Chapter 20 020 Solovyov and Dolokhov

Chapter 20 020 Solovyov and Dolokhov

Chapter 20 020 Solovyov and Dolokhov
In St. Petersburg, many dignitaries gathered on several islands in the city center, where they held salons and various balls, as well as other activities, such as in theaters.

Also because of the frequent contacts with the Saltykov family, Mrs. Le Brun always took her daughter Julie to the theater, and then some things happened.

Solovyov returned to St. Petersburg and first went home. Now it is almost time for him to present the design and the actual gun. Although he is now focusing on his career, he also has his own opinions about Julie.

In fact, they didn't talk much when they met. So far, the person Solovyov had met and talked with the most in St. Petersburg was the Countess who wanted to "hook men" at a young age. She also wrote to say that the material of the latest eyebrow pencil needed to be improved, and when he returned to St. Petersburg, she would come to No. 7 Million Street to "negotiate" in person.

Solovyov knew very well that these girls in St. Petersburg were not easy to deal with.

As for going for "negotiations", there is actually no need for that. According to information from various sources, there are quite a few dignitaries in St. Petersburg who plan to go to the south this winter. Some masters don't like places like St. Petersburg, where the climate is relatively good. If they were diplomats, they would prefer to go to Naples, Madrid and Lisbon, where there is relatively less business and the climate is very pleasant.

By the way, the Countess's father is the former ambassador to Naples, and her family also owns a lot of properties on the Italian peninsula.

The more important thing is to help Julie identify the middle-aged man she likes, who is the secretary of the director of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theater. Civil servants are always smooth-talking, and that's what they do. When the gentlemen are busy with official duties or have a lot of things to do, they like to let their secretaries write for them.

This was the case with a general from Corsica. What he wrote sometimes looked abstract, and the handwritten content was often difficult to read. In addition, his brain was always thinking about how to fight wars and divide maps. He would also need some other functions in the future. It was also difficult for an early General Bonaparte to pick up a woman. Now he was feeling proud of himself, as 1797 was the year he officially stepped onto the historical stage.

Since they are so busy, it is natural to increase the workload for secretaries. In this regard, whether it is official documents or love letters, they are experts, so it is not surprising that they have to polish an article.

Judging from the content of Julie's letter, this Italian could not be clearly identified, so Solovyov had to go to the Guards headquarters to find someone.

The guy who looked arrogant was Dolokhov from the Semenovsky Regiment of the Guards. Solovyov knew him because he sometimes hung out with the Guards. That group of people and that place were somewhat famous.

Dolokhov, on the other hand, looked up to Solovyov because he helped him to get out of trouble. It was not uncommon for these officers of the Guards to cause some minor trouble. At that time, Dolokhov was about to teach a policeman a lesson, but it was Solovyov who passed by who asked him to stop, so no trouble was caused.

But this guy is a thorn and a bastard, but when it comes to a real fight, he is a good man and a good friend, at least to those he recognizes as his friends.

"I say, Mishchenka, you don't look like one of us. You have a title, your family has a few small estates, and you are connected to Prince Dolgorukov's family. Why do you have to be like us?"

"If that's the case, there's also Count Tolstoy in this circle. Why is he with you guys?"

"No, you are very smart. We all know that you are clever and like to invent things. You are not destined to be an officer of the Guards. Just be an adjutant. Although this job is not good for a long time, you will have many opportunities to meet important people. You may be successful one day. Why do you have to do this kind of detective work just for a French girl?"

"That's not the case. I want to do some investigation out of my responsibility to my friend."

"But you came to me with two pistols. I see that you have considered it. Although you are young, you are thoughtful. Holding a gun," he then opened the holster and was amazed. "Ha, it is really a good thing, a little thing that can fire six shots."

Solovyov wanted to complain. They were obviously of similar age, Dolokhov was only in his early 20s, but the other person's tone of voice was strange.

Moreover, after placing the pair of pistols in his hands, he seemed reluctant to let go.

"Fedenka, that is to be presented to the Emperor. If you like this gun, I can ask a gunsmith to make another one."

"Ah, for the Emperor. You want to make known the accuracy of this new rifle, and to win the competition, you must have a target to shoot at. I suppose you want to provoke a duel, not just an investigation of the Italian."

At this moment, Venice has not yet completely died according to the treaty. Sometimes when St. Petersburg speaks, the news received is always delayed.

And Solovyov discovered that this bastard Dolokhov was indeed very knowledgeable about men's fights.

Did Solovyov have feelings for Julie? He thought not. The French girl was her mother's model. She had some talent for painting and was indeed pretty. However, she was not suitable for Solovyov from any angle. She grew up under her mother's doting and was always frivolous, willful, and a little self-indulgent.

Moreover, his father had just remarried, and although the family expenses were not a problem, they were still tight. It was still difficult for a family of a retired officer to take out 15000 rubles at a time. Moreover, old Solovyov was only a seventh-rank civil servant in Ryazan. His actual income from public office was quite different from that from his title and real estate. But it was true that in some years, he would be tight relying solely on the manor. You have to know that he supported his son's career, but he spent money like water.

Although in this day and age one can either get married early or delay it until the age Andre mentioned, it is not easy to find the right one at any time.

Julie and the Countess are good friends, but what kind of experience can these girls have when they play and joke with each other? Madame Lebrun's way of raising children is different from that of the general French third-class children. She herself was fostered in a farm family since she was a child. Her parents would give a sum of money to the fosterer, and then bring the child up to a certain age and return to the family. Sometimes this would lead to a lack of some emotional elements. The lady raised the child herself. Obviously, Julie did not have the experience of being near Paris when she was a child. Maybe it can be said that she is still a little naive!

Such girls are actually easy to deceive. This is what Solovyov is worried about. This is what was written in Julie's letter, which made him very worried. After all, Mrs. Lebrun still had some money in the business, and she was also familiar with the big shots in St. Petersburg. It was easiest to sell things to women. Julie told him about it, and if he was not aware of it, he naturally would not need to take the responsibility, but Julie treated him as a brother, so he could not just leave it alone.

Besides, the secretary was still an outsider in Petersburg. He was the secretary of the theater director. Solovyov was not afraid. After all, he had some connections. Just his father could get some lieutenant generals and admirals. Not to mention that his own superior, Prince Volkonsky, was also satisfied with him. The most powerful one was Count Bobulinsky.
When he thought of this, he was actually only thinking of some unfavorable situations. At this time, any action that was dissatisfied with one's reputation would involve the initiation of a duel. However, although the duels in Russia were closer in form to those elsewhere in Europe, the actual distances in fencing and shooting were closer. In the duel between Dantes and Pushkin, Pushkin was shot at the maximum range. However, generally speaking, the distance of a duel would be closer and the casualty rate would be higher.

On this issue, we have to say that this is too Russian. Both single fights and group fights are likely to cause more bloodshed, but duels are an imported product for Russia. If we go back in time, when the Gauls were still hunting wild boars in the woods, they had already started fighting with iron swords.

Dolokhov looked at Solovyov. As soon as the milk smell of this guy faded, he began to sell his duel plan. It sounded a bit "sinister", but considering the character of this young baron, his doubts were not unreasonable, so he had to persuade him. Although this guy is an arrogant bastard, he always persuades people before doing bad things. He looks like a good person.

"You should think carefully instead of acting rashly. We duel enthusiasts don't need you. You have brains and a decent family background. You are the adjutant of a recognized good general. That's not like us."

Dolokhov's family includes an old mother and a hunchbacked sister. He is a bastard in public but a filial son at home.

"But what do you think of my situation? If you ask me, Madame Le Brun often serves the Crown Princess and several Archduchesses, and is a famous court painter in Europe. I can represent her and initiate a duel for the honor of her daughter. You should also know the interests involved."

"Ah, the thing you gave me last time, when women saw it, they really couldn't let go of this 'little bee'."

Apparently, he also used it on his mistress, and it must have been well received.

As for "Little Bee", it refers to this brand. The content itself was designed by Solovyov. There is also a red bee on his shield. The brand of pencils and makeup pencils got its name from the hexagonal appearance design.

"As for Madame Le Brun, she is, as you can imagine, the 'artistic consultant' for our business."

"Well, that's right. You can consider it, if possible, first at the British Club. There are always many big shots there, and it's a good place to get information. It's also good if you can avoid provoking a duel. If you want to make such a thing happen, let the responsibility come from the other party, not you. In this way, in the duel, you have to consider who can take the initiative to seek reconciliation and hold the initiative in your own hands."

Although this guy is not very old, he is very good at finding jobs.

"Of course, if it is related to the female painter, Madame Le Brun, you should take into account the opinion of this lady. This is also about the reputation of her daughter."

There are ways. Solovyov thought of intercepting the letters. This is not surprising. After all, there is an old duke living near Smolensk who likes to check his daughter's letters. No matter what happens, it is not surprising.

As for this kind of proposal, it would lead to the parents' rejection and eventually someone would take their place in the duel. In fact, Madame Le Brun had only one daughter, her relatives were all in France, and her husband was not in his most successful period. If she really wanted to find someone to act as a proxy for the duel, she could only look for someone among the young people she met in St. Petersburg.

No matter how he looked at it, Solovyov realized that this matter would have something to do with him in the end.

"Then, that's how things should be done, but I think we still need some preparations."

"Can you shoot accurately with this gun?"

Dolokhov knew that Solovyov was a very cautious man, so he did not load the two pistols at all, and the magazines were empty.

"It's very accurate, and it has rifling. When I tested it in the countryside, I was able to accurately hit a human-shaped target at a duel distance of 20 steps. To be exact, I hit 6 out of 6 shots."

"I suppose it has to be pre-loaded with gunpowder?"

"It's to be loaded with gunpowder. I've considered using a copper shell before."

"Don't tell me that, Mishchenka. All I need is a good gun. I don't need to know the principle!"

This guy is like this, and Solovyov really wants to go and see what kind of person he is.

The theater performance will have to wait until a week later, but there are always some recent events that can be learned about and investigated.

As for what happened, it’s actually not surprising.

Dolokhov's last suggestion to Solovyov was to practice swordsmanship. Since he was confident in drawing a gun and shooting, he also had to consider possible situations. Would the two sides use cold weapons after the shooting rounds of the duel? As for reconciliation and mediation, that might be another matter.

Of course, Solovyov needed someone to help with the investigation, so Dolokhov took 500 rubles and helped him find a spy to investigate. They really found out the daily activities of Gatan Bertrand Nigris and what he was doing.

Before going out, Solovyov listened to a series of analyses by Dolokhov. The template he used was the Kurakin family in their circle. To be honest, it really fits Solovyov's stereotype. Moreover, Dolokhov personally participated in this routine ten years later.

Speaking of which, Julie and Natasha are a good pair of references, and Solovyov probably has a judgment on how the story will end. In short, it's about time the money is spent.

Since the other party's personal life is indeed not that good, this matter must be resolved in a British club.

(End of this chapter)