Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 179 The Baden Family Reunion

The Tavrid Palace is very plain except for some artworks placed here.

This is not surprising. After Potemkin's death, his manager's house was ransacked for stealing property from the Tavrid Palace. Paul then moved many of the furnishings and jewels here to the Winter Palace and Mikhailovsky Palace, and many of the luxurious decorations from Prince Potemkin's time were also scraped away.

When Louisa moved in, the cavalry regiment moved out and moved in with old furniture from the Winter Palace. Even in the summer when Louisa settled down here for a long time, the place still looked a bit deserted.

But for Karl Ludwig, the "good father-in-law of Europe", the small court of Baden could not even ask for such a palace. Their court might not even have the grandeur of the bishops' courts in some places.

Even though Louisa, who disliked luxury, as the actual new owner of the Tauride Palace, made it very simple, she also made the Baden family feel that the Russian court was very magnificent even without considering the top-notch palaces like the Winter Palace, in such a seemingly inconspicuous palace.

"Your Highness, this is the Tavrid Palace. It used to be the palace of Prince Potemkin, and was specially gifted by Her Majesty the Queen. It was recently converted into a place for Her Majesty the Queen to rest. Well, this place was once the barracks of the Guards Cavalry Regiment and served as officers' quarters for a period of time."

"Have you lived here?"

"No, my home is on the other side of the Moika Canal, where the Guards are stationed. We are all in the attached building of the Winter Palace, where the Guards are on duty."

“Haha, that’s right.”

Louisa usually wore loose clothes and lay barefoot on a recliner, supported by servants to go to the courtyard when necessary. Today, knowing that her parents were coming, she changed her clothes and wore something more formal, but she still pursued loose dresses to make herself more comfortable.

There's no way around it. This time her belly is obviously bigger than before, and she also feels her feet are a little swollen. This requires a doctor's special care. Of course, it all seems normal.

Following the doctor's orders, she also changed into a pair of larger-sized mules and waited in the palace for the arrival of her parents, sisters and brother.

At this time, it was not convenient for Louisa to perform the ceremony, and the Russian court ceremony was rather complicated. However, due to the Queen's physical condition, the head lady-in-waiting also simplified many ceremonial procedures. In addition, the atmosphere of the Baden family was relatively relaxed when they were in their hometown, which diluted the atmosphere here.

"Dad, Mom, I'm glad you came to Petersburg. I haven't seen you for a long time, and..."

Except for the eldest sister who has never married, my younger brothers and sisters have not been seen for a long time, and they have all grown a lot taller.

"Luisa, do you know how much we missed you in Karlsruhe? We have been worried about you and the children."

"The children are all in the garden. The most common thing here is children. In addition to my own children, there are also"

As she spoke, Louisa pointed the folding fan in her hand to the edge of the pond, where many little girls were playing. There were also many nannies accompanying them. The reason for this was that some children were still in their cradles, and the air in the yard was more comfortable in such a summer, and it was better than indoors. Moreover, Louisa felt that basking in the sun in the yard more often would make the children healthier.

Raising a child is actually a very troublesome thing. Children cannot be hungry, nor can they be fed too much, especially for children aged three or four, bumps and bruises are inevitable.

As for Alexander and Louisa's eldest daughter, Yevdokia, her "New Year's greetings"-style appearance by falling directly on the blanket and kowtowed inevitably made several aunts and uncles laugh.

"This kid is really healthy and runs really fast, but he's not very careful."

"When I think about the time when I gave birth to Tonya, I felt that I suffered a lot, mom. I feel that it was not easy for you to give us sisters and brother life, and to raise us one by one. I also want to raise these two little ones, as well as the one in my belly. And, it may be two children, mom, just like when my sisters were born."

"Yes, and when you are so slim, Louisa, it is more obvious."

As a mother, Amalia looked at her daughter, hugged her, and kissed her cheek, and she could also feel that Louisa might suffer a lot this time.

"During this time, we are here to accompany you, and your sister will also live here for a while according to your wishes."

"Sister, you may have to stay here for a long time. After all, if it's hard to find a husband at home, there may be some opportunities in St. Petersburg. There are many people coming here. I want to find a suitable husband for you."

In fact, Louisa has always been worried about her elder sister, and her parents also have to consider her thoughts. Amalia from Baden’s previous blind date experiences were all very unsuccessful. Now she is only 25 years old, and it is not too late for her to get married while she is still young.

If there is anyone who is more suitable, Louisa is the queen. Even though her status as a woman in the court is just the second with no sense of existence, but with such a position, there will actually be people who agree to matchmake for her sister.

Especially the Queen Mother's speech on the night of Paul's assassination offended all the generals and officers of the Guards from her son on down. It was very clear how many of them were willing to listen to Alexander and Louisa.

Especially some guards, they were loyal to both Alexander and Louisa. After all, if the current queen had not been unwell and braved the cold night to speak to the soldiers and ask them to be loyal to Alexander, the nobles of St. Petersburg would probably have turned into a group of clowns that night.

This is also the reason why Queen Mother Maria hated Louisa. If her eldest sister could stay by her side, Louisa would feel more secure and someone would be able to take care of her. After all, as a person from her mother's family in Baden, many local court rules could not apply to her.

Louisa's maids and sisters were still afraid of the Queen Mother to some extent due to etiquette and status issues. It would be better if Amalia stayed.

Moreover, she can come and go relatively freely, and can go to Stockholm to take care of her fourth sister Frederica. Although the Queen of Sweden is in favor now, her husband is like a teddy bear and always needs a strong person to deal with him.

Think about Amalia, who is relatively strong among the sisters, going there. Although her punch may not be as powerful as that of the older girl Maria Naryshkina, it is enough to make Gustav IV suffer a lot. This eldest aunt still protects her younger sisters.

However, more importantly, it was necessary to find a husband for Amalia. Although Amalia could not marry the emperor's sister, some people might still be willing to marry the emperor's brother-in-law. For example, the stupid Swedish king Teddy, as long as he did not commit suicide, Alexander would protect him.

The children's views are actually very consistent. It is not surprising that the two nieces both revolve around their uncle Karl. Although the two children are still very young, in a place like St. Petersburg, they will still be selective when meeting relatives of the opposite sex.

Both of them like to play with their uncle. It is the first time that grandpa has seen him. He is also tall and a little fat. The old man himself is aware of this situation, so he mainly takes care of his daughters.

"Dad, don't worry too much. There are still many fun places in Petersburg. You can ask Major Solovyov to accompany you for a walk on the street. Uncle Alexei is Count Bobulinsky. The chain of restaurants he runs here serves the latest local cuisine."

Louisa asked Solovyov to take her father for a walk on the street, also in the Tauride Palace, and mainly with the female family members.

So Solovyov took the Russian king's father-in-law and uncle to the streets for a walk, and they also had to consider one issue.

When Alexandra and Elena got married, Württemberg was still under the control of the French, but Mecklenburg was better off. Therefore, when Elena got married, she even brought a branch of Count Bobulinski's restaurant with her. Although donkey meat restaurants are taboo in some churches, they are still popular in Germany.
"It's not surprising. Some people in our area still eat cats and dogs. If we eat donkey meat, it must be better than horse meat, right?"

The father and son went out for a walk today. Although the fat Karl Ludwig would feel tired after walking for a while, it was more convenient to move around with the carriage here.

As for what he said about there being people in southern Germany who eat cats and dogs, this was somewhat confirmed by Juliana. There were indeed dog butchers in Saxony, but Constantine's wife actually escaped from her marriage and returned to her parents' home, and there were no people here who shared the same interests.

"I heard from Louisa that you have glue blocks made from donkey skin here, which is a tonic."

"Yes, this is also sold exclusively in Count Bobulinski's chain store, and there are really some exquisitely packaged gift boxes that can be used to replenish the body."

There is already a branch in Stockholm, but it is operated in the name of the Queen of Sweden.

By the way, we also invite them to try the not-so-authentic donkey meat hotpot and the "specialty" of St. Petersburg, "Lao Luo's secret donkey meat with Tsar sauce".

"It's very lively here, too. It's just that Louisa likes quietness too much."

Of course, as a queen, she would not often appear on the streets, even though Paul and Alexander, father and son, were relatively approachable. The Queen Mother now lives in Gatchina, while Queen Elizabeth lives in Tavrid Palace.

"You know, there are actually quite a few German-speaking people here, generals from various German states. It's not that different from Berlin or Königsberg. Even in winter, it's not as cold as you might imagine. After all, this is not Moscow or my hometown, Arkhangelsk."

Speaking of Arkhangelsk, it was not a good place for these German nobles. Everyone knew the tragic end of Anton Ulrich's family. His children were not released until a few years ago and sent to Denmark.

However, this involves the struggle for the Russian throne, which is generally a taboo in St. Petersburg, especially the relationship between Ivan VI's dethronement and death and the two queens.

"You are from Arkhangelsk?"

"My grandfather did. Our generation all lived in Ryazan. All my relatives are in these two places."

“That’s a long way from here.”

"Yes, it's in Moscow. Her Majesty the Queen wants to invite Madame Le Brun, the famous painter, back. It will take some time, after all, all the horses on the roads have been requisitioned, and the roads are very muddy during this period. She has painted portraits of many of us here, including mine, but people always say that I look like a Frenchman, especially her brother. But those green eyes don't make me look like a Frenchman."

"You can tell. I heard that there are many people with green eyes in the Caucasus."

"Perhaps my situation has something to do with the Caucasus, but our family is very far away from there. It may also be related to my mother, but she died very early, after giving birth to my sister Yulia."

"However, how a child grows up depends not only on the parents who gave birth to the child, but also on God's will. My two granddaughters look a lot like Louisa when she was little, especially their bright eyes. Among my daughters, Louisa's eyes are the brightest, like two gems. They are my most precious sweetheart. In addition, do you have beer in your donkey meat restaurant? I think you are a good guy, how about we have a drink?"

I wonder how Karl Ludwig would have felt if he knew that Solovyov was Louisa's secret lover and possibly the father of one of her unborn children.

"We do have beer here, and the beer here tastes really good. I usually don't drink, but since you invited me, I have to have a big glass!"

Solovyov's alcohol tolerance is not very good, but according to Russian rules, no matter what kind of wine it is, as long as it is on the table, you have to drink it, you can't be afraid. After all, drinking it also means that you respect the other person.

Of course, a large glass of wine wouldn't make him talk nonsense, but it did make Karl Ludwig see that he drank too quickly, and young people don't have a good alcohol tolerance.

"He's a nice guy, well-spoken and well-mannered, but he can't drink much. He was knocked out by a large glass of beer."

He also knew that this young man had been on the battlefield and might be the worst drinker in Russia, so he shook his head helplessly and asked the servant to help him into the carriage.

However, this distinguished guest did not know which address of the Solovyovs' house on the Moika Canal was, so he was taken back to the Tauride Palace.

This was quite embarrassing. Solovyov usually paid great attention to his image, especially in front of Louisa. Now he was in a coma and had no idea what he looked like outside.

(End of this chapter)