When the rolling train finally came to a slow halt at the roar of the whistle, Fran and Mary stepped out of the carriage in the bleak autumn breeze and came to the Tsarskoye village on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

However, the cold wind did not blow away the lively atmosphere here, and when they walked out of the small station and came into the shade of the trees on the edge of the royal village, they found that there were already many well-dressed gentlemen and ladies strolling around, and there were many guards and servants patrolling around, which not only made the surrounding area heavily guarded, but also made this otherwise lonely place a little more angry.

Ever since Peter the Great finally won Petersburg from Sweden as a window to Europe after years of hard fighting, he has turned it into his summer retreat. And in the hands of his daughter, Empress Elizabeth I, who was also very promising, it has become the largest palace owned by the Russian tsar. After more than a century of evolution, Tsarskoye can be said to have become a representative landmark of the Romanov dynasty, and like the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, it became the main event site of the imperial court.

Like Windsor Castle and Fontainebleau, Tsarskoye is a lush greenery that was used by emperors and aristocrats tired of the hustle and bustle of the city as a rare place to socialize, and as a showcase for the royal family to show off their wealth and authority.

After Catherine the Great ascended the throne, she enjoyed it as much as her predecessors, and she designed and reconstructed the palace herself. She transformed the geometric garden into a fashionable English garden at the time. Winding paths replaced the straight boulevards, and the manicured lawns were replaced by thick grassy fields, in which she built a large number of palaces—which she considered herself meritorious enough to enjoy as the ruler of the entire Russian Empire, and which was more or less the case.

Led by the attendants, Fran and Mary strolled through the paths of the gardens to the palace, deep in the trees. After the death of Catherine the Great, the tsars who inherited her career not only inherited her boundless desire for power and expansion, but also continued her love for the palace.

Tsar Alexander I, who finally put an end to Napoleon, erected a series of medieval Central European buildings in his new garden, such as Gothic minarets and chapels, which blend harmoniously with the rich clusters of trees and lush meadows, and are dotted with ponds to form a romantic landscape.

It's a pity that it's late autumn, and the trees and ponds are already in the twilight, and they can't feel the vigorous vitality among the green grass, but even so, the two of them can feel the beauty of ingenuity.

However, Fran still regretted that it was too much like Europe, similar to the palaces she had seen elsewhere in Europe, and that she could not feel the true beauty of Russia.

Just as they were about to arrive at the Catherine Palace, the Tsar's family's dormitory, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander of the Russian Empire, who had already received the advice of the attendants, politely greeted him from his residence and entertained his two guests with hospitality.

"Mademoiselle de Treville, it is a pleasure to see you again." He smiled warmly as he held out his hand to Fran, "I hope you don't mind my presumptuous invitation, but enjoy the journey." ”

"What are you talking about! It is an honour to be here in your court. Fran also answered him with a smile, allowing the other party to pick up his hand and kiss it slightly on the back of his hand, "To be honest, I am flattered by your arrangement, I don't know if I can continue to keep your good impression of me in the future." ”

"There is no doubt that you can, because when I see you again during the day, I find that your beauty is more amazing than that night meeting." Crown Prince Alexander, smiling and complimenting, put Fran's hand down as if reluctantly, and then glanced away at Mary, "Of course, and you too, Mademoiselle de Léoland." ”

Mary seemed to owe a debt to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but her impression of the Crown Prince, who was apparently only a polite compliment.

"Thank you for complimenting me, I'll take it as the truth." Fran replied with a smile.

After many experiences, she is now able to be calm even in front of the Russian crown prince, and this calmness makes her even more charming.

"Of course it's true!" In front of Fran's joke, Crown Prince Alexander couldn't help but laugh, "Okay, I'll take you in and rest, you must be a little tired, and the wind outside is not good for your health." ”

Then, under his leadership, Fran and Mary walked into the Ekaterina Palace.

To be sure, in terms of aesthetics or luxury, Russia entered civilization later than the Western European countries, but the tsars naturally had the courage to overwhelm their Western counterparts with their pomp.

After the management of successive tsars and the painstaking efforts of successive generations of architects, the palace has indeed become a magnificent and a classic baroque building, which is everywhere, decorating the pomp and circumstance of His Majesty the Tsar.

As soon as they entered the side wall of the staircase, they saw relief patterns and vase lamps adorning the walls, while the fortified mulberries on both sides of the corridor were also decorated with reliefs and tassels.

When they arrived at the first hall of the palace, the imperial grandeur was even more impressive, and the walls of the surrounding hall were covered with splendid relief decorations, and the roof was painted with frescoes depicting the ancient mythological story of Apollo, the god of the sun. The walls are full of delicate gold carvings, which are magnificent and spacious.

This hall is the dance hall of the palace, and when the court is busy, people dance here every night, and the candlelight makes the surrounding reliefs shine, as if they have come to a fantasy world.

However, this grandeur did not impress Fran, who only looked around politely, and did not feel as shocked as some foreign visitors.

Crown Prince Alexander, who wanted to show off his family in front of this woman, was a little curious about this. "You don't seem to be in the mood? I know you're a big fan of art, but aren't you happy with the set-up here? ”

"No, Your Highness, it's beautiful here, but ...... It's a very normal beauty, very well matched with the abode of an emperor, but too much to match - I have seen enough of what I have seen in you, in Versailles. Fran replied honestly, "It's too much like Europe." ”

"Isn't it bad to be like Europe? That's what my ancestors were after. Crown Prince Alexander smiled again, then went on to explain, "This is what we built to keep up with the emperors of Europe, and if you want to see the real Russia, you can go to Moscow, like the Kremlin, which has our Russian dome and the square court - yes, everything is so Russian." ”

"I'm curious about your description - but I'm sorry, I'm almost on the way home from this trip, and I'm afraid it's hard to arrange this trip." Fran shook her head slightly, "If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely go there and have a look." ”

"Are you leaving? Oh...... This is not surprising, after all, winter is coming, and you French people will not get used to ours. Crown Prince Alexander thought for a moment, and suddenly made another joke, "But you can ask your grandfather when you go back, after all, he was in Moscow back then, and he may be more familiar with the Kremlin than I am—"

The ridicule implied in these words made Fran blush slightly.

Regardless of the political affiliation, 1812 has always been a sad event for France, and even more so for Fran, whose grandfather had followed Napoleon's army there and then collapsed in the terrible winter, and the horrific memories have not disappeared from his mind, and Fran has been with him since childhood, and of course from his grandfather has shared this pain.

"Thank God my grandpa came back in the end." She whispered.

"Thank God that everything is finally at peace, and everything is a tragedy, whether it is for the Russians or the French." Crown Prince Alexander also nodded, "The only thing we can do as young juniors is to try to prevent this terrible tragedy from happening again." ”

Then, he looked up at Fran and shifted the subject.

"I know that what has been shown to you at the moment is not enough to impress you, but I think there is a place here that can impress you...... Allow me to take you there and give you a taste of what it is like there. ”

"What do you mean?" Fran was a little curious.

"A rare treasure, a miracle that may never be replicated again." Crown Prince Alexander said mysteriously, but he soon announced the answer, "More accurately, a hall made of amber panels, so beautiful that people like you will be shocked......"

"Really?" Fran was slightly surprised.

She did not suspect that the crown prince was lying, for when she was a child, she had heard the legend that the Tsar lived in a hall made of curiosities - like the Arabian kings in fairy tales.

When she grew up, she knew that those treasures were amber, something more valuable than gold.

What surprised her was that Crown Prince Alexander was going to take her straight to see her—he was really attentive as a host.

But what surprised her even more was yet to come.

"Miss Tréville, my father is there now, and if you may, as I have just said, will you be able to see the light and paint a portrait of him there?" After seeing that she was finally surprised, Crown Prince Alexander asked with a smile. (To be continued.) )