Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

The division of serf ownership involved thousands of people and was indeed a core part of the huge property left by Prince Krimsky, involving several large estates.

The occurrence of this lawsuit is indeed consistent with the characteristics of this lady. She embezzled her daughter-in-law's property and transferred it to her son's name. In the end, her daughter-in-law also ran away to Switzerland and never came back.

It was even more justified to cheat his brother's property. Prince Krimsky had been in the army for nearly fifty years, and his military achievements and property could be linked together, because he had also gained a lot of property from the victory of the war. In addition, there were several prosperous branches of Dolgorukov, all of which had rich property. In contrast, some of the poorer branches, if you count upwards

Even though they owe so much debt, their family is still very wealthy.

But it is indeed a bit outrageous to plot against his only living brother in this way.

When Solovyov met his mother-in-law and discussed this matter, it was obvious that she did not want her son-in-law to intervene too much in the matter.

"If it was more than a decade ago, when Katya's father was still in power, he was a third-class civil servant, and it wouldn't be a big deal. Now some people just take advantage of their power, and you are often in the army, don't get involved for this matter, you still have a good future, and my children are still counting on you."

Come to think of it, if my mother-in-law didn't have a son who hadn't yet started a family, she would probably have pursued her own life.

If we talk about the one with the best relationship among the children, it is still the eldest daughter. Marrying Solovyov, who was just a promising young colonel at the time, was actually not the most suitable marriage choice, but it was a good choice for the daughter's happiness.

After all, after he became known as "General Hua", he actually became somewhat restrained and took care of Katya's emotions on weekdays. Moreover, the relationship between the couple has been very good after they got married.

Moreover, she also cares more about her son-in-law's future. The third son of the Saltykov family is on the track of civil service, and he may be far behind her son-in-law.

It’s just that this kid was sent to the army at a very young age, and it is unlikely that he will be able to join the civil service.

In fact, Solovyov really hated political struggles. Although he had some talents, he was willing to stay out of it except for Speransky's affairs, or find someone to hold on to first.

It is in such an atmosphere that he is able to always stay in the safe zone, and this is what he relies on.

After all, he has no ambition. If someone had come up and said, "I want to be the emperor," he would probably have started planning twenty years in advance like Colonel Ka.

On the contrary, for Solovyov, these things seemed to happen naturally.

But when he heard this in front of his mother-in-law, he felt that he could not avoid it.

Although he and Katya would live well and manage the household well, his father, who was old, called several cousins ​​and nephews to help with housework, so there would not be any problems with their small piece of land.

However, he still has to take care of Katya's family, and as a son-in-law, he does have this responsibility. Although many things do not require his involvement, without this sense of responsibility, he is afraid that nothing he can say in the future will be good.

Even though his mother-in-law said that he didn't need to show up this time, he had to sit down and be a decoration anyway.

Madame Praskovya Musin-Pushkina, Katya's aunt, married into an old aristocratic family with some experience.

The old uncle passed away early, unlike the old benefactor of the Solovyov family, Katya's eldest uncle. The old couple are still alive, but they are very old and no longer take care of things.

As for Prince Krimsky's family, although the family was prosperous and had a large number of children when the old man was alive, Prince Vasily was the only son who had descendants.

Therefore, most of the family fortune is in this branch.

There may be some controversy about the fact that her husband was also an army marshal, but her children had nothing to do with the army. However, in terms of the resources that could be mobilized, this lady was a noble lady at the level of a state lady and had a very high status in the court.

If the lawsuit was brought to the Queen Mother, she would not be able to make a judgment. After all, it was a family affair, and both sides had their backgrounds. Even if she helped Katya's father, considering the face of Prince Saltykov's family and her sons, it would not end well.

Katya's aunt is a very strong old widow, and Solovyov really wants to complain about her.

Are there only two types of women in the Dolgorukov family?

One type is like Katya and her sister-in-law Sonya, who are gentle and lively and don’t like to be in charge of things. The other type is like her aunt and Prince Saltykov’s “witch wife”, who are so strong that their husbands cannot make any decisions at home.

This situation is also very interesting. People who see it will find it strange, and there is not even any polarization.

Marshal Count Musin-Pushkin was a mild-mannered man with little decision-making ability. The biggest contrast between him and his wife was probably that he was able to get along well with all the nobles in the court.

In this respect, he is even better than Prince Saltykov, who is also an army marshal. After all, the best thing about the Taifu is being a kowtow machine. If he were made the governor of Tyumen or Baku, he would definitely become rich.

However, such a strong wife obviously put their family at the center of public opinion. The property of Earl Bruce's family is an example.

Although the old aunt had heard her uncle-in-law praise Solovyov as a promising aide-de-camp, her son, as a court attendant, did not need help from the army, and she was probably more concerned about the property.

Therefore, when I was sitting at the table, it was a bit creepy to see her so strong and even glaring at me.

After all, they are his elders, so Solovyov should show some respect to his elders.

But when they meet, the relationship between the two parties is somewhat difficult to adjust.

Little Prince Vasily was somewhat suppressed by his aunt. If Aunt Feodosia, who had become a nun, had not been here, the situation would have been difficult to resolve.

"For God's sake, this matter should be inherited according to the rules set by our father when he was still alive. Praskovya, you were also known for your courtesy when you were young."

Fortunately, this aunt who rarely appears is very good at smoothing things over, otherwise the situation would have been quite awkward.

As for the atmosphere, since even God has been brought up, it is naturally relatively stable.

"Aunt Feodosia, thank you for coming here at this time. As for the matter of these 3,000 serfs."

"Vasya, I think the reason for this is that your father is too tolerant. He actually wants to release all these serfs. In our Dolgorukov family, we have never heard of such a thing. We have the natural right to protect serfs. They will not be sold, but they can also generate wealth. It's just that releasing them directly will not bring any benefits. And the son-in-law of the family has released all his serfs. It's really strange."

Solovyov is a well-known liberal and pro-French. Although these two are determined by his circle, he is also implicated at home, which is somewhat troublesome.

"But after these serfs were freed, they still served my family. Aunt, it's not appropriate for you to say that."

"Many people in St. Petersburg and Moscow know what you did. I won't judge whether it's good or bad, but you have to consider that if you let these people go, not only will it not bring any benefits, but they will also be threatened outside."

"It's just a different way," Soloviev said calmly, which made Prince Vasily feel relieved. Fortunately, his brother-in-law didn't have the habit of arguing with people at home. Even if he didn't like his aunt's behavior, he could still reason with her. "Using feudal tenants, or contracting these lands to farmers, providing contracts to those who have skills and are willing to learn technology, there is nothing wrong with that. Besides, it's not us who will protect us, but the law. This will also save us some trouble."

After listening to it, Count Vasily, who had no idea what he said, thought it made some sense.

"Mom, I think what Katya's husband said makes some sense. This will save a lot of trouble."

"Son, I think you need to talk less here!"

Although he was the head of the family, Count Vasily Musin-Pushkin was still absolutely suppressed by his strong mother.

"Well, Mom, you can say whatever you want, but I still feel that..."

"That won't do! Mikhail, I know you are very promising and trusted by the Emperor and the three Grand Dukes, but things in Moscow must follow rules. These 3,000 serfs cannot be divided up according to your wishes, even if they are in my brother's name."

She was indeed too strong, and Solovyov was a little troubled. It was quite troublesome to deal with such a lady.

Although the Queen Mother was often unreasonable, her power was only within the palace. She would not get involved in household affairs or state affairs.

This Countess is different. She has a high status and some means, so she has a high status at home. Although her husband is almost 20 years older than her, he is also the younger brother in the family.

Although there are only a few levels of state ladies, they all start with high-ranking nobles. For Solovyov, this kind of thing is indeed difficult to resolve.

He couldn't put too much energy here, so he said to Prince Vasily: "You discuss with Varvara. This matter should be settled through civil mediation through dispute litigation. Don't make a big fuss or even go to court."

"I know you want to go back to the army, but you should know your aunt's temper since you rarely meet her."

"There's nothing I can do. If I keep dragging my feet here, I won't have anything to do during the Guards military exercise next month."

"Don't worry. When it comes to the court mediation stage, I think my aunt will find some help. But I heard that you recently went to see Count Rostopchin, who is now the governor of Moscow."

"It is actually a good idea to let the Governor act as a peacemaker, but whether our aunt can agree to it is a question."

"Then Aunt Feodosia will have to come and discuss some matters with the bishop of the diocese. You can't be like me, who is not very pious to God, right?"

"When Katya was at home, she took me to pray, and I always agreed."

"That's just an appearance. Your attitude towards religion is really interesting."

Apparently, with the intervention of the second aunt, the brother-in-law had some idea of ​​the situation.

If this continues, it will definitely cause big news in Moscow.

Young Prince Vasily was still a little worried. After all, his father was in very bad health, and it was inevitable given his aunt's dominance.

But the situation this year was indeed very delicate. He retired from the army, but his brother-in-law was still in the army and was about to go to the front line.

However, this worry soon became unnecessary. After being in a coma for several days, old Prince Vasily passed away peacefully.

Although I was always suffering when I was awake, I was in a coma in the last few days, which actually reduced a lot of mental pain.

Katya was still in St. Petersburg and had not returned, and Nicholas was still in the embassy in Vienna. Only his son and brother-in-law came to preside over the funeral, and a few relatives and friends came to Prince Krymsky's estate in Moscow to bid farewell.

It was not because of anything else. Although the family's external debt was not 500,000 rubles, it had reached 320,000 silver rubles. If it was paid with paper rubles, it would be an even huge debt.

Solovyov had actually suggested this to his father-in-law. He would go find the Minister of Finance and have him issue a check for paper rubles, which would then be used to write off the debt with the emperor's approval. After all, the way Alexander himself gave money to his favorites was similar to that of Master Wang, the prince who beat you with a steel whip. He hollowed out a book and put a large amount of banknotes inside, which looked very concealed.

However, old Prince Vasily did not agree to this method, nor did he ask his son-in-law to help advance the money, nor did he transfer the debt to his two sons. His will also confirmed that the two large estates in Moscow would belong to the two sons respectively. The remaining places, including those with 3,000 serfs, would have to go to court before a result could be reached. The rest was the property of his mother-in-law - she was the only daughter of Prince Bariatinsky and owned a large amount of property. Moreover, because she loved her sons, she had already made arrangements for her own property.

Katya's aunt couldn't touch her sister-in-law's property, so at least this part was safe.

As for the debt, although it was not written off, the sale of some small farms was enough to fill the hole. This also relieved Vasily and Nicholas of their burden.

It seemed that there was nothing more to say. After attending two funerals in a row, Solovyov had to return to St. Petersburg.

By the way, I will also go to see Speransky on the way, but I don’t know if I will get the permission of the Minister of Police this time.

Maybe, I can give you a slap in the face. (End of this chapter)