gnovel Chapter 101. Surgery
Chapter 101. Surgery
Chapter 101. Surgery
The Royal Theatre.
"Naryshkin, you bastard, if you hadn't apologized to me sooner, I wouldn't have let a dog call you by your name anymore!"
"That bastard Sergei is even worse! He offended me when I was just about to name my best hunting dog after him, so none of the dogs I have can be considered a match for him!"
Naryshkin's face darkened as he looked at Sergei, as if to say: "Sending this guy the surgery was absolutely the right thing to do—Homage to the great Frederick the Great!"
Peter raised his glass.
Sergei also raised his hand: "Your Highness, perhaps we can toast the young ladies."
Naryshkin added, "And the magnificent men."
He emphasized the word "magnificent" very much.
"I'm very scared."
Peter did indeed think of the surgery again, but under the influence of alcohol, his expression had lost its fear, leaving only numbness.
Naryshkin laughed and said, "Your Highness, let me tell you a joke. Once I went to see a doctor and told him that my friend had a strange disease that made him unable to see people. He was in a lot of pain, so I asked him to take his clothes off so that I could see your friend."
After saying that, he burst into laughter.
Sergei was impressed by Naryshkin; he hadn't expected him to come up with such a humorous joke.
Peter glared at Naryshkin: "Are you mocking me?! Naryshkin, when did you develop a lisp?!"
But then Peter got drunk and fell asleep.
Sergei raised his hand to signal, and Pimen, who was standing at the door, immediately opened it. Four secret policemen came in, carried Peter and the chair out, and into Peter's bedroom.
"Dr. Shemyakin, I'm leaving this to you," Sergei said to the doctor who came over.
Naryshkin patted the doctor on the shoulder: "Make as many cuts as possible; I mean, let the Grand Duke unleash his virility!"
Dr. Shemiyakin led a group of doctors and servants inside.
Three hours later, Dr. Shemyakin emerged, covered in sweat, and removed his gloves, which still bore traces of blood even after rinsing.
"How is it?" Naryshkin asked.
"There was a slight hiccup, but it was ultimately successful. The Grand Duke's recovery will likely take a while longer and he'll be in pain."
Naryshkin almost jumped for joy after hearing this, but Sergei held him back.
The two men entered Peter's bedroom, where he was lying on the bed, covered with a blanket, still in a dazed state from the alcohol.
Naryshkin secretly went over and lifted the blanket, only to see a short, naked man with his groin bandaged.
"It'll probably scare the women to death," Naryshkin couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, don't show your face in front of him for the next three months, or we'll all be in deep trouble." Sergei called to Naryshkin and left.
Naryshkin largely agreed.
When Peter wakes up, he'll go mad.
After Sergei came out, he met Razumovsky.
"Duke, I'm waiting for you."
Seeing this, Naryshkin left first.
Razumovsky went straight to the point: "Because of Grand Duke Peter's incompetence, the Empress was worried about the Russian throne and ordered the execution of Ivan VI, who was imprisoned in the fortress."
Sergei asked, puzzled, "Why not? The Empress is doing the right thing."
Razumovsky worriedly said, "But this would ruin the Empress's reputation. In the eyes of the Russian people, the Empress has very few, if any, crimes to her name. If she kills Ivan, history will truly hate her!"
It's clear that this male lover's love for Elizabeth was pure.
Sergei remained unmoved: "But only you, Count, can persuade the Queen about this. My words won't work, and Her Majesty might even suspect me of having ulterior motives."
"I know, I will also try to persuade His Majesty. I want you to help me stop Shuvalov, who has already gone to the fortress," Razumovsky said, revealing his true intentions.
Sergei nodded without hesitation: "I'll go right away."
When Razumovsky approached him about this, he already guessed the other man's purpose, because Vadim had told him beforehand that Shuvalov had gone to the Peter and Paul Fortress.
The only person worth visiting there was Ivan VI.
If Razumovsky hadn't come, he would have been happy to ignore everything, because Elizabeth's killing of Ivan VI would have saved Catherine a lot of trouble.
But now, he has to stop Shuvalov.
Peter and Paul Fortress.
In the deepest part of the prison, Ivan VI has now grown into a young man.
The old woman held the boy tightly, feeling extremely reluctant and heartbroken, and earnestly gave him her final instructions.
"Don't look those people in the eye, and whatever you do, don't talk to them! Remember this: you can't talk!"
Pretend you know nothing!
"Grandma, what do they want to do?" Ivan asked anxiously.
"Grandma doesn't know either."
"Is today my death day? Am I going to die?"
Upon hearing the coded messages outside, the old woman immediately embraced Ivan.
"Stop talking, child, and don't fear death. Death is just a door; beyond it lies a beautiful world. You will be bathed in holy light, you will gain eternal life, and you will enjoy bliss and tranquility—"
The door opened, and Shuvalov led the secret police in.
At his signal, the secret police stepped forward and took Ivan away.
Shuvalov turned and left, and the old woman immediately chased after him.
"My lord, will that child ever return? Can I still take care of him?"
Shuvalov did not answer her, and as he turned to leave, he left a message for the guard.
"Get rid of it."
The old woman sat blankly on the ground, her face not showing fear, but pain and tears streaming down her cheeks.
"child----"
Just as Shuvalov was about to lead Ivan out of the fortress, Sergei appeared at the door.
"What are you doing here?" Shuvalov asked coldly.
"There's no need for that, Chairman. I'm here because I have to. Count Razumovsky asked me to come here to talk to you, while he takes this opportunity to speak with Her Majesty the Empress." Sergei made no attempt to hide anything.
"Get out of the way!" Shuvalov said in a deep voice.
Sergei actually stepped aside, which made Shuvalov narrow his eyes.
"Chairman, you must understand one thing: if Her Majesty regrets it, as the person directly responsible for Ivan's execution, you will be resented by the Empress. After all, the Empress will not consider it her mistake that caused her to bear the stain of history."
Sergei's words made Shuvalov pause, and he turned to look at Ivan, who was being escorted by the secret police.
After a brief silence, Shuvalov also chose to wait for news.
He could, of course, at this time, secretly take Ivan out of the fortress and execute him, in accordance with Her Majesty the Queen's decree.
But this would do him no good. On the contrary, as Sergei said, if the Empress changed her mind, he might be resented.
Anyway, if Razumovsky succeeds in persuading her, he won't have to take any risks; if he fails, it won't be too late to carry out the Empress's decision.
"Why should you help me?" Shuvalov asked Sergei.
The other party could have simply not shown up, allowing him to execute Ivan. If the Empress regretted her decision, it would have been a good opportunity for Sergei to bring her down.
"What are you saying, Chairman? I am your subordinate, and it is my duty to share your burdens and solve your problems," Sergei said with a smile.
Shuvalov felt he had fallen into a much larger conspiracy.
Sergei then took this opportunity to approach Ivan and look at the poor emperor.
"I don't know if she harmed you, but she has already died because of you."