noveltune 009. His weakness is his womanizing ways.
009. His weakness is his womanizing ways.
The main topic of this court meeting was the selection of the Grand Duke's fiancée.
Therefore, at the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Bestuvev expressed his opinion.
"Your Majesty, given the current situation, anyone can become the Crown Prince's fiancée, but not a German."
Queen Elizabeth had anticipated this scene and said calmly, "The Germans have no chance at all, but we need Princess Frederica to make Europe tremble with fear."
Army General Apralskiy echoed, "I also oppose the Polish princess."
Besdov glanced at his old partner, whose objection was within his expectations: "Then let's talk about the Princess of Wales. Your Majesty, your father, Peter the Great, considered marrying a British princess."
Apravsin interjected, "Let me mention the Danish princess. Denmark is Prussia's archenemy, and Princess Louise has nothing, making her a suitable candidate—"
"Louise is too old, she's already 23," Counselor Lestok interrupted.
Elizabeth quipped, "My God, 23! Consul, I'm 35 and still single!"
Lestoc's heart tightened immediately, and he quickly tried to salvage the situation: "Your Majesty, you are—"
Elizabeth interrupted him: "I know who I am!"
The ministers, who had been arguing, fell completely silent, even straightening their languid postures.
Sergei kept writing down his notes while also sorting through the information in his mind.
As he knew, despite Elizabeth's expression of preference for a German princess, the ministers, each with their own ulterior motives, still went to great lengths to recommend other princesses.
Besdützev was hostile to all German countries, including Prussia and Austria, and was eager to form an alliance with England and Poland.
Apraksin supports the Danish princess.
There is no doubt that the French princess was supported by the Frenchman Lestoc.
He meticulously recorded the words of all the ministers, no matter how small. At this meeting, all he needed to do was be a good secretary and keep his presence as inconspicuous as possible.
Although his words had already displeased the Queen, Lestoker had no choice but to speak again, considering the mission he was entrusted with.
"Your Majesty, I believe there are no obstacles to the marriage between Grand Duke Peter and Princess Margaret."
This time, Queen Elizabeth could no longer control her temper and stood up angrily, and the ministers immediately stood up in fear.
"My goodness, you guys are really good at diplomacy!"
She glared angrily at every minister present.
"If we marry an English girl, we're allied with England; if we marry a French princess, we're allied with France. But you must understand, this isn't the last century anymore!"
"None of these proposals offer Russia any guarantee; the only hope is that the Grand Duke's fiancée will give birth to a new legitimate heir to the Russian throne—that's all!"
Elizabeth departed, and a court meeting ended in the Queen's rage.
After handing the logbook to the deputy chief steward, Sergei returned to Elizabeth's bedroom door to continue his duty for the day.
Elizabeth didn't return, but when she did, Sergei noticed that she was still angry. He tried to downplay his anger, but she still noticed him.
"Saltikov".
"His Majesty."
"You attended today's meeting too. Which princess do you think is more suitable?"
"Your Majesty, I have no right to make such a comment. Each princess has her own charm."
Sergei tried to brush it off, but Elizabeth clearly wasn't going to let him get away with it, and just stared at him without saying a word.
Sergei had no choice but to tell the truth.
"Princess Frederica is very beautiful."
He couldn't lie to Elizabeth, and saying anything else would make him seem hypocritical, so he could only bite the bullet and say something that was "fitting his status."
Sure enough, Queen Elizabeth gave a teasing smile.
"No wonder he is the most romantic nobleman's son in Russia."
When the Empress entered her bedchamber, Sergei felt a great sense of relief.
In the evening, Count Razumovsky massaged Elizabeth's shoulders: "You're tired, Your Majesty. Rest. Let's leave today's business here."
Elizabeth, with her eyes closed, said, "Tell me, Alexei, why is this happening? The Lord has not granted me the joy of motherhood. If God had blessed me and I were pregnant, we would have married, and you would have sat beside me on the throne!"
Alexei Razumovsky gently kissed the Empress's forehead, comforting the Russian mother who had been working hard all day.
"No, I need to work a little longer!"
Queen Elizabeth opened her eyes, regaining her regal sharpness and intelligence. She walked to her desk and spoke to Razumovsky about something that made her happy that day.
"Saltikov surprised me. He has done a great job these past few days, and most importantly, his assessment of Frederica was very fair."
Razumovsky nodded in agreement, and didn't hold back his praise: "He's a man of principle, and he knows that Frederica is His Majesty's choice for Grand Duchess."
"His Majesty may not know this, but it was because of his persuasion that the Grand Duke went to the theater. He is quick-witted and capable, and can be promoted and trained."
Elizabeth shook her head and rejected the idea.
"His weakness is his womanizing. Until he gets rid of his lecherous ways, he should stay in the position of Imperial Guard."
Razumovsky nodded. The Empress disliked his excessive interference in politics, so even when he participated in politics, he would usually keep quiet when his opinions differed from the Empress's.
After a brief pause, Elizabeth said, "The Turkish ambassador will be here tomorrow. You should talk to him and see if he has any political acumen."
Clearly, the Russian empress listened to what her beloved had to say.
"it is good."
So the next day, when Elizabeth received the Turkish ambassador, all the other courtiers followed Elizabeth to the throne room, but Sergei alone was ordered to guard his bedchamber.
At first, Sergei didn't understand, but when Razumovsky called him into the outer room to sit down, he vaguely guessed something—he had begun to enter Elizabeth's political sphere.
The Turkish ambassador...
At this point in time, the other party is most likely representing the Turkish Sultan (King) to apologize to Elizabeth and Russia, indicating that Türkiye does not want to be drawn into a war with Russia.
This inevitably involves many countries.
Sergei realized that this was an opportunity to get Elizabeth to truly value him!
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Razumovsky didn't mince words: "The Turkish master came here to apologize on behalf of Sultan Mahmud (King of Türkiye)."
Sergei went straight to the point: "Is it related to the Black Sea?"
Razumovsky's hand, holding the wine glass, froze in mid-air.