Alexander II quietly looked at the scenery outside the window in trance. The scattered houses and acres of farmland on the vast land showed an aura of decline.
He had seen too many scenes like this, and most of the places he saw on the way back to St. Petersburg from Moscow were similar scenes.
To be honest, this made him, the Tsar, very embarrassed. After all, the grand coronation ceremony in Moscow was still vivid in his mind, and those shocking declarations and gorgeous rhetoric were still ringing in his ears. But when he turned around, he saw everything in his eyes, which was a bit of a slap in the face.
.
It's just that Alexander II was used to this kind of decay. When he was traveling around the country as a teenager, he saw this kind of scenery. More than 20 years later, it's still the same scenery. It should be said that Russia's traditions have been maintained very well.
Okay, or should I say that the country has been treading water?
Alexander II sighed leisurely and turned his attention back to the interior of the carriage. The luxurious royal train was no joke. The person in charge of the decoration wanted to use gold to build a bedroom for the tsar. Everything he saw was glittering with gold, wasn't it?
Gold is a gem. That's called luxury!
However, Alexander II didn't particularly like such luxury. It wasn't that he sympathized with the people and thought it was too luxurious, but that he just felt that the decorative style of rich gold was a bit low, making him look like a nouveau riche.
He prefers the kind of low-key luxury that can be both pretentious and meaningful, which is in line with his temperament.
Of course, although he doesn't like it very much, he won't go out of his way to criticize the person in charge of the decoration. Tuhao Jin's style is a bit low, but it's also
Speaking of people who didn't take him seriously, Alexander II first thought of Countess Maria Murapova. He thought he was very good to this woman and would try his best to satisfy almost any request.
But this woman betrayed him and actually had a passionate affair with a damn beast. It was ridiculous that he kept it in the dark. If old Adlerberg hadn't reminded him, he would have become a laughing stock in St. Petersburg and the European royal circles.
Alexander II was very angry. He really wanted to rush to Countess Maria Murapova and ask her sternly why she did such a scandal. He wanted to take out this woman's heart and see the color!
But he restrained his anger, not because he forgave Countess Maria Murapova but because he knew that if he did, he would become a laughingstock.
Although Alexander II was not as face-conscious as his father, he also knew that if he severely punished Countess Maria Murapova, the matter would really become known to everyone.
And once the public knows about this, they will definitely laugh at him for not being able to look down on his own woman, and also laugh at him for stupidly wearing a cuckold.
This was something Alexander II could not tolerate, so he knew that this matter could only be handled in a low-key manner. It was best to deal with it without the public knowing it, and the less noise the better.
Pobedonostsev did a good job in this regard. His initiative to take responsibility made Alexander II very satisfied. If he had not admitted that he had been cuckolded by Countess Maria Murapova, I am afraid that the third
There will be a lot of discussion within the department, and if the third part knows the truth, it will soon become a storm. What is the difference between that and publicly punishing Countess Maria Murapova?
A minister who can share the emperor's worries will definitely be liked by the emperor. This greatly improved Alexander II's view of Pobedonostsev. Although this man had limited abilities, he was still loyal and considerate enough, and his pain was not in vain!
The only thing that makes Alexander II a little dissatisfied is the ability to do things in the third part. He couldn't catch a measly lame and down-and-out Duke in the third part. When did the third part degenerate into this ghost?
Alexander II snorted and asked: "Is there any news from St. Petersburg? Has the person been found?"
Old Adlerberg, who had been standing beside him obediently, quickly replied: "There is no news yet, but Count Pobedonozev has arrived in St. Petersburg, and I believe there will be progress soon under his auspices.
of."
Alexander II raised his head and snorted again: "Are you sure?"
Old Adlerberg immediately stopped talking, because he was really not sure. If Count Benkendorf was in charge of the third part, then this little thing was not worth mentioning. If it was Duke Ordorf in charge of the third part,
In the third part, it doesn’t take much effort to do this, but what about Pobedonostsev?
Old Adlerberg really had no confidence in him, and he had been struggling for more than half a month with no results, which already explained a lot of problems.
He answered cautiously: "After all, Count Pobedonozev is not familiar with the third part. It may take some time to get familiar with it... If your Majesty wants to get the results as soon as possible, it is better to ask Count Shuvanov to help."
Help Count Pobedonostsev?"
Alexander II glanced at him, with a playful expression on his face. He slammed the table and said, "Do you think Count Shuvanov is better than him?"
Old Adlerberg really didn't want to answer this question. Although the fact was obvious, if he told the truth, he would offend people, and Alexander II would also suspect that he was related to Count Shuvanov. It was simply too much effort.
Please.
But it was not okay not to answer. He answered carefully: "Count Shuvanov is more familiar with the operation of the third part. After all, he has worked in the third part for so many years and has richer experience!"
Alexander II smiled. Sometimes he admired the art of speaking of old Adlerberg and others. They could always speak clearly without offending others in a circle. I really don’t know how these grandsons practiced it. Could it be that they
Are you saying that there are special training courses within the government? Otherwise, why are everyone following this pattern?
However, Alexander II did not hate this art of speaking. He was not the kind of tsar who liked to be more truthful and knew how to see through but not tell. What’s more, if he wanted to be pissed to death.
So it's not a bad thing to have some art of speaking, as long as he can understand it anyway.
"Forget it, it's not a big deal, let Count Pobedonostsev continue with it."
After some thought, Alexander II gave up the idea of asking Count Shuvanov to "help". After all, Pobedonostsev performed very well and could not dampen his enthusiasm, otherwise he might not be willing to take the initiative to help him in the future.