Chapter 18: The Praying Queen, The Reckless Princess, and Karl the Beaten
Mrs. Polya said:
"The other princesses have sent news of the border crossing. The German princess has not yet, but it should be soon."
Elizabeth nodded and then said:
"Polya, you are tired too, go and rest."
Polya glanced at Elizabeth and said respectfully:
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Princess Polya had a ducal residence in St. Petersburg, facing the Royal Palace across the Neva River. As soon as she returned to the residence, Princess Polya took the whip with a sullen face and went to find her daughter Karl.
Karl was immersed in a wonderful dream, when suddenly the quilt was lifted, and with a snap, the stir-fried pork with bamboo whip began.
And when Mrs. Polya taught her daughter a lesson and Karl shouted his injustice, Elizabeth did not rest.
She came to a room in the palace where no light could enter, no matter day or night, so that Her Majesty the Queen could find peace of mind.
And here, it is difficult for the sound to come through.
Queen Elizabeth took off her silk dress, aristocratic shoes, and jewelry from her pale blond hair. She walked in barefoot and began to pray devoutly in the room where the shrine and the statue of the Virgin were placed.
The Orthodox Church is the state religion, but she is the empress of the Russian Empire. Her conflicts with the Orthodox Church have begun to become vaguely apparent. When she is unwilling to pray to the Orthodox Church, she will come here to seek peace of mind and guidance on the road.
"Merciful Holy Mother, I once made a promise that if I take back the throne that belongs to me, I will not execute my political opponents, but tolerate and exile them, and I have done it."
"Now please tell me how I should treat Peter. He is my beloved nephew and the son of my dear sister. I have a loving affection for him. I once swore that everything I did as Tsarina will be
Out of the interest of the empire, I will not betray because of any personal feelings, but now I am panicking about my nephew's change."
As the Queen prayed over and over again, she seemed to recall again the ten years of Queen Anna's reign.
During those ten years, Anna was the queen, she was the grand duchess, and she suffered from oppression and exclusion.
When Empress Anna was dying, no one expected that her niece, Duchess Leopovna of Mecklenburg, would actually give birth to a son.
Little Ivan.
Elizabeth's father, Peter the Great, once ruled Russia with Ivan V. This was the period when the two czars existed.
And this little Ivan is the great-grandson of Ivan V. If little Ivan did not exist, thanks to his father's change of the inheritance law, a woman could also become a tsar, and Queen Anna would have no reason not to let her inherit the throne.
But everything changed after little Ivan was born.
After the death of Queen Anna, a scene occurred that Elizabeth would never forget.
In order to protect her lover Biron, Queen Anna arranged for her niece's son to become the next tsar. But little Ivan had just been born, how could he be in charge of the government?
Biron's original name was Ernest Johann Beuren, a German living in Courland. Whether the court ministers were new or old school, their dispute was about reform or conservatism. This was a dispute over the national policy.
They can tolerate the German faction occupying a relatively large power in the court, but they cannot tolerate a German who wants to become the unknown tsar of Russia!
As a result, Biron was overthrown by the Guards led by the veteran Marshal Minichi.
But the situation in Russia is somewhat special. The military bosses are trying to stage a coup, and the situation is unstable.
As a result, Marshal Minicci was also overthrown. Several consecutive coups made Elizabeth frightened. It was at this moment that she became frightened.
As the Duchess of Melenkeburg became more and more powerful and little Ivan grew up, she did not want to be sent to a convent. Finally one day, under the persuasion of the mainly French forces, she picked up the cross and went to the military camp with her.
More than 300 people from the Preobrazhensky Army rushed straight to the palace and launched the third coup!
She succeeded!
Everyone was fed up with the Germans and had no hope at all in the infant tsar, preferring that the daughter of Peter the Great would bring change to Russia.
And her handling of Leopovna and little Ivan complied with the oath she made before launching the coup.
Whether it was his father or Biron, Russia had been ruled in a harsh environment for too long, so she gave people a stable and relaxed environment.
Elizabeth began to recall the circumstances of these coups, her brows gradually loosened, with dissatisfaction with herself:
"Liza, after three years, you should be a mature queen, don't be so naive! Peter has no military power, there is no one in the Guards, and the nobles look down on him. Those old nobles are sitting on the fence and will only pay tribute to the tsar who has already ascended the throne.
It is impossible for Peter to be loyal and have no ability to launch a coup!"
"Let these shadows dissipate."
Gradually, Elizabeth's expression became calmer and she fell asleep in the prayer room.
…
On the other side, Peter took Vorontsova to a quiet side hall. His sharp and intelligent brain was not dulled by the great war.
Why did Vorontsova not become one of the women yesterday? Was it because her aunt stopped her, or did Princess Polya not arrange it?
Peter asked.
Vorontsova blushed and said in a tone that did not dare to make her angry:
"Her Majesty the Queen didn't let me in."
Peter was lost in thought. If his aunt had stopped him, he would have to think deeply about why.
Is it purely because Vorontsova is the daughter of the Minister of General Affairs, or does it have a deeper meaning?
At this time, the European courts are very chaotic, the most famous one is France, where women are proud to try men from all walks of life, and they also show off and publicize them, citing them as romantic and fashionable.
Although Russia is not to this extent, having lovers is a very common thing.
So her aunt stopped her from asking for Vorontsova because she was worried that Vorontsov would be affected and fall in love with her?
But with her aunt's mind, can she think so much?
It's not that Peter looked down upon the people here. He was familiar with history. Judging from the previous coups launched in Russia, they were far from the Kowloon seizure of the throne in the mother country (Yanhuang, not Qing), and even the Hongmen Banquet could not catch up.
But this possibility cannot be ruled out. In short, Peter decided to stay cautious and find an opportunity to find out about his aunt.
At this time, Lestock, the Russian court physician and counselor at the French Embassy in St. Petersburg, appeared here.
Although Lestock was French, he successfully bet on Elizabeth and became a celebrity in Russia. He was also famous in European courts. In any case, he should avoid suspicion with the Palace of Versailles.
But at this time, he did not hesitate to risk being suspected by Ivanovich and came to the French Embassy. What did he want to do?
Lestock was in a secret room of the embassy. In front of him was a woman with powder on her face.
This woman still maintained a condescending attitude towards Lestock, but Lestock's expression did not look strange. Obviously, the woman's status was sufficient for this.
"Your Highness Princess, I have already arranged for you to come here in advance. The only news the palace has received is that you have just crossed the border."
Lestock said.
The woman nodded and then said:
"Father told me not to go too far, lest I end up self-defeating and offend this stupid bear. When do you plan for me to meet Peter?"
Lestock said: "Just the past few days."
The princess nodded and smiled wildly: "I heard that the Russian Highness is not a womanizer, and his mind is not very clear, even for only two minutes. When the time comes, it will be easier for me to give it a try and pass the Orthodox Christian test. Don't
Forgot to prepare pigeon blood for me."
Lestock nodded and said:
"It should be easy to hide it from Peter. When the time comes, His Highness can propose to become the Crown Princess on the grounds that he has already had a relationship with Peter."
The princess snorted coldly and said:
"If it weren't for Father's order and Peter's two minutes, I wouldn't be willing to do it, hum!"
Lestock glanced at the princess again and said with some worry:
"Your Highness, please don't show your face recently. Although the portrait presented is inaccurate, you still have to be careful in order to avoid being recognized."
The princess nodded and waved the folding fan from faraway China boredly. The fragrance suddenly filled the air, and the powder on her face was flying in the air.
Lestock had been in Russia for a long time, and was caught off guard by the long-lost French fragrance. He almost sneezed, and then left quickly. He could not leave St. Petersburg for too long and had to rush back.