Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 501 013 The French’s temptation is for marriage?

This large ball held in the Winter Palace seemed a bit deserted this year.

For the Russian court, it is true that recent expenditures have been a bit tight. Russia has indeed begun to borrow money due to its military failures in recent years and the impact on mainland trade.

Although it has not reached the point of being heavily in debt, it is not optimistic now.

But distinguished guests arrived, although they were members of the Prussian royal family who were homeless due to the defeat and even Königsberg was occupied, so the king could only stay temporarily in Memel.

The queen came here with her daughters. As for her belly, people in Petersburg didn't talk much about it, and they expressed sympathy for her.

But bringing the daughters to Petersburg has a somewhat different meaning. Considering that in the past, the Queen of Sweden was only 11 years old when she came to Petersburg with her sister to choose a bride. The Queen was 13 at the time. Years old, Alexander himself was less than 15 years old.

Bringing the 9-year-old Princess Charlotte here, and putting them together with the 11-year-old Nicola, the two are considered playmates. With this emotional basis, if they really want to go on a blind date in the future, I am afraid it will be relatively reliable.

Solovyov did not dance at the ball this year. He had been sitting on the edge of the dance floor with Katya.

Although there are not as many people as before, the food this year is good, and it is not convenient to go to the bathroom here in the Winter Palace.

Therefore, both he and Katya were more restrained and only ate a little.

If we talk about Russian toilets

This is a topic as interesting as the streets of Paris.

It's just that the situation in Petersburg is not bad. The Neva River enters the sea from here, and the canal has always been running water. It is always much better than the situation in the Seine River.

There are also public toilets and sewers, but they are relatively simple.

However, it will not turn Petersburg into a state like Paris, which is usually very smelly, but when the northeast wind blows from the garbage dump, it becomes even more smelly.

But if these toilets are like this, it can be said that they will still be the same in the 20th century.

In Solovyov's own manor, the reason why these nobles felt very comfortable when they came to his house was probably because even if Solovyov called his wives, mistresses, and their children, they could Toilet freedom has been achieved, and there are flush toilets, sewers, and even self-built tap water supply systems. Even the areas where servants live have public toilets.

With this kind of hygienic condition, even the most picky people of this era will be very satisfied when they come here.

"This place is still not as good as home, Mishka, when will we go back?"

"Don't worry, there will be a while. Even if we return to our home in Xixi Lane, we can have a good rest, unlike this time."

"But I've been feeling a little bit lately."

Katya has been feeling constipated recently and has difficulty talking about it.

As her husband, Solovyov also knew about this situation, but he only improved her diet and checked her body. At least Katya had good living habits and had no hemorrhoids.

Solovyov's standard for a lover is probably to love cleanliness. Even Polina, who has a poor reputation, may have a very unclean lifestyle, but she still needs to clean her body frequently. After all, that is what she is proud of. .

"It's okay, just hold on for a while, and when we get home, let Adela find a doctor to check on you."

Well, that's probably the case. He brought his wife here today and didn't plan to go down to the dance floor.

As for Mr. Caulaincourt, he was very busy today and even had to have a good chat with the Austrian ambassador.

When he came over, he also found the Solovyovs.

"Count, are you and the countess sitting here and not participating in any activities?"

"Ah, it's Mr. Caulaincourt. You can also see that my wife is pregnant, so I am always worried about her and stay here with her. What's more, after my leg was hit by shrapnel in Novi, I participated I have always been cautious during dances. If this kind of old knee injury occurs, it can be very fatal. "

"But there is peace between our two countries now, and you are somewhat related to the emperor, aren't you?"

"Yes. Mr. Caulaincourt, you can sit here, we have something to talk about."

"What do you want to say?"

"The renovation of the embassy's toilets should also be completed, right?"

"Yes, thank you for your help. At least the guests don't have to queue up because of internal emergencies. The place is well built and there are private rooms specifically for ladies."

"However, this kind of facility must appear in Paris as soon as possible. You must know that Paris is close to the Seine River and lacks water. That is because the sewage outlets have always looked the same from the time of Charlemagne to the present. This is also very frustrating. "

Caulaincourt couldn't tell for a moment what he meant.

To be more serious, Solovyov's words are still very yin and yang. No matter what he says, he feels that Paris is like that.

In the Seine River, before a body is picked up and buried, it must be cleaned first, otherwise...

"As for the reception held at the embassy, ​​you must go, including Count Sergei and his wife."

The sincerity can be seen in Caulaincourt's eyes.

"If I were not in such a department, I would not refuse your invitations repeatedly. Mr. Caulaincourt, I will go this time no matter what."

"Thank you very much for coming at this time. In addition, I wonder if you are satisfied with the wedding gifts given to you by our emperor and queen?"

"When the gifts arrive from Paris, we are already on our way to the south for our wedding trip. But we also have to thank your majesty and Aunt Josephine. The gifts are very valuable and very suitable for my wife."

"Then when the countess comes to the embassy, ​​she will still wear one of the jewelry sets, which are carefully selected."

The French royal family's jewels, before the British gained more wealth from the colonies, its treasures were the most precious and rich in Europe.

Of course, compared with the treasure houses of the Persian Shah and the Mughal Shah, even if these two families lost a large number of treasures due to war and compensation, they are still inferior.

Obviously, the emperor's uncle's gift is a bit weird, but it is still a relative. The necklace composed of so many rubies, as well as the matching earrings and crowns, are indeed very precious, and they will be left to future generations in the future. If the expenses are tight, it will still be very valuable.

Collecting these jewels alone is not enough to make a living.

After returning home, Solovyov asked Adela to take out the set of ruby ​​jewelry and let Katya wear it when they went to the French Embassy.

When Napoleon was flirting with Countess Valevska, he mentioned that old men should dress up with jewels to please their wives.

Well, this uncle, he is already middle-aged, but he still uses this to make fun of me.

But the set he chose is really amazing.

"Katya, it looks very suitable, but here on the belly, should the skirt be looser?"

"Yes, Mishka, it's better to be looser."

Then, Solovyov took Katya in his arms and stroked her belly with both hands.

"Well, it's so big at this time. If it's really twins, you will have a hard time."

As for his desire to be more intimate, Katya did not resist.

"You have to find me a better doctor, or a midwife with a steadier hand."

"Don't worry, if something unexpected happens, I'll be by your side."

But at this point, Katya thought of Solovyov's "glorious history". As a guard officer, he was not only responsible for security work, but also gave birth to a child when he was pressed to do so.

Even Her Majesty the Queen herself mentioned when she entered the palace to serve that Solovyov used forceps to take the princess out of her belly.

Although it was said quite easily, like taking out baked bread from the fireplace, but when you think about it when you are with your relatives, if the women in the family have given birth to a child, they generally still have lingering fears about this kind of thing.

"Then you better be gentle."

"Don't worry, you have a good figure. If you need emergency treatment, the doctor will be able to handle it. Besides, there are still a few months left. It's just that the belly is a little bigger. I have to say that my Katya is still very beautiful and will be an excellent mother in the future."

As for his kiss, Katya naturally obeyed. Now all she can do is hold hands, hug and kiss.

When Adela came to the room, she saw her brother and sister-in-law being so intimate. She was a little jealous of her sister-in-law, but more importantly, she had business to do today, so she coughed twice.

"Brother, you guys have to go to the French Embassy today!"

"Adela, do you want to go with us?"

"No, I'd rather stay at home. If you all go to the reception, someone has to take care of the housework."

"How old are you? You're like a nagging little housekeeper all day long. What kind of husband will you find in the future?"

"At least not a German. Julia always looks very excited when she mentions the prince from Mecklenburg. Although he's both a prince and a general, he's too direct."

It's really a problem how to arrange Adela's future. As a soldier, she doesn't like the rude ones, but those with some culture, like Davydov, are too "wild". What about the other young officers?

Fortunately, she's young and can wait a little longer.

However, when she came to the French Embassy, ​​the things mentioned were more or less related to blind dates.

But the goal of this blind date sounds very strange.

Before, Jerome married the princess of Württemberg and then became the king of Westphalia. It seems that the men and women of the Bonaparte family are all arranged for the same position. The next generation is still relatively young, and the oldest boy is not even old enough to be engaged.

However, most of the Russian nobles invited by Caulaincourt have some friendship with the French, especially several branches of the Dolgorukov family.

In the conversation, what was being asked was the situation of the queen's sister Marie.

Marie, the timid little white rabbit, recently came to St. Petersburg from Stockholm and lived in her eldest sister's house. She often appeared in social occasions, but because of her husband's irreconcilable hatred with the French, she would not attend such receptions.

Speaking of which, the "Black Duke" was also unlucky. His father died of a serious injury in the battle with the French. His own principality was confiscated and became part of the state under the Rhine Confederation. His elder brother, who was not very smart, died of illness. In addition, some rumors about his wife scared him so much that he sent Mary to Stockholm and then to his sister-in-law in Petersburg before he settled down.

He now fostered his son in the child's grandfather's house and joined the British combat unit with the volunteers from Brunswick.

Mary is now relatively free. Her seemingly rude husband is very gentle and considerate to her, and he is also very attentive. Even if it is for the safety of his wife, he is willing to divorce them so that Mary can get happiness and freedom.

".Her Highness Mary is indeed in St. Petersburg, but she has been with Madame Tsartorsky all the time and rarely shows up."

"This is really the family style of the Baden family. After getting married, the girls in their family are more low-key in doing things."

However, this rumor has spread from the Meuse River across the Memel to St. Petersburg, which is also very funny.

After all, Mary is a married woman, and except for the eldest sister and the youngest sister, the three sisters are queens, so it is indeed strange to mention her.

However, Solovyov still has some patience. He listened to the beginning of the conversation and it seemed that it was Mr. Talleyrand's bad idea to find a princess who can give birth to a child for the emperor to marry.

This old pervert with two Ls but poor legs and feet is indeed not very friendly to his aunt, and he is so flexible that he has to wander around in all aspects.

At least now, he is still relatively loyal to his uncle, the emperor. He also has an annual salary of 40,000 francs, a large amount of real estate and many welfare benefits, and the French power is very strong. At this time, he will not choose to betray unless the emperor means something different from him.

Well, this further proves that Napoleon still has an obsession with having sons. Especially after he slept with Josephine's maid and Countess Valewska and had two sons.

If it was Marie, although her husband was still alive, she was young, only 25 years old, and had given birth to two sons, and she was healthy, and her timid character would not cause any trouble.

But this proposal was definitely not what Talleyrand thought. He would only choose those unmarried girls when he was pimping for the emperor.

If this was the choice, since Napoleon himself now despised marrying an Austrian woman and thought that it would bring some misfortune.

Find a suitable girl who is unmarried, healthy, looks like she can have children, and can also meet Napoleon's appetite.

This candidate is probably Her Royal Highness Catherine. This girl can ride horses and hunt, has a good body, and is quite wild.

But the biggest obstacle to this problem is probably Queen Mother Maria, who hates Napoleon very much.