I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1179 What are you doing here?

Zubov's hand on his sword trembled slightly, whether from the cold night wind or from excessive nervousness, it was hard to tell.

He hesitated for a moment, but was immediately shoved by General Bennigson, whose breath reeked of alcohol: "What are you hesitating about? We all need you, come on!"

Zubov gritted his teeth and, emboldened by the alcohol, strode toward the palace.

His two brothers and more than 20 officers followed immediately.

None of these men were wearing the Prussian pointed hat prescribed by Paul I. Their sideburns and long Prussian braids had also been shaved off. If it were daytime, they would have been immediately arrested by the "Chivalry Censor."

But they didn't care at all, because they were determined to end this absurdity.

Skaliakin looked around cautiously, muttering to himself, "Won't we run into Arakcheev's men?"

Count Arakcheyev was the commander of the Imperial Guard Cavalry Regiment and was extremely loyal to Paul I. His troops were responsible for the outer defense of the Gatchina Palace.

Duke Ashvili slurred, “No… don’t worry. Count Palen has already… suspended him, hiccup—temporarily, on the grounds of colluding with the ‘Austrian revolutionaries’.”

"Or... it was an order personally signed by Paul, haha, that idiot."

General Bennigsen gestured around: "The Guards Cavalry Regiment is now under the command of Vorobyov, who will ensure the safety of this road."

Sure enough, they did not encounter any patrolling soldiers until they arrived at the side gate of the Gatchina Palace.

Several guards on the fortress-like walls noticed them and shouted, "Halt! This is a restricted area!"

After receiving a warning from his daughter about the assassination attempt, King Paul I did indeed strengthen security measures at the palace—hundreds of guards patrolled the palace and its surroundings at all times. Especially at night, no one was allowed to enter or leave the palace without his signed order.

A voice came from behind the guards: "His Majesty summoned them; these are their passes."

The guards turned around and saw the Tsar's chief entourage, Argamakov, waving a piece of paper in front of them. It had a long list of names, including Count Zubov and General Bennigsen.

The pass was obviously fake, but no one dared to question the Tsar's chief entourage.

The heavy gates slowly opened, and Zubov and about 20 others immediately filed in. Led by Argamakov, they quickly crossed the palace square and the platform used for daily inspections, and entered the Gatchina Palace.

However, to avoid attracting attention, these people did not light any lamps along the way, and since they had drunk quite a bit of alcohol before coming, nearly half of them had already lost their way.

Argamakov stepped forward and knocked on the door of the front hall of the Tsar's residence: "It's me, open the door quickly."

"General Argamakov?" came the guard's voice from inside the door. "As you know, according to regulations, no one is allowed to come in at this time."

"There is urgent military information!"

"But it's so late..."

“Fools, it’s already six in the morning!” Algamakov knew these guards couldn’t afford pocket watches.

Just as the guards began to hesitate, a deep voice came from beside Argamakov: "What are you trying to do? It's only three in the morning."

Zubov and the others were startled and turned to see Count Boblinsky leading seven or eight servants, striding towards them.

After learning of Zubov and his associates' unusual activities, Count Bobrinsky frequently stayed overnight at the Gatchina Palace. King Paul I, who was on good terms with him, naturally wouldn't send him away.

"Yes, something has happened to the Indian Expeditionary Force, I must report it immediately!" General Bennigson said urgently.

Count Bobulinsky sized them up, then suddenly took a few steps back: "You have violated the rules of knightly attire. Guards!" Zubov and Duke Yashvili immediately drew their pistols. Count Bobulinsky's servants also drew their guns.

General Bennigson was sweating profusely. He knew very well that if he could not get into the Tsar’s room immediately, the palace guards would surround him in ten minutes at most.

"Yevgeny, Bashilavinov, open the door immediately!" Argamakov shouted towards the door.

Count Bobulinsky immediately shouted, "Anyone who dares to open the door will be hanged!"

In a suite on the south side of the Gatchina Palace, Alexander Pavlovich, dressed in a neat military uniform—not the Prussian style, but the uniform of the Ye II era—stared intently at the dark night outside the window.

Ten minutes earlier, his attendant had reported to him that Zubov and his men had entered the palace.

They should have seen His Majesty the Emperor by now. He silently prayed, "Forgive me, but you have made far too many mistakes; from nobles to serfs, everyone opposes you. I must do this."

The door was pushed open, and his attendant Baklev almost ran in, whispering, "Your Highness, they have been stopped."

"What?!" Alexander turned around abruptly. "What happened?"

"It's Count Boblinsky, blocking His Majesty's room door."

"That damned bastard!"

Alexander growled, but quickly regained his composure, slung the pistol from the table behind his waist, and beckoned to the dozen or so guards standing outside the door: "Come in, all of you."

Soon, guards dressed in the same old-fashioned Russian military uniforms and carrying weapons stood ramrod straight in front of the crown prince.

Alexander proclaimed, "Now, we must save the future of the Empire! And you will gain unparalleled honor!"

"Who wants to come with me?"

The two captains immediately drew their swords and raised them high: "We will follow you at all times, even if it costs us our lives!"

The other guards also shouted, "We'll give our lives for you!"

Yes, more than a month ago, Alexander had secretly replaced his guards with his most trusted confidants. And among the Royal Guards near the Tsar's room, eleven were his men.

From the very beginning, he did not rely entirely on Count Palen and his men.

He even scoffed at Palen and Zubov's methods. When his grandmother staged the coup, she only had a group of captains by her side, while Palen and his men won over a large number of high-ranking imperial officials, but in the end, they had to solve the problem by brute force.

Ultimately, all they had to deal with was the Tsar; a group of young soldiers would suffice. Even generals and counts might not be able to defeat them.

Alexander pointed to the second floor, suppressing his excitement, and said, "Let's go and make His Majesty the Emperor abdicate!"

"Hurrah—"

When Alexander arrived at the Tsar's room, Count Bobulinsky's servants, with the help of seven or eight guards, had already pinned Zubov and the others to the ground.

Alexander sneered at these useless people and gestured to the captain behind him: "Make your move."

With flashes of swords, several Royal Guard soldiers instantly fell into pools of blood.

Count Boblinsky looked at the Crown Prince in shock: "Your Highness, what are you doing here?"

(End of this chapter)