Catherine and the Black Emperor

89. The sound of wind and the cry of cranes

"My lord, only you can save Russia from this dire situation now!"

Razumovsky met with Deputy Prime Minister Mikhail Vorentsov.

"I truly did not expect His Majesty's condition to be so serious."

Mikhail instantly realized his opportunity had arrived, but he still had to maintain appearances, so he put on a show of disbelief and shock.

Sergei watched his performance without exposing him.

"Besdudev and Shuvalov are not people I can deal with, especially Besdudev. He is the Prime Minister, and I am essentially his deputy. How can I possibly handle him?" Mikhail shook his head helplessly.

Sergei remained silent, inwardly sneering.

Deputy?

They are mortal enemies.

If Besdudev were to step down, Mikhail would undoubtedly become the new prime minister. Therefore, between the two, Besdudev was wary of Mikhail, while Mikhail coveted Besdudev.

"Sir, you must now unite with the members of the House of Representatives to impeach Besdudev if necessary. If necessary, you can first unite with Shuvalov, and then you can decide for yourself whether to take action against Shuvalov's position as chairman of the special court," Sergei finally spoke.

Razumovsky was taken aback by what he said.

Sergei's words effectively made Mikhail the new prime minister and gave him control over whether to deal with Shuvalov.

Isn't Sergei afraid that Mikhail will become the next Besdudev or Shuvalov by doing this?

Mikhail looked at Sergei, and this was exactly what he truly felt.

But his thoughts were only in his heart; to speak them aloud would be a serious crime of plotting to seize power, so he immediately shook his head.

"Absolutely not! I cannot impeach my superior, much less dispose of the court president. On the contrary, the court president has the power to obstruct the Prime Minister and me!"

Seeing that the old fox was putting on an act, Sergei played along.

"It is indeed reckless to do this, but nothing is more important than the stability of Russia. Sir, you can first unite with the members of the House of Representatives, and if necessary, we will take Besdudev and Shuvalov into custody."

Only then did Mikhail slowly nod.

"That is one way, but Besdudev has Aprakshin, who has the army behind him, and Shuvalov is your superior with a secret committee. Moreover, the Grand Duke is on his side, which is the most crucial point."

Sergei had already devised a plan.

"I'll handle the Secret Committee. As for the army, is there anything more capable of maintaining the situation than the three Guards protecting St. Petersburg? The army is far away!"

"As for the Grand Duke, we also support him. We just don't want Shuvalov to mislead him. Once Shuvalov is arrested, the Grand Duke will naturally know about his conspiracy and understand that we are the ones who truly support him!"

Mikhail still did not nod, because it was Sergei who said these words, and Razumovsky, who had remained silent, was also present.

Razumovsky knew it was time for him to speak, so he looked at Sergei and finally nodded.

"Sir, don't hesitate any longer! We must act quickly!"

Mikhail finally made up his mind: "Alright! For Russia, I'm not afraid to die, let's do it now!"

"Count, you are back by His Majesty's side. In addition to taking care of His Majesty, you must also ensure His Majesty's safety and prevent him from being assassinated. Duke, you must go to the Secret Committee immediately and make sure that the secret police are not all used by Shuvalov."

"I'll go to Parliament, contact the members of Congress, and then immediately go to the Guards to contact the commanders of each legion. Of course, the support from the Church is also essential; they can at least help us mobilize the people!"

Sergei looked at Razumovsky, as if to say: Look, our Deputy Prime Minister had already made the arrangements.

As a result, all three factions in the palace mobilized at this moment.

Peter's room.

Shuvalov was there with his secret police, and next to him sat Ekaterina, who looked like a complete outsider.

"What should we do? Is something really wrong with Auntie?"

Peter was both overjoyed and terrified when he heard that Elizabeth was seriously ill.

He hated his aunt. He was happy that she was dead, and that he could become the Emperor of Russia. But he also knew that with his aunt dying at this time, his future would be terrible.

Because he simply didn't know how to be an emperor.

"Your Highness, please rest assured. Of course, we hope His Majesty can recover. But if something happens to His Majesty, you will be the new Emperor of Russia, and I will do my utmost to assist you in handling state affairs." Shuvalov seemed to see through Peter's heart and persuaded him gently.

Sure enough, Peter's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.

"Yes, of course I hope my aunt can recover!"

Ekaterina saw all of this, and later she told Sergei: Peter was beaming.

The Prime Minister's residence.

Apravshin has arrived here and has spoken frankly with Besdutev.

"There won't be any problems with the army. If anything happens to His Majesty, we will be the largest and most steadfast force supporting the Grand Duke in establishing a new Russian court!"

Besdudev chuckled softly and said, "Mikhail and Shuvalov, let them worry about their own troubles."

As the Prime Minister, a figure second only to the Prime Minister in Russia, he paid no attention to the other two factions; his connections and relationships had already permeated the entire court.

That's why Mikhail learned of the news immediately after Razumovsky and Sergei approached him.

As for Shuvalov finding Peter, Peter is foolish. Whoever wins will be the one sitting in that position, but in the end, only the victor, that is, will decide who is in charge!

The residence of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Mikhail quickly contacted the members of parliament, while Razumovsky returned to the Winter Palace. Only Sergei went home unhurriedly.

He didn't need to go to the secret committee at all.

At home, Pimen was already waiting for him.

"Sir, as you wished, Representative Vladislav informed Bestudev about your trip with Razumovsky to the Deputy Prime Minister's residence."

"Shuvalov has appeased the Grand Duke, and the Grand Duchess is also there, but she has no say. Gemma and Matrena are under strict control. The source of this information is Vadim."

After a moment's thought, Sergei said, "You don't need to be responsible for the overt liaison work. Vadim and the others are seasoned secret agents. They might not find you out once or twice, but over time, you will definitely be exposed."

"Yes."

Sergei then ordered, "Tell Yuri and the others to lie low and wait. They are not to show themselves even if the sky falls, without my order."

"clear."

After Pimen left, Sergei looked out the window.

Now, everything is in place; let's see how things unfold.

The course of history has changed. Even though he tried his best to stay on the original track, everything inside and out was full of uncertainty. So he didn't know if Elizabeth would succumb to this serious illness or die before the time in history.

"My strength is far from enough, Your Majesty. I hope you can pull through."