Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 91: Using strength to defeat cleverness
"I'm sorry, Madam, I still need to go to the Winter Palace to check on the Crown Prince's health. This has already been arranged, so I have to decline your afternoon tea." The priest in the black robe turned aside, refusing the exquisite vase in front of him for the third time in a week.

"Look at what you're saying, how could I dare to delay your journey? After all, even His Majesty relies on your wisdom." Irina stood smiling in front of the carriage, her peach blossom eyes brimming with tenderness.

She then quietly leaned closer and whispered in the black-robed priest's ear, in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I know a special place in the Winter Palace, and I think it would be very interesting to explore it with you."

She spoke for only a moment, and then the 19-year-old lady returned to her dignified and serene demeanor.

Even after he got into the carriage, Qin Hao could still smell the lingering perfume on his sleeves.

He frowned, intending to tell the driver to take a different route next time.

At the Winter Palace, the soldiers at the gate saluted as they saw the carriage stop, showing their respect.

Qin Hao glanced at the guards around him; some of them looked noticeably younger.

As the war progressed, Russia, the crippled giant, began to strain its military strength. After losing another million mobile troops on the Eastern Front, the country's manpower potential had been squeezed to its limit.

The Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment, which guards St. Petersburg and whose officers are all from noble families, was also transferred to replace the Lithuanian Guards Regiment that was recalled from the front.

These soldiers, who had experienced war, were younger and had some fighting ability, but they were already tired of war.

The bomb hidden among the royal family is slowly entering its countdown.

"Father, please come quickly! My son is not feeling well!" Queen Alexandra, disregarding all decorum, anxiously blocked the black-robed priest's path in the corridor.

A group of people escorted him hurriedly toward the inner courtyard, amidst whispers from all around.

When the cross was immersed in warm water, a faint blue color spread out, eventually turning into a colorless liquid as the priest in the black robe shook it.

As Qin Hao handed the medicine to the head maid, his brows gradually furrowed.

The next pill will be the last one.

The atmosphere in the Winter Palace was becoming increasingly tense, and the Queen seemed to have developed blind faith in him, even consulting him on political matters.

He had no opinion, nor did he want to offer any. The Normanov dynasty was completely out of control, and no amount of means could stop it.

At this point, those who are elevated to a high position can only become the target of public criticism and scapegoats for all the bad consequences.

Unfortunately, it seems that this position has now fallen to him.

“Father, please don’t worry. The Queen has already ordered news control over the article in the State Duma that criticized the ‘dark forces of politics.’ The organizer is Congressman Prishkevich, and the secret police will investigate him,” the head maid instructed.

Damn it! I don't need any investigation! Everyone knows I'm the one being referred to as the "Dark Forces"!
"In addition, there is a strike of 3 workers at the Putilov factory. Your Majesty would like to ask for your opinion."

Damn it! What can I say? How can I possibly pay salaries to 3 people?!
"In addition, His Majesty has appointed several new maids for you. Would you like to take a look at their appearance? They all come from respectable families..."

To hell with your clean background! Whoever spread these rumors said I'd be accompanied by a different pure young girl every day!

Although he was extremely irritated, Qin Hao managed to suppress his anger. "Miss Anna, as I said, I don't need a young girl's company. Besides, I'm a bit tired from preparing my potion. Please let me go back and rest first."

“Well, you Easterners are always so reserved.” The head maid adjusted her glasses, smiled slightly, and whispered, “Although Liuda is a nice girl, she is not exactly gentle. His Majesty does not mind granting you some additional requests.”

"That joke wasn't funny. Goodbye." Qin Hao turned and left.

Inside the carriage, the Easterner considered the current situation.

He had fallen into a vicious cycle: the citizens believed him, the queen blindly followed him, and the nobles hated him.

He seemed to be bound hand and foot, and everything he did was awkward and clumsy.

Fabergé has finished drawing the blueprints for the last Easter egg. Once it's completed, he can get his hands on all three finished Easter eggs.

But is this really the case?
Did that diary cause him all this trouble just to steal these three Easter eggs?
Did I oversimplify the situation at the beginning?

When Qin Hao returned to his residence with a heavy heart, he found someone already waiting there.

Houdini and his wife stood at the door with their luggage to say goodbye to him.

“We’ve been here long enough, and the situation is getting tense. For Beth’s safety, we’re planning to leave now,” Houdini said, taking off his hat in a friendly tone.

"Where are you going?"

"South, first to Sweden, then to France, maybe we'll change our minds and go somewhere else along the way." Houdini took a notebook out of his luggage and handed it to the priest in black.

"You're the best magician I've ever seen, I hope you won't try to steal my job in the future," the American man said, half-jokingly.

"I may never be able to pick locks as fast as you," the priest in black robes replied with a smile.

"Once you've truly faced life and death, perhaps your skills will catch up with mine."

After the embrace, the couple boarded an undecorated carriage. As the carriage drove away, Qin Hao could still see Miss Beth waving goodbye.

The two of them will continue to have a wonderful time, while he will have to face the complex situation in St. Petersburg.

Qin Hao felt a sense of oppression.

The magician couple weren't the only ones who left.

“Father, Pavka and I also want to leave first.” Sasha, a 16-year-old medic, and the veteran also came to say goodbye. The two had met Qin Hao on the day of the riot and had not stayed in the house for long.

"We don't want to fight anymore. We want to go back to the countryside to hide for a while, and maybe come back after the war is over." The medic, who had matured a lot, bowed his head and said goodbye.

He hesitated for a moment, then tried to ask, "Father, have you been having any worries lately?"

"Oh, you could tell?" Qin Hao asked, somewhat surprised. "Yes," the young medic nodded. "It feels like you're not the same person you were when you led us in the trenches. Back then, even in such dangerous situations, we never saw you confused. We followed you, all we had to do was charge! And win!"

"Of course, these are just my wild thoughts. Someone like you must have a lot to consider..."

“No! Sasha! You’re absolutely right!” Qin Hao patted the other’s thin shoulder forcefully.

He suddenly realized that he had never been a politician; on the battlefield, he was merely leading his soldiers in a life-or-death struggle.

His familiarity with history actually constrained him, and he always thought of solving problems through political means, which was not something he should have been considering in the first place!
Breaking through adversity with his life and overcoming skill with brute force were his original strengths!

That night, the light in the priest's room stayed on for a long time.

The next day, Grand Duchess Irina surprisingly received a reply from Father Pugin, who said he was very interested in the two-person adventure she had mentioned before.

At dusk, two shadows, one large and one small, met in the hidden corridors of the Winter Palace.

“Father Pugin, you are so heartless. I’ve sent you so many messages, and this is the first time you’ve responded to me.” Irina looked at the man in front of her with her charming eyes.

"Faced with such beauty, I believe any man would lose his composure," the man in black robes said, unusually sweet-talking. Then he lowered his voice:

"The Empress needs me to perform a divination in an hour. I'm short on time, and this isn't a convenient place..."

“Of course, I know a good place. Follow me.” Irina waved her small, white hand, gesturing for the other person to come along.

Led by the 19-year-old Grand Duchess, the two of them wandered through the porch, passing through several hidden doors. Irina then knocked on a barely noticeable protrusion on the wall.

A vast underground space appeared before the two of them.

The lights were turned on, creating a dazzling display.

An underground jewelry showroom displays large diamonds, jewels in boxes, and dazzling gold ornaments. Most eye-catching are several sparkling Easter eggs placed on a velvet carpet.

The Assumption of Mary Egg, the Danish Silver Jubilee Egg, the Alexander III Horse Riding Egg, the Royal Pelican Egg...

These are Fabergé treasures that were lost in later generations, and I never expected to find them placed under the Winter Palace.

"How about it, Father? Isn't this the perfect place to do something exciting?" Irina asked with a smile, poking the man's chest with her hand.

"Yes, such jewelry, such a beautiful woman, such a quiet place..."

The priest in black robes slowly reached out his hand towards the young woman's snow-white neck, as gently as if stroking velvet.

His lips brushed close to the other's ear, and he whispered:
"Isn't this the perfect place for my burial?"

? ? ? ! ! ! !

We've been found out?!
The Grand Duchess turned to run, but a pair of iron-like hands gripped her throat.

"Come out! There's no point in hiding now!" The black-robed priest shouted, the cross in his hand transforming into a sharp knife, which he pressed against the Grand Duchess's chin.

"Let him go! You're holding a woman hostage, don't you have any shame?!" A voice came from a hidden corner, and a man stood up with several armed followers.

"Oh?! It's not the prince himself, that's a bit of a surprise. Which lover is this in front of you? And can I be counted as one now?" The black-robed priest smiled and tightened his grip on the knife.

"Rasputin! You monster! You can't escape! Let her go!" the man shouted from afar!

“My dear, Irina, your helper is too dim-witted. He shouldn’t be saying such pointless things at a time like this.” The man in the black robe bent down and whispered in the woman’s ear.

"You said you wanted to play some exciting little games with me here, and I've come up with a great idea."

Hooray! ! !

The black robe was pulled open, revealing bundles of explosives tied around the man's waist.

"Now I'll ask you questions, and you'll answer them. If you answer incorrectly, these things will make noise!"

For a moment, Irina felt as if a demon was whispering in her ear. Never having seen such a scene before, she almost lost her balance. She could faintly hear the sound of water coming from beneath her palace dress. She nodded with difficulty, making a hoarse sound from her throat.

"You, you, what do you want to know? I'll tell you everything! Please, don't hurt me."

"Alright, let's start with who sent you. Think carefully before you speak." The man in the black robe patted the explosives off his body again.

"Madman! Madman! Madman!!" the man in the distance cursed, realizing that the other party had come with a gambler's mentality from the very beginning.

Now the two sides are locked in a life-or-death struggle. Irina has told everyone everything, and if we let him out, everyone will die.

We absolutely cannot let him get out of here alive!

"I'll risk it!" The man gritted his teeth and reached for his sidearm again with his right hand.

Gua! ! !
The mournful cawing of crows echoed through the corridor.

The man in the black robe shoved Irina forward, simultaneously revealing two Mauser pistols at his waist.

Bang bang bang bang bang! ! ! ! ! ! !

The intense gunfire echoed in the Winter Palace's underground, and the panicked servants a dozen meters away felt the ground beneath their feet tremble.

boom! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

A massive explosion occurred in the basement!!

(End of this chapter)