework."

"You still have to do your homework, unless I am no longer your teacher. Her Majesty the Queen Mother has never intended to relieve you of this position."

After hearing this, Nicholas could only shake his head, but living here he would not be able to hear the nagging of other teachers.

"I mean, math homework. Mikhail is younger than me, and he did the same questions as before, but I always..."

"Compared to Mikhail, you are the older brother, so naturally the test questions are more difficult."

But when Nikolay mentioned mathematics, Solovyov thought of a person.

Because the Duchy of Brunswick was destroyed one after another, the "Black Duke" went to England as the heir, and sent his wife to Sweden first, and then to St. Petersburg. His sons were sent to live with their aunts, and most of the staff in the court had to be dismissed.

In addition, the Kingdom of Westphalia was established, and Jerome Bonaparte came to Kassel to be king. After he arrived there, he not only established a hunting ground and hunted there from time to time, but also raised large cats in the zoo.

But in terms of academics, he was not like Napoleon. He was the only one in the family who was a complete playboy. He became king by relying on the merits of his brothers and even married a princess from a German state.

Therefore, he issued an order to the university professors in Westphalia, that is, all the professors on duty had to pay a sum of money before coming to work.

This is easier for others, at least they have some savings, or their sponsors have territories.

For Gauss, this was not a good thing. If he had to pay for work, he did not have much savings. Although his friends helped him with crowdfunding, he still had some financial difficulties.

At this time, it can be said that poaching is the most appropriate thing to do. St. Petersburg had already invited him, and even the Moscow Imperial University had offered him an offer for the position of head of the mathematics department and a double-paid professor.

This uncle is really awesome. He started doing things before the king even had time to sit down.

(End of this chapter)