Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

After Alexander returned to his residence, he also issued an order that night.

However, people in St. Petersburg have already started talking about it.

After all, news leaks very quickly in a place like St. Petersburg where many important people gather.

Even Louisa, who was in the Queen's bedroom in the Winter Palace, soon learned of the situation.

From the time she officially got married at the age of 15 to now, 19 years have passed. She has experienced a lot in St. Petersburg, including Paul's rise to power, the coup in March 1801, and several wars, so her reaction seems very calm.

But the worry in her eyes could only be hidden.

"Your Highness, is that right?"

"Sergei, you can go and rest for a while. It's tiring to ride directly to the palace on horseback."

Sergei is Peter Volkonsky's brother-in-law and cousin, and is also in the aide-de-camp. Peter always takes good care of him, and except for the time when he almost pulled out a gun to duel with the boy from the Naryshkin family over a girlfriend, he is generally very well-behaved.

Meeting the Queen here today, although Louisa knew him in the past because her sister was the Queen's maid before she got married, she had never been received like this before.

Louisa even asked a maid to lead him to a suite nearby, where she could serve him some refreshments.

The queen was really beautiful, but Sergei did not have any lustful intentions. Like someone who used to be an aide-de-camp here, he was truly willing to serve the queen and at least be able to do something. This made him more like a knight fighting for the goddess in his mind.

The person involved was unaware of this, and Louisa did not notice his look, only analyzing the situation.

Sergei's sister was still a member of the association she organized. These noble ladies all had to donate a portion of their property, but Louisa was able to give more. The hundreds of thousands of rubles that returned to the treasury every year because they could not be spent could finally come in handy.

But there were too many things to worry about now, and it was difficult to find a clue for the time being. During the day, she had to organize a tea party for the association members. Everyone had to go to the English Garden of the Summer Palace, even Katya who was about to give birth and several other ladies who were pregnant.

This kind of activity is also intended to allow everyone to relax in a better environment.

Sergei is still single today. He has put away his impulsive temper in the past few years and seems much more stable. His experience as an aide to the Tsar is largely the result of his brother-in-law's efforts.

However, he still prefers to go to the front line.

"Seryozha, you are here to convey His Majesty's instructions, right?"

He had just taken a sip of coffee when he heard someone talking behind him.

"Sister, you are not at home now, why are you here?"

"Lisa has always organized some activities for us, especially at this time. And I also know that we have to fight the French again and you have to go to the front line. Father is far away in Orenburg and doesn't know what's going on here, but everyone at home will be worried."

"My brothers are all in the army, so I can't fall behind. However, I am the emperor's adjutant, so if I want to serve in an army, I have to apply."

"Petya would agree, but you."

Princess Sofia was also very worried about her younger brother. The three sons they raised were all in the army, and Sergei was the youngest in the family.

However, because he was very brave when he fought in the war, he often got into trouble because of his impulsiveness, and his father, Admiral Prince Grigory Volkonsky, was always worried that he would get into trouble one day.

Although the eldest son Nikolai and the second son Nikita were also soldiers, and respectively served as a major general of cavalry and a colonel who organized militia in St. Petersburg, it was he who made the family worried.

"If you want to serve in the army, it would be better to go to Prince Bagration. He is a brave soldier and it would be a good place for him to do great things."

"But we can't arrange these things. You don't have a good relationship with Kirill of the Naryshkin family, and we can't help you to go to the front line."

This channel belonged to the Polish girl. Although she did not participate in politics, the young nobles in St. Petersburg were always willing to ask her for help if they wanted to join the army and find a place to serve. It was she who recommended Davydov for the position of adjutant beside Bagration.

After hearing this, Prince Sergei just shook his head.

"Sister, what if I talk to Countess Solovieva directly? Her husband also went to the 2nd Army, and I knew he was quite capable when we were in Pultusk."

"Katya is younger than you. Why did you think of her?"

"She is from the Dolgorukov family after all. Wouldn't it be more direct to arrange for me to serve as an adjutant in the 8th Army?"

It was no wonder that he said that, after all, his brother-in-law wanted to keep his brother-in-law in his sight, and as an adjutant he was also a good helper, but Sergei always wanted to join the army.

"This is a really straightforward solution. Katya has been living in the Summer Palace recently. Her Majesty the Queen has always doted on her and arranged for her to recuperate in a villa near the England Park. If we go to her place now, there shouldn't be any problem."

Although being an adjutant has no future, being an adjutant beside Solovyov is actually quite challenging. After all, one needs to understand more about the business, and besides battlefield command and map work, one always needs to be familiar with other aspects.

Solovyov didn't know that he was probably destined to be a member of the Decembrists. His nephew would join in the future, as would Count Bobulinsky's son. Pushkin was an active member outside this group, and now another heavyweight player had arrived.

Among all the Decembrists, only Prince Sergei was a general at the time and had direct control over a certain amount of military power. He was also an aide-de-camp to the Tsar.

There are naturally more stacked armors, and they are also useful.

But it was still the summer of 1812, and Sergei just wanted to join the army. He was not willing to continue wasting his time working as an adjutant, although the Tsar liked this young man, who was only 24 years old, and often sent him on some tasks.

The Queen's party seemed to be taking place in a peaceful environment on the lawn of the England Garden.

Louisa had to take care of Katya, who had difficulty moving, so she asked someone to put a blanket under her, and everyone was under the tent.

"The weather looks good today. It's the first time that all our staff are here, and of course there are guests."

Luisa pointed at Sergei, making him feel a little embarrassed.

"Liza, Seryosha is my brother. The sisters here all know him, and he is not considered a guest."

"Yes, Sonya is right. But Katya, do you feel uncomfortable?"

Katya shook her head and then said, "It's okay, Your Highness. My due date is still a few days away. It's just that I'm not very mobile. I hope it won't be like the first time I got pregnant, with twins, which would be fatal."

When she said this, everyone laughed, but they also envied her, because it was a symbol of her close relationship with her husband, even Solovyov was very proud of it outside.

The members of the Women's Patriotic Association gathered on the lawn, and it looked more like a gathering of ladies. Many of the ladies had husbands who were powerful or very wealthy, and the worst were probably the wives of young talents with some potential.

This is not directed at Katya. Her husband may be of both types. However, he is a little old for a young talent, and in terms of status and wealth, he may not be in the top tier.

Fortunately, there were no diagrams, otherwise people might have mistaken Solovyov for some polygonal warrior.

And there was a secretary for this meeting, the Assistant State Secretary Alexander Turgenev, an outstanding diplomat and also a very knowledgeable civil servant.

"Your Highness, do you need to record it?"

"Thank you, Sasha. We just need to be careful and make an announcement to everyone."

Louisa kept the conversation going for a while before finally speaking.

"Have you each heard the rumors?"

Everyone was still a little confused, at least the ladies whose husbands had followed Alexander to the Bennigsen home didn't know.

However, Countess Maria Kochubey, because her husband was a state councilor and a close friend of the Tsar, had been at the center of the government since returning to Russia, so she was able to get the news faster than others.

"Your Highness, there seem to be some rumors that the French will take action. My husband sent a servant home to get something yesterday, and he also told me that General Lauriston met Prince Alexander Saltykov."

"It must be the war, Seryosha. Is that why you came back?"

After hearing this, Princess Sonya couldn't help but be a little surprised. War always comes so suddenly. She even poked her brother in a very rude manner.

"Sister, this is indeed the case."

However, for everyone present here, war has always been far away from them. In this circle, probably only Sonya's husband and brothers are in the army. Katya's husband is a general on the front line, and the husbands of others are mostly civil servants.

"Sergei was sent here by His Majesty to inform me that the French are preparing to cross the Neman River and the war has broken out. It's just such an unfortunate thing, and we women at home must do what we can to take care of the civilians who have been harmed by the war, especially the poor."

The ladies all agreed with this point, as they all came from aristocratic families whose husbands and relatives were relatively enlightened.

There is just one more thing. Including the two gentlemen present today, many of the people sitting here have relatives who are future Decembrists. In Russia, which is still under autocratic rule, they may be relatively progressive among the nobles.

Louisa didn't know that she had always lived a plain and low-key life, and probably spent the rest of her time doing charity work. In this way, she inadvertently became an idol for a group of aspiring young officers.

"We have no problem with that, and there are indeed a lot of people to take care of."

Countess Kochubey spoke first to express her agreement, followed by Madame Novolsitseva and Suvorov's daughter Countess Zubova, Katya and several other younger ladies.

"That's good. Since the sisters all agree, we will donate a portion of our daily expenses and personal property as the start-up capital of our association. In addition, Mr. Turgenev, do you think there is anything you need to add?"

"We should draft a charter, Your Highness. It should define the scope of our support, not only for civilians, but also for war orphans, soldiers disabled in the war, families of officers and soldiers, and..."

"I'll have to ask you for help, Mr. Turgenev. You are also very talented in administration."

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty."

Turgenev, who had received the Queen's approval, had already made a plan in advance. He would first demonstrate it to the ladies in front of him. At least they were all well-educated and could communicate much better than those uneducated gentlemen in the ministry.

Even Louisa took the lead in proposing revisions. I had never seen her so active before. Instead, she found something she could do.

The Queen Mother acquiesced to the association's actions and asked Anna to attend on her behalf, but this girl was tall and young, and the only unmarried lady present today, so she could only be counted as attending the children's table.

"Okay, that's about it. It doesn't look like there are that many comments that need to be revised. Sisters, how about we follow Mr. Turgenev's draft and make it a charter?"

The ladies all used applause to represent approval, and no one objected. Even those who came with their daughters had their children applaud as well.

Just as they were discussing this issue and beginning to think about how to donate their property, the churches in St. Petersburg began to ring their bells, and for a moment the whole city was filled with the sound of bells.

The outbreak of war with the French has now been notified to the citizens of St. Petersburg, and soon everyone in the city will know about it.

Inland areas will know about it later, but that's only because the speed of news transmission is slow. There are not so many signal towers in Russia. The news will reach Novgorod faster because the railway has been opened there. It will also take time for more distant places like Tver, Kaluga, and Moscow.

Things were going very smoothly at the Women's Patriotic Association, and Louisa felt that she had finally done something meaningful on her own.

However, since the war has broken out, as the de facto sponsor of the Imperial Village High School, she still has to watch out for those restless boys in the school, and make sure they don't sneak off to join the army. (End of this chapter)