I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1376 The Two Countries Through a Marriage Alliance

Rochefoucauld slapped his forehead in frustration:

"God, why didn't you tell me sooner? I bought three of the most expensive seats from the 'queue party'..."

“It’s alright,” Porter pointed towards the square. “With so many people here today, it should be easy to resell.”

……

In a small tavern on the northern outskirts of St. Petersburg, Russia, Chadov, his skin cracked and dry, tightened his collar and looked at the young man in a tattered leather jacket at the door:
"Flonov, haven't they arrived yet?"

The cold wind outside howled sharply. The young man slammed the door shut and turned to say:

"Ah? What did you say?"

“Those noble gentlemen,” Chadov said, taking a sip of his drink and frowning, “won’t they be too afraid to come?”

With a crunching sound of footsteps on the snow, the tavern door was pushed open, and a tall young man in an old military uniform walked in, braving the biting cold wind.

As Fronov was about to close the door, he discovered that there were two other people following him.

"What are they doing?" He immediately reached for the axe behind the door, warily.

"Don't be nervous, this is my friend, he's absolutely reliable."

Chadov hesitated for a moment, then gestured, "Come in, all of you. But this is not what we agreed on, Lieutenant."

“I’m no longer a lieutenant.” The tall young man casually found a chair and sat down, glancing around at the other people in the room.

Chadoff pointed to the nearest brown-haired man:

"Dmitri Rogov held out on the Swiss defenses for two days and one night, but the Prussians did not come to their aid as promised."

His finger moved: "Kiril Tikhonov, he was scattered by cavalry in Karlsruhe."

"That's Peter Litkin over there, also a veteran of the Baden-War..."

The tall young man continued, "They all came back from France?"

“Yes, they were all abandoned by the Emperor’s generals.” Chadov gestured to the tall young man again. “Lieutenant Kishchenko. As far as I know, he didn’t escape, but was captured in hand-to-hand combat.”

“I told you, I’ve retired.” Kishchenko waved his hand, then lowered his voice and said, “Enough with the pleasantries, I want to see that thing.”

"of course."

After finishing his speech, Chadov started drinking and waited for more than ten minutes until someone came in to report that no one was following him. Only then did he turn around, move a few barrels of liquor, pry open the floor, take out a cloth bag, and throw it to Kishchenko.

The latter nervously opened the cloth bag and examined the documents inside one by one, his face growing paler and paler.

He was so shocked when he pulled out the tattered cloth at the bottom and saw the crooked, reddish-brown writing on it that he stood up.

The young man who came with him took the rag, frowned, and read aloud:
“Alexander shot me, I curse him. Paolo Pietro…”

The last word was incomplete, but it was clearly "Petrovich".

The young man stared intently at Chadov and said in a deep voice, "This is His Majesty Paul..."

“A replica.” Chadov took everything back and stuffed it into his cloth bag.

"I want to see the original!"

"No."

“Listen, we can work together.”

"..."

“I know your purpose, but believe me, without help, you won’t even be able to get into the Winter Palace.” Kishchenko pointed to the young man beside him. “He is a ‘novik,’ and his brother is a battalion commander in the Tsar’s Guard.”

"Novik" refers to young nobles who have already begun serving in the royal palace.

Chadov hesitated for a moment, then said, "I need to discuss this with 'that gentleman'."

……

On the square in Notre Dame Cathedral, Rochefoucauld and his entourage, despite being escorted by the Ministry of Military Affairs, were still jostled and pushed around. It took them more than 20 minutes to finally reach the area next to the red carpet.

The three boys made way for them, bowed, and left.

Bodeyer looked at the dense crowd behind him and said to Rochefoucauld:
"Your money was definitely well spent."

Yes, the "queue party" has been occupying positions here since early yesterday morning. The view is much better than the rest area of ​​the security agents on the outside, so one costs 40 francs.

The cheerful singing of young girls could be heard all around.

"If I'm going to marry, I'll marry a man like the Crown Prince..."

"He can defeat all enemy troops..."

"He taught the corrupt officials a harsh lesson..."

"He sent those damned tax farmers to the gallows..."

"Ah, but where in this world can you find a man like the Crown Prince..."

Xiao Meng looked at Rochefoucauld: "What are they singing?"

“It’s the latest trend,” the chubby boy shrugged. “Even my little niece can sing it.”

Yes, his niece just turned nine this year.

Xiao Meng peeked out again towards the end of the square and muttered:

"I originally thought the Russian princess would be returned."

Porter smiled and said:
"The Tsar will soon choose to cease hostilities and make peace. Britain is our greatest enemy."

Rochefoucauld added:
"You probably don't know this, but the Crown Princess has a very good reputation among the people."

The surrounding bands suddenly started playing even harder, and the crowd in the distance erupted in excited cheers.

Soon, a cardinal in a robe, carrying sacred objects, led a group of priests slowly past.

The crown prince appeared behind them, with a Russian princess in a magnificent gown holding his arm beside him.

The two looked like they had stepped out of a fairy tale, radiating a soft glow.

The crowds on both sides of the red carpet bowed in orderly fashion, their hands on their chests, as they followed their steps. The previous shouts and songs all disappeared at this moment, and the entire square was instantly filled with tranquility and solemnity.

……

On the outskirts of St. Petersburg, Chadov, pulling at his collar, followed the faintly visible footprints in the snow to a clump of bushes, then turned to Kishchenko and said:
"This is it, Lieutenant."

Before the latter could answer, they saw the door of the dark wooden cabin in front of them open.

"Why did you want to see that thing?" A middle-aged man with ordinary features and some Gaulish characteristics handed over a cup of hot berry tea.

“Thank you,” Kishchenko said, looking at the cup. “Are you familiar with the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen?”

"heard about it."

"We want to change Russia. To free serfs from beatings and exploitation, to allow citizens to speak freely, and to stop the nobility from being extravagant and corrupt."

The middle-aged man also picked up a cup of berry tea:

"That seems irrelevant to what you want to see."

“It’s related.” Kishchenko’s voice trembled slightly. “His Majesty Alexander does not want to bring about change.”

“We should let a sufficiently enlightened prince... become the Tsar.”

"How many of you are there?"

"I don't know, but many noble officers, especially the young ones, agree with our ideas. Especially with the successive defeats on the Dnieper River, people are becoming increasingly frustrated and desperate..."

　Thank you so much, esteemed patron Lin Jia Er Shi, for your generous donation of 10001 Qidian Coins to this book! I, a humble author, am utterly undeserving of such high praise! I will continue to update more chapters for you in the future! Your support is my motivation for writing, and I am deeply grateful. Love you, muah!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)