Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

It will take some time before the good news arrives from Tbilisi.

At this moment in Moscow, the focus is still on Nicholas's coronation.

However, before that, Empress Maria visited her eldest daughter-in-law, and what they talked about is unknown. After Louisa arrived in Moscow, she lived in the mansion of Prince Yusupov in Sparrow Hills.

Speaking of which, that place used to be Katya's grandfather's favorite official residence. It was in a prime location in Moscow, and the Yusupov family bought it for a huge sum of money because of that.

Louisa now lives here because the Kremlin's owner has become her husband's brother. Nikolai takes good care of his sister-in-law, keeping her in Yusupov's mansion in Moscow, and when they return to St. Petersburg, he leaves her the Tafrid Palace, where Prince Potemkin was used to living, as well as the English Garden in Peterhof Palace.

Although she is now a widow, and her two youngest daughters are getting married this year, she may live alone for a long time under the care of her maids. Also, because of her health, her life is coming to an end. But Nicholas has no intention of mistreating her.

She didn't want any pomp and circumstance, and even hoped to live in seclusion in the Summer Palace villa, which Nikolai agreed to.

Louisa also requested that her diary be kept by Mr. Karamzin, that the precious books in her library belong to her fourth daughter Svetlana, that the rest be left to her youngest daughter, and that the letters be kept separately.

Of course, Solovyov didn't need to worry about these things. When he visited Louisa at Sparrow Hills, their correspondence never touched on anything related to love.

“You look good, Mishka.”

"There are still trains from St. Petersburg to Moscow, which is naturally much more convenient. But Your Highness,..."

"There are no outsiders here, wouldn't it be better to address each other like we used to in the palace?"

Solovyov could only shake his head after hearing this.

“No, Your Highness. There are some wonderful memories, but also some hardships. It has been almost thirty years since I went from being a junior officer in Moscow to St. Petersburg. I have experienced a lot in that time. Serving you and being with Your Highnesses were both joyful experiences.”

Solovyov always added a bunch of strange information to confuse people when he spoke. Louisa also knew that Alexander wouldn't care what someone did with his wife, as long as it wasn't a sensational scandal.

But if Nicholas were to have any issues with his teacher or sister-in-law, the Tsar and Tsarina would probably make a big fuss about it.

Even if the new empress has a good impression of Solovyov because of her husband, she will probably say something.

After all, Queen Alexandra's mind is currently only occupied with her father, husband, brothers, sister, and children, so she would be quite shocked by this kind of thing.

However, she also made some rather outrageous statements.

Madame Volkonskaya mentioned that her brother Sergei was involved in a rebellion and was therefore to be exiled. If it weren't for General Raevsky's intervention, Solovyov would have been trying to persuade her to accept the punishment for the attempted crime.

"Sonia, what do you mean?"

"The Emperor has decided to be lenient in dealing with my brother's matter, but Seryozha is so stubborn and unwilling to betray his comrades. His wife Masha and Trubetskoy's wife Katarina are even willing to follow their husbands to America. God, they will suffer a lot then, and their husbands would not want them to suffer."

“Katerina and Trubetskoy don’t have any children yet, so what is Masha trying to do? She’s been weak since giving birth to her son, and Kolya isn’t pursuing her brother’s matter anymore.”

“Lisa, what should I say?” Alexandra looked at Nikolai and said that if it were her, she would also follow her husband.

Well, this is like a fire breaking out in their own backyard. It's just that Nikolai and his wife have a very good relationship, so nothing unusual will happen. In fact, Nikolai even praised his wife for saying that.

“Sonia, the trouble is that the Emperor also agrees with this.”

"Your Highness, you know His Majesty's temperament best. Although he is stubborn, he loves his wife and respects women. He is just easily frightened and has a tendency to be single-minded in his actions."

"So, the fact that you're discussing this here makes Seryozha's situation quite troublesome. My nephew is also in that group, but thankfully they haven't made a big fuss, so there's room for maneuver without me having to intervene. Also, even if Masha wants to go, she should wait until her child is weaned and her own health has recovered before going together. His Majesty is merciful; he will allow the couple to reunite and will allow them to settle in the Americas, and even live in the cities."

It must be said that even Solovyov himself felt that sending them all to Rosberg, though it was exile, was still a good job.

After all, there was a severe shortage of people there. Even if Trubetskoy and others were stripped of their noble status and turned into criminals, their families would still send people to the Americas to provide them with servants, basic necessities, and some financial assistance.

With their wives and lovers by their side, and without the harsh Siberian weather, many of these people who were once heavily burdened with work have found their lives much easier after being sent to Golden State.

Even Solovyov couldn't figure out whether this was exile or some other form of punishment.

"Thank God, the town you proposed under His Majesty Paul Petrovich has now been established, and there is a stable life there. I hope Seryozha will not cause any more trouble."

"He probably won't. The Emperor originally thought highly of him. If he had just confessed about a few people with solid evidence, as 'tainted witnesses,' his comrades wouldn't have blamed him, and the Emperor would have pardoned him. But he's stuck on not saying a single word."

Solovyov could understand what was going on, but Louisa and the other ladies of the court could not.

Revolutionaries with faith, but they were on the wrong track, and there were always some ambitious people among them; the whole operation revealed naivety and stupidity.

If he were a young officer who emerged after 1820, perhaps he could have provided a more comprehensive plan for this Siberian prison package.

However, he arrived early, had already established a family and career, and was deeply bound to the Tsar, so it wasn't just a matter of not participating.

He now understands the strange nature of Russia: unless everyone reaches their breaking point, no one will overturn the table.

For example, in 1905, the workers could no longer tolerate the terrible conditions.

By 1917, not only workers, but also farmers, urban residents, and even nobles and royalty could not stand the situation, and then a reshuffling occurred.

Now it seems that's not the case; when Nicholas went to the church for his coronation, there were people watching from the sidelines.

This also includes Solovyov's sister-in-law, Sonia, and her husband, Petya; there are indeed too many people with these names.

In 1812, Petya stood atop the Tsar Cannon, shouting "Hurrah!" and asking, "Which one is the Emperor?" before shouting "Hurrah!" again.

It's still quite crowded here, but this time his position is good; at least he can see everything clearly, with his son riding on his shoulders. Nikolai is tall and walking in front, so naturally he can see very well too.

As for the citizens and nobles chanting, "Our little father, Nikolai Pavlovich," it was no different from the coronation ceremonies of the past.

Solovyov's elevated position allowed him to finally take on a more important role as a State Councilor in presiding over the coronation ceremony.

Nicholas himself wasn't sure if he could be a good Tsar.

Although he will work very hard, the current situation is not so optimistic.

Even when Mikhail came to him, he couldn't help but reveal some concerns in his words.

“Your Highness, these concerns are unavoidable. But you should also know that the more secret societies are suppressed, the more active they become. If the living conditions of the Russian people can be improved, such things will naturally decrease.”

“You are truly optimistic. Some people have even read your manuscripts that you are unwilling to publish. I also saw some when I visited your home. The views on history are somewhat interesting, but if the political science were released, it could be very dangerous.”

"I am referring to the crimes committed by the British. The British can brutally suppress even their peaceful demonstrations. Our emperor is too lenient, waiting until the very end to give the order."

Indeed, Britain and France were quite decisive in doing this.

Their newspapers, however, made sarcastic remarks about how the Tsar handled the incident in 1825.
Although the British were less sarcastic, they still considered Russia backward and barbaric, while the Tsar showed enlightenment and magnanimity.

After all, in their area, throwing a stone is considered a great disrespect.
French newspapers, as always, were sarcastic and unconventional, regardless of the fact that their emperor was Nicholas's nephew and the empress dowager was the Tsar's sister.

However, they also stated that such a person would probably be on the guillotine in Paris long ago, and that liberty, equality, and fraternity have been spreading across the European continent for over twenty years.
Thinking of them, Solovyov felt somewhat helpless.

These French people weren't exactly friendly when they arrived.

The Russians, even those who served in the countryside, were quite friendly when they arrived in Paris. Apart from catching all the fish out of Napoleon's ponds, which meant they owed a lot of money, they would pay back the money in order to maintain their image. If they couldn't pay, their superiors would cover it for them.

In a way, the simple Russian villagers might be more civilized, but they are also ignorant.

Solovyov recalled that when Madame Lebrun traveled in Russia, she mentioned that Russian nobles and country folk were hospitable and willing to offer their best to their guests.

Even though this lady was so old that she could hardly hold a paintbrush anymore and her eyesight was failing, the children of her former customers still wanted to place orders with her when they came to Paris.

With no other option, Madame Lebrunn had her daughter and her husband's very talented niece help her take orders.
That's just how Russians are; sometimes it seems unbelievable that the Slavs, who are often considered barbaric, are actually more simple and civilized.

The French are doing relatively well now. Who knows what will happen in the next hundred years or so? Sometimes, it's not just that some people's hearts turn black, but their faces.

While we were talking, there were celebrations after the coronation ceremony.

However, under Prince Golitsyn's control, Moscow's security was well-maintained, and there was an ample supply of gifts to distribute to the citizens. Moreover, the distribution points were set up not only in Red Square but also throughout the city, and even the fireworks displays were held in several locations.

This also helped to reduce the flow of people and make the area around the Kremlin less crowded.

To watch the fireworks, the Solovyov children crowded into the yard of Prince Yusupov's house on Sparrow Hills, where they could see fireworks from several launch sites at the same time.

Besides them, there were also many children from noble families and respectable households in the courtyard.

It looks quite harmonious.

Pasha and Nastya are returning to St. Petersburg to officially get married. They are here today to accompany Luisa, who is unwell and will return to her residence on Sparrow Hills to rest after Nikolai's ceremony.

Her health was indeed poor, but thanks to the doctor's care, she didn't die on the way and was able to hold on; in fact, her complexion even improved somewhat.

"I think this is a good thing, and these two children will be very happy in the future."

“They’ve been together since they were little, so they’re very familiar with each other. It’s like the Emperor and the Empress; they met when they were children at Tafrid Palace, when His Majesty capsized a steamboat on the lake.”

“Everyone has their mischievous moments. You know Koria’s shortcomings best, so you should help him. You don’t need to worry about me. I’ve decided to live in the monastery from now on.”

"How is this good?"

“There is a place where one can find peace, but of course, His Majesty is unwilling.”

Louisa felt that her life force had never been very good, and she was even somewhat superstitious, believing the astrologer who said that her lifespan would come to an end this year.

Solovyov couldn't dissuade her from this idea either, not just when they had met by chance in the English garden more than twenty years ago.

That misunderstanding created a deep bond between them. Even though their feelings for each other had cooled down and were no longer as intense as when they were in love, they remained good friends.

Alexander never discovered it, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.

Even Nikolai and his wife would probably only be shocked by some of the letters, including those that Cartoreski had always thought about, as well as some letters written by their sister-in-law's suitors.

Nikolai was determined to reform the court's atmosphere; he was already shocked enough by the letters his sister-in-law had given them.

But Luisa was clever; she used these letters to cover up Solovyov's actions, which in turn helped Nikolai.

Because of Nikolai's temperament, he probably wouldn't tolerate gossip about his mentor and sister-in-law.

Nikolai desperately needed Solovyov; he couldn't afford to let their mentor-student relationship break down. (End of Chapter)