Struggle in Russia

Grand Duke Constantine was silent. Although he did not necessarily admire Viscount Prozolov very much, nor did he think that this man was really a qualified counselor, he knew one thing clearly, that is, this man did see certain issues more thoroughly than he did. .

Since Viscount Prozolov said that Prince Vorontsov had other judgments about Count Rostovtsev, then in all probability it was true.

But this made him confused. He thought he knew Count Rostovtsev relatively well. He was a standard conservative. It was because of his whistleblower that the Decembrist Party was defeated.

Of course, Grand Duke Constantine was not complaining about the Decembrists, but he felt that Count Rostovtsev was a die-hard conservative and should be despised by such a person as long as he had even the slightest bit of progressive thinking.

For example, he dislikes Count Rostovtsev very much, so according to common sense, Duke Vorontsov should also dislike Count Rostovtsev, and should oppose him with all his strength!

Previously, Grand Duke Konstantin was quite dissatisfied with Nikolai Milyutin and Grand Duchess Elena's acquiescence in Count Rostovtsev taking over the serfdom reform committee, but he thought that they had to accept this result under pressure.

But after Viscount Prozolov reminded him, he felt that something was wrong here.

Think about it, Nikolai Milyutin and Grand Duchess Elena didn't object, so they just stopped talking. Even a long-established figure like Duke Vorontsov didn't object. Is there any secret in this?

"You mean there is an article in it?" Archduke Constantine asked.

Viscount Prozolov nodded and replied: "Their position is too strange. One, two, and three of them all acquiesced. How could it be such a coincidence? I think it is very likely that His Majesty has reached some kind of deal with them, and he kept it from you." kind!"

Grand Duke Constantine was immediately taken aback. In fact, he also thought of this possibility. What is he most afraid of now? What he fears most is that Alexander II will attack his teammates and isolate him step by step. When he really becomes a loner, it will probably be the end of him.

He quickly asked: "What kind of deal do you think they reached?"

"I think it is most likely that His Majesty will make some degree of concession in exchange for their agreement to let Count Rostovtsev be in charge of the Serfdom Reform Committee!"

Grand Duke Constantine nodded and said: "It makes sense! Otherwise, they have no reason to agree to such a nonsensical appointment and let people like Count Rostovtsev take charge of the Serfdom System Reform Committee. Isn't this... isn't this a joke!"

What he was going to say was actually even worse, but he just held back temporarily.

However, this kind of speculation is of little significance to Grand Duke Constantine, because it is impossible to guess what kind of deal Alexander II made with Nikolai Milyutin and others and what kind of concessions he made. M..

Without knowing this, he still couldn't accurately judge the situation, let alone adopt targeted strategies.

Fortunately, he also had a not-so-reliable adviser, Viscount Prozolov, who suggested: "Your Highness, I think the top priority is to rush to Moscow immediately and try every means to find out what concessions His Majesty has made, so that we can carry out the Next move!”

Grand Duke Constantine also agreed: "You are right, there is really no need to waste time on this old guy Vorontsov. We will set off for Moscow immediately!"

While Grand Duke Constantine was rushing to Moscow in a hurry, Li Xiao and Duke Vorontsov strolled back to their special trains and chatted about him.

Prince Vorontsov sighed: "Your cousin is really irritable and impatient, and he can change his face faster than turning the pages of a book!"

Li Xiao smiled and replied: "He has been restrained enough towards you today. If it were me, he would have cursed you outside the door!"

Duke Vorontsov was stunned and then smiled: "It seems you know him very well!"

Li Xiao smiled again and said: "I can't say I know him well, but after dealing with him a few times, I basically understand his temperament. That is to say, your status is too high and he is still restrained."

Prince Vorontsov laughed and said: "Is this considered restrained? If I let him do whatever he wants, wouldn't it mean that I wouldn't be able to get out of that hotel?"

Li Xiao curled his lips and said: "If he is the tsar, this is really a possibility!"

Duke Vorontsov shook his head, as if he didn't understand Grand Duke Constantine's behavior. These days, nobles still have to show some respect, especially high-ranking nobles, who are as explosive as Grand Duke Constantine. What a strange person!

But he did not continue the topic. Instead, he suddenly asked: "What do you think of Count Rostovtsev?"

This time it was Li Xiao's turn to be stunned, because this question was really difficult to answer. After all, Count Rostovtsev's identity was highly confidential, and he had no way to be sure whether Duke Vorontsov knew the inside story. If he casually said What should I do if I break a big deal?

After hesitating for a moment, he tried: "Are you telling me what I think about him taking charge of the Serfdom Reform Committee?"

Duke Vorontsov glanced at him and said slowly: "Not exactly, I'm asking you what you think of Count Rostovtsev!"

Well, this question made it even more difficult for Li Xiao, but he thought quickly and immediately answered: "I don't have much interaction with the count. I don't know him well, so I can't say I have any opinions."

Prince Vorontsov chuckled and said, "Then let me give you a rough impression. You have to have some impression, right?"

Li Xiao knew that he couldn't hide now. He had to face this problem head-on. He had a feeling that if he couldn't answer this question well, his relationship with Duke Vorontsov would probably be like this. .

After thinking for a while, he replied: "My first impression of that count was from the Decembrists. According to popular opinion, he is a despicable traitor who betrayed the Decembrists!"

Prince Vorontsov smiled and said, "Do you also think he is a traitor?"

Li Xiao did not answer this question directly, but said: "I am not particularly interested in whether he is a traitor. I just think that the Decembrists would have never succeeded, even without Count Rostovtsev's informant." , they cannot escape the fate of failure!"

oh?

Prince Vorontsov smiled meaningfully and said: "How do you think of the Decembrists? But now they have a lot of admirers and supporters! Especially those who support reforms, ten Eighty-nine people worship them, and if you talk about their idols like that, they will probably be very unhappy!"