Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The Guangdong officials present were also taken aback.

How come this foreigner speaks Mandarin so fluently?

Moreover, he had a standard Northern accent and was very courteous.

After reading it, Jiang Youxian began to introduce the officials of Guangdong, both high and low rank.

The leader was Dong Jiaozeng, the governor of Guangdong, who was the third-ranked scholar in the first class of the imperial examination in the fifty-second year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign.

Because Solovyov has a title and is a current Russian official, and the letter clearly states that he is courteous and proper in his conduct, and even treats people of his age with the respect due to a disciple.

After all, in terms of age, the governor and his father were about the same age, while the governor was a bit younger.

However, he will be fifteen years older than her, and that alone is definitely not a problem.

Jiang Youxian also had doubts, after all, he had revealed his identity and his title in Russia.

"Even if you have the order of the Russian king and the official title, why should you be so courteous?"

In truth, it was because he was too polite, which was a stark contrast to the British.

"I have come to this superior state as an envoy. Before my departure, His Majesty instructed me to follow the etiquette of this superior state. The Governor and the Governor-General are both senior to me, so it is only natural that I must pay my respects to them."

However, since they were all officials, the formalities of paying respects were unnecessary; one could tell from Solovyov's attire and the medals he wore.

This medallion "bulletproof vest" is quite unbearable in the middle of summer, but it can also display authority.

Jiang Youxian and Dong Jiaozeng were both discerning, and the other party's explanation was not wrong.

As for the reception, it was also held at the Governor-General's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi.

After all, they were foreigners. Although Emperor Jiaqing issued an edict to express his opinion, he could not allow them to have too much contact with the outside world.

If serious business needs to be discussed, it should be at the dinner table. Solovyov himself doesn't need a translator, but the other officials traveling with him do.

Fortunately, before Russia, they had been at the Kyakhta Port, where they had been in contact with Qing officials using a mixture of vernacular and official language, which the officials present could understand. Therefore, there was no need for a Cantonese interpreter.

This hot weather is indeed quite unbearable, but both sides need to be polite and respectful.

The officials in Guangdong, both high and low, were trying to maintain the dignity of the Celestial Empire, while Solovyov was worried that the other side would cause trouble.

However, these dishes still demonstrate the diversity of cuisine in Guangdong.

Solovyov spoke Mandarin so fluently that his green eyes and blond hair seemed particularly out of place.

Moreover, his fair complexion always made people wonder if he was wearing face powder, since it's common for Westerners to wear face powder.

However, Solovyov often takes out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, and since he is eating and drinking without any interruption, he doesn't need any makeup at all.

At this point, Jiang Youxian said, "Now I truly believe the saying 'He Lang with powdered face'."

Dong Jiaozeng, standing to the side, chimed in with a joke: "Governor, how do you know?"

"Looking at Suolang now, with his fair face and peach-like cheeks, if he were an English envoy, he would surely come with powder on his face."

“Your Excellency, the British do indeed like to use face powder, and they even specially imported it from France across the strait. For more than ten years, our monarch and the British monarch formed an alliance to attack France, thus severing the connection. Now that the war has just ended, they can naturally use face powder. As for me, this is a gift from my parents and God, and I don’t necessarily need to use face powder.”

"Yes, yes."

"Lord Governor, why not have a drink?"

Although Solovyov has a low alcohol tolerance, he can still handle such a small cup.

It's funny, even a little embarrassing, that Russians can't drink alcohol, but Solovyov always manages to keep up appearances.

With him offering a toast like that, Jiang Youxian had no choice but to follow suit.

"You're too polite, Solang."

In this sense, the reason he wasn't given an official title was because of his youth and "good looks," which added to his appeal.

However, Solovyov still had to be addressed with his official title.

"Everyone says that Shangbang is a land of etiquette, how could I not be polite? Ahahahahaha!"

He suddenly changed his voice and started imitating the tone of a young male lead in traditional opera, which surprised Dong Jiaozeng from Jiangsu.

Although the Anhui opera troupes had only recently arrived in Beijing and had just squeezed Qinqiang opera out of the mainstream market in the capital through competition.

However, Peking Opera had not yet taken shape, and although Kunqu Opera was somewhat declining at this time, it still had some audiences.

For example, that adult, he probably used to like this kind of thing.

His sudden change of tone was unexpected.

However, it was inevitable that some Guangdong officials would applaud, saying that the recitation was so standard that even officials who liked to vote privately at home, let alone foreigners, would not do it so well.

The Russian officials who came with him were also surprised by the Count's unexpected move.

However, these Qing Dynasty officials in Guangdong seemed somewhat intoxicated by it.

This is just the recitation; since it's at the governor's yamen, not a separate restaurant, no opera troupe was hired, and it's not the right time to hire one.

Furthermore, this type of opera is not compatible with the local Cantonese opera. Moreover, many local operas have also been influenced by relatively "mainstream" dramas.

"Soulang, shall we give it a try?"

The governor is also asking questions to see what's wrong with the other party—whether they've suddenly gone mad or something else entirely.

"This is still a government office, a place of great importance. That shout just now was quite inappropriate."

"It's alright. If another day comes, I would like to see Suolang audition."

The Russians didn't find it strange at all. After all, Solovyov's mentor, Marshal Suvorov, was an abstract figure throughout his life. People in the Russian court were bound to have some clownish mentality, such as Kutuzov.

Solovyov's use of the other party's traditional opera to bridge the gap was actually quite proper in the court, and it wasn't a big deal for the Russians.

After all, it's commendable to get things done.

No matter how capable you are, it's useless if you can't get things done.

Moreover, Solovyov also had this mindset, knowing exactly what it would be like to meet the emperor in Beijing and what it would be like to meet officials.

Moreover, composing poems was a common practice, but when Solovyov recited his poems, he always aimed for the five-character lines of Yuefu poetry. Although he was reciting ancient verses, it allowed the Qing officials to glimpse the original beauty of poetry before the Tang Dynasty. As for his practice of extracting and modifying lines from the Southern Dynasties Yuefu, many of these scholars, who had been educated in classical texts, did not notice it for a time.

Dong Jiaozeng, on the other hand, achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examination; he had noticed this.

"Could the song that Suo Lang is reciting be a midnight Wu song?"

How does the governor know this?

“I am from Jiangning Prefecture. Although I have studied the classics, I must also know how to write poetry. ‘The high hall has no walls, but invites the wind from all directions. It blows open the silk robes and makes me smile.’ These four lines are from the first song of the summer. Judging from Suo Lang’s age, he should already have a wife.”

"Yes, it was a marriage bestowed by His Majesty and his wife, and the bride is a daughter of a noble family in our country. However, due to established rules and prior negotiations, the bride is currently staying in Macau."

"Since you have come with your wife and children, why not bring them to Guangzhou to stay? You and your wife will surely find it hard to part. What does the Governor think?"

“What you say makes sense, elder brother. I also have the same idea. The emperor has also issued an edict, granting special permission for the Rakshasa envoy to come with his family. At this time, a gentleman should help others achieve their goals and enjoy the pleasures of human relationships.”

"Thank you both for your kindness."

When Solovyov bows, the Governor-General and the Governor return the bow.

Their politeness made officials of all ranks in Guangdong want to laugh.

It's like a scene from a crosstalk performance where a Japanese person bows and says, "Nice to meet you, nice to meet you."

There was no other way; Solovyov had already called the Qing Dynasty a "superior nation," and he was so polite and courteous, spoke so well, and was also handsome. Such a powdered young man, though a foreigner, was much more pleasing to the eye.

Unlike the British, who are completely impolite, even Staunton, who is sensible and knows how to get along with people, caused quite a few disputes when he last came to see the governor.

Fortunately, the governor instructed him to greet them according to British etiquette, thus preventing a diplomatic incident from occurring before the arrival of the Amherst mission.

As for the British merchants, although they had also heard some news, this time the reception by Qing officials was entirely a group of officials in the Governor-General's office, with no one from the Thirteen Factories participating.

Unbeknownst to them, Solovyov was inside, exchanging pleasantries with the governor, the provincial governor, and the provincial magistrate, and in the ensuing atmosphere, they even began reciting ancient poems.

The governor knew that no matter how learned this foreigner was, having read the books of sages, he was still a person from a foreign land, so he did not make things difficult for him by asking him to compose a poem right away.

This was changed to extracting lines from the story that evoked summer, which made things quite lively for a while.

Those Russian pretty boys can easily arrange things for their families, even bringing them from Macau to Guangzhou. Compared to that, the British are quite embarrassed.

Even Jiang Youxian, upon hearing that the Countess was pregnant, made a special trip to offer his congratulations.

Only after the banquet ended did people from the Thirteen Factories send the message to the British.

Even though nothing was agreed upon, the Russians' ability to ingratiate themselves with the British merchants was something they could only envy and be jealous of.

Moreover, among the envoys from various countries who came along was Marshal Ney, who held a higher position, and they were able to come to Guangzhou together.

Although it was due to the fact that the French Empress Dowager was the Tsar's most favored younger sister, it was also because of the fact that a French missionary named Namite was serving as an advisor to the Jiaqing Emperor at that time.

Jiang Youxian knew a bit about the situation in the capital. If his career had gone smoothly, he would have been able to hold the high positions of Governor-General of Sichuan and Governor-General of Zhili, and later go to Beijing to serve as Minister of Justice, and eventually enter the Grand Council. However, he was eventually sent to serve as Governor-General of Liangjiang because of Cao Zhenyong.

He was a capable official, and after receiving the Russian envoy, he and Dong Jiaozeng quickly submitted memorials to the Jiaqing Emperor.

The matter was made quite clearly. They didn't know what the British were doing in the capital, but the Russian envoys were quite obedient and eloquent. Jiaqing would be able to see how they behaved in his memorials.

While Qing Dynasty officials were enjoying their first meeting and drinks at a banquet, the Amherst mission was still en route south.

The Emperor was somewhat displeased, but he still issued an edict ordering the British to return via the canal, though he also maintained strict vigilance along the way.

As for the matter of the Russian envoy, it always takes time for things to go back and forth.

Even with an urgent 800-li delivery, the journey would take seven or eight days, including changes of horses and riders along the way.

In short, the Emperor will know within ten days.

Replying to the message, plus the need to discuss matters with the Grand Council, and then replying again, takes about twenty days in total.

This speed was considered quite fast for a feudal dynasty.

Now, Solovyov's plan is to bring his family members, as well as the Western delegation of "one emperor, two kings, and five dukes" who have been allowed to enter Guangzhou, to Guangzhou one after another.

Waiting for news in Guangzhou is definitely much more convenient than in Macau.

Besides, he was indeed worried about his wife's condition. At least it would be more convenient to get traditional Chinese medicine in Guangzhou. In fact, even in the Qing Dynasty, midwives still paid attention to disinfection and hygiene, which Solovyov knew.

However, he thought it was indeed too early to think about that.

After arriving in Tianjin, he might not be able to leave until the following spring due to the port being frozen.

His and Katya's sixth child will almost certainly be born in China.

However, there are some problems with these envoys.

Because Ney, according to the translation, held a prestigious title such as "Duke of the Moscow River, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Guard," and von Felsen was only a count, the Governor-General's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi, despite the "superior" status offered by Solovyov, did not show any disrespect.

While the Jiaqing Emperor was still annoyed by the Amherst affair, another urgent message arrived.

"Your Majesty, this is an urgent message from Guangzhou. It is a memorial from Jiang Youxian, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Dong Jiaozeng, the Governor of Guangdong."

"Bring it to me and see."

Emperor Jiaqing was still very concerned about the situation in foreign lands, although this information was always somewhat inaccurate.

The British have been at it for years, and have been "extremely rude," to the point that small-scale firefights have broken out between the two sides off the coast of Guangdong.

Thus, when they came to pay tribute, it was inevitable that some underhanded tactics would be employed behind the scenes.

It just so happened that Na Yancheng was dismissed from his post due to some incident, which ironically gave the British an easy opportunity to conduct arbitrary surveys.

The Russians, on the other hand, clearly had some advantages.

After all, during the previous rebellion in the capital, the Rakshasa spear "Weilie" was able to "strike in rapid succession, killing several bandits," and in recent years, Russian merchants have been very respectful when passing through Kyakhta, and have even sent envoys to offer tribute on several occasions.

Even so, this was considered a form of preferential treatment for them. This allowed them to bring their families and increase the size of their delegation.

After reading the memorial, Emperor Jiaqing did not rush to issue imperial approval or decrees to Jiang and Dong. Instead, he summoned all the people in the Grand Council to draft a plan before replying.

After all, quite a few people came to Russia to "send envoys to offer congratulations."

They came as a group, but not to scam anyone; that's something we need to discuss. (End of Chapter)