Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Ms. Dietl Buc de Rivery will be a stepmother (Part 1)

Mikhail Solovyov carefully read the information bought by the loyal old servant. At least he was not one of those playboys. Although his family background was good, he did not like the bad guys and losers in the Kurakin family. Although he had a good relationship with Ippolit and knew that this person was just a little cowardly, he had a very bad impression of Ippolit's brother Anatoly.

He buried himself in various military, geographical and historical books, with maps on the table, always scratching on them with a quill pen. It would be better if he had a pencil, but the pencils at this time were all in the form of graphite sticks.

"Uncle Sergei, I remember that you are a good carpenter."

"Yes, Master, do you have any instructions?"

At least the servants at home are willing to be ordered around by this master. He rarely makes unreasonable demands and doesn't whip his servants. He was just a kind child before joining the army. Now he is even more friendly and has no airs of being a master in the future.

"I think it should be possible for a carpenter to put a cover on the outside of this damn graphite rod?"

"Master, if it is just for you, my craftsmanship is really no problem."

"What if I make more?"

"That's difficult. Not everyone has the craftsmanship like me. You need more carpenters who can do fine work."

For pencils, there is a small problem. Mikhail has noticed that the strength of graphite rods produced in the UK and those produced in continental Europe is two different concepts. This may be a problem with the raw materials. The British raw materials are different. The quality of the products produced is better, and he also uses this kind. As for adding a wooden "cover" to the outside of the graphite rod, although this is very "Belikov", people in Italy started doing this more than 200 years ago, and those exported from the UK gradually began to use cedar wood. The French even completed the invention of the modern pencil by Nicolas-Jacques Conte in 1795. Mikhail's thinking at this time was obviously a bit outdated. He even used the graphite rod without a "cover" imported from the UK. Russia's own craftsmanship was backward.

His stepmother who was about to marry was a Frenchwoman. Although she was from the West Indies, she had relatives in France, right?

Solovyov didn't know that his stepmother had many relatives, and she was on the way to St. Petersburg with his father, and their wedding would be held here.

Anyway, as the eldest son in Russia, he naturally enjoys the first right of inheritance, as long as the will and inheritance law are not changed, it is like this, not to mention that he is now an officer, and he is the lieutenant baron Solovyov after arriving in St. Petersburg. Although this is a typical nepotism in the army at the end of the 18th century, it also means that the teenage lieutenant will have a bright future unless he encounters illness and accidents, or is killed on the battlefield. After further promotion in the future, he can choose to be a diplomat, civil servant or continue to be an officer.

He is not worried about his property, and even thinks that it is okay to have more brothers and sisters. This is an era without restrictions and can continue to build as long as there are conditions. Of course, the entire stage of maternity is still very dangerous, which is also closely related to the extremely poor medical conditions. At least after Solovyov came to St. Petersburg, he paid great attention to hygiene in his mansion at No. 4 Laundry Lane.

The servants agreed with this, after all, everyone likes to be clean. This practice is a bit like what Kievan Rus did when they accepted Orthodox Christianity. The young master would force them to take a bath, and everyone had to stay clean. They had to take a hot bath and keep the house clean and tidy. Regular cleaning was what the servants had to do every day, which even attracted the ridicule of the French butler of Count Shuvalov, the owner of No. 1 Laundry Lane.

"Young master, what should we do with that French guy?"

"Don't worry about him, we just need to take care of ourselves, Uncle Sergei, this is 'Laundry Lane', if it's not clean, it's a shame to the name of this street!"

"But, young master, you should wash your hands, and these gloves, they are all black, look at them"

Speaking of which, the biggest disadvantage of the graphite rod is this, so Baron Mikhail still needs to wash his hands, and his father wrote to say that after arriving at No. 4 Laundry Lane, he would participate in the salon of the upper class in Petersburg on the one hand, and introduce his family to these people on the other hand.

Baron Solovyov's family is not of high status and power, but they are still familiar with the old man. However, Sergei Solovyov wants to marry a French woman who is only 5 years older than his son. For a young wife, he naturally has to make up for it from many places.

Mikhail can feel that the family's annual income is 43,210 rubles, and the expenditure is roughly the same. If there is no family foundation, it will be finished soon. What's more, those French women, even if they have been captured by Barbary pirates and suffered, will have to spend money if they really marry.

He has to find some ways to make money for the family, not just like now. In Solovyov's memory, his mother, a Baltic German, also spends money lavishly. In recent years, the old baron's ability to make money is not as good as before. If a French woman who can spend more money than German women comes, his wallet will be hurt.

So, he thought of pencils. Currently, only Britain and Prussia have the ability to mass-produce this product, and France has just started the technology tree. However, in terms of thinking, it is obvious that he is not only considering the use of pencils for writing and maps.

There are so many noble ladies in Petersburg, and they must need makeup. From little girls of a few years old to old ladies in their eighties, everyone can't avoid using these things. The eyebrow pencils and eyeliners wrapped in suitable cedar or some other woods, the eyebrow pencils and eyeliners made in this way must still have some uses.

Compared with exploiting the working people, earning money from noble ladies has no guilt. Compared with the inflated "fashion" in France, the price can be made more affordable and exquisitely packaged. He has a quick mind and has thought about it. He even plans to propose it to his superior, Duke Dmitri Volkonsky. The duke is not bad and has always guided him. His family and Duke Nikolai Volkonsky's family are rare honest families in the aristocratic circle.

The reason for saying this can be seen from the salon that will be held at 33 Bolshaya Moskaya Street.

"Are you sure this is okay? Not only my father is invited, but also me?"

"Oui, monsieur, votre père, le baron Sergue Solovyov, et vous, le baron Mikhal Solovyov."

The words of this French servant of Prince Saltykov's family are typical nonsense literature. He obviously knows Russian, but he heard that the eldest son of the Solovyov family is a "horseman", so he deliberately speaks in French. However, compared with a year ago, because he has been learning in the family of Prince Volkonsky, even if this servant really speaks in long and difficult sentences, Mikhail can handle it.

"Merci, mon père arrivera à Pétersbourg in quelques jours et je transmettrai l'invitation à Son Altesse Royale." (Thank you, my father will arrive in St. Petersburg in a few days, I will convey the invitation of His Royal Highness.)

Anyway, when you arrive in Russia, you have to pretend that you can't speak Russian. To deal with this kind of French, you have to pretend that you are a groom first, and now you have to give him a little bit of a hand.

The sender of the invitation letter is His Royal Highness Prince Nikolai Saltykov, who was very powerful during the reign of Catherine II, and was one of the few favorites of Paul, the Tsar, who was still the crown prince at the time, and could be accepted by his mother. Paul, the second unit of Peter III, had no opinion on him, which must have been the traditional Russian court drama of pleasing the monarch.

As for his other important positions, he was the guardian of Grand Duke Alexander and Grand Duke Constantine. Such a distinguished courtier only participated in some battles in the Seven Years' War and the Russo-Turkish War. When he was under Rumyantsev, he was mostly a colonel or a general commanding a brigade. He was isolated from the army after 1770. However, it was such a person who became the Field Marshal of the Russian Empire in 1796.

This was the first Field Marshal promoted to show respect after Tsar Paul ascended the throne. Although he was honorable, his actions would be known in the future.

There were so many people invited this time that if it was only No. 33 Bolshaya Moskaya Street itself, it might not be able to accommodate these guests and their vehicles. However, because the invited people were all in St. Petersburg, even from No. 4 Laundry Lane and places outside the Admiralty, it was not very far, so sometimes there was no need for a carriage, only some servants and companions.

The day after receiving the invitation, Baron Sergei Soloviev and his fiancée came to No. 4 Laundry Lane. If such a lady was Mikhail's sister, he might accept her. She looked young, lively and a little cute. Even the ordeal of being almost sold to the Pasha by the Barbary pirates did not reduce her vitality. But as a "stepmother", it was a bit difficult to accept.

"Hello, dear Mikhail, Misha, my fiancée Aimée du Buc de Rivery." (My dear, this is my son Mikhail, Misha, this is my fiancée Aimée du Buc de Rivery.)

"Hello, dear lady, welcome to the Solovyov House."

The introduction was made, and the lady did not seem embarrassed. She had already known that her future husband had a son serving in the army and a young daughter. Mikhail could also see that his sister Yulia was still clinging to her stepmother and always hugged Mademoiselle de Rivery's arm.

"Sergei Osipovich, Son Altesse le Prince, nous a envoyé une invitationà visiter son salon dans quelques jours." )

It seemed that the old baron was not surprised that his son suddenly improved in French. Being an adjutant to Duke Volkonsky meant that he had to make some progress anyway. This was probably what he thought.

"Ensuite, nous allons assistant and salon. Je ne m'attendais pasà ce que Son Altesse le Prince pense encoreà nous. C'est un ministre en qui sa Majesté le Tsar a beaucoup de confiance, et il est vraiment prévenant." (Then we are going to attend this salon. I didn't expect His Highness the Prince to think of us. He is a minister whom His Majesty the Tsar trusts very much, and he is really considerate.)

If he saw what the French servant did, I wonder if he would put these words away.

Now Sergey Solovyov's family has been reorganized, and the old baron used to be an adjutant to General Grushetsky. In fact, he still has a lot of connections with this circle. The content is probably as follows :

Retired officer Major Sergey Solovyov, who used to be the aide-de-camp to Lieutenant General Grushetsky, Commander-in-Chief Vasily Mikhailovich Dolgorukov-Kri Prince Msky's son-in-law, Yevdokia Vasilyevna, the commander-in-chief's eldest daughter, was his wife;

Lieutenant General Prince Vasily Vasilyevich, the son of the Commander-in-Chief, was recently exiled by Tsar Paul, but he would soon return halfway. This family had a close relationship with Prince Saltkov's family. His wife, Ekaterina Fedorovna, has a more embarrassing identity. She is the only daughter of Prince Marshal Fyodor Sergeyevich Baryatinsky. This In the report sent by the Orlov brothers to Catherine II, the Marshal was the one who had a conflict with Peter III who was under house arrest and personally ended Peter III. This identity would only bring harm, and also It was Prince Saltykov who was also the son-in-law of the Dolgorukov family. Under the influence of his wife, he interceded and saved Vasily Dolgorukov's family from even greater crimes;

The lieutenant general's sister, Praskovya Vasilyevna, married Count Valentin Platonovich Musin-Pushkin, who married her son in 1793. The daughter of Earl Bruce of Scotland and her niece, what happened next was very despicable.

At least Count Bezukhov, a nobleman in Moscow, saw this situation and immediately sent a memorial to Emperor Paul, hoping that his biological son could inherit his position in the future, but it still needed to be kept secret. Emperor Paul saw Bezukhov Earl Hof was still in good health, so he did not rush to approve, but he also verbally agreed to make his son Pierre, who was studying abroad, the heir - 40,000 serfs and a large number of farmers. The manor in the south alone has an annual income of 400,000 to 500,000 rubles, as well as various properties. In short, such behavior of depriving the entire family is not very acceptable in the dissolute living environment of the Russian aristocracy. It is normal. After marrying a rich heiress, you should help her manage these properties. Just like this, you will spend hundreds of thousands of rubles a year and sell some properties. No matter how wealthy the family is, it cannot afford it.

At least Lieutenant General Prince Vasily Dolgorukov was not satisfied with his sister doing this. He even told his nephew that he should save some money and at least know how to run a business. As for what his uncle said, how much does his nephew have to do? I could still hear some of it, but it might have caused dissatisfaction with the countess.

Mikhail learned a little bit about this himself, and Duke Volkonsky also criticized this kind of thing. His father Sergey came and emphasized it again, and this only mentioned some things related to his family. The situation of the family and other people was not explained.

It seems that Petersburg and Moscow are not good places for religious men and women to live, but it is impossible to return to his hometown of Ryazan. There is no way to give up halfway, not to mention that he is also thinking about how to find a place to make money and return it. Even if he could be promoted in the future, Duke Dmitry Volkonsky saw that he was somewhat clever and always felt that he was an adjutant worth training, and he still had a future.

What's more, in Petersburg, you still need to find a thigh to hug you. This is true. Of course, this is not basketball, and there should be no way to form a "Big Three".

There are easter eggs in this chapter. Guess the identity of Solovyov’s stepmother.