Chapter 394 The Grand Duke’s Daily Life
It was only after Henry Chen had two drinks with Jiang Guoxian that he learned that Jiang Guoxian, like him, had become a Russian citizen halfway.
The two have similar backgrounds. Henry Chen’s great-grandfather was sold as a piglet to Sarawak. Three generations of his ancestors have struggled in Sarawak for decades before they achieved their current achievements.
Jiang Guoxian’s second brother was deceived into working in Vladivostok. After settling in Vladivostok, Jiang Guoxian and his eldest brother’s family were brought to Vladivostok.
Jiang Guoxian was young and was able to enter school. He was smart and studious, stood out along the way, and successfully joined Asbo.
Jiang Guoxian's second brother works in the Yuriev Arsenal, which specializes in the production of artillery.
The eldest brother is a tractor driver in Luzhuang, Vladivostok, and a member of the reserve force. He receives two salaries, which is more than enough to support the family.
“That year there was a severe drought in Zhili. My mother gave the grain savings to the three of us brothers and starved herself to death. The second brother sold himself to a trafficker in exchange for half a bag of corn, so he Went to Vladivostok - my sister was taken away by human teeth and disappeared, and she has not been found until now -"
Jiang Guoxian was so sad when he mentioned the bitterness of the past that he couldn't help but burst into tears.
“If the second brother hadn’t brought me and my eldest brother’s family to Vladivostok, we would probably have starved to death. You don’t know how miserable it was at that time. People in the whole village starved to death and died thousands of miles away. Eat the seeds——"
“Not Vladivostok?”
Henry Chen doesn’t know much about the situation in Vladivostok.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s Vladivostok or Vladivostok. Our grand duke doesn’t mind it. The Yuriev Palace also celebrates the New Year, and even puts up Spring Festival couplets and sets off firecrackers——”
"Our Grand Duke is a Han?"
"Isn't it hard to say that the Grand Duke is of Han descent? I don't know if this is true. Anyway, we are all Say so.”
"That's no wonder——"
It's hard to say whether he has Han ancestry or not. It's true that he loves Eastern culture.
Oriental culture is so charming. As long as you understand it deeply, it’s hard not to love it.
When the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded China, soldiers from other countries were busy grabbing gold, but Russian soldiers were busy grabbing books because Grand Duchess Yurievskaya bought them at a high price.
People in Vladivostok are actually very busy.
There are already many festivals in Russia, and combined with the traditional Eastern festivals, there are one or two important festivals to celebrate almost every month. I just finished eating dumplings for the Winter Solstice yesterday, and in a few days I will eat pancakes for the Winter Solstice, and I was still in the temple in the morning As for burning incense, I went to the church in the afternoon to join in the fun, mainly worshiping whatever I saw.
Vladivostok is very lively during this period. Since the beginning of winter, Vladivostok has almost one festival after another, which is dizzying.
Since the battleships built by the Vladivostok Shipyard for the Pacific Fleet have not yet been delivered, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, who is responsible for receiving the battleships, is quite happy to play in Vladivostok.
Vladimirlovic means: son of Vladimir.
So Kirill’s father was Grand Duke Yuriev’s arch-rival, former Navy Minister Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich.
After the Siberian Fleet was upgraded to the Pacific Fleet, it suddenly became the favorite of the Russian Empire, so princes from all over the world flocked to it. It was against this background that Kirill entered the Pacific Fleet to serve.
Like George, Kirill also started with the rank of captain in the Pacific Fleet.
They are both captains, but the Pacific Fleet and the Guards are still different.
When George was serving in the Guards, he had to live with Nicholas in the military camp and could only leave the camp and go home on Sundays.
After Kirill arrived in the Far East, he only went to Dalini to sign up, and then came to Vladivostok to eat, drink and have fun in the name of receiving a warship.
Don't ignore this name.
With this name, Kirill was on a business trip in Vladivostok, during which all expenses had to be reimbursed by the Pacific Fleet.
George also doesn’t know how Kirill was reimbursed for the necklace worth 1,500 rubles given to a French actress on the night of the Winter Festival. Anyway, during this period, Kirill’s consumption in Vladivostok has exceeded 50,000 rubles. ruble. The new artillery shells from the Vladivostok Arsenal sell for 300 rubles, which the Pacific Fleet cannot afford.
Grand Duke Kirill spent a lot of money in Vladivostok, and the Pacific Fleet paid for it all!
George wondered whether St. Petersburg knew what Kirill was doing in the Far East.
Even if he knew, it is estimated that with Nikolai's character, he would not embarrass Kirill's brother too much.
Because Nicholas does not have a son yet.
So if Nicholas died unexpectedly, Kirill was the first in line to succeed the Tsar.
At the same time, George also knew that the reason why Kirill came to the Far East was actually because he was sent here.
In 1894, when Nikolai and Alex were engaged, George attended the wedding of Alex's brother, Archduke Ernst Ludwig, to Victoria Merry of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Tower Princess.
The couple divorced last year on the grounds of "mutual dislike".
Mutual dislike is true, but the reasons for the dislike are complicated.
Kirill played a very important role in it.
Kirill is Victoria's cousin, and the two fell in love with each other before Victoria's marriage.
The reason why George knew about this secret was because Victoria's sister was married to George's good friend, Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania.
After Victoria's divorce, Kirill insisted on marrying Victoria.
Grand Duke Vladimir and his wife firmly opposed it, and in order to break up the pair of miserable lovers, they sent Kirill to the Far East.
This also explains why St. Petersburg ignores Kirill's misbehavior.
Because Kirill fell in love with someone else, it was a good thing for Grand Duke Vladimir and his wife, as well as Nicholas.
At least the royal family's decency was preserved.
The relationship between George and Vladimir is at stake here. If Kirill doesn't go too far, George won't care.
November 14th was Ekaterina’s birthday. Kirill watched a ballet at the Vladivostok Grand Theater and fell in love at first sight with Trina, a local actress from Vladivostok who was the main dancer.
Trina did not like Kirill and refused Kirill's pursuit.
But Kirill persevered and took people directly to the backstage of the theater to take Trina away by force.
The laws in Vladivostok are very strict.
So Kirill was arrested by the Vladivostok Police Department on kidnapping charges.
Mikhail received a call from Pacific Fleet Commander Stark that night, hoping to release Kirill as soon as possible.
Mikhail is welcome, and the bail for Kirill is set at 100,000 rubles.
Thanks to Kirill, it did not cause serious consequences.
If Kirill really robbed someone, he would not be eligible for bail at all.
For such a small sum as 1,500 rubles, the Pacific Fleet reported it.
100,000 rubles is not a small number, and Staalke can only send a telegram to St. Petersburg.
(End of this chapter)