Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Now, Napoleon was sitting in his office in the Tuileries Palace.

"The decorations here have been altered; it seems Louis XVIII didn't like it. Corrancourt, don't you think?"

“Your Majesty, I think what we should be paying attention to now is France’s diplomatic relations, not the decorations in your office.”

“This must have cost a lot of money. Louis XVIII isn’t like me; he doesn’t always haggle. Come on, tell me what’s new.”

"It is quite obvious, Your Majesty. The British still consider you an enemy, and in Vienna they have declared you persona non grata. It is likely that another anti-French alliance will be formed, just like in the past."

"But their army cannot be mobilized in time. The Russian army is still in Poland. I know they are doing this because they want to control Poland, and there are also Prussia's demands on Saxony. This is very unfair to the King of Saxony. Europe has never seen a situation where several countries decide at the same time the demise of a kingdom. Even in the Netherlands, in the past, it was just the expulsion of the Prince of Orange."

"Your Majesty, what do you mean?"

Corancourt saw it, and Napoleon put the map on the table again, knowing what he was thinking.

"Do you mean to exploit the contradictions among the allied nations?"

"That's it. To find their weaknesses, we must at least let Russia know that the British are preparing to deal with them. This is a letter from Talleyrand to Louis XVIII, and it says it very clearly. This Talleyrand, he betrays everyone, so openly sending the letter back must have his purpose. I know him too well; he's always used these kinds of methods in the past."

"Then, Your Majesty, what should we do?"

"Kolangu, write a letter to the Tsar in your name."

"Please tell me, Your Majesty. What should be done?"

“We must tell Alexander that the British are planning against him. We need to organize an alliance against Russia, at least with Britain, Austria, and Bourbon France, to get his attention. Also, we should mention that I would like to send a special envoy to meet with him in secret, but the wording should be vague.”

"The Tsar may not do as you say, Your Majesty."

"First, we need to arouse his suspicion and sow discord. Right now, only Prussia is probably on Russia's side. If he doesn't believe us, or if he doesn't reply in the meantime, we'll hand him the letters from Talleyrand and Louis XVIII, as well as the information on the British organization of an anti-Russian alliance. Let the Tsar himself decide which side is more advantageous to him. As long as the Tsar himself is slow to act, we won't even need him to remain neutral, and that will be considered the upper hand for us."

Napoleon thought a lot, and he certainly had the ability to do these things.

In addition, he instructed his secretary to write letters to his relatives according to his wishes.

Even Solovyov had a letter. Octavia was Solovyov's most beloved daughter to date. Not only did she inherit the best features of both him and Silvia, but she also possessed the demeanor of an outstanding noblewoman.

They were a little too love-struck, and when both of them sensed danger, they made a mistake that many young people make.

Napoleon didn't intend to mess with Solovyov's mindset, but after seeing it, Solovyov was somewhat unable to hold back.

“Octavia, why is she in such a hurry? As her father, I'm supposed to give her my blessings at the wedding. Marriage is something a young woman needs to consider.”

As he said this, Katya sat to the side, stroking her belly.

"That's great, you're going to be a grandfather soon. But I also know about Octavia's situation. Marrying Prince Leclerc is a good match; they've been together since they were little."

This kind of childhood sweetheart relationship, which can last a lifetime, and is even a simplified version of the prince and princess storyline, would be very interesting even for a real princess like Katya from a special prince's family.

There's a sense of mystery, and also the romantic feeling that princesses of their caliber crave.

Another point is that Demid was good-looking and didn't have all the flaws of the Bonaparte family, except that he was a bit tall and thin.

“You’re right, Katya. And when fleeing from Elba, it should have been an instinct, an instinct to leave offspring.”

"But what about you?"

"I like you, and I like children. And Lisa isn't afraid of me anymore; she's my good girl, though she's a bit too cunning. Such a smart girl."

"That's your child too. You're a very smart person. Isn't it good to be like you?"

Solovyov, persuaded by Katya, did not break down.

As for Mihrima, she slept behind Katya, still in the posture of a servant.

Sometimes Solovyov felt that his wife and housekeeper had a good relationship and that she would probably leave him out of the picture.

This is the feeling of wings being tied in a knot.

However, Mihrima is a good girl.

She rubbed her eyes and got up, saw the couple talking, and then went back to dozing off.

"She's been like this ever since she got pregnant. I envy her; she sleeps so well."

“What I’m worried about is that when the child is born, I’ll be leading troops again and won’t be by your side. And do you know? The Emperor has received a letter from St. Petersburg saying that the Chinese Emperor has agreed to send a ‘tribute’ mission. It’s just that the details are still being discussed. Women are not allowed to bring their families there, but I think this is an experience that will probably be rare in a lifetime. So I want to take you with me.”

"The children are too young and they will get sick on the ship. How will you get them out then?"

“It’s fine to take the older children, like Pasha and Lisa. I’m worried about the rest of the children; the journey from Siberia by land is very difficult.”

"You're overthinking things. But right now, do you know how uncomfortable it is for the baby to be moving around in my belly?"

"How come Rima is alright?"

"If she had a child, it would probably be as well-behaved as her. But you, our child is always a bit naughty, just like your mischievous ideas."

"Probably so."

Solovyov had to coax her, but in reality, it was just Katya being coquettish.

She is in good health now, and the conditions in Vienna are even better than in St. Petersburg.

After the doctors here accepted Solovyov's theory, they were obviously much more open-minded and quickly adjusted some of their practices.

Solovyov also didn't want them to touch his wife's buttocks with hands that had just dissected a corpse.

As for the Tsar, he also received the letter.

He plans to refrain from doing anything for the time being and instead mobilize the army.

20 Russian troops were about to leave Poland and enter the territory of the then still undefined German Confederation.

But marching is also a big problem, especially if we pass through Saxony.

If Solovyov's plan to exploit anti-Prussian sentiment in Saxony is ruined by the large-scale passage of Russian troops, it would be a case of his plan backfiring.

But the Russian army insisted on passing through here, which caused a lot of trouble.

But things still had to be done, so Alexander wrote to Barclay, urging him to prepare for war.

The Tsar himself did not attend today's negotiations; he chose to remain at the embassy. He also knew that Solovyov hadn't gone out either, spending time with his wife.

It is a time of peace now, he has made great contributions, and his predictions about the situation in France were very accurate.

But that's about all we can predict. The future course of history, even if there are some overlaps, will be vastly different.

Even on the battlefield, Solovyov earned his living through his own abilities.

Even now, Arakcheyev often praises him in front of the Tsar, and he would still praise him even though he was the brother-in-law of Speransky, the count's political enemy.

Although Solovyov liked to make sarcastic remarks, he only did so openly with Balasov; otherwise, he was rarely seen behaving unfriendly towards his colleagues.

Even the petty-minded count couldn't find anything wrong with him.

"Count, is that really how you see it?"

The Tsar himself heard him recommend Solovyov, calling him a "great expert," a term he had previously heard from Marshal Kamensky.

If Solovyov hadn't actually stopped Napoleon, and hadn't been young enough, the Tsar would have doubted Count Arakcheyev's assessment.

However, the Tsar affirmed his loyalty.

After all, no one else is like him, who is clearly a petty person, but still strongly recommends others to the Tsar because he admires their talent and character.

The Tsar was practically tired of hearing about Speransky.

“I truly, from the bottom of my heart, believe that His Majesty should appoint Count Solovyov as Commander-in-Chief, or at least Commander of the First Army. He has proven that he can hold off Napoleon at Reims, a feat accomplished by no one except Commander-in-Chief Kutuzov. He is like Marshal Suvorov.”

"I didn't hear him say anything strange, but he was massaging his wife's feet every day."

"I think the Grand Marshal, at his age, probably wouldn't say so many strange things. Misha has the talent to be the Commander-in-Chief, and I think Your Majesty would agree."

"But we still need him here, so the military matters can be put on hold for now."

Alexander left out one more thing: Solovyov had several experiences of temporarily taking over the army, so it wouldn't matter if he went to the army before the war.

Many things are happening exactly as Solovyov predicted, almost like a web.

However, even Alexander himself was somewhat undecided about the final goal; he had not yet made up his mind.

For the Tsar, his current weakness is probably his sister's future.

Should Catherine stay in Paris, Rome, or be brought back to St. Petersburg?
And what exactly were Napoleon's ambitions, and in what direction would they ultimately develop?

Everything is uncertain now, not to mention that he left Solovyov here to be his assistant trader.

"For now, Barclay should remain Commander-in-Chief; he deserves it. As for Solovyov, we can send him when the war breaks out; there's plenty of time."

Alexander made this assertion, and Arakcheyev said nothing more.

As for what happened next, he didn't go to Neserrodie; Russia and Austria were negotiating the Polish issue that day.

The final results will likely be announced in a few days.

"Bonaparte, Bonaparte, what are you up to now?"

Alexander finally produced Corancourt's letter, and he knew what it implied.

At this critical juncture, he decided to call Solovyov in to see what he thought.

After all, Solovyov was probably the only one here who accurately grasped Bonaparte's psychology.

After all, his aunt was Napoleon's ex-wife, although the relationship can be traced back to his stepmother.

Solovyov was still snuggling with Katya, and the children were all in bed, surrounding their mother.

If this family were to freeze time here, it would look like a very happy and heartwarming scene.

The composition is a bit odd, though.
"Count, the Emperor summons you."

"At this time?"

"Yes, it must be a diplomatic matter. You should also be careful. The Emperor seems to be worried about the French issue. He keeps mentioning Bonaparte."

Solovyov wanted to complain that his aunt was much more shrewish; she missed her uncle Napoleon so much, yet she never said a word about it.

The Tsar's situation, however, seems rather absurd, considering the British cartoons that depicted Franco-Russian relations in the past.

"Your Majesty, you have summoned me?"

"Take a look at this, Mr. Kolangu's letter. It says very clearly that there is an alliance against Russia, and it may even lead to war."

"Although Mr. Collangu is exaggerating, this must be Napoleon's intention. Moreover, he must have some evidence."

Upon hearing this, Alexander, being a clever man, quickly realized what was going on.

"You mean"

"I think it was in Paris, at the Tuileries Palace or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that Napoleon found something. Although Louis XVIII had successfully restored the monarchy, his position was not so stable. At this point, someone must have left themselves an escape route."

Then neither of them said anything, and they both revealed sly smiles.

They all knew that Mr. Talleyrand had received 50 francs and couldn't just sit idly by.

Especially the checks from Recamer Bank, although the bank's poor business led to difficulties in cashing them for a period of time.

However, considering that Mr. Lafayette and Mr. Gaudin were holding the shares on behalf of the bank, and that the bank was still a member of the Bank of France, but the lady did not understand banking, it was entrusted to others to manage the shares.

The repayment is still quite robust, especially given that Rekamil Bank is currently able to resume operations in Russia and the Americas.

"This is Talleyrand, Your Majesty."

"Yes, he does things very discreetly sometimes. If we don't keep an eye on him, we won't be able to notice some of his little tricks."

"But what about Paris, Your Majesty? We must think about what to do before the army sets out."

Solovyov raised the issue in order to carry out the grand plan he had previously devised when bribing Talleyrand.

The Bourbon dynasty could not be restored in France, but the rule of Paris must be arbitrated by Russia. (End of Chapter)