Struggle in Russia

"Damn bastards, bastards, vile liars, I want xxxxx you..."

After returning to his study, Alexander II lost his temper as expected. What was originally just an ordinary royal meeting turned into a denunciation meeting for the third part.

But his great Russian father of all beings was forced to do nothing but watch as a group of courtiers jumped on his head and did whatever they wanted. This feeling stung him deeply, and the sense of elation he had felt for the past few months completely disappeared.

"My dear, what happened? What's wrong with you?" Queen Maria asked with concern.

The furious Alexander II did not answer his wife immediately. Instead, he lost his temper again and vented all his anger vividly. Then he slumped down on his office chair and replied sadly:

"I let my father down today. I failed to control the situation like him and let a group of despicable bastards control my will. As expected...as expected, I was still too weak!"

Alexander II, who covered his face with his hands, did not want Queen Mary to see his tearful face, although his wife had seen him many times in the past, and many times it was her who cheered and encouraged Alexander II to return to the throne. Cheer up.

But since he took the throne, he has disliked this situation more and more. It always makes him feel that his weakest point is controlled by others, and he always feels uncomfortable.

Queen Maria did not get close to her husband. As a keen woman, she had long been aware of the changes in her husband after he ascended the throne. Crown Prince Alexander may have needed her warm embrace, but Tsar Alexander II did not.

She could even feel that the closer she got, the further away Alexander II would escape. If she wanted to restore his confidence, she must first maintain an appropriate distance.

"My dear, I think you are too harsh on yourself," Queen Maria replied gently, "I know what you have to face after the death of your father. No one can escape from that situation. , not even a father can... But you have done your best, you have protected this country and our family, and saved all Russia from the suffering of war. In my opinion, this is enough to be called great!"

Alexander II still covered his face, but his sobs were much smaller. It was obvious that he was listening attentively and was satisfied with Queen Maria's praise.

Queen Maria continued: "However, you and I both know that many problems have not been solved, and those problems cannot be solved overnight. Before solving those problems, we will definitely encounter setbacks and may have to make concessions.

We have discussed this many times before. We all know that sometimes if you want to move forward, you have to retreat first. This retreat is not failure, it is just a necessary strategy! "

Alexander II finally stopped sobbing. He sat there with his face covered, thousands of thoughts passing through his mind, but he still had no intention of speaking.

Queen Maria said emotionally: "My dear, I have always believed that you can lead Russia to create a great era, and you will become a greater king than your father or even Peter the Great. I have never doubted this, I always believe that these difficulties will not be difficult for you, and you will get stronger with each setback. You are always my pride!"

At this point, Queen Maria leaned down and kissed Alexander II's masked hands, and then left the study quietly, as if she had never entered the study and said nothing.

When the door closed, Alexander II finally removed his masked hands. He carefully looked at the situation in the study to make sure that his wife had left, and then sighed quietly.

Then he sat there quietly, seeming to recall what Queen Maria had just said. After a while, he rang the bell and called old Adlerberg and asked:

"Where's the queen?"

The old man replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, the Queen is praying for you in the small prayer room. Do you need me to invite her over?"

Alexander II nodded with satisfaction and then shook his hand and said: "No, you go and tell the queen that I want to have dinner with her tonight. Just set it at eight o'clock and let the kitchen prepare her favorite dish."

Old Adlerberg bowed and didn't ask any questions. He slowly and obediently retreated towards the door. Just when his finger touched the door handle, Alexander II suddenly gave another order: "Let Pobedono Counts Stev and Rostovtsev come to me at once!”

Old Adlerberg bowed again and left respectfully without asking any questions. It was not that he was not curious, but that he knew when to have questions and when to just follow orders honestly.

Pobedonostsev returned to the Winter Palace again. He was too familiar with this place, but his mood here in just one or two hours was completely different. A few hours ago, he attended the imperial meeting with great ambition, thinking that starting from today, Russia would be able to announce that Russia had entered a new era, in which he would become Alexander II's right-hand man and become a leader like Benkendorf and Uvarov. Someone like a count.

However, he was soon splashed with cold water or given a beating. Those ambitions were burst like soap bubbles, and only then did he realize that he was so pitiful and insignificant.

So much so that when he entered the Winter Palace again, he only felt useless, regretful and full of caution. He no longer felt how powerful, awesome or arrogant he was.

This is a good thing if only from this point of view, because he finally learned to see himself clearly and was able to discover his own shortcomings. But aside from this, he felt that the purpose of Alexander II calling him here was probably to remove him from office on the spot.

After all, his previous performance was really bad. He was not worthy of Alexander II's Nobuna, nor was he worthy of the official position of the boss in the third film. If the previous bosses from Part 3 knew about his performance, they would spit at him with disdain.

With full frustration and worry, Pobedonostsev walked into the imperial study. To his surprise, there were already other people in the study. However, this did not particularly surprise him. After all, the third part was so important. The position cannot be vacant, and it is normal to ask him to come over and make the handover directly in person.

What surprised Pobedonostsev was that the person who might have to hand over to him turned out to be Count Rostovtsev. He didn't understand why it was this old guy!