Struggle in Russia

Luxurious box in the Tsar's train.

Alexander II quietly looked at the scenery outside the window in trance. The scattered houses and acres of farmland on the vast land showed an aura of decline.

He has seen too many scenes like this. Most of the places he saw on the way back to St. Petersburg from Moscow were similar scenes.

To be honest, this made him, the tsar, very embarrassed. After all, the grand coronation ceremony in Moscow is still fresh in my mind, and those shocking declarations and gorgeous rhetoric are still ringing in my ears. As a result, when I turned around, I saw everything in my eyes was withered, which was a bit of a slap in the face.

It’s just that Alexander II was used to this kind of decay. When he was traveling around the country as a teenager, he saw such scenery. More than twenty years later, the scenery is still like this. It should be said that Russia’s traditions have been maintained very well. OK, or should I say that the country has been treading water?

Alexander II sighed leisurely and turned his gaze back to the interior of the carriage. The luxurious royal train is no joke. The person in charge of the decoration wanted to use gold to build a bedroom for the Tsar. Everything he saw was glittering, either gold or precious stones. That's called luxury!

However, Alexander II did not particularly like such luxury. It was not that he sympathized with the people and thought it was too luxurious, but that he just felt that the decorative style of rich gold was a bit low, making him look like a nouveau riche.

He prefers the kind of low-key luxury that can be both pretentious and meaningful, which is in line with his temperament.

Of course, although he doesn't like it very much, he won't go out of his way to criticize the person in charge of the decoration. Tuhao Jin’s style is a bit low, but it’s also what the people below want. It’s better than some people not taking him seriously at all!

Speaking of people who didn't take him seriously, Alexander II first thought of Countess Maria Murapova. He thought he was very good to this woman and would try his best to satisfy almost any request. But this woman betrayed him and actually had a passionate affair with a damn beast. It was ridiculous that he kept it in the dark. If old Adlerberg hadn't reminded him, he would have become a laughing stock in St. Petersburg and the European royal circles.

Alexander II was very angry. He really wanted to rush to Countess Maria Murapova and ask her sternly why she did such a scandal. He wanted to take out this woman's heart and see the color!

But he restrained his anger, not because he forgave Countess Maria Murapova but because he knew that if he did, he would become a laughing stock.

Although Alexander II was not as face-conscious as his father, he also knew that if he severely punished Countess Maria Murapova, the matter would really become known to everyone.

And once the public knows about this, they will definitely laugh at him for not being able to look down on his own woman, and also laugh at him for being a cuckold.

This was something Alexander II couldn't tolerate, so he knew that this matter could only be handled in a low-key manner. It was best to deal with it without the public knowing it, and the smaller the noise, the better.

Pobedonostsev did a good job in this regard, and his initiative to take responsibility made Alexander II very satisfied. If he hadn't admitted that he had been cuckolded by Countess Maria Murapova, there would have been a lot of discussion within the third part. And if the truth was known internally in the third part, the whole city would be in trouble very soon. That would be the same as punishing Maria publicly. .What is the difference between Countess Murapova?

A minister who can share the emperor's worries will definitely be liked by the emperor. This greatly improved Alexander II's view of Pobedonostsev. Although this man had limited abilities, he was still loyal and considerate enough, and his pain was not in vain!

The only thing that makes Alexander II a little dissatisfied is the ability to do things in the third part. You can't even catch a lame, down-and-out duke who's not good enough in the third part. When did the third part degenerate into this shit?

Alexander II snorted and asked: "Is there any news from St. Petersburg? Has the person been found?"

Old Adlerberg, who had been standing beside him obediently, quickly replied: "There is no news yet, but Count Pobedonozev has arrived in St. Petersburg, and I believe there will be progress soon under his auspices. of."

Alexander II raised his head and snorted again: "Are you sure?"

Old Adlerberg stopped talking immediately, because he was really not sure. If Count Benkendorf was in charge of the third part, then this trivial matter was not worth mentioning at all. In the third part, it doesn’t take much effort to do this, but what about Pobedonostsev?

Old Adlerberg really had no confidence in him, and he had been struggling for more than half a month with no results, which already explained a lot of problems.

He replied cautiously: "After all, Count Pobedonozev is not familiar with the third part. It may take some time to get familiar with it... If your Majesty wants to get the results as soon as possible, it is better to ask Count Shuvanov to help. Help Count Pobedonostsev?”

Alexander II glanced at him with a playful expression on his face. He tapped the table and said, "Do you think Count Shuvanov is better than him?"

Old Adlerberg really didn't want to answer this question. Although the fact was obvious, if he told the truth, he would offend people, and Alexander II would also suspect that he was related to Count Shuvanov. It's just thankless.

But it was not okay not to answer. He answered carefully: "Count Shuvanov is more familiar with the operation of the third part. After all, he has worked in the third part for so many years and has richer experience!"

Alexander II smiled. Sometimes he admired the art of speaking of old Adlerberg and others. They could always go around in circles and speak clearly without offending others. I really don’t know how these grandsons practiced it. Could it be that they You said there are special training courses within the government? Otherwise, why would everyone be in this mood?

However, Alexander II did not hate this art of speaking. He was not the kind of tsar who liked to be more truthful and knew how to see through things without telling them. What's more, he really doesn't want to be pissed to death if the ministers below him speak ugly words in front of him every day.

So it's not a bad thing to have some art of speaking, as long as he can understand it anyway.

"Forget it, it's not a big deal, let Count Pobedonostsev continue with it."

After some thought, Alexander II gave up the idea of ​​asking Count Shuvanov to "help". After all, Pobedonostsev performed very well and could not dampen his enthusiasm, otherwise he might not be willing to take the initiative to help him in the future. Father has solved the problem!