Li Xiao didn't know anything about the resentment against the brothers Alexander and Constantine. After tasting the delicacies at the ball until his stomach bulged, he patted his butt and walked away gracefully. Now he just wanted to go home and sleep well.
After a long sleep, he was exhausted after a long night of tossing and tossing. No matter what Nicholas I was, no matter what plots and revenge he had, we would wait until the sky fell, and sleep first was the first priority.
Li Xiao's residence in St. Petersburg is located next to the Hay Market, which belongs to the slums of St. Petersburg. The land price is naturally very cheap, and the space is not large. It is just a two-story building. This small building originally belonged to a serf servant of his father.
, after Nicholas I took over all his father's property, he generously allocated this dilapidated and dilapidated building to him to live in, giving him a place that could barely shelter from the wind and rain.
With the meager income given to Li Xiao by Nicholas I, he was naturally unable to repair the house, nor could he support a group of servants. He only had one old servant who followed him, so after more than ten years, the house had become dilapidated.
It has become even more unsightly. Anyway, it doesn’t look like the palace of the emperor’s nephew, the grand duke of the empire. Some people even believe it is a ghost mansion.
When Li Xiao arrived home, the house was quiet. The old servant Igor did not come to greet him as soon as before, which made him a little strange. Because this was not in line with the old man's personality. As the only person in St. Petersburg who was kind to Li Xiao,
No matter what the situation is, the old man will wait for him to come home and personally serve him hot water for washing and delicious meals. If he does not do all this, the old man will never rest in advance.
And today, where is the old man?
"Dad? Dad?"
Li Xiao's heart skipped a beat. After all, the old man was getting older and his health had been getting worse over the years. He was really worried that the old man would suddenly become ill and die suddenly. He rushed into the house in a panic and started searching for the old man.
He was really afraid of seeing that scene that would break his heart.
But that terrible scene did not appear. Li Xiao rushed into the living room and saw the old man standing there, seemingly receiving guests. However, the lights in the living room were flickering, and he could not see the face of the guest at all. Who was this?
Li Xiao was still wondering when Igor heard the movement behind him and turned around to welcome him: "Master, are you back? I'm sorry, I should have gone to greet you. But a distinguished guest suddenly came. I'm really sorry. Have you had dinner?
?”
Seeing that Igor was fine, Li Xiao immediately breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied: "Dad, stop working, I ate outside. By the way, who is visiting?"
"Your Majesty the Grand Duke, I have taken the liberty to come to visit you. Please forgive me for any rudeness."
Before Igor could make an introduction, the distinguished guest whose face could not be seen clearly stood up from the sofa and introduced himself: "I am Count Yakov Rostovtsev."
This self-introduction was very abrupt, because Li Xiao could not find any impression of Rostovtsev in his predecessor's memory. His predecessor did not know this count at all, so what was he doing when this count suddenly came uninvited late at night?
what?
"Sorry," Li Xiao replied with vigilance, "Please forgive my ignorance. Your Excellency, it seems that we don't know each other?"
The earl, whose face was unclear, replied calmly: "Yes, Your Excellency the Grand Duke. We really don't know him."
Li Xiao asked strangely: "Then what advice can you give me when you come here this time?"
The earl looked at old Igor, who immediately bowed slightly and apologized to Li Xiao before leaving the living room. This surprised Li Xiao. It was obvious that his old servant knew or was very close to the earl.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have left so cleanly, which made him even more curious about the count and his purpose!
The mysterious Count Rostovtsev did not answer Li Xiao's question immediately. Instead, he strolled leisurely in the living room as if it were his home. As he walked, he commented slowly: "It's a very unique decorative style.
Is not it?"
Li Xiao looked at the mottled walls, the rickety sofa, the incomplete tea set and the frayed carpet, and replied angrily: "It's not unique at all. The areas around the Haymarket, or the residences of ordinary people in St. Petersburg, are not the same."
This is the style, but it’s just poor!”
There seemed to be a smile on Count Rostovtsev's face that was obscured by shadows and a standing collar, but it flashed away and made it difficult to see clearly. He said calmly: "But for an imperial prince
, such an environment makes people...well, impressive?"
Li Xiao was impatient. The man in front of him kept whining and not getting into the topic, which was a waste of time. Tomorrow he had to go to the Winter Palace to stand guard at the entrance of the Winter Palace to drink from the northwest wind, and he had to deal with the old treacherous Nicholas I and his son.
I really am not in the mood to grind my teeth and play charades with him.
"Are you here specifically to mock me? If so, then your goal has been achieved now. Please forgive me for being very busy and tired today, so I won't leave you sitting for a long time!"
As he said this, Li Xiao made an inviting gesture towards the door, which meant that he was serving tea to see off the guests.
However, Count Rostovtsev had no intention of leaving at all. He strolled back to sit on the rickety sofa and said calmly: "Young man, don't be so impatient. Talk to me.
It will only do you good and no harm."
Li Xiao curled his lips and said angrily: "Really? Forgive me for my lack of knowledge. I really don't see the so-called benefits."
Count Rostovtsev still had a calm demeanor and didn't care about someone's sarcasm at all. He replied calmly: "You will know the benefits. But this is not the point, because
The help I gave you is what you deserve. I always reward young people who perform well."
Li Xiao became more and more puzzled. He heard that Count Rostovtsev had already given him rewards, which were so-called benefits, but he didn't realize it at all. Is this guy just making up the truth or is he telling the truth?
?
Li Xiao was a little hesitant. This count made him feel very troubled. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to speak and to see what the other party wanted to do first.
"It's a good thing to know how to keep your mouth shut. If you talk too much, you will make mistakes and disaster will come from your mouth. Only reckless people can use their words for a while. A truly wise man should be careful with his words and deeds before making a decision. You have to learn more about this.
!”
The tone of this lesson made Li Xiao a little unhappy, but it seemed to mean something. Could it be that he was too impulsive to confront Nicholas I and his son tonight?
"It seems that you have realized the problem. This is good. It shows that your thinking is quite quick and you are not the kind of fool who doesn't know how to die when a disaster is imminent."