Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Solovyov knew that if he acted quickly enough, he could still make it to Christmas according to the Russian calendar. In fact, it was already 1826, but it would be more than ten days later.

Therefore, if you cease hostilities at the front, you might still get shot before the Russian holidays.

But the matter at hand is urgent and cannot be delayed.

The question of how to deal with the people involved in the Southern Association is also a problem, because his ruthless methods caused the Southern Association to be dismantled before it even had a chance to demonstrate its abstract capabilities.

"Sir, when we arrive at the Imperial Village, shall we rest for a while?"

"If it gets too late, we can stay there overnight and go see the Emperor tomorrow."

Solovyov knew that Nicholas was now the Tsar, and the old teacher-student relationship still existed, but because the student had become the Tsar, there would be some distance between them because of this relationship.

The worst part is that many young people in his circle were caught up in this incident, including his prospective son-in-law, nephew, friends, and buddies who had been through thick and thin with him.

Even his adjutant was implicated. He had just joined the Southern Association and couldn't even participate in the conspiracy. He was simply being processed according to the review process. At most, he would be transferred away from his side to serve in a regular legion.

Solovyov has difficulty falling asleep while riding a horse, but he can easily fall asleep in a carriage.

It wasn't until the carriage reached Royal Village that someone opened the window.

"My lord, His Majesty has sent Prince Mikhail here. We will be in the Imperial Village today."

"Alright then, it probably wouldn't be good to see the Emperor looking so tired."

Solovyov decided to stay in the staff dormitory of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, which is also part of the main palace, but now, due to the martial law in St. Petersburg, the teachers and students of the school have been sent home to avoid anything happening.

Mikhail also looked somewhat tired, and his adjutant behind him even seemed a little nervous.

“Mikhail Sergeyevich, I will see my brother again tomorrow, but there are some things I must tell you now.”

"Has someone committed an unforgivable crime? And they happen to be noblemen, many of them young guards officers. They used to just talk the talk, but now they've taken up arms, shouting slogans, deceiving the soldiers, saying they're going to do something noble, but in the end they're doing something stupid. If change were really that easy, I wouldn't still be in Crimea, not having finished reforming serfdom."

"That's right, and many people are involved. We can apply for some people not to be prosecuted, but only to be monitored. Your nephew and future son-in-law are involved, and Your Majesty still intends to pardon them."

“But they’re doing something dangerous. Petya’s father is a decorated general, but both he and his brothers are involved. I only have my nephew on my side, but their actions are very dangerous. Here are some documents from the Southern Association; just look at the beginning to see what they’re up to. They may also have some communication with Trubetskoy. I warned these young men when I last went back to St. Petersburg.”

"You also had contact with them?"

"The same applies to His Majesty."

Also present was Count Bobulinsky, whose youngest son, Vasily, was not involved in the events at Senate Square because he was accompanying his ailing wife to a sanatorium.

But he was the Tsar's cousin, and all three of Nicholas's trusted generals who were recalled were involved in this matter, with Solovyov being the one most implicated.

Paskovic's relative who served in the cavalry was also a member of the association, as was the Grand Marshal's grandson, though they were not involved when the incident broke out.

"That's really true."

“What I’m worried about is that this kind of pointless thing will happen again in Russia. The current situation is bad, but it’s not as bad as they claim. Many of us are working hard to improve the lives of serfs, but to overturn the table and start over is a different kind of construction difficulty.”

Solovyov was well aware that the actions of a group of young nobles in 1825 were nothing short of reckless chaos.

Even Mikhail could see that Solovyov seemed to disagree when he said that Nikolai intended to pardon several related relatives.

This isn't like him, but it's something he's capable of doing.

Solovyov always valued order and the law. Although he had dueled with people when he was young, only seven people died, six of whom were killed in Paris, where dueling was semi-legal.

All of these occurred in his youth, and Solovyov's first duel was so long ago, before Mikhail was born, that he only heard about it later when his sisters were gossiping.

Therefore, it is not surprising that he now advocates the rule of law.

"What you said makes sense, but it's something we should also consider."

"What's there to consider? After all, they launched a coup d'état, attempting to change the country's system, and it was a failed coup. Whether to pardon them is the Emperor's business. My task is to carry out the Emperor's decree upon my return. Of course, if any suggestions are needed during the trial, I will naturally offer them."

After he finished speaking, Solovyov wanted to rest. He had run all the way from the Black Sea coast and was very tired.

As for Mikhail, he had to return to the Winter Palace that evening.

In just over ten days, Nikolai had seen the police minister's report, which revealed that more than two hundred people in St. Petersburg had surrendered, been arrested, or were under investigation.

He looked on with a headache, like an unlucky guy who had just become chairman of the board and found that his employees were going to quit en masse and even dismantle the company.

“Mishka, you’re back. What did the ‘boss’ say?”

Mikhail remained silent. Nikolai glanced at him and smiled helplessly.

"It's just the two of us brothers, just like in the past, when we kept secrets in the garden with Sister Anya."

“Brother, Mikhail Sergeyevich believes that the law should be followed, and he will offer his opinion when needed.”

"Unexpected, but not surprising; he would do that."

Solovyov could be unpredictable at times. Nikolai was getting a headache just looking at the list; it included his own confidants and their relatives. Even Alexander Suvorov, a distant cousin, had given him pause. In short, he needed to pardon some people. For example, Colonel Ilya Dolgorukov, Mikhail's adjutant, was also a member of the Northern Association, but because he hadn't participated in the operation, Nikolai pardoned him out of respect for his brother.

But many people were still under investigation or detained at this time, and the Peter and Paul Fortress was already too small.

"If we were to pardon these people, I'm afraid they wouldn't be willing, after all, they were so tough when they punished officials in Crimea."

"Brother, how about we go easy on him?"

“That’s one way. He can’t really say anything. After all, the ‘boss’ is our teacher, so we have to save face for him.”

However, while others might be spared punishment to save face, he would only be lenient with them, and might even speak up if he mistook someone for someone else.

The next day, Solovyov arrived at the Winter Palace. Nikolai spent the day in his office in the Small Winter Palace, not arranging anything else, but simply waiting for Solovyov's arrival.

"Your Majesty, Prince Solovyov has arrived."

In the past, the two were teacher and student, and even when Solovyov was in the court, he and Katya were more like Nikolai's brother and sister-in-law.

The main reason was that Constantine moved to the Marble Palace, Nicholas was usually with the Queen Mother, and Alexander could not visit often. Louise's health was poor, and even when she recovered somewhat, she was taking care of the children. Later, her health deteriorated again, and her nieces became closer to him.

Solovyov acted like both a teacher and an older brother, taking care of his homework, his life, and guiding him to avoid detours.

Considering Paulo's kindness to Solovyov, such a devoted way of repaying him would not be surprising if he were prime minister, earning him the title of "Prime Minister's Father".

However, we should always be more distant in how we address each other from now on.

Even the affectionate terms used in the past should now be put away, and the use of the father's title should be used to show respect, so as not to feel too distant.

“Mikhail Sergeyevich, it’s great to see you back.”

“Your Majesty, I have entrusted the matter in Crimea to Admiral Greg. The investigation has also been arranged. This is the current situation of the Southern Association. If we hadn’t taken action after capturing Pestor, I’m afraid some of their legions in the south would have caused some trouble.”

"These people all deserve to die."

“Plotting to eliminate the royal family is indeed a capital offense, but it was an attempted crime. Legally speaking, such a crime should be punished with life imprisonment, and the final sentence should be determined according to the severity of their crimes.”

"Including Sergei Volkonsky, he actually joined in too?"

“I only placed him under house arrest and surveillance, but did not arrest him. After all, his status was special. His sister used to be a lady-in-waiting to the Empress, and we also had to take into account his relationship with Prince Peter Volkonsky.”

"Also, he married Maria, the daughter of General Raevsky."

And what Nikolai didn't mention was that Raevsky's son, Nikolai, was also a member of this group, though not as deeply involved.

Solovyov, while in Crimea, also dealt with face-to-face matters. He recounted his meetings with Trubetskoy and Sergei Volkonsky, during which he cautiously criticized their "national salvation" actions and suggested that reforms should be made.

“You advised them that the Emperor’s spies kept a record of that time at the salon, so you did the right thing.”

"The conspiracy group has grown to the point where it has exceeded the way Freemasons used to operate. At the time, no one could have imagined that a coup would happen later."

"According to the report, you also managed to transfer some of the core members of the 'Northern Association' to the Americas, but they still took action. Reliev probably still has some business dealings with you, after all, he is a major shareholder of the Russian-American Company, as is your father."

“But my father retired, and those shares were distributed to my three brothers and me. Based on the current confessions, his crimes are already very serious.”

Reliev's men could be said to have coerced the original Northern Association, and made things spiral out of control. Miloradovich was shot in the back, which was done by Kakhovsky, who was also brought in by Reliev.

In addition, Ryliev also dragged Speransky's former assistant, Battenkov, into the mess. Although Battenkov was an officer in the engineering corps, he had some political talent and had performed well in drafting documents and supervising their implementation.

However, Nikolai still trusted Speransky and entrusted him with the case.

Reliev's actions have undoubtedly involved many people, including a large number of young nobles in the Northern Association, many of whom are princes and counts. Many of the young officers in the Imperial Guard also come from such privileged backgrounds.

What do you think should be done?

"It will still be a trial, of course, and I must remind you that Paul Petrovich always liked to confront each person one by one, which is how the snake eventually escaped. If you do it this way, these people may not be that cunning, but the interrogation will inevitably be too exhausting."

"That's alright. I need to understand their situation, and some of them have a good attitude in admitting their guilt, especially those officers who surrendered. Although I would sentence them to death politically, many of them will eventually be pardoned. Only those who are unforgivable will be executed, which is something we must oppose."

At this point, only Reliev and Kakhovsky are involved. The others in the south, such as Pestor, Sergei Muravyov-Astol, and Bestuzhev-Lyumin, are under the control of Solovyov and Raevsky, so they are not necessarily going to be hanged. Their convictions would be more complicated and troublesome.

Nikolai also indicated that he could pardon some people, and Solovyov echoed his sentiments.

"Your Majesty, do you intend to pardon them?"

"Exempting someone from the death penalty is also a form of mercy, but where should they be exiled, and where should they settle after their exile period ends?"

“Your Majesty, I think the Americas are more suitable. Siberia is not only cruel, but some of the people there are also truly talented. We should protect them.”

"To America?"

“Your Majesty, you should know that we need people in the Roseburg colony and some new territories, whether it is to replenish the population by exiling convicts there, or to have some administrative talent, or experienced officers.”

Solovyov has always been focused on the Americas, and another reason is that he intends to completely reshuffle the Russian-American companies. (End of Chapter)