Chapter 6 A bright future is beckoning
After solving all the problems, George couldn't help but start to dream about a happy life after going to France. In France in 1881, George was still looking forward to it.
Ekaterina is also looking forward to it. She was brought back to the Winter Palace by Ya Er when she was 16 years old. From then on, she was like a canary in a cage, under the heavy protection of Ya Er, with few opportunities to contact the outside world. , although the food and clothing standards are compared to the queen's standards, the price is the loss of freedom, like drinking water and knowing whether it is warm or cold.
Russian women adapt very quickly to the environment. Ekaterina is stronger than George imagined. After deciding to go to France, Ekaterina’s mental condition improved at a speed visible to the naked eye. After recovering, Anna was even in the mood to prepare a sumptuous dinner in the evening to celebrate that the family could travel far away.
“Paris has more people, bigger and more beautiful than St. Petersburg. You can buy anything you want in Paris. Who makes Paris the financial capital of the world? France is so arrogant that it insists that Paris It is the center of the world, just like London in the eyes of the British. "Ekaterina was very excited and took the initiative to introduce Paris to George. After all, although Ekaterina had been to Paris many times, George had never been there once.
This also confirmed once again that George and his two sisters were just side effects of the love between the Tsar and Catherine.
"That must be interesting." George tried to control his expression, fearing that his smile would reveal his mood if he smiled too brightly.
The Tsar's father has not been buried yet. Is it really appropriate to be so happy?
“So we are going to Paris in the future?” Olga was naive and her understanding of death was not deep enough.
“You can also go to Nice. I still like Nice better than Paris. Paris is too noisy. Nice is more suitable for life. But George, you should like Paris more. What boy wouldn’t like Paris? Where is the city?" Ekaterina's eyes were beaming, and her expression was so vivid that it directly made George doubt the authenticity of Ekaterina's age.
Yaer is 30 years older than Ekaterina, and Ekaterina is only 35 years old now.
The age of 35 in the royal family is different from the age of 35 in the general sense.
In 1881, living standards and medical standards were still in a relatively primitive state. For ordinary people, 35 years old was almost the age to become a grandmother.
As the favorite concubine of the Tsar, Ekaterina was taken care of perfectly. On the surface, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Ekaterina was only 25 years old.
“We also have a vineyard in Bordeaux that can produce 20,000 bottles of champagne every year. The champagne for the Hermitage used to be provided by our vineyard. In the summer we can go to the vineyard to pick grapes, and in the winter we can go to Nice. Seaside vacations, the Mediterranean Sea and the Baltic Sea are completely different, with beautiful scenery and pleasant climate -" Ekaterina fell into memories. When Ya Er was alive, she would take Ekaterina to France for vacation every year.
If there is a chance to visit, Yaer will take Yekaterina to France in the name of a visit.
If there is no chance, Yaer will let Yekaterina go to France first, and then he will arrive secretly. At this time, Yaer will disguise himself and go to Seine with Yekaterina pretending to be middle class. Take a walk by the river and have coffee on the rue Montparnasse, just like a normal couple.
George was not interested in the scenery, but he was very interested in the vineyards.
The annual pension of 40,000 rubles sounds like a lot, enough to allow ordinary people to live without worries.
But it’s not enough for a family like George’s.
As a major consumer of champagne, Russia consumes about one-tenth of the world's champagne every year. The well-paid grand dukes are loyal fans of champagne. The last tsar, Nicholas II, once drank one night while serving in the Guards. Drank 125 bottles of champagne.
It needs to be emphasized that the champagne consumed in Russia is imported from France, so it is expensive. A bottle of champagne sells for about ten rubles in a restaurant in St. Petersburg. After this calculation, 40,000 rubles is actually not much. All of it was used to buy champagne, and only 4,000 bottles could be purchased.
This made George suspicious.
The Grand Duke of the Russian Empire only had an annual salary of 150,000 rubles in alimony, which increased to 200,000 rubles after marriage. All of it was used to buy champagne, and he could only buy 20,000 bottles.
The Russian royal family is famous for its extravagance and extravagance. The Tsar's state banquet menu has fifty pages, and there are 72 types of caviar alone. The idle princes spend their days drunkenly, either going to the ball or on the way to the ball. Champagne is just one of their many things. As one of the luxury consumption items, can the Grand Duke’s income support their unbridled consumption?
This is about analyzing the income structure of the princes.
The salary from the Grand Duke is only one of the Grand Duke's income, not even the most important part. More income comes from professional income, as well as profits from fiefdoms and fixed assets.
The Tsar is the largest landowner in Russia and the richest person in the world. The royal family owns 713,000 hectares of land.
The Grand Dukes all have their own territories, and they have assets all over the world. Similar to the vineyard that Ya Er bought for Catherine, it is just the most inconspicuous part of Ya Er's countless assets.
"I forgot to tell you that this vineyard was prepared for you by Sasha, but it can only be handed over to you to manage after you become an adult, because I don't want you to be exposed to alcohol too early." Yekaterina had high demands on George, George probably won't even think about drinking until he's an adult.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t drink. George has made a detailed study plan for himself. He will strictly implement it after arriving in France. If he wants to survive in this era and live better, George must make himself stronger as soon as possible. .
Strong here refers to all aspects, the most important of which is health.
In his last life, George suffered a lot because he didn't pay enough attention to health. He suffered from cervical spondylosis, frozen shoulder, lumbar disc herniation, high blood pressure, etc. He spent at least half of his time in the hospital every year. All the money I earned was given to the hospital, and I couldn't even save enough for the down payment to buy a house.
Now given the opportunity to start over, George has elevated the importance of health to an unparalleled level.
Simply being healthy is not enough. George must be stronger than others in order to better protect himself, protect Ekaterina and her two sisters, and protect their family's life from external factors.
Fortunately, George's foundation is not bad. Before Ya'er's death, George could already speak Russian, English, French, German, and Greek proficiently. Like Ya'er, he was absolutely language genius.
Although George has not yet begun to receive relevant training related to physical fitness due to his age, George's own conditions are still very good, at least his height is much higher than that of his peers.
The height is enough, but a bit weak.
Looking at his little arms and legs, George sighed and tried hard to deal with the ham and steak on the plate.
It doesn't matter if you are thin now. With proper nutrition and long-term scientific training, you will get better one day.
(End of this chapter)