Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The trouble is, I still have to figure out how to explain it.

"Your Majesty, I have opposed this marriage before, and there are some other things. I think you should seek help from others."

At this moment, Alexander listened with the same look he gave Kutuzov when he was on the top of the Pratzen Heights.

"Well, since it is your decision, Your Majesty, I will go."

"That's right. You are already a lieutenant general. You should be decisive in doing things and not shirk everything."

This is said by Alexander himself, who is the biggest actor in Russia.

He was hesitant, whether to do it or not.
Solovyov could only think about it and complain in his heart, but there were some things he could not say out loud.

"Your Majesty, I have to go to Paris. Is there any conclusion on this matter from the court or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"

"It depends on the situation in Europe, Misha. You can go home and rest during this time, and spend time with your wife and lover. Come to think of it, I envy you. Your wife and lover have such a good relationship."

However, it was the same in his family, except that Louisa and the Polish girl would sometimes compete with each other for favor, and they both probably wanted to show off that their children were cuter.

Of course, Louisa has a slight advantage in numbers.

"Your Majesty, but I think at this time, although Katya can accept Madame Recamier, she is in Paris."

"You have had few romantic affairs, so don't be in a hurry to leave. I know that Louisa prefers educated young people. There are not many people who can chat with her for a long time. You were one of them, but you were always sent out."

However, this was strange to hear. Alexander did not suspect the affair between Solovyov and Louisa. Even if he knew about it, he would have forgotten it if it did not cause any serious consequences. After all, his best friend, the Polish prince and former foreign minister Czartoryski, had been working hard to overthrow Louisa before they got married, hoping to have a child with her.
Now he can only be Louisa's brother-in-law, which is quite funny to think about.

Solovyov's wife was introduced by Alexander and Louisa, and since he had always been Nikolai's teacher, everything was easy to deal with.

"Your Majesty, if you need anything, you can call me."

"Nothing. The children have grown up. If we still hire a tutor, I'm afraid there won't be enough space. I want to formally establish the Imperial Village Middle School based on the model of Louis the Great Middle School. Nicholas and Mikhail will go there, and I'm going to open a girls' school next to it."

In short, Alexander's speech was just a few suggestions on education. The Tsarskoye Selo High School was originally planned to offer the same subjects to aristocratic girls. This sounded a bit too progressive. Even the Smolny Girls' School was not the case.

"Girls are relatively more emotional and mature earlier. Mixed schools are also the way of the future. According to the current environment, it is more appropriate to separate them. Education is also a great cause, Your Majesty, but it will take time."

Hearing Solovyov say this, he didn't think it was interesting.

But there was one thing: apart from General Langsdorff, the guardian, Solovyov was the one who was mainly responsible for the curriculum of his two younger brothers. Whenever Nikolai and Mikhail went to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, his opinion had to be sought.

Seeing his attitude, Alexander was very clear.

"What about the matter of Tsarskoye Selo High School?"

"It is still very appropriate for the two princes to go there, if it is only in the palace. Your Majesty, as an attendant general, I must also point out that the flattery and adulation of some people are not suitable for children to grow up better. They always need companions of different status. In the palace, there can be children of servants, and in school, there are children of nobles and commoners. As for other places."

"Is it to understand the people's sentiments? He often did this when my father was still the crown prince."

"Your Majesty, this is the most important reason why the late emperor is always missed. Although he had a quick temper, he always cared about his subjects and was willing to interact with them."

Alexander was aware of this, but because he was always lazy, he always gave up halfway in understanding the people's sentiments.

As for Nikolai, he still had high hopes for him, so he was willing to let Solovyov take him to interact with people from all classes.

In the past, in order to correct Nikolai's excessive enthusiasm for military training, Solovyov actually took him to experience life.

"Okay. You can go back now."

Solovyov has ended today's summons and can finally go home from get off work. After all, there has been no specific work assigned to him recently.

As for the Imperial Village High School, according to the curriculum of the preparatory school, the school will also start on September 9st. Now is the second semester of the preparatory school, so there is no need for any upgrading process.

There were also opposing forces in the palace. There were always some strange people. According to the educational method of the Russian royal family, it was difficult to cultivate a qualified monarch. This was Solovyov's own evaluation.

At least Alexander had a few responsible teachers. But for Nicholas, if he were not the guest teacher now, his basic education might have been in vain. When he grows up, he might feel that the things he learned in his childhood will only make him accomplish nothing, and it will be too late to make up for it.

Well, this was Nicholas I’s idea after he became Tsar, and it’s a restoration of history.

Of course, Solovyov didn't have to think about all this now. He walked along the corridor of the Winter Palace and was about to go home when he saw Maria and Catherine coming together.

"Your Highnesses, it is such a coincidence that I meet you in the corridor today."

Although the words were a bit polite, it was not a big deal considering that these two had known me since childhood.

"Ah, Count, you are back from Sweden?"

"I always finish all the work, and His Majesty has now allowed me to go home and spend time with my family. I can relax a little in the next few months."

Maria just smiled and said, "That's very interesting, but..."

This girl, even after getting married, it’s hard to change her childhood personality.

"Just what?"

"My sister," Maria then hugged Ekaterina from behind and stuck her head out from behind her - the sisters were not short, and Maria couldn't hide behind her. She just made a face for Solovyov to see, "that Frenchman, your uncle, is not liked by many people here. He was our former enemy and he always proposes to Katish. What should we do?"

"I think the court and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will always make proper arrangements. Of course, His Majesty the Emperor of France and my aunt are the Queen, so this doesn't sound very appropriate."

After all, Josephine and Napoleon had not divorced yet. Letting Catherine marry him would not only do Solovyov no good, but might even do him some harm.

"Yes, Maria. Misha's stepmother is the cousin of the Queen of France, which makes her his aunt. Besides, what is that man like? I just think he must be a monster."

"Although I have expressed my opinion before Your Majesty," Solovyov's opinion was opposition, but it was ineffective, "but it also depends on the final decision between the bigwigs in Paris and St. Petersburg. Apart from this, although my uncle is a terrible opponent, compared with some British warmongers who provoke war, he is not a devil." In short, this was the first time Solovyov spoke from Napoleon's standpoint.

"You are relatives. If I go to Paris"

"That is naturally arranged, and you don't want to go, Your Highness."

"Let's not talk about that. We could go for a walk in the garden, but there's nothing interesting here."

Maria finally stepped forward to ease the embarrassment and grabbed Solovyov's hand.

She had a boyish personality when she was a child. When Solovyov met her, she pretended to be a lady. Now she is very proactive and is even actively creating some ambiguous plots.

After Maria gave birth to her second child, her figure became even better. In some places, her figure was comparable to that of the Queen of Prussia.

Fortunately, it's not big blonde waves with round buttocks, which could be said to be Make Saxony-Weimar Great Again.

She has always had a court hairstyle, but this way of doing it looks more subtle and can easily create a more subtle Shura scene.

He already owes a lot of debts, and Maria is always trying to create ambiguity like this, which may be more troublesome than sending Catherine to Paris.

But when they got to the garden, Maria's attitude changed and her face became serious.

Although her initial actions were obviously part of her daily skirting of the rules, considering her sister's happiness, she always had to find a reliable person to inquire.

Solovyov was, after all, a nominal relative of Napoleon, and he had met and been praised by the emperor. He had also been to Paris in the past, so he should be familiar with the situation.

Maria and Ekaterina were raised together since childhood, and they often ate, slept, played, studied, and even took a bath together, which made their relationship even deeper.

She didn't want anything bad to happen. In fact, if she hadn't arranged a marriage with Weimar early on, she might have been the unlucky one this time.

Maria's physical condition is definitely what Napoleon prefers.

And to be honest, if she hadn't later studied music and dance and restrained her personality, Maria would have been the most tomboyish of the grand duchesses in the Russian court.

“Okay, there are only three of us here, just like when Sister Elena called you to the studio when you were little, there’s no one else here, so we can sit down and have a good chat.”

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Speaking of which, recently it has become popular in Petersburg to drink natural mineral water with fruit juice."

Maria's words reminded Solovyov that the earliest carbonated drinks probably appeared during this period, and they were purely natural mixtures.

"So there are some in the palace too?"

"My royal brother likes novelties so much, so of course there are some in the palace. I can ask the maids to arrange them."

Catherine also brought a maid with her. After all, she was not married yet, so there was always some pomp and ceremony in the palace.

While the maid went to get drinks, the three of them also exchanged opinions on Napoleon.

"Let me be frank. My uncle the Emperor is too old. He should be about the same age as Prince Bagration, and a little shorter and fatter than me. He has a clear mind, quick reaction, and is quite cultured, but he is also very rude. It is sometimes difficult for a great man to change his bad habits. Sometimes, he is also a bit self-righteous in the Italian way."

“Why Italian?”

"Before 1768, Corsica belonged to the Republic of Genoa, and most of the indigenous people there were Italians. Even my uncle's surname was Italian."

"Your old lover, the Duchess of Guastalla, is also her sister."

Speaking of which, Maria was jealous of Polina and her housekeeper, who had gotten there first. The one in front of her was easier to deal with, Katya was the legal wife that her brother and sister-in-law had arranged for Solovyov, and Madame Recamier was a socialite who always had a good relationship with everyone, and Maria had a good impression of her.

Sylvia was okay, but Polina had a very bad reputation. Even Maria was angry that Solovyov had "degraded" himself and slept with this woman.

It can be seen from Solovyov's expression that he finds Maria's jealousy strange.

"Well, that's all in the past. Maria, you should also know that sometimes the development of things is unpredictable, although it sounds more like a philosophical topic."

Maria originally wanted to twist his arm, but when she thought about the injury Solovyov had suffered not long ago, she still felt a little distressed.

Her behavior was indeed becoming more and more bizarre. She had wanted to launch a surprise attack but had never succeeded, and she was busy taking care of the children, while Solovyov was often sent out on a daily basis.

When it is right in front of me, I always hold back and at most it only reaches the ambiguous stage. The only time I was close to succeeding, I let it go in the end.

Now, for the sake of my sister's happiness, I have come to find this person who is more familiar with the situation, and naturally I have to remain reserved.

But thinking that she would also be preparing to return to Weimar soon, she decided to take the opportunity to speed up the process.

But there was only one topic to talk about, and Solovyov then mentioned Napoleon's strengths and weaknesses to both of them.

And another thing is that he is always very proud when he goes out.

".In this case, I think your aunt has a hard time. Although her husband has a good relationship with her, he always looks for other women outside."

Maria gave Solovyov some face and didn't say that he was like this, which made her feel a little sorry for Katya.

"But in France, this is normal. My aunt is in contact with some big shots and young officers. What can I say?"

After listening to the introduction, Catherine felt that Napoleon was not as bad as advertised.

Solovyov did not realize that his serious and objective description of what kind of person Napoleon was, and even his objective criticism of him, had softened Catherine's attitude, who had always resisted marrying a Frenchman.

What is this? (End of this chapter)