Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Solovyov was both curious and furious about Kakhovsky's actions, but of course, there was no way to study this kind of pathology from a psychological perspective at present.

All I can say is that some show-off megalomaniacs are bound to cause some trouble.

Solovyov had no intention of going to the Peter and Paul Fortress; there was no point in exploring it.

“Your Majesty, sometimes defining ‘madness’ may require looking at their behavior, but I am not an expert on this kind of mental matter. I can only say that some people’s ideas are incomprehensible.”

"If it were someone else, they would probably be very angry."

"It's pointless. As for Kakhovsky's case, we should check his service records in the Guards Jäger and the Cuirassier Regiment to see what he did. Some officers who truly made contributions in the war could be considered for leniency, but it's all up to Your Majesty to decide."

“Mikhail Sergeyevich, your nephew is among them.”

"Unless there is a substantive mutiny, according to our laws, those in secret groups will not be convicted of a crime higher than the fourth degree. However, these people should be dispersed and resettled; some should go to Siberia, some to the Americas, and some should go to Africa. Since they are so keen on liberating serfs and changing the system, let them see the current situation of Russian serfs."

"This will take time."

Nikolai also knew that Solovyov had been supporting the abolition of serfdom for quite some time. He had abolished the indenture on his own land and replaced it with a more lenient patronage system, where serfs could not be bought or sold and remained on his land.

To find work for these serfs, Solovyov also asked Count Stroganov's widow to help build a manor school and train them in skills. In addition, he bought a batch of wasteland and, based on his experience in Crimea and the high-latitude environment around St. Petersburg, sent the peasants under his protection to reclaim and cultivate the land there.

This has made Solovyov, who was financially well-off, feel a bit tight on money in the last two years, but he is still breaking even.

After all, initial investment requires money. While the extravagant lifestyles of the nobility boosted consumption, very little of that money was actually available for investment.

“Your Majesty, many of our nobles still maintain the old way of life. If it weren’t for exploiting serfs, they would have been living in poverty long ago. They don’t understand the plight of the people like the late Emperor did, nor do they know the suffering of the serfs.”

"You have something to say."

"Do you remember Goncharov?"

"You mean, my sister-in-law's maid? The one she married into?"

"Yes, we have a poor friend who has gone insane. Besides the injury from falling from his horse, his father also took back his power to run the family business. But that old dandy spends more than 300,000 francs a year on many meaningless things. Also, some of our nobles are addicted to gambling. Even if they spent all that money on actresses and mistresses, paying the bills for those glamorous women, it wouldn't be gone so quickly."

The matter was not fully explained, but Nikolai, with his tacit understanding with his teacher over the years, from when he was eight or nine years old until now, already knew what Solovyov meant.

"But what should we do?"

"They can maintain their luxurious lifestyle, but we should also follow the Emperor's wishes and invest our money in places where it can be more profitable. Also, we should maintain new labor relations on newly expanded lands and not continue to use serfdom."

"What is this going to do?"

"Is Prince Alexander Saltkov not here?"

“When you mention him, I’m reminded of a time when my brother was still alive, we had a debate about cutting sausages at the dinner table. You were in China then, not in St. Petersburg.”

"That's true. We're tackling these problems one step at a time. By the time some people realize what the problem is, we're already close to crossing that threshold."

"There is such a method, which is indeed unexpected."

"But it also requires your determination, Your Majesty."

Solovyov still had some hope for Nikolai. Russia did indeed need to go through a long process to complete the reforms. This was not something that could be accomplished overnight. Just resettling the serfs was a huge problem.

Once everything was arranged, Solovyov decided to return home.

Katya was also very anxious in the new official residence. Many noblewomen came to inquire about the situation, and there were still many gossips.

"Master, you're back."

"Yes."

"Will the master be able to stay at home a little longer this time?"

“Uncle, you don’t need to serve me. Just find a young servant. You’ve been with me since I was a lieutenant. Besides, at your age, you should rest properly. If you’re willing to work, you can go to the garden in the countryside and be a gardener. You can help out here by watching which guests come to the door and calling on the younger ones to do things. They all know you’ve been with me for a long time and won’t make things difficult for you.”

"Back then you were still the young master, but now that you've established your own household, you're naturally the master. Ah, this old man of mine has seen it all. After the madam entered the household, there were seven young masters and young ladies in total, plus the housekeeper and young lady."

"Alright, you can just hang your coat there. Are Katya and the others resting?"

"Madam is probably taking care of the child right now. Why don't you go upstairs and check on her?"

Although Solovyov had always wanted these elderly servants to retire to the countryside, he did not force them; they were already quite old, yet they were still serving others.

Although the Decembrists felt that having serfs wet dogs was oppressive, those who held the dogs could still consider it a job.

Seeing the surface and knowing there are systemic flaws doesn't solve the fundamental problem; it doesn't solve the problem at all.

Of course, Solovyov had no interest in what he saw as "the criminal record of Guards officer Gorbachevsky," those people were nothing more than clamoring for the overthrow of the Tsar, a constitutional monarchy, the abolition of serfdom, and even more radical ones who wanted a republic.

However, it must be considered that Russia needs the right environment to do this.

The fact that Russia has over 40 million people, including the nobility, has a low level of education and culture. They only talk a lot of nice things but don't have any real substance, which is a big problem.

Solovyov also saw a letter from Svetlana to Nikolai, in which her niece pleaded for leniency for Major General Fontijin's crimes.

This girl is my own daughter. I never taught her anything, yet she's very interested in Saint-Simonism.

It was her doing that made Prince William back down during the blind date.

She was also married, but she frequently visited Göttingen. If she weren't a member of the Russian royal family, a princess of Oldenburg, and currently pregnant, she probably would have wanted to become a professor in Göttingen. However, she was also interested in political science and economics. For some reason, Major General Fontyzin, although a member of the secret group, didn't participate much in the conspiracies; he was a thought prisoner with problematic ideology.

The niece asked her uncle for help; they had grown up together and were not even that far apart in age. Nikolai felt a little embarrassed.

However, Feng Weijin himself did not cause too much trouble. According to Svetlana, he could be placed under house arrest with special surveillance, so that his niece would not be able to say anything.

Solovyov was spared the trouble of getting people out of trouble himself, even though Nikolai could give him endless favors, it was often inconvenient for him to show up.

As for Katya, apart from the eldest son who was on duty at the palace, the rest of the children were all there.

"Dad, will Petya be alright?"

Lisa was very concerned about her fiancé; her cousin's affairs weren't that important to her.

"His Majesty probably won't send him to Siberia, but he'll most likely be demoted to private."

"That would be good, but Dad, if he's demoted to private, where will he go?"

"He will likely be sentenced to restore his officer and noble status only if he performs well. But it's too early to say that now, Lisa. If that's the case, the only way I can send him to the Danube Legion or the Caucasus Legion. If he performs well, he can have his status restored later."

"I was thinking of getting married in the spring, and then..."

"You won't end up like Octavia, will you?"

“I won’t be like my sister in France. Petya is very conservative, and I don’t think he would agree to it.”

Life and political views are two different things. Of course, Lisa is always cunning, and Solovyov knew what she meant by those words; she always wanted to tease her father.

"Alright, at this time, the engagement will remain unchanged, but the wedding date may be postponed. As for the visitation period at Peter and Paul Fortress, it will probably be after spring, before the lawsuit is filed, and these young people will be able to see their families. His Majesty is merciful, and it's not like Father can't do nothing; I just can't keep abusing the system."

Solovyov's idea was actually quite simple: after his daughter got married, his son-in-law would have to achieve military merit to regain his officer status. At that time, Private Konovnitsyn would be sent to a local post and make merit in frontline battles. In about two years, he would be able to regain his officer status.

The son-in-law he chose is certainly not a coward. As long as he regains his officer status, Solovyov has many ways to make him stand out. Moreover, lower-ranking Russian officers are often very honorable and will do a lot of things.

Solovyov sat there thinking about these things, hoping they wouldn't happen again, while watching Katya holding her youngest son.

Mihrima was lying in bed. This time, having given birth to a son, her recovery was slower, but the doctor said there was nothing seriously wrong. It was just that she had a difficult delivery, so the recovery time would be longer.

Moreover, the child didn't get the naming rights Solovyov originally planned. Not only was the fourth son's name changed from Sergei to Mikhail by the Tsar, the same name as him.

Even Mikhailovich's son, thanks to the care of Nikolai and his wife, unexpectedly became the godfather of a "legal illegitimate child"—a situation that was quite surprising.

"You look a little haggard."

"Master, it's alright."

“When the weather gets warmer, we can go somewhere warm. I’m not the governor of Crimea now, but I can still take you somewhere.”

"The doctor said I just need to rest. Master, you should be more concerned about the young master. He's caused trouble this time. Madam is worried, and Miss is worried too."

She knew her status and position in the family, and always acted this way. In fact, she was even higher than a concubine, because she could help with chores at home and cared about Lisa's fiancé. This earned her a lot of goodwill from the cunning Lisa.

"Yes, but those people in Peter and Paul Fortress aren't a good problem either. Many of them are about to get married or already have families, and some of them are actually people who can be saved."

Solovyov was thinking of those poor women who had gone to Siberia as wives, fiancées, and even girlfriends.

However, not everyone was swallowed up by the Siberian snowstorm. That's a romanticized view. In reality, many of them were like Pierre and Natasha in Tolstoy's drafts, returning to Europe during the amnesty, and some even continued to live for many years.

"Mishka, what do you mean?"

"The wives and girls are innocent, but some of them will surely abandon their noble status and their lives here to follow their husbands to exile. Therefore, I also have some thoughts."

Just as Solovyov was about to explain his plan, Katya spoke up.

Do you know Lieutenant Annankov?

"The Guards cavalry, that mother is very wealthy, she keeps a group of servants at home all day long. Even Duke Nicholas at home only has a band. That lady has poets, actresses and a band to accompany her, and she only has one son."

"You still remember this?"

"But I haven't met many of the young men in the Guards; I probably only know about their family situations."

"He was in love with a French woman who was two years older than him, but Napoleon was afraid of his mother's attitude and was engaged but had not yet married. Now she wanted to go to the Peter and Paul Fortress to visit her poor sweetheart."

Upon hearing this, Solovyov understood the situation.

My wife is not only overflowing with maternal love, but she is also very compassionate.

"A French girl, does she speak Russian?"

“Not at all. She came to me because of you, Mishka, who has always been respected by those rebels. Perhaps you can do something.”

But Katya clearly distinguished the nature of these people.

“If possible, bring her here. I would be willing to help her, and it's at your request. Although you're only talking about her situation, I think you also sympathize with her.”

Of course, Solovyov didn't know that the tailor Ulyanov's grandson had been expelled from school and initially could hardly find a job. It was only when Annenkov and the French woman's son, Vladimir, was serving as the legal director in Samara that Vladimir took pity on him and made him a defense lawyer in the local court, even promoting him from a trainee lawyer to a full-fledged lawyer.

Apart from Zaza and his descendants, it's fair to say they're all in the industry. (End of Chapter)