Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 12 012 Since there are products, there are naturally customers and sales channels (Part 1)

After the salon was over, Baron Sergei returned to his home at No. 4 Laundry Lane and began to arrange his marriage with Miss de Rivery. Anyway, his two children had no objection, and Yulia liked this French lady very much. Mikhail also had no problem. After all, it was the old baron who wanted to remarry. Among the noble lords in Europe, it was not surprising to marry a girl who had just come of age, or even younger.

If the lords in Petersburg knew how old General Bonaparte's mother was when she started giving birth, they would know that the French lords were even more beastly than them.

Mikhail naturally didn't have to worry about the preparations for the wedding. He now had a more important task, which was to take the Dolgorukov brothers to the palace to recommend their gadgets to the ladies. He had to solve the production problem. At least he had attracted a lot of investment from the two brothers - their father was in charge of the Tula Arsenal and was a minister trusted by Emperor Paul. Even if he only took out some money from his family, he could still get the job done.

Moreover, Prince Peter also persuaded some other people to invest, but he didn't expect that Mrs. Lebrun was very interested in their cosmetics business.

"Misha, what do you think? This respectable lady wants to join our business activities."

To be honest, in the European aristocratic circle, although the hierarchy is there, people in high positions sometimes do not have any airs. Mrs. Le Brun is just a very famous female painter. Many noble ladies respect her very much, whether it is talking with Queen Marie Antoinette and Madame Du Barry in Paris and even becoming friends, or going to the Russian court. Just a few years ago, when she just arrived in St. Petersburg and was preparing to paint a portrait of Louisa of Baden, the current Crown Princess Elizabeth Alexeyevna, the Grand Duchess felt very honored and even a little excited about her arrival.

After all, this poor person came to St. Petersburg from Baden. Although Catherine II and Tsar Paul were good to her, her mother-in-law was not good to her. Alexander got along well with her at first, but at this time it was still the immature relationship between a boy and a girl after engagement. After a long time, there was no such freshness. In 1795, the Grand Duchess could still feel happy, but now becoming a Crown Princess is very bad for her.

She was already very happy to have Mrs. Lebrun chatting with her.

This lady's life in Petersburg was quite happy. After all, her artistic creation still maintained the bright style of her peak period, and the orders from these local nobles were enough for her. However, she loved her daughter Julie deeply, so she always wanted to keep more. Exile abroad also required a lot of expenses, especially since she was a nearly royal painter of the French royal family. The expenses in Paris in the past were extremely shocking, and her daughter Julie had grown up and was now a 17-year-old girl.

There were naturally many places needed in various aspects. When she was painting a portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna in the palace, she heard what Mikhail Dolgorukov said when he recommended these little things to Yekaterina Pavlovna. The whole process was in French, so naturally Mrs. Lebrun could understand it.

Then, she also decided to invest some, although not much, but as a master of portrait painting, some of the lady's opinions were still worth referring to.

Finally, Solovyov went there. It was convenient for him to go there. The lady often lived in Count Saltykov's house, but sometimes lived in No. 7 Million Street. With the speed of this lieutenant who was not tall but had fast feet, he could get there quickly.

But Solovyov did not notice whose house No. 7 Million Street belonged to.

This three-story private house seemed to be divided into two buildings. No. 9 Million Street had some connection with No. 7 in terms of architectural style, but the exterior was freshly painted, and even the decoration could be seen from the windows. It was not the bright sky blue that often appeared in Russia.

It seemed to be sold to a foreigner who was doing business or doing some work in St. Petersburg, and there was indeed a coat of arms under the house number of No. 7 Million Street, which indicated which official residence it was.

"Count Skavronsky's residence. Enemies often cross paths. That annoying little devil has this last name. Maybe it's her home."

Because of its location, it is the intersection of Palace Embankment Road and Marble Lane. It is also the top location in the residential area. Although its scale is not worth mentioning compared with the ridiculously large residence of Prince Saltykov's family, there are Prince Gagarin's residence, Count Saltykov's residence, Petersburg Military Command, and the barracks of the Preobrazhensky Regiment behind the Winter Palace. At the end is the small Winter Palace in the Winter Palace complex.

Soloviev didn't have time to care about this. The place agreed by Mrs. Lebrun was here. The female painter should not know what happened in Moscow, and the elderly lady was unlikely to use such a thing to play a prank.

"Hello, I am Mikhail Solovyov. I am here to see Mrs. Lebrun."

"Mr. Baron, my mistress knows you are coming here. Mrs. Lebrun is painting for the two young ladies on the second floor. Please wait for a moment."

Prince Potemkin’s niece is married to a diplomat. This issue has been mentioned more than once. Fortunately, although she is of German descent (née von Engelhardt), most of the housekeepers and servants she hires are Russians, and here too It's just part of the real estate owned by the count, and the people employed in some other official residences may be French people. This one is very angry.

While waiting in the reception room, Solovyov saw the portrait that Madame Lebrun painted for the countess last year. This lady's painting skills are very good, but when the order for portraits is relatively tight, she will more or less follow her own style. The appearance of the lady is used to correct the face of the customer, but this one can still be seen to some extent as the countess herself, a very round beauty. Of her two daughters, Solovyov has only met the younger daughter. He hears more praise about her in social situations. Moreover, this girl is also the sole heir to a huge inheritance, and her sister’s share is sole. Forget it.

In addition to this painting, there are some landscapes, as well as portraits by other painters, as well as a statue of Catherine II, an imitation Roman marble bust, and the floor decorations are Persian carpets. It seems that the hostess has just found People have cleaned it.

"Vous avez regardé les peintures sur le mur, M. Baron, avez-vous une idée?"

Mikhail did not notice that the countess had appeared behind him. This lady also attended the salon of Prince Saltykov on Bolshoi Moskaya Street and met Solovyov.

"Comtesse, je pense que votre salle de réception devrait avoir un tableau représentant des mythes anciens ou des histoires historiques, comme celui-ci. Je me souviens que rubens avait un tableau similaire, et il ne prendrait pas trop de place. C'est probablement commea. Une gamme, dans "Le position de la peinture de paysage." (Countess, I think your reception room should have a painting depicting ancient myths or historical stories, like this. I remember Rubens had a similar painting. There won’t be too many locations, it’s probably within the range of a landscape painting.)

"My daughter was at the salon in Moscow last year and thought you didn't speak French well. It seems you have done a lot of homework."

"Yes, Countess, c'est ici (here), and during the winter, I always learn something."

"That would be better than Colonel Miloradovich's performance. His French is not French, and his German is difficult to understand. But he is a warrior. Many young girls like him, and you are the biggest The advantage should be youth and intelligence, not courage.”

"But Countess, if you don't have the courage as a grenadier, you might as well just go home and farm."

Solovyov's answer was straightforward. The countess thought the young man was interesting, so she asked the servant to bring tea and some snacks.

"Mme Lebrun n'a généralement pas besoin de beaucoup de temps, je ne sais pas ce qui s'est passé aujourd'hui." (Mme Lebrun usually doesn't take this long, I don't know what happened today.)

"Patience, madame."

Solovyov also needs to persuade the countess to be patient. Even in summer, the temperature in Petersburg is lower than elsewhere. It is also close to the seaside. In winter, because it is on the seaside, it will not be as cold as in nearby areas. , if this was Naples, where Count Skavronsky was the ambassador, I am afraid the countess would have been impatient to wait.

This lady should be interested in these gadgets. After all, her daughter got a set from Mademoiselle de Rivieri, with different colors for different occasions. When it spread, it would be very public. If someone keeps a secret, they are unlikely to keep it a secret from their family, and this is still a "public promotion."

The Countess didn't say much and just kept sipping tea there. It was afternoon now, and in some places it might still be afternoon tea time. Although the Russian aristocrats liked the "British Club" very much, the ladies and ladies preferred it. French mood.

"If you tell me about the 'British Club', it's not open to ladies and the waiters are all men."

"Yes, it is completely a men's club. It is said to be authentic British food. However, when my father was an adjutant, he went there with General Grushetsky. He said that British food was too unpalatable and far inferior to Russian food. ”

"Yes, the British chef who can cook French food is pretty good at it. Even Madame Le Brun agreed to it after eating it. What are you here to discuss with Madame Le Brun today? Is it an art order?"

"According to Madame Le Brun, with her level, the orders should be queued up to 1799 now, right? God, you know, those of us who are soldiers, especially those who are adjutants, who knows where we will go with our commanders one day? Gone! Fortunately, Prince Dmitry Volkonsky will be in Petersburg for a long time, but I am still young and will still return to the combat unit, from the Moscow Grenadier Regiment to Petersburg, maybe Go back and be an officer."

"Wars are a men's business, we don't understand, and my deceased husband was a diplomat. He was more interested in music and art. Music and art are so good, they are much more interesting than fighting."

The countess talks quite playfully, and it can be seen that she doesn't like soldiers very much, but if her daughter asks the emperor to marry her, it might be a young officer or even a general. This cannot be done according to her The wish has come, and considering Prince Potemkin’s level, I don’t know if the prince will express any opinions in the coffin.

"It is true that art is beautiful. I once thought about being an engineer, but in the future I would become an engineer general. I would either build arsenals or build fortresses. It is very inconsistent with architectural art."

"Then what do you think of Prince Saltkov's residence?"

"You mean the one at No. 3 Million Street?"

"Yes, that's right there." From the countess's joking tone, he couldn't draw any conclusion. He regarded it as a kind of teasing between the elders and the younger ones. In the eyes of the countess, he was just a child, sixteen years old. Lieutenant, and his face looks a little smaller, almost like her daughter.

As for the big guy No. 3 Million Street, there is also the Betzkoi Residence next door, which is a representative of the Russian Enlightenment. The residence of the Queen's former personal secretary is now occupied by her daughter Anastasia Sokolova. and son-in-law, Admiral José de Ribas. In fact, one cannot tell the difference from the outside, but there is a hanging garden inside. According to the records of John Bernoulli III, an honorary academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, there is a hanging garden inside, which is actually larger than Saltkov's mansion. To be more unique, from a conceptual point of view, the furnishings of No. 1 on Million Street are better than that of No. 3 on Million Street.

Solovyov probably answered the countess based on this, and the countess smiled. After she heard the comment that the taste of the designer of No. 3 Million Street was "rich and a bit vulgar", she even smiled wildly. .

"This is the first time I've heard this said, but His Highness the Prince does not have good taste in some places. Even if he eats an oyster on the table, he can't make the decision."

It is not a strange thing for this prince to be controlled by his strange and mean wife at home. Strange things have always happened in Petersburg.

About an hour later, Madam Le Brun finally completed her creation. Today's time was a bit long, probably because the two countesses and Miss Julie Le Brun chatted for too long. a discussion.

Countess Yekaterina Skavronskaya was not surprised that Solovyov was sitting in the reception room of her house. After all, many young officers and diplomats came to her house, bringing various people with them. There are various purposes, but this person is obviously not here because he is "impressed by his own beauty". His upright posture indicates that he is here to talk about serious matters.

And when he saw the girls coming out, their eyes were obviously not directed at him and his sister, but at Madame Le Brun, and then he greeted the two countesses.

The sequence was strange, but Julie pulled her over and explained the situation: "M. Mikhal Solovyov, my friend, my friend, my friend, my friend. dois discuter de certaines affaires dans votre salon." (My mother is very interested in the cosmetic pencils of Mr. Mikhail Solovyov, and he came here to talk about this issue. Sorry, Catherine, to talk about it in your parlor. some business issues).

“Moi aussi, le premier client de M. Solovyov, c’était probablement moi!” (Me too, probably I am Mr. Solovyov’s first customer!)

Moreover, the little girl stood there with her arms akimbo, acting like a little adult, which made Solovyov, who was not much older in terms of his body, also find it a bit funny.

However, this is okay. Since the countess intends to be a customer and has also revealed her intention to join, she cannot refuse the little girl's kindness. She cannot attract men, and she cannot refuse to engage in "business cooperation" with her.