PFC Chapter 93. Exchange of Principalities
Chapter 93. Exchange of Principalities
Chapter 93. Exchange of Principalities
8 month.
"The Queen has recently taken a liking to the choir singer Käschenevsky and has decided that he will become the Queen's new male favorite."
After listening to his subordinates' report, Sergei left the secret committee.
When he arrived at the council chamber, it was already full of people.
Prime Minister Bestudev, Chairman of the Special Court Shuvalov, Army General Apravshin, Royal Steward Razumovsky, and other courtiers, including Sergei, were among them.
"Is it because of the Danish envoy who arrived yesterday?" Sergei asked his colleague.
"That's right. I heard that the Prime Minister summoned Minister Holstein before the meeting."
Sergei seemed to be deep in thought.
Count Liner, the diplomatic envoy of the Kingdom of Denmark, arrived in St. Petersburg and received Elizabeth in the Throne Room.
The other party's intention was clear: to negotiate with Russia the exchange of Holstein and the Duchy of Oldenburg (located on the North Sea coast and within Denmark's sphere of influence).
Besdudev, who was seeking an alliance with Denmark, was eager to finalize the deal.
"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
Everyone stood up and bowed to Elizabeth as she entered.
The meeting began immediately.
"How long do you think it will last?" a colleague asked in a low voice.
Such a momentous matter was not something they could decide on their own. They were there to listen in, to act as the Queen's eyes and ears, and to witness the handling of this important political affair.
"Two hours," Sergei said slowly.
The meeting ended an hour later, and his colleague patted him on the shoulder.
You guessed wrong.
Sergei smiled but remained silent.
He was wrong. He underestimated how much Elizabeth valued this matter; she didn't seem to care about the exchange of the duchy.
Indeed, putting aside the alliance with Denmark, the only ultimate beneficiary of this is Denmark.
"It was because of this incident that Peter harbored a deep hatred for Besdutev and for Denmark," Sergei muttered to himself.
Peter's fondness for Holstein was second only to his fondness for Prussia, and far greater than his fondness for Russia.
For Besdov, Peter's feelings for his principality were insignificant.
As expected, Peter caught up with Sergei as soon as he returned to the manor.
For Holstein's sake, he was willing to leave the Winter Palace and come to see Sergei in person.
"To be honest, I think of you whenever I run into trouble. If you're not suitable to solve the problem or are unable to, then I'll have to turn to Ekaterina." Peter sat down at the table like a thug.
"You can seek out Count Shuvalov," Sergei suggested.
"If Shuvalov could try Besdov, I would have gone already. What I need now is enough wisdom, and only you have that." It's unclear whether Peter was praising him.
"To be honest, helping the Grand Duke with this task will put me at great risk. I could lose all my official positions, or even be imprisoned in the fortress—a grave crime of interfering in state affairs!"
Sergei's words were actually telling Peter that he had a way.
Peter only understood one thing from what he heard: Sergei has a solution!
"Tell me what you need. I can give you a lot of money, but I'm penniless right now. I have to wait until I outlive my aunt and become emperor. If it's a woman, you know, I can even give you Catherine. But she's my wife, and you can only do it secretly until I actually divorce her."
Peter's outspokenness once again opened Sergei's eyes.
"It's not that serious, I just need a promise." Sergei shook his head and smiled.
"What is it?"
Sergei's expression turned serious: "I want you to promise me that when you ascend the throne, no matter what happens, whether you dismiss me from my post or confiscate my wealth, you must not drive me out of St. Petersburg or remove me from the court."
Peter felt strange: "Why would I do that?"
"Promise me."
"I promise you."
"You have to swear an oath."
"Is it Eastern Orthodoxy, or my personality?"
"Based on your admiration and respect for King Frederick, and your German blood."
Peter hadn't expected Sergei to make it so serious.
He could abandon the Orthodox Church, he could abandon Russia, and he could even abandon his own personality, but he would never abandon his reverence for King Frederick, much less his German blood!
"Isn't it too big?"
"Does Your Excellency truly intend to banish me from St. Petersburg and the court in the future?"
"Of course not, well, I swear by my reverence for King Frederick and my own German blood, that when I ascend the throne, no matter what happens, I will not banish Sergei Saltykov from St. Petersburg and the court!"
After Peter swore the oath, Sergei immediately offered a solution.
"You are the Grand Duke of Holstein. Even if you don't hold real power, you are still nominally the master of Holstein's Minister, Paisiling. You must tell him that he must not negotiate with the Danish envoy, Linnell!"
"No problem! Percival wouldn't dare disobey me, or I'll break his legs!" Peter said smugly.
Sergei didn't expect Peter to actually subdue Percival, but with Peter watching over him, Percival wouldn't dare to initiate negotiations.
"The second point is the most important. Count de Bernis, the Austrian ambassador to Russia, is resourceful and approachable. With his advice, you can handle the negotiations between Pierre-Joseph and Linnell."
Peter's eyes lit up: "Count Bernis is indeed a very capable man. I respect him very much, but I don't know him well, and I don't know what his attitude is towards me."
It's rare that Peter would consider so many things, all for the sake of his Duchy of Holstein.
Sergei smiled: "I know the Grand Duchess, though I'm not very familiar with her, but if you can persuade her to go, I'm sure you'll get satisfactory results."
Sergei saw Peter off.
Upon learning that it was Sergei who sent Peter to find her, Ekaterina immediately understood.
"No problem, I can go to Earl Bernis."
Peter was astonished that Catherine had agreed to help him without asking for anything in return; it was simply unbelievable!
Negotiations have begun.
Sergei knew the inside story: Holstein's envoy, Pestilin, nominally had Peter as his master, but in reality, he was Besdudev's man and enjoyed the Prime Minister's deep trust; the Danish envoy, Liner, had already secretly reached an agreement with Besdudev; Peter had the ability to interrupt the conversation and was constantly putting pressure on Pestilin.
Thus, the negotiations became a back-and-forth between "putting on a show" and "achieving a deal."
At a masquerade ball, Catherine approached Count Bernis and frankly explained the whole story, pleading with him to help Peter.
After listening, Count de Bernis replied, "As the Austrian ambassador, I will not offer any advice on this matter, but as de Bernis, I would be honored to have a drink with the Archduke."
Thus, in her first real foray into diplomatic affairs, Catherine successfully defeated Besdudev.