Struggle in Russia

But no matter how painful it was, Viscount Prozolov could only say clearly what he had to say. After all, he was just an aide, a counselor, and Grand Duke Constantine was the boss, so he could only make the final decision.

"Your Highness, according to my investigation, I found that Grand Duke Mikhail collected a lot of money from several nobles in private, and then helped them seek higher positions, and even sold some positions in Kiev directly..."

Viscount Prozolov's words made Grand Duke Constantine's eyes widen, because Grand Duke Mikhail's operation was too bold, it was openly buying and selling officials! If it gets out, it will be absolutely shocking, enough for their father to whip his ass directly with a whip.

Anyway, Grand Duke Constantine didn't even dare to think about this kind of thing. Although he usually helped people run away to find positions and received benefits, he really didn't dare to sell them at a public price. Moreover, he didn't collect money openly for helping people to run officials, at least the money must not be directly related to him, and he relied on the white gloves of his subordinates to help clean it up, okay?

And Grand Duke Mikhail's operation mode of shaking the sky and crying ghosts and gods is really ruining the three views. He doesn't think that Grand Duke Mikhail looks stupid when he is fair? How did you openly do such a stupid thing?

Why?

In fact, the reason is very simple. The main reason why Grand Duke Mikhail is so courageous is that he has never controlled such a large amount of power, and he was lost in an instant when he suddenly held such power.

Then he was gradually corroded by the weeds in Kiev, and his courage became stronger and stronger. When he found that even Count Rostovtsev turned a blind eye and pretended not to see it, the devil in his heart naturally Just let it out.

What's more, Grand Duke Mikhail thought that he was still doing it very covertly, and felt that those grasshoppers had a tight mouth, and not many people would notice it, so it was naturally unscrupulous.

It's a pity that this world has never been so impenetrable, no matter how secretive it is, there will be a day when it will be exposed. What's more, Grand Duke Mikhail's methods are indeed too rough, and he can't hide it from other people's eyes. That is, Grand Duke Nicholas is stupid, has no ambition, and has never paid attention to him. .

It's just that if you know it, you know it, and the attitude of interested people is very interesting. Someone like Viscount Prozolov who has a big picture and is ready to take a long line to catch big fish is considered to be of a relatively high level.

And Grand Duke Constantine, who only wants to be refreshing for a while, and who is ready to thunder on the spot, belongs to the list of idiots. In fact, from this incident, it can be directly seen that the character of Grand Duke Constantine is actually not suitable for politics. He is just a half bucket of water. He seems to be quite good at ordinary times, but in fact he is short-sighted and can't do big things. .

As for other caring people, such as Count Rostovtsev, he also knows about these things, but his way of handling them is even more different.

He didn't try to use it as a handle on Grand Duke Mikhail like Viscount Prozolov did, nor did he try to mess things up directly. What he did was to pretend he didn't see it, and Grand Duke Mikhail toss about it casually, but secretly wrote a detailed report with spring and autumn style of writing and sent it to Grand Duke Nicholas.

In the report, he carefully discussed the problems of the nobles who bought officials, but he did not directly point the finger at Grand Duke Mikhail. On the contrary, he helped Grand Duke Mikhail cover it up with spring and autumn brushwork.

Of course, Count Rostovtsev's report is enough for Nicholas I to be able to see what good things Grand Duke Mikhail has done.

Such an operation is called clever. If Grand Duke Constantine is on the second floor and Viscount Prozolov is on the third floor, then Count Rostovtsev is definitely on the top floor. Because of his approach to get the greatest benefit.

why?

This starts with the mentality of Nicholas I. He will definitely not be happy with Grand Duke Mikhail's approach, and it is absolute to be furious. But please note that this tsar is desperate for face, even if he can only eat bran swallowed vegetables for three meals a day at home, he will still whitewash the peace and wear gold and silver to make others think how superior his life is!

Therefore, the royal family must not have thunderstorms, and there must be no scandals!

This line is the lifeblood of Nicholas I, and it cannot be touched. If anyone dares to touch this bottom line, even if the starting point is for the good of Russia, then he will not tolerate it!

Therefore, Grand Duke Constantine's thinking must be suicidal, and it will only make Nicholas I loathe him more and more, feeling that he lacks a big picture.

However, Count Rostovtsev's approach was completely different. It seemed that he had done nothing and was completely laissez-faire. But he maintained the face of the royal family, and even wrote such a wonderful report, which not only presented the truth to Nicholas I, but also helped Grand Duke Mikhail cover up the face of the royal family.

This set of operations is simply moistening things silently, and things are done silently. By then, Nicholas I will know the truth, and naturally he will know who those guys who buy officials are and how they are. It is naturally impossible to reuse them in the future.

What? If you ask about the behavior of buying officials, you will not be held accountable? And don't you worry about handing over these positions to a group of idiots who buy officials?

For Nicholas I, there is really nothing to worry about, because first of all, those positions are not particularly important. What can a few bureau-level cadres in Kiev turn up?

What's more, the most indispensable thing in Russian officialdom is idiots. Most officials are idiots, so what if there are one or two more?

Do you think those guys who didn't buy officials would be fine? Do you think Nicholas I didn't know how these people came to power?

Either they have a background and backing, or they are bought officials in a disguised and more covert form. How much better are these compared with the guys who directly bought officials?

To put it simply, Russian officialdom is a cesspit, where there is nothing but dung, and no one is much better than the other. So don't be too serious, if you really want to be serious, you won't be able to live a day.

Anyway, Count Rostovtsev knew that Nicholas I didn't mean to be serious. As long as he can be allowed to be the emperor of this cesspit, as long as he is in a stable position, there is no need to compare pennies!

It is precisely because he knows Nicholas I's personality so well that Count Rostovtsev deliberately pretended not to see it. As long as Grand Duke Mikhail does not move towards the key position he has already reserved, the count will pretend did not see it.

Anyway, when Grand Duke Mikhail returns to St. Petersburg, he will naturally clean up and teach him a lesson, and it is easy to get back those unimportant positions...