Make France Great Again

"Ah! The descendants of the House of Napoleon truly cause trouble for me... Be it nephew or uncle!"

Nicholas I spoke leisurely, his tone showing no fluctuation, nor any sign of vitality. It seemed the Tsar had tacitly agreed to Jerome Bonaparte's proposal.

"Your Majesty, they have simultaneously created opportunities for us! If France has no intention of annexing the Rhine Land, then our Russian Empire would become the target of many. Since the Great Powers of Europe are unwilling to restore Constantinople under the Empire with your leadership, we can only manufacture a greater threat to compel tacit acceptance from Britain and other powers."

Carl Nesselrode took pride in his diplomatic strategy, using one threat to offset another to achieve mutual compromise, a technique he had learned from Prince Metternich.

To "repay" Prince Metternich's tutelage, Carl Nesselrode intentionally withheld certain unfavorable information regarding Austria from coming from France.

[Referring to the dealings between Felix Schwarzenberg and the French Republic]

Years of tacit collaboration with Nicholas I gave Carl Nesselrode the confidence to keep secrets from Nicholas I.

The obstinate sovereign naturally prided himself on believing that the Third Hall would become his eyes and ears, serving him. In reality, the Third Hall had long since decayed, countless false reports flooding in, forcing the Third Hall to dispose of reports themselves to avoid accountability, always prevaricating to the Tsar with "nothing happened today."

Of course, when Crown Prince Alexander held a ministerial position, they dared not act so recklessly for fear of being discovered by the Crown Prince.

Now, with Crown Prince Alexander having left Tsarskoye Selo for the local army, the Third Hall could comfortably deceive the Emperor.

[The Tsar's Office is directly governed by the Tsar and possesses greater authority than other departments. The First Hall supervises the implementation of the Tsar's orders, the Second Hall compiles legal codes, the Third Hall establishes a gendarmerie responsible for political censorship, the Fourth Hall manages charity and educational institutions, the Fifth Hall improves the lives of state serfs, and the Sixth Hall is a temporary institution responsible for drafting administrative plans for the South Caucasus Region.]

"Nesselrode, this is betrayal!" Although Nicholas I was quite satisfied with Nesselrode's scheme, years of adherence to orthodoxy made him feel as though he betrayed the Kingdom of Prussia.

"Your Majesty, the Empire will not directly force the Kingdom of Prussia to cede territory. Whether the French Republic can gain anything depends on themselves!" Carl Nesselrode assured Nicholas I.

"I leave this matter to you!" Nicholas I warned Carl Nesselrode, "However, I do not wish to hear any negative news concerning the Russian Empire in this matter!"

"Of course!" Carl Nesselrode immediately replied.

To Carl Nesselrode, it was the Austrian Empire handing over land, and whether the French Republic could obtain land from the Austrian Empire depended on their ability.

"By the way! Hasn't the Austrian Foreign Minister arrived yet?" Nicholas I suddenly remembered that Austrian Foreign Minister Felix Schwarzenberg seemed to be visiting St. Petersburg soon.

Nicholas I's sudden inquiry left Carl Nesselrode stunned for a few seconds; he promptly responded, "Your Majesty, not yet! However, he should arrive soon!"

"Then you can meet him on my behalf!" Nicholas I said to Carl Nesselrode.

"Yes!" Carl Nesselrode felt a surge of happiness, as Nicholas I's delegation of power undoubtedly provided him more room for negotiation; he could have a good discussion with the newly appointed minister.

"Alright! I'm tired! You may leave!" Nicholas I waved Carl Nesselrode away.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Carl Nesselrode bowed and left Nicholas I once again.

Watching Carl Nesselrode depart, Nicholas I returned to his study. As his gaze fell again upon the map on his desk, he instinctively shook his head and murmured, "France!"

...

On October 27, the temperature in St. Petersburg was a few degrees lower than in the previous days—the brief autumn vanished in no time.

A cold front from the Arctic Circle swept through the streets and alleys of St. Petersburg, causing the nobility and (petty) bourgeoisie around the city to shed their autumn attire for cold-resistant cotton garments, with every household sealing windows and lighting fireplaces.

The usually bustling streets were left with sparse groups of people and occasional patrolling police.

Every midnight, in the deserted alleys of St. Petersburg, one could see drunkards clutching bottles of rum.

Every year after October, a portion of St. Petersburg's drunks would perish from cold due to inebriation.

In such cold weather, a double-axle carriage slowly entered St. Petersburg from outside the city.

If a passerby were observant, they would notice the golden family crest on the side of the double-axle carriage.

The crest, engraved with a double-headed eagle pattern, was identical to the Romanov Clan's and was surrounded by a squad of cavalry. The cavalry was uniformly dressed, wearing black leather cylindrical military hats, red embroidered uniforms with three rows of gold buttons that gleamed under the sunlight, and black tight-fitting riding trousers with a saber at the waist. From their attire, it was evident they belonged to the elite Russian Guards Cuirassiers directly under the Tsar's command.