Chapter 5 005 Solovyov Arrives in Petersburg

Chapter 5 005 Solovyov Arrives in Petersburg

Chapter 5 005 Solovyov Arrives in Petersburg

When spring came, letters from St. Petersburg to the main regions of Russia began to arrive, inviting some famous Russian figures to participate in court social activities. Prince Dmitri Volkonsky received an invitation letter sent by a messenger from the headquarters of the Kaluga Grenadiers to his wife's estate.

"Rather, this is the emperor's edict. Misha, how was your harvest this winter?"

"It's all right, sir, but you don't have enough books here."

"So you want to be a bookworm? At your age, it's time for you to do that, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

But according to Prince Volkonsky's description, it seemed that "spring is here, everything is reviving, and it is the mating season for animals", especially since Solovyov still had the title of baron and was the eldest son in the family, he should always consider this aspect. In the winter, the Duke also wrote a letter to Sergei Osipovich in the countryside of Ryazan to learn about the baron's family situation. The baron is now a widower. His wife died a few years ago and he has only a son and a daughter. However, he has been arranging to remarry recently. It is said that the woman is a young French woman, but the lady's name was not mentioned in the letter.

"Your father is really brave to marry a French woman at this time!"

"Sir, I cannot interfere with what my father does. He is free to do what he wants. And, as you know, sir, he has a good relationship with the people in the Navy Department. I heard that this lady was rescued from the Barbary pirates when the Black Sea Fleet was cruising in the Mediterranean. However, considering the current tense relationship between France and our country, Admiral Ushakov brought all the rescued women to Kherson."

"There is nothing wrong with this, but your father."

"He is just like that. I have no choice. I can be an officer. It is much better than waiting at home to inherit his estate and wait for death."

Prince Dmitri Volkonsky was very satisfied with the adjutant's answer. Those dissolute young men who just wanted to inherit the family property after getting a title would eventually spend all their estates and inheritances. Of course, there were also bad examples. Prince Bagration was a gambler when he was not fighting, and even his master, Marshal Suvorov, could only smile helplessly when he mentioned this.

The second lieutenant could be promoted to lieutenant this year, that is, in 1797, and his annual salary would also be increased accordingly, but he only had two sets of uniforms. When the Solovyov family did smuggling business for Prince Menshikov, Peter the Great had discovered hundreds of thousands of rubles in embezzlement and other illegal income. There was also some undiscovered and some rewards, and there was always a considerable amount. Solovyov was one of the heirs to the family fortune, so he would not be so "shabby" anyway.

"Misha, you must change into new clothes when you get to Petersburg. You can wear your duty uniform at General Grushetsky's, but in Petersburg you must dress your grenadier uniform in a more refined way, even if you are a small grenadier officer."

"Sir, that's because the grenadiers are so tall. They are stronger than bears."

Well, Solovyov was of normal height at that time, but still a little shorter than the grenadiers. Besides, his father was going to remarry, and the other party didn't seem to be much older than him. It was always awkward for them to be together. Fortunately, old Sergei was going to take Mikhail's stepmother to Moscow a few months ago. If that were the case, the scene might have been even more awkward. At that time, Solovyov couldn't even speak French well, so he would definitely suffer in his interactions with the upper class.

"That's all right, Misha. When we get to Petersburg, I'll find a tailor for you. You're such a fool. As a commander, it doesn't matter if you spend some money on your adjutant. Don't always be like a squirrel and hide your nuts!"

Duke Volkonsky was naturally more generous. He did not have to worry about saving a dowry for his daughter. He had been married to the Duchess for many years but had no children. Although he had plenty of money, he could only let his nephew inherit the family business in the future.

This made him quite envious of the fact that the Solovyov family had many brothers and sisters. If the baron's original wife had not died of puerperal fever when giving birth to Solovyov's sister Yulia, Sergei Solovyov's brothers would probably have several sons each. It's just that Mikhail is older, and the others are not yet of military age.

As for making a beautiful set of clothes for grenadier officers, it is better to find a tailor in St. Petersburg than in Kaluga. Naturally, the craftsmanship is better and the tailors are more trustworthy than those hired. After all, the people served in St. Petersburg are all big shots.

On the way to St. Petersburg by carriage, Solovyov also saw the estate of Marshal Suvorov near Novgorod. Prince Dmitri Volkonsky originally wanted to visit the marshal, but there were Russian soldiers guarding the main intersections to check documents. The marshal was free in his estate, but people entering and leaving were restricted and checked. Emperor Paul was obviously resentful of the old marshal's ridicule of his "Prussian Drill Code", but seemed to be taking some measures. After all, this was the most outstanding general he could use at present, and he could not completely exclude the old man. Otherwise, he would have been demoted like some of the empress's favorites when she was alive, and even deprived of the right to wear military uniforms and their annual salary.

"It's a pity that Alexander Vasilyevich is in this situation now. His son is in Petersburg, and his daughter is married to the brother of the Empress's favorite minister. If he says something unfavorable to the Emperor's military reforms at this time, he will definitely be in trouble."

"Sir, then he would be an 'empty nester'."

“Empty nesters?”

Solovyov's original words were "nid vide, vieil homme", a combination of words, which means empty nest and elderly people, but after some explanation, it still makes sense.

"Your Highness, it's probably just an old man whose home is empty and whose children are not around."

"It's really interesting, Misha. If you were in Petersburg, don't always use some 'creative' words. Your French is improving very quickly. Otherwise, if an adjutant arrives in Petersburg and can only communicate in German, he will be a 'horseman'."

Prince Volkonsky was relatively tolerant of his adjutants. If you were an adjutant to Marshal Kamensky, you would inevitably be whipped, which was the most difficult adjutant position in Russia. If you were with Emperor Paul, at least he would reward you with a gold coin or something if he saw that you were hardworking in training and service. For Marshal Kamensky and his eldest son, the whip was the theme. The prospect of a "horseman" in Petersburg was not optimistic. Grenadiers were a high-risk profession. Whether they were soldiers or officers, those who could survive on the battlefield under the hail of bullets were warriors, but it was impossible to be lucky every time.

How Oudinot, who seemed to be a "bullet catcher", could have died of old age in his bed is another question.

Even being an adjutant in the Grenadiers was not an easy job. Who knew when bullets and shells would suddenly fly over? On the battlefield today, bullets were still blind and had some random movements. It was even worse than 100 years later. After all, at that time, as long as you didn't expose yourself outside the trenches, you would not be in any danger unless a shell fell.

Even the commanders of regiments, half-brigades, brigades and divisions are not so safe on the battlefield. Sometimes when a shell comes, they will smash you into a meat paste regardless of whether you are a master or a private. It is common for them to be at a loss.

"I understand, and I need to learn more skills, Your Excellency."

"Yes, the Emperor's order has come down, and I will live in Petersburg for a while, maybe a few years. Although you, the adjutant, are in the regiment, you have to follow me to Petersburg, which is also a good thing."

Russia's situation is different from the countries that are fighting against the French alliance. Even recently, they have not fought large-scale wars with several neighboring countries, the Ottoman Empire and Persia. They are in a temporary peace stage. Russian nobles still speak French and taste fine wine in the salons of the upper class as in the past. As for food, there is definitely no British food (but British-style gentlemen's clubs in various places are an exception). Considering that there are many Nordic and German people in the Russian army, it is not surprising that there are sausages, beer, pork knuckles and sauerkraut.
"Misha, why do you like to make fun of those German officers so much? Remember to be respectful in public. Besides, the emperor is still severely punishing those who make irresponsible remarks about his military reforms. Even the Marshal, as a senior commander, can't avoid it. You, a second lieutenant, should not say too much."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

But Solovyov's idea was different from what Prince Volkonsky had expected. If he knew what this boy was planning, he would not be surprised, because there was a one-eyed old man in St. Petersburg who also planned to do the same.

After arriving in St. Petersburg, Duke Volkonsky went to his residence, which was not far from the place where his nephew served and was also very close to Tsarskoye Selo. As for Solovyov, he actually had a residence in St. Petersburg. The owner with a smashed head also had this in his memory. When Prince Menshikov was still in power, their family had their own mansion in St. Petersburg, but it was not large and had a long history. At No. 4, Laundry Lane, when Peter the Great began to build a new capital here, these old houses were among the first batch of "apartments". From the outside, they looked like they had been renovated.

The servants in the mansion did not expect that a young master from Liangzan's family would come, but they still managed everything well, because the master made it very clear that he had remarried a French wife, and the family had some savings, so they had to make it look nice and not lose face in public. After all, the cousin of the new lady also married a nobleman in France, so they really couldn't lose face.

"So, that's it, Master."

"It costs a lot. What is my father going to do?"

Solovyov could clearly feel that this was much more than what old Sergei had spent when he sought an adjutant position, or when he was a local governor or a member of parliament. Even if he married a countess or even a duchess for the first time, he would not have to spend this much. It even included furniture purchased from Britain and Spain, which had never experienced war.
If this continues, not to mention that the current property is worth hundreds of thousands of rubles, there is also an annual income of 5 rubles and various annual salaries, as well as a considerable fortune from time to time. It seems that life is not bad. When this master goes to the land of lush grass and water, he will probably owe a sum of money. If this is still the original Solovyov, he will directly inherit the debt, which will be a big trouble.

The two dukes would not know about his family affairs. The Volkonsky family, which had been passed down from the time of Rurik, had relatively abundant assets and close ties between its branches, so helping to pay off a small debt was not a problem. However, the Solovyov family was a new elite brought up when Menshikov was in power, and their titles could be easily lost when they were strictly examined. As for if the emperor was in a bad mood, he would directly demote them or put them in prison, which would be a big trouble.

Even so, Admiral Duke Nikolai Volkonsky was still impressed by his grandfather, the "master of fraud". The correct term should be "prosecutor", but in the judicial process, there are many people who have been prosecuted and imprisoned and fined. If someone wants to make money, it is not difficult. What's more, this has been going on in Russia since the ancient times of the Golden Horde. However, given the old duke's eating habits, he still has to be decent and will not squeeze people out of their homes like some nouveau riche and tax farmers, so the duke's family has a good reputation.

There was even a portrait hanging in Sergei Solovyov's reception room to thank the old duke for taking care of the Solovyov family. When Solovyov saw it, he could only say that he was deeply impressed.

"The faces of this duke are really easy to identify, they all have thick eyebrows."

"Yes, Master, many people in the Volkonsky family have thick eyebrows like this."

From a feeling perspective, it's a sense of déjà vu of "your noble lord", and this family is indeed closer to the servants and serfs in the manor than other nobles, but it's not like Tolstoy later. This is just a kind-hearted nobleman, not studying this topic.

"Well, since the decoration of the house is all new, Uncle Fyodor, you still have to clean it up. As for me."

"The master has also ordered that the rooms of the young master and the young lady should be replaced with new ones."

"Change to the cake-like bedding and pillows? Just prepare them for Yulia. I only need a camp bed in my room. Also, here are 100 rubles. I know you can't read, uncle. Go buy me the things on this list. It should be about 95 rubles plus some kopecks in change. You can keep the change for yourself. Your son can't be without money if he wants to get married."

"Thank you, Master. Even though you joined the army, you haven't changed at all. You have a good heart and are very accurate in your calculations."

So my temperament is similar to that unlucky guy who was hit by a brick, or maybe a flowerpot, right?

(End of this chapter)