Struggle in Russia

If Count Rostovtsev hadn't mentioned this issue, Nikolai Milyutin would never have thought about it in this direction. After all, Empress Elizabeth Alexeyevna was not in particularly good health. It is also normal to be shocked by a sudden death and to be sick.

But when Count Rostovtsev mentioned it, he thought carefully about the death of Elizabeth Alexeyevna. There was indeed something unjustifiable. The queen was not yet 50 years old, and she had never heard of heart problems before. , but died of heart failure, which is really strange.

Especially when you think of the bad relationship between her and the empress dowager, and the key role the empress dowager played in the succession of Nicholas I, it is hard not to doubt Elizabeth Alexeyevna's death Is it related to this.

If it is entirely from the perspective of conspiracy theory, if there is no so-called secret edict at all, and if Nicholas I's succession is entirely the empress dowager's opinion, then all the strange things make sense.

After Paul I was killed that year, the empress dowager proposed to her son Alexander I that she would inherit the throne or co-govern. In other words, the empress dowager actually wanted to learn from Ekaterina the Great, but the result was not ideal and was rejected by Alexander I.

It is hard not to doubt that when her son Alexander I died suddenly, would the Empress Dowager become old-fashioned and use the excuse of abolishing the Duke Constantine, who had a higher prestige and reputation among her courtiers, and replace her with someone who was not suitable to be Emperor Nicholas I took this opportunity to expand his power to overtake Nicholas I, or simply achieve co-governance a little bit. It's totally possible!

As for the death of Empress Elizabeth Alexeyevna, it has nothing to do with her or Nicholas I. After all, as empress, she is also the person who knows Alexander I best. Is there a so-called secret edict, Elizabeth Alek? Seyevna is sure of that. How could the Empress Dowager and Nicholas I be at ease if they were not silenced?

This terrible conjecture immediately made Nikolai Milutin break out in a cold sweat. Even he himself couldn't figure out why he had such a terrible idea. He couldn't help raising his head. He looked at Count Rostovtsev suspiciously, hoping that the count would tell him that everything was just his imagination.

It's just that Count Rostovtsev's brown eyes seem to be covered with a layer of veil, and they seem to be covered with boundless mist. He can't see anything clearly. On the contrary, the more he looks at it, the more confused and frightened he is!

Nikolai Milyutin licked his lips, and asked very confidently: "Empress Elizabeth Alexeyevna... died of natural causes back then!"

Count Rostovtsev replied calmly, "It must have been a natural death..."

This answer left Nikolai Milutin speechless.

Because this is not an affirmative sentence at all. Although it looks like an answer, why does it look like a negative or rhetorical question when you read it carefully?

But before he could ask carefully, Count Rostovtsev suddenly added another sentence: "The death was indeed quite sudden. I remember that she died as soon as she arrived in Tula before returning to St. Petersburg... Poor woman! "

These words made Nicholas Milutin even more uncomfortable. He felt more and more that someone had something to say. Finally he couldn't help it and asked, "Are you implying that the Queen's death that year is suspicious?"

Count Rostovtsev seemed taken aback, and said in amazement, "Why do you ask that? Do you think there is something wrong with the Queen's death?"

Looking at the startled Count Rostovtsev, Nikolai Milyutin was so angry that he wanted to slap him in the face with a brick. You were the one who led me to think in this direction, why did you frame me!

Nikolai Milutin just wanted to defend himself, but Count Rostovtsev suddenly said: "But you said that, the empress died too suddenly back then, and it is normal for the world to have doubts. Besides, the empress dowager's behavior back then It's also strange... but these are rumors that are not to be believed..."

Nikolai Milutin was speechless. Fortunately, you have finished all the words. What should I believe? Or just treat it as nonsense, and just ignore it, what's the point of saying what's there now?

It's just that Nikolai Milyutin didn't want to say it, but Count Rostovtsev wanted to say: "However, there were indeed a lot of gossip back then. Most people didn't like His Majesty very much. They generally hoped that Grand Duke Constantine would become the Tsar. ...By the way, it seems that the relationship between Grand Duke Constantine and the Empress Dowager is not very good? It seems that the Empress Dowager dislikes that Polish woman very much?"

Nikolai Milyutin's cheeks began to twitch, because he found out that Count Rostovtsev did it on purpose, and what he said was unbelievable, but his heart was extremely gossip. You are deliberately directing the issue to the Empress Dowager, right? Even the rumors that the Empress Dowager doesn't like Grand Duke Constantine have come out. You are confirming the previous rumors!

However, Nikolai Milyutin really can't say that Count Rostovtsev is talking nonsense, because it is well known that the Empress Dowager does not like the Polish wife of Grand Duke Constantine, and the reason why the Grand Duke has been nesting in Warsaw The reluctance to come back is largely due to the royal family's rejection of their couple.

Reminiscent of what happened to the son of Grand Duke Constantine later, it is hard not to suspect that the Empress Dowager and Nicholas I conspired to usurp the throne in order to prevent the blood of the Romanov family from being polluted by Polish blood. This kind of bloodline theory is very popular within the Romanov family, and considering the long-standing German marriage customs of the Romanov family, it is very possible to prevent the penetration of Polish blood.

It’s just that Nicholas Milutin is not very interested in this. Even if it can be proved that the empress dowager played a disgraceful role in it, so what? No one will miss the Grand Duke Constantine anymore, and he has even forgotten him.

Is it possible that now we have to set things right and let that Grand Duke Andrei Konstantinovich come back to be the tsar? It is estimated that no fool would be willing to do such a thankless and stupid thing now. Could it be that Count Rostovtsev is a hidden anti-Nicolas I party member?

As soon as this idea popped up, Nikolai Milyutin couldn't stop. After all, Count Rostovtsev also participated in the Decembrist uprising back then. Maybe there is such a possibility, okay? If that's the case, I'm afraid things will be a big deal!