Catherine and the Black Emperor

88. Elizabeth is critically ill

"what!"

The woman's shrill scream was incredibly loud.

Everyone around was silent, not daring to breathe, because it was Elizabeth who had screamed.

The louder Elizabeth screamed, the more terrified the people around her became.

Cyril was stunned.

I don't know why this is happening.

He simply presented a porcupine to the Queen.

"Take it away!" Elizabeth was still yelling.

Sergei, quick as a flash, snatched the hat, along with the porcupine, from Cyril's hand and immediately ran off into the distance.

Count Razumovsky's face was grim.

His brother, without his permission or even asking him, acted rashly.

"Her Majesty the Queen is terrified of mice, why didn't you ask me first?!" Razumovsky scolded his brother.

"That's not a rat, it's a porcupine," Cyril stammered.

Razumovsky was practically roaring.

"Does His Majesty have the patience to listen to your explanation or even bother to determine if that thing is a rat?!"

Cyril dared not reply.

That porcupine did indeed look about the same as a mouse.

For the rest of the day, no one saw Elizabeth, not even Razumovsky's lover, while Ivan Shuvalov was the happiest of all.

Although both were Elizabeth's lovers, and he was younger, in Elizabeth's heart, he was no match for Razumovsky.

"I cannot please His Majesty, and now you will never see His Majesty either!" Ivan sneered.

On the way back, the group was unusually quiet.

With Elizabeth gone, no one could control Peter. In the other carriage, besides himself, there was only the dog, and the whole carriage reeked halfway through the journey.

Catherine did not choose to take a carriage, but instead rode back on horseback.

This was a very pleasant thing for her.

"Your Highness, this is for you."

Sergei rode up to Catherine and handed her something.

Cyril has now completely disappeared from public view, and Razumovsky has strictly ordered his younger brother to stay by his side at all times, fearing that the other might cause any more trouble.

"What is this?" Ekaterina asked curiously.

"A mixture of lemon juice, egg white, and French brandy—the sun is still fierce these days—this helps restore sunburn marks to their original state," Sergei explained with a smile.

"Really?" Ekaterina exclaimed in surprise.

She enjoys horseback riding, but what bothers her most is getting sunburned. As for whether her skin will get tanned, she's not worried.

She didn't ride horses every day, so even though her skin got a bit tanned, after avoiding the sun in the palace for a while, it returned to being as white as the snow in St. Petersburg.

Back in Moscow, Elizabeth said something to Razumovsky.

"Don't let your brother see the Grand Duchess and Duchess anymore. Everyone knows who he's interested in. He lives on the other side of Moscow, yet he runs to see Catherine every day. Does he think I'm a fool?"

So starting in February, Cyril, who had previously dined and had tea with Ekaterina and Peter, never appeared again.

Cyril was not freed from his "freedom" in Moscow until Elizabeth and the royal family returned to St. Petersburg.

"Your brother is a good man, a delightful one," said the Grand Duchess.

The latter smiled wryly: "He is smarter than me, but his rise in status has led him to use his intelligence in the wrong way. I believe he will change and become the Cyril he used to be."

During Lent, Elizabeth suffered from stomach problems again.

"The cause of the illness is difficult to determine, and the condition is rapidly deteriorating."

Upon hearing the doctor's words, Besdov and Shuvalov exchanged a glance. Their eyes were both so deep and sharp, seemingly touching upon a blinding light.

"This news must not be kept secret. Currently, only the three of us know about it. We absolutely cannot let anyone else know!" Count Razumovsky said in a deep voice.

He knew very well that the Empress's serious illness would cause chaos in Russia and the court.

Especially Besdov and Shuvalov, who were the two largest factions in the entire court.

Therefore, his words were tantamount to a warning to the two of them.

"That's right, the news must be blocked immediately."

Shuvalov was still looking at Besdov when he said this, and the latter was looking at him without changing his expression.

They all knew perfectly well that this was just to save face for Razumovsky; if Elizabeth really passed away, Razumovsky would be nothing.

The other party's status and position came entirely from Elizabeth's favor, while theirs came from the power structure of the Russian court and their own faction.

"I will go and seek out doctors in Europe for His Majesty." Besdudev turned and left.

"I'm going to block the news. From now on, the palace will be jointly protected by the Secret Committee and the Royal Guard." Shuvalov also left.

Razumovsky watched the two figures walk away, his heart filled with an unprecedented cloud of sorrow.

He knew that neither of them took him seriously.

"Now we have no choice but to go find Saltykov!"

Razumovsky quickly sent someone to find Sergei. He was intelligent and knew from the beginning how vulnerable his position was when something happened to the Empress.

That's why he spared no effort in supporting Sergei after seeing that he was a promising talent.

The cruises outside Moscow already illustrate the point.

Although his brother Cyril was innocent of the hunting grounds' mistake, Sergei had no need to clear his name or even try to gain favor with Besdutev or Shuvalov by targeting him.

Sergei arrived quickly.

After listening to Razumovsky's words, Sergei nodded: "Finding the best doctors and blocking the news are both correct. They must have other intentions, but rest assured, Count, they won't dare to be blatant, and they won't dare to act rashly before the worst situation really occurs."

Razumovsky felt somewhat relieved after hearing this.

That's right, the Queen is only critically ill, not beyond saving. Even if the worst happens, if the Queen's condition improves, whoever is the most arrogant will be the first to die.

Therefore, at this time, no matter how many moves Besdov or Shuvalov made in secret, they dared not make any rash moves in the open.

"The only way to break this deadlock is for His Majesty to recover as soon as possible," Razumovsky sighed.

"This is the best way, but we can't just sit here and wait to die; we have to do something." Sergei's gaze was firm.

Razumovsky turned around: "You mean...?"

Sergei said slowly, "Besdudev should go to Aprakshin, and Shuvalov has already met with the Grand Duke."

"Then we should support Shuvalov." Razumovsky's shortcomings in politics became apparent at this point.

Sergei shook his head: "If the Grand Duke ascends the throne with Shuvalov's help, then Shuvalov will be the real controller of Russia, and he will become the regent of Russia."

"Then we'll go to the parliament; not all the members of the House of Representatives will listen to Besdutdev."

Sergei nodded: "That's right, this is the only way we can do it!"