How long has it been since Grand Duke Constantine was so happy? Was it one, two, or three years? Or five or six years?
He seriously recalled that the last time he was so happy was the day when he and Nicholas I went to Prussia to visit relatives, and performed well in front of his grandfather and were well received, which completely overshadowed Alexander's day.
He remembered that day when he was the star of the audience, while Alexander was the ugly duckling in the corner. On that day, his most beloved father kissed him hard and told him that he was proud of him.
From that day on, no matter how good or outstanding he performed, it would be difficult to receive similar praise. Even if he was obviously better than Alexander, Alexander would always be the focus in the country, even if he was just an ugly duck.
Thousands of sycophants surrounded him and flattered him in all kinds of ways.
And he, the most outstanding Grand Duke Constantine, no matter how good his performance was, was just a foil to Alexander, just a green leaf.
Grand Duke Constantine hated this feeling, and even more disgusted with the unfairness of God. Could he be an emperor only determined by his birth?
Why is it that he must be the crown prince just because he was born a few years earlier? In terms of ability, courage, and vision, he is not better than Alexander in any way? Just because he was born a few years earlier? Why!!
The surging anger and resentment once again surged into the heart of Grand Duke Constantine, adding a ferocious look to his round face. Even Nikolai Milyutin, who was sitting opposite him, could see that the Grand Duke was in a very unhappy mood.
Stable, as if being greatly stimulated.
Milyutin can probably guess what stimulated Grand Duke Constantine. He knew the ambition of this Grand Duke. Although he did not particularly agree with his judgment about Crown Prince Alexander, from Milyutin's point of view, this Grand Duke was still very outstanding.
And those who are capable are willing to serve this Grand Duke.
But destiny is really hard to say, and everything can be smoothed out without hard work. The more backward a country is, the more important it is to be born well. For example, in Russia, being born well means that the starting point and the end point are completely different, and it cannot be changed by human power.
Nikolai Milyutin sighed secretly. While he felt sorry for Grand Duke Constantine, he also felt aggrieved by his own career and ambitions - it was really difficult, so hard!
During this moment of distraction, Grand Duke Constantine recovered from his ecstasy and asked: "Dear Nikolay, did Count Rostovtsev make a mistake in his judgment? My father has undergone fundamental changes. His attitude towards
The old eunuch is already disappointed and extremely dissatisfied with Alexander. It can be seen from his attitude today, otherwise he would not be able to support me so much, what do you think?"
Nikolai Milyutin was silent because the result of today's imperial meeting was so different and shocking. Menshikov was scolded by Nicholas I in public and asked him to
He was temporarily suspended from work for recuperation, and the issues related to Messadov and the old eunuch were left to Ordorff to continue the investigation.
Nicholas I also stated on the spot that he would never tolerate any issues, and that no one could make fun of the cornerstone of the empire or neglect their duties to make matters worse.
Anyway, when Menshikov walked out of the Winter Palace, his face was ashen, as if he had aged more than ten years in just over an hour. The former prince with a sharp voice and a high arrogance was gone, leaving only a sly figure.
The lost old man.
Menshikov's suspension is equivalent to the boulder that suppressed the Grand Duke Constantine being overturned. Without Menshikov's obstruction, the Navy Ministry can almost be said to be headed by the Grand Duke Constantine. The suppressed people have already been suppressed.
For His Excellency the Grand Duke, who has been here for a long time, it is as if the clouds are clearing and the sun appears.
Nikolai Milyutin was also happy. This was indeed a crucial victory. It dealt a heavy blow to Menshikov's arrogance and greatly enhanced Grand Duke Constantine's voice in the Admiralty.
For reformists like them, it was an unprecedented victory. In the future, with Archduke Constantine taking charge of the overall situation in the Navy Ministry, some reform measures could be implemented first in the Navy, and then gradually spread outwards.
Nikolai Milyutin also became excited when he thought of this. He couldn't help but want to have a big fight immediately. However, he was still somewhat rational and was not so optimistic that he forgot his last name. He was even vaguely uneasy.
He always felt that things should not go so smoothly. He felt that he must remind Grand Duke Constantine not to lose carelessness in Jingzhou.
It's just that at this time, Grand Duke Constantine was completely overwhelmed by ecstasy. No matter how mature and outstanding he had been before, in the final analysis, he was just a 20-year-old boy. It was easy to get carried away and get carried away easily.
He forgot about himself, so he drifted away immediately.
I saw Grand Duke Constantine's face glowing red, jumping up and down like a restless monkey, shouting energetically: "That's right, my father has indeed changed his mind. He is disappointed with Alexander, and with an old man like Menshikov
The incompetent waste is also disappointed! He knows that the future of the empire is full of energetic people like me!"
"We made a mistake! We were too conservative! Otherwise, Menshikov would not just be suspended today, but would have been dismissed. Maybe I would be the Minister of the Navy now!"
While talking about Grand Duke Constantine, he showed an expression of regret and displeasure. Before Nikolai Milyutin could speak, he shouted again:
"Count Rostovtsev is also old and can no longer keep up with the changes in the situation. He is too conservative and timid... We can definitely take a bigger step and pursue the victory! We must be more decisive and neat!"
Nikolai Milyutin was stunned. Looking at Grand Duke Constantine who looked as flushed as if he was drunk, he felt more and more bad...
"It's finished! Everything is finished! I'm finished!"
Unlike the ecstatic Grand Duke Constantine, Crown Prince Alexander was gloomy and gloomy. After the imperial meeting, the crown prince almost fainted. When he returned to his palace, he was already in tears and gave a message to Crown Princess Maria.
Alexandrovna was so frightened that she lost her mind. She didn't care to take care of her eldest son Nikolay Alexandrovitch, who fell and cried. He hurried forward to check what happened.
"Honey, what happened? What happened?"
The frightened Maria hugged her tearful husband and was completely at a loss. The last time Alexander cried so loudly was when his sister Alexandra passed away. Could it be that someone else in the family passed away?
It's just that Crown Prince Alexander was completely choked with tears and couldn't help the Crown Princess. In the end, the two could only hug each other and cry bitterly. When Zhukovsky, old Adlerberg and Baryatinsky walked in
, what I saw was the crown prince’s family crying together...