usatvline 062. Form a pistol squad
062. Form a pistol squad
10 month.
"Sergei, if you ask me, you should find a chance to spar with Chernyshev and give him a good beating!"
Naryshkin was indignant.
"What's wrong?" Sergei feigned ignorance.
"These days, that fellow has been pestering the Grand Duchess and Duchess every day. Whenever you're not around, he talks badly about you to them!"
Sergei glanced at him: "You only spoke ill of me?"
Naryshkin smiled sheepishly: "I already mentioned mine. Well, there's nothing I can do about it. The Grand Duchess is very protective of you, and the other party is clearly very concerned about the Grand Duchess's attitude, so you brought up me after you finished speaking."
Sergei smiled.
"Don't take this lightly. Before Chernyshev, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess had the best relationship with you. Look at me now, even my standing in their eyes has been affected."
Sergei remained unmoved and continued reading the report.
"That guy is still pestering the Duchess every day. Anyone with eyes can see that he's interested in her. He really has the guts to do that. He's incredibly lecherous. But there's also good news: recently there have been very few rumors in the palace about you getting close to the Duchess. It's him now."
Sergei looked at him: "Chernyshev is very talented and capable."
Naryshkin was indignant: "Sergei, are we still brothers? I'm talking bad about that guy, and you're doing the opposite of what I'm saying?"
"What I mean is, since he is so talented, he should contribute to Russia, not waste his talent by the Grand Duke's side," Sergei said slowly.
Naryshkin's eyes lit up: "You have a way?"
"The wedding of the King of Sweden will be held soon."
"What's the connection with Chernyshev?"
Sergei didn't say anything more.
But starting the next day, fueled by Gemma and Ulyana, rumors about Count Chernyshev's growing closeness to the Grand Duchess intensified, to the point that everyone in the court was talking about it.
Unsurprisingly, the news eventually reached the ears of two people—Elizabeth and Zachhar's mother.
"Your Majesty, I implore you to allow Zakhar to serve as a diplomatic envoy in other countries and contribute to Russia!" Zakhar's mother, a noblewoman, said when she requested an audience with Elizabeth that day.
"Chernishev's abilities are evident to all. He did an excellent job on the last diplomatic mission. He should rest well and not rush out," Elizabeth comforted him with a smile.
"No, he is young, proud, and impetuous. His Majesty's approval will make him arrogant and unrealistic. If he stays in the palace any longer, he will cause trouble for His Majesty sooner or later."
The other party practically said, "If we stay any longer, my son will try to seduce the Grand Duchess."
After a moment's thought, Elizabeth said, "In that case, there is indeed something that would be very suitable for Chernyshev."
Five days later, Zakhar Chernyshev was appointed as the Russian ambassador to Sweden and traveled to Sweden to attend the wedding of the Swedish king.
The King of Sweden was Adolf Frederick of Holstein (Johanna's older brother and Catherine's maternal uncle), and his wife was Louisa Ulrika, the sister of King Frederick II of Prussia.
"That guy's finally gone! You didn't even see the look of reluctance in his eyes when he left! It was so satisfying!" Naryshkin cheered.
Sergei smiled.
He knew that Chernyshev's mother had met with Elizabeth, which was exactly what he had expected.
The other party was a very farsighted noblewoman, so she would never allow her son to fall into the abyss.
In other words, I imagine it was something like this: I'm worried that my son is seducing the Grand Duchess. He can't take his eyes off her at all. Whenever I think about this, I tremble with fear, afraid that he might do something irreversible.
As it turned out, Chernyshev's mother was right—Zakhar Chernyshev was infatuated with Ekaterina.
"You drink it yourself, I have something to do."
Sergei got up and left.
In fact, he didn't harbor much hostility towards Chernyshev. On the contrary, from their first verbal exchange, he realized that Chernyshev wasn't a fool.
The fact that the other party was able to complete their diplomatic mission so well is enough to demonstrate their talent.
However, he could not stand idly by and watch Chernyshev ease the tension between Peter and Ekaterina, nor could he allow the other man to pester Ekaterina every day. He was like a persistent leech, always finding an excuse to drag Peter into Ekaterina's room even when she was hiding there.
Therefore, Chernyshev must leave!
Sergei found Catherine, who was eager to share her joy with him.
"I just met with Count Henning Ülümbury, a Swedish diplomat. I first met him seven years ago at my grandmother's house in Hamburg. We had a very pleasant conversation, both then and now. It's a pity I can't attend my uncle's wedding..."
After listening to what the other person said, Sergei took out a letter from his sleeve, which was written by his mother.
"You're so sentimental, Your Highness!" Ekaterina exclaimed as she embraced Sergei.
"Don't let anyone see!"
"You took such a great risk to deliver this message for me; I will never again consider myself more important than Your Highness." Catherine stared intently at Sergei.
Elizabeth forbade her to correspond with her mother, and even when her father died, she was not allowed to return to pay her respects.
In Ekaterina's words: "My father was unable to attend my engagement and wedding ceremonies, and I was unable to be by his side when he passed away. Perhaps this is God's punishment for me."
In this helpless situation, Sergei appeared.
He not only risked his life to deliver letters between her and her mother, but also went to great lengths to persuade Elizabeth to allow her to wear mourning clothes for a week, and even after she had worn them, she was still wearing a black silk dress.
At that moment, she knew that her life would be forever intertwined with this duke.
Sergei returned to the mansion.
In his bedroom, he took out a piece of paper and wrote down two dates—1745 and 1747.
"The wedding of King Adolf of Sweden is historically recorded to have taken place in the first half of 1745, but it was postponed to 1747, after Christian's death..."
Such a large span of time change made Sergei realize once again the uncertainty of historical change.
He knew there were some things he had to do as soon as possible.
Otherwise, if Elizabeth were to suddenly die one day and Peter were to ascend the throne a few years earlier, he might be caught off guard by history.
"Bring Pimen here."
Soon, Pimen arrived at the mansion under the cover of night and went to his room.
"Tell Yuri that the formation of the pistol team can be put on the agenda. Have him bring me the roster within three days. I also need detailed information about each person on the roster. Also, tell Victor to put in extra effort recently. If his health doesn't allow it, he can find a suitable assistant, but there's no need to keep it a secret!"
"yes!"