Struggle in Russia

August 26, Kremlin Church Square.

Crowds filled the entire square early in the morning. Standing on the wall of the Red Square and looking around, there were crowds of people everywhere.

The nobles and noble ladies dressed up in their best manners to welcome their new masters. People stood on tiptoe and looked forward to the ceremony, hoping that the ceremony would start soon.

At ten o'clock, with a shout from the full-dressed Guardsmen and the cheerful ringing of church bells, Alexander II and the Empress walked arm in arm onto the red porch.

Today, Alexander II wears military uniform as usual, with the Order of St. Andrew hanging on a gold chain, and Empress Maria Alexandrovna wearing a sky-blue Catherine ribbon, and she is not like other nobles. The woman wore a fancy and exaggerated hat like that, and just combed her hair back into two strands hanging on her shoulders.

The reason why Queen Maria did not wear a hat is very simple, because Alexander II will place the Queen's crown on her head during the coronation ceremony.

According to custom and tradition, when Alexander II and Queen Maria arrived at the Red Portico, they would bow deeply to all the onlookers. This is an old tradition from the time of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great and Catherine the Great also bowed to the crowd in this way when they were crowned.

As the emperor and empress bent their noble backs, the crowd in the square burst into cheers like a roaring tsunami. Then the military band began to play music and the salutes also began to roar wildly.

When all this happened, Li Xiao was also standing in the crowd of onlookers, but he couldn't blend into the excited crowd around him at all. He just made a mouth shape, and he didn't want to shout stupidly and hoarse his voice.

But looking at the tearful crowd around him, he was somewhat infected. For the first time, there was no slander or sarcasm, and he was just observing Alexander II's performance.

To be honest, he felt that Alexander II's performance was very average. His cheap cousin seemed a little nervous, his face was tense, and his two fists were clenched as if he was about to fight with someone at any time. .

So much so that the whole person was stiff, and he walked a bit like a puppet, and every meal seemed to be stuck.

Queen Maria next to her was not as stiff as him, but the expression on her face gave people an inexplicable sense of solemnity and sadness. It felt like I was attending a funeral rather than a coronation.

Li Xiao shook his head and felt a little funny, especially when Alexander II and Queen Mary walked down the stairs and stood under the canopy held by the veterans headed by Menshikov and moved towards the Cathedral of the Assumption. The overwhelming feeling was unbearable. The feeling of moving forward becomes stronger and stronger.

Compared to more than a year ago, Menshikov was a completely different person. His face was pale and skinny, and he looked like a walking skeleton. His appearance was a vivid interpretation of his waning years.

The shambling team marched slowly towards the Assumption Cathedral. This journey was not short, and it was a huge test for both the tsar and his wife and the accompanying ministers, especially those who were "old and lustful".

It took a full two hours for the huge team to arrive at the Assumption Cathedral. At this time, Russia's top nobles had gathered in the ancient cathedral, which was full of seats. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the door of the church. They all looked forward to the early arrival of the Tsar and his wife.

The reason is very simple. There are too many people in the church and the weather is too hot. Under the scorching sun, the church is like a big furnace, which is simply suffocating.

And the nobles who participated in the coronation ceremony were all dressed up. In short, they were wrapped in three layers inside and three outside, which was called an airtight one. Naturally, it was even hotter.

The Queen Mother Alexandra's health was not very good. The stagnant air in the church made her breathless. In order to maintain her appearance, she had to stand all the time. This was even more difficult for her. Big test.

Nobles who couldn't bear the heat kept leaving the church to take a breather. Compared with the solemn and rigid atmosphere inside the church, the scene of nobles outside chatting and smoking in groups was undoubtedly much more relaxed.

If everyone was looking forward to this grand coronation ceremony before, now everyone's wish is for this damn ceremony to end as soon as possible.

After much anticipation, Alexander II and his party finally arrived at the door of the church. It was obvious that they were not in good condition. Alexander II seemed more and more stiff. When he went up the stairs, he almost made a joke and rolled down. As for Mary, Queen Leah didn't know whether her waist was too tight or her clothes were too thick. She was sweating so much that her makeup was almost gone.

As for the veterans like Menshikov, well, the old guys were out of breath and looked like they might die at any time.

Li Xiao shook his head. He suddenly felt that something might go wrong at the coronation ceremony. It would be great fun if someone had their hair cut off on the spot.

It's just that the coronation ceremony was an arrow on the string and had to be fired. As Alexander II and Queen Mary walked into the church and ascended to the C position, the ceremony officially began.

First of all, it will be Prince Mikhail Gorchakov. Yes, in a rare act of generosity to win over the Gorchakov family, Alexander II gave Mikhail the title of Duke or Prince.

First, the new prince will deliver the golden ball, a symbol of royal power, to Alexander II.

This respected veteran held a plate made of pure gold with a beautiful velvet cushion on it. On the cushion was the "golden ball" that symbolized the imperial power!

This golden ball was made by Catherine the Great and was the most important ritual object during her coronation ceremony. This golden ball is also called the Tsar Apple, written as derzhava in Russian, and has ancient roots: its origin is the ancient Russian word drzha (regime).

It is said that the golden ball reflects the power of the ruler and his ability to "control" the country. Therefore, the golden ball has been considered one of the symbols of the Russian royal family's imperial power for hundreds of years.

However, the appearance of the gold ball originally created by Catherine the Great was relatively simple: a gold ball surrounded by a diamond belt, with a small cross on top. There is a legend that the diamond belt on the golden ball was taken from a dress of Catherine II.

In the era of Paul I, in order to show that he was different from his mother, the arrogant czar specially set the gold ball with 200 carats of sapphires and 47 carats of pure diamonds.

According to the procedure of the ceremony, Prince Mikhail will first hold the golden ball on the high platform of the church and stand on the side of Alexander II. Then Prince Menshikov will hold another gold plate containing the tsar's scepter. Standing on the other side, Alexander II was finally crowned by the Archbishop of Moscow.

It's just that something went wrong at the beginning of today's process!