Struggle in Russia

Prince Mikhail walked slowly on the red carpet, exerting all his strength every time he lifted his feet. The reason was very simple. The thing he was holding in his hands was so heavy!

Please note that this is not a metaphor; it was of great weight to him. Think about how much a pure gold ball studded with diamonds and a pure gold plate would weigh.

Anyway, it was difficult for him to hold it with both hands, and his arms felt sore!

Not only were his arms sore, he also felt it was difficult to breathe. The vertical collar on his dress was buttoned too tightly, as if a pair of iron arms were tightly strangling his throat.

He tried desperately to inhale, but the more he took in, the more he felt lack of oxygen. Wave after wave of dull heat made his consciousness become increasingly blurred.

But he could only grit his teeth and hold on. He really hoped that this would end soon, because he really couldn't hold on any longer!

Just when Prince Mikhail was swaying, Menshikov, who was walking behind him, stumbled and threw the plate out of his hand. The heavy scepter fell to the marble floor with a clang, frightening Prince Mikhail. A jump.

He turned around suddenly to see what was going on, but you also knew that his condition was not good to begin with. This sudden turn around caused a lack of oxygen to the brain, and he suddenly fainted when his feet went weak.

Li Xiao, who was standing in the crowd, could see clearly that the "old eunuch" must have been too tired, so he stumbled and dropped the scepter.

Although this is rude and unlucky, it is hard for people to endure such a long period of time despite being sick.

And Prince Mikhail must have suffered from heatstroke. You can see that his complexion is an unhealthy flush, and his chest is rising and falling rapidly. He is obviously out of breath.

This sudden situation also stunned the people in the church. Everyone did not expect such a thing to happen and had no time to react!

Queen Maria was silent for about two seconds before she reacted first. She calmly bumped the stunned Alexander II twice with her elbows, and then he came to his senses.

"Quick! See how your Excellency the Prince is doing!"

At this time, the guards from the left and right swarmed up. Some went to check Prince Mikhail's condition, while others hurriedly chased the golden ball that rolled down the steps.

Fortunately, this thing is made of solid materials and of good quality, otherwise Alexander II and Prince Mikhail would be even more embarrassed.

It took Prince Mikhail a long time to wake up. At this time, he was so embarrassed that he just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into. With a face of shame, he prostrated in front of Alexander II and admitted his mistake and asked for punishment.

To be honest, Alexander II was determined to kill Prince Mikhail at this time. The coronation ceremony that he had carefully planned for so long was ruined like this. Isn't this an eyesore for him?

It’s just that he knew that he couldn’t punish Prince Mikhail, not only because of his seniority, merit, and influence, but more importantly, the prince’s brother, Duke Alexander, was watching from the audience. In any case, he had to punish the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the future official Prime Minister, please show some face!

Alexander forced himself to remain calm and replied calmly: "Prince, this is not a big deal. Although you fell down just now, you always stood firm on the battlefield. This is the most important and respectable thing." of!"

It should be said that Alexander II's response was quite appropriate. If the matter ended here, it would be regarded as a successful rescue. However, God seemed to be against him. As soon as he finished speaking, the Guards and the Chamberlain responded. After picking up the golden ball and scepter, Menshikov also fell down before the ceremony could continue.

Yes, the "old eunuch" couldn't hold on anymore. When he dropped the scepter just now, he was so frightened that his vision went dark, thinking that this time it was all over. Fortunately, Prince Mikhail temporarily stopped him, and his fall made everyone forget about the "old eunuch" who made the mistake in the first place.

Menshikov, who was surviving the disaster, felt a chill running down his spine. He even felt that his hands and feet were not his and he could no longer obey orders. After barely taking two steps while carrying the gold plate, he stumbled and fell again!

This not only shocked him, but also made Alexander II furious!

In fact, he was very dissatisfied with Menshikov's performance just now. Although Prince Mikhail was a bit hateful, it was this old guy who made the mistake in the first place. If he didn't throw the scepter away, Prince Mikhail would naturally not do it. You will be startled, but naturally you will not faint.

Maybe he gritted his teeth and held on until the ceremony was completed, but his fall immediately made everything come to nothing, and now that he fell once and came back a second time, can you tell Alexander II not to be angry?

But what's the use of being angry?

Although Menshikov fell lamely, he was a prince and an old minister after all. According to the old saying, there is hard work without credit. He couldn't really tear his face and deal with such an old minister in such a public place, right?

So Alexander II could only break his teeth and swallow them in his stomach. He could only hold back his anger and ordered: "Hurry up and help His Excellency! You are not injured! Your Excellency, the Prince has worked so hard and accomplished so much and cannot make any mistakes!"

After another period of scrambling, Menshikov and Prince Mikhail were finally helped onto the high platform by the chamberlain. The scepter and golden ball that they could not hold were also stabilized by the chamberlain.

At this time, Alexander II took a breath. He felt that today's bad luck should be over, and there would be no more trouble in the future!

But he was too happy too soon, just after the Archbishop of Moscow prayed for him and Queen Mary as usual, and handed the Tsar's crown to him to wear firmly on his head.

According to the procedure, the Archbishop also delivered the slightly smaller Queen's Crown to Alexander II, who would crown Queen Maria.

Alexander II casually placed the crown on Queen Maria's head, and then two maids stepped forward and pinned the heavy crown to her bun to keep it stable.

But as soon as Queen Maria stood up, the heavy crown broke free from the shackles of the pin and fell to the ground with a clang! ! !

At that moment, the whole place was completely silent. Li Xiao swore that he had never seen such a quiet place with so many people in his life. Queen Maria's face was pale, Alexander II's face was even livid, and the two poor waitresses were trembling with fear.

Obviously they are also aware of the seriousness of the problem. After all, they are not Prince Menshikov and Mikhail. They have neither hard work nor senior qualifications. Alexander II is sure to deal with them. If nothing else, their palace Their career should have ended early, and maybe it would bring bad luck to their father and brother as well...