Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 22 022 The incident happened before the investigation had any results

Miss Julie Le Brun, her mother was a famous painter in the French court. After the Great Revolution, she fled to Florence and Naples. Now she lives in Petersburg, Russia for a long time. She is very close to the ladies of the upper class, including the queen, in the court. She is also very famous and dotes on her only daughter.

As for her father, he is the descendant of court artists who have served the Bourbon royal family for generations. He is also a famous art connoisseur and investor in Parisian social occasions. In fact, this family background is not bad. If her father’s poor financial situation is not taken into account, it is probably like this.

According to Mrs. Le Brun’s arrangement, it is actually a good match. This is the case in terms of status. After all, the young man later mentored Delacroix and was also a good friend of David. He is now well-known in the painter circle. It is only a matter of time before he wins the Rome Prize with his ability.

If such a husband can succeed, considering the status of his father-in-law and mother-in-law, he will treat Julie well, otherwise there will be some problems in socializing in the art circle.

But Julie seemed to be very interested in the secretary of the theater's director. After careful investigation, Solovyov finally confirmed one thing. At least this secretary, Mr. Nigris, was not the secretary of Prince Yusupov, which saved a lot of trouble. However, he was the secretary of another nobleman, Count Grigory Ivanovich Chernyshev, and had a high status in the court. However, there was no way to resolve the dispute privately.

After thinking about it, he returned to his home in Laundry Lane. After all, he could not solve it in a private way. He needed to analyze the intelligence he had obtained so far, some of which was obtained in social occasions.

The news obtained from the intelligence network of the Guards officer of Dolokhov was that according to the actresses in the theater, this gentleman was obviously not only hooking up with Julie, a French girl, but there might be others. It was just that the ladies in the theater were unwilling to provide more information.

The problem with Julie was that her mother was in St. Petersburg and her father was in Paris, both of whom were respectable people in the upper class. Even after the Revolution, although Mr. Lebrun suffered a lot in the art world, he still held a public office in Paris, but he was in debt. In order to avoid property loss and debt disputes, Mr. Lebrun announced his divorce from Mrs. Lebrun, but he was still working hard to get his ex-wife off the "immigration list" so that she could return to France.

For the only daughter of such a family, some people would obviously have some ideas, or it is not impossible to consider Julie's appearance alone.

On Mrs. Lebrun's side, according to the description and report of relevant parties, it was not from Sergei Kuzmich, but from the news that the "little fairy" Countess inquired in social occasions. Mrs. Lebrun seemed to have discovered this matter, but the Countess's letter was vague, which made Soloviev unable to figure it out, although he had to go to No. 7 Million Street to see her these days, and there might be some other news there.

For the relevant intelligence, he also had to go there, and Mrs. Lebrun seemed to have to go to her house.

What was going on here made Soloviev a little confused.

For him, there is no need to do too much testing on the gun now. It will be fine if he presents it to the Tsar one day in the future. After all, these are samples, not mass-produced guns. The processing process has also caused headaches for the invited Dane.

The Danes can rest, but Soloviev cannot rest. After all, he still wants to do something.

At No. 7 Million Street, Countess Skafronskaya leaned on the sofa. For ladies, daily life is not like men who have a lot of work, or some people have to go out for some in-depth exchanges. If ladies don’t find something to do at home, it is easy to get bored.

Soloviev came here again. In fact, there is another point, that is, the little adult, the Countess, has not grown up yet, but always wants to pretend to be an adult. She wants to know where her "investment" has gone, but she doesn't care about the benefits.

After all, Prince Potemkin and her mother have left her a considerable amount of property. She is not worried about the income, but she wants to examine the quality of the product. After all, she is going to use it herself.

"Ah, you're here again, Misha, how are you doing in the countryside these days?"

Her tone today was quite naughty. Solovyov saw her like this, probably because there was something on her body, but her uniform and hat were very clean. If there was a problem, it was probably on her boots.

Boots are always stained with mud, and the streets of Petersburg are not as clean as the street in front of the door.

"My home is in Laundry Lane. Although the name is clean, the streets are full of mud. And I'm a soldier, walking on muddy ground is a common thing."

They chatted like this, which was somewhat relaxed. The countess was like a lazy ragdoll cat, and she was a little sleepy. She started yawning after just a few words. This girl already has the qualifications of a court maid, but she always skips work at home, or finds some excuses to go to other noble ladies' homes to play with her girlfriends, or is dragged by the Grand Duchess and noble ladies to attend tea parties.

"Your mansion, that alley is not very eye-catching, it's not on the street."

"Yes, but living there feels like home. For me, Countess, it feels a bit empty like in your home."

"Then you will feel empty if you return to the manor, right?"

"I haven't been back for a while. I have been serving. When I first met you in Moscow, I was serving in the regiment. Although I am freer now, I am still an adjutant. After this winter, I will have a lot of duties next year."

"You men only know how to serve and fight all day long. Wouldn't it be better to participate in social activities? We can have fun together. Misha, you are only two years older than me and you dance very well."

"Have you seen it?"

"Not really. I think outstanding officers should be good at dancing, including quickstep."

At this point, she was still not honest on the sofa. She was wrapped in a velvet sofa, a thin linen blanket and silk clothes. Her two bare feet seemed to be gesturing the steps of quickstep. By the way, she would be so attractive when she grows up. Looking at her facial expression, it is easy to think of Goya's painting "Dressed Maja", but this painting is not available this year, it was created in 1798.

This is Soloviev's idea, but the countess also noticed that she was a little impolite, so she sat up and put on her shoes again.

In her house, if the local servants are not there, speaking Russian is like encrypted communication, which is also to keep this matter confidential to a certain extent.

The countess also noticed from Soloviev's eyes that the other party has been very restrained. She doesn't like this attitude. She prefers more enthusiastic men, such as Count von der Palen who met at a dance some time ago. The young cavalry officer Pavel Petrovich, at a young age, is already a lieutenant colonel of the Cuirassier Regiment. It is rumored that he will soon be promoted to colonel and have the right to choose to become the commander of a cavalry regiment.

The cavalry officers all had a bit of excess energy, which was indeed different from the cautious adjutant Solovyov. Moreover, his father was trusted by Tsar Paul. If we did not consider that he was ordered to retire a few months ago and was recently re-employed as the commander of the Guards Cavalry Regiment in Petersburg, then there would be no problem.

"But for officers, it's not just about balls, jeune femme."

The topic went back again, but this also reminded the Countess that when talking, she always had to get back to the point. What she had to consider now was Julie's problem.

"Mrs. Lebrun seems to have heard something. She complained to my mother that this was a conspiracy of her tutor to separate her from Julie. Sometimes, I really envy Julie. She has a mother who loves her desperately, but is a bit nagging like a housekeeper."

"Do you think so?"

"Yes, and Julie is also my friend. You are not interested in her, right?"

This statement is also because the Countess has always been outspoken. She is not suitable to keep any secrets, but this statement makes Soloviev feel a little funny. After all, he is just concerned about his friend's social life and marriage, and the secretary is not suitable no matter how you look at it. However, the person involved is still confused about how to solve this problem.

The sweet words of middle-aged men are usually extremely lethal.

"No, it's just that as a friend, she told me about this, so I have the responsibility to help check it, Katya, isn't that right?"

By the way, the "Katya" content in Petersburg is a bit high now, all thanks to the deceased empress. On average, every prolific aristocratic family with a girl must have a girl named Ekaterina, and the proportion is not inferior to the name Maria.

"That's right, Julie is also my friend. If she falls in love and then the other party abandons her, it will be a terrible thing."

Obviously this "little fairy" knows more details, and Mrs. Lebrun has been busy with her creation recently. In fact, she is not far away. She is at No. 3 Million Street, creating a portrait of the "old witch".

If you visit, there is nothing wrong. The Saltykov family, except for the hostess, is still relatively polite. The problem is that the hostess seems to have always firmly grasped the right to speak in the family.

And when Solovyov thinks of that unlucky face, he will feel bored.

However, at this time, the Countess was still willing to do it for her, but she asked the servants to go over.

Inviting Mrs. Lebrun to come here during afternoon tea time is a solution to the problem, and Julie will come together to discuss some issues in the empty reception room, which is also very appropriate.

After all, the lady now knows about it, and she personally strongly opposes this matter, but with the living conditions in Europe, it is obvious that some feudal ethics are still needed for some special situations.

Unfortunately, there is really no.

Sometimes, backward things can play a protective role, which is a kind of black humor targeting social focal issues.

When Mrs. Lebrun came to Count Skavronsky's residence, it could also be seen that someone wanted to "steal" her daughter from her hands, and she was firmly opposed to it. But if no one stops her and the secretary succeeds, Julie will soon be infected with smallpox after she gets married. The lady, who has never had smallpox, just stays with her for a long time. At first, she has no concern at all about what this marriage will do to her. the bad feelings caused.

However, this matter has not happened yet. Now that Mrs. Lebrun can come over, she is still very concerned about this matter.

"Madame, the most beautiful thing in the world. The most beautiful thing in the world. Julie and Julie. ce qui s'est passé The most beautiful thing in the world pas." (Madam, it was my idea to invite you here. We heard about Julie and a secretary. Places like the theater, you know, are always accompanied by some scandals. What happened there? We don’t want to hear anything, but from what I and the Countess know, Julie and that gentleman are not suitable.)

"Merci, je comprends, mais Brunette est déjà obsédée par ce monsieur, donc je ne pense pas qu'il y ait de solution appropriée." (Thank you, I know, but Brunette is already obsessed with that gentleman, I don't want to There is no suitable solution.)

Brunette, this is Julie's nickname. The lady was obviously a little anxious when she mentioned this name, but Solovyov could understand it. As a mother, she would not understand her daughter's rebellious behavior. But the problem hidden behind it is indeed a universal social problem, and their mother and daughter are actually dependent on these noble people in Petersburg. Mrs. Lebrun is powerless about some things.

"It's a great moment, it's great, it's great, it's great, it's great, it's great. It's great, it's sentimental, it's Julie, it's great, it's great." moyen." (I think that at this time, someone should act as your representative and challenge that gentleman to a duel. Although this may hurt Julie's feelings, it is still a way.)

Mrs. Lebrun was very smart. When she heard this, she knew that Solovyov wanted to make a move, but she still wanted to refuse.

But just as she was about to speak, Solovyov handed over the words.

"Madame, je pense que vous ne devriez pas refuser. Maintenant, il n'y a que cette voie. Je peux vous lancer un défi en duel en tant qu'agent." (Madame, I think you should not refuse, not now. This is the only way I can issue a duel challenge as your agent).

When he said this, he was quite confident. After all, this summer, when he was making guns in the countryside, he often practiced at the target, and his shooting was very accurate.

Considering that duel weapons are usually self-prepared, he was still very confident, and since Mrs. Lebrun could not say anything, he put his words first.

It may make Julie unhappy, but it is much better than having a man abandon her later, and end up in poverty because of a breakup with her mother, inheriting a huge debt from her father, and ending up in poverty.

Solovyov didn't know about this, he was just nosy, and the white gloves invited to the duel must be thrown away at some time.