Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Solovyov was also curious at the Pan family’s residence. Why did the inheritance of the government-run business fall to Pan Youdu, who was the fourth son of the once prominent Pan Qiguan, Pan Youdu’s father Pan Zhencheng, even though he started from humble beginnings and had even done business in Luzon?
After hearing this, Pan Youdu satisfied Solovyov's curiosity.

He was the fourth child in his family. His second brother, Pan Youwei, was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) in the thirty-seventh year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign. When compiling the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries), he also served as a proofreader in the book-making department of the Siku Quanshu office. Later, he also served as a salt official. He retired and returned to his hometown as a second-rank official.

"My second brother also dislikes the hustle and bustle of the city. He can enjoy peace and quiet in the villa. He rarely cares about worldly affairs here, but just stays at home to read books. Sometimes he will visit relatives and friends."

However, considering that Pan Youwei is not young, it is understandable.

Moreover, Wu Bingjian's father was once an accountant at the Tongwenhang firm, a business in the Thirteen Factories. During the most prosperous period of the Thirteen Factories from the Qianlong to the Jiaqing reigns, many businesses were incubated from such firms.

There are some connections, more or less. Pan Youdu took over the position of head merchant of the Thirteen Factories after his father's death and the suicide of the previous head merchant.

Even if Wu Bingjian had the potential to surpass others, he still had to be respectful and courteous to the Pan family.

The second generation of the Pan family, when their business was just beginning to flourish, passed down the tradition of scholarship and poetry.

After Pan Youwei, three or four people passed the imperial examination and became Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). There were also poets from the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. However, their business dealings rarely involved foreign firms anymore.

Pan Youdu's own attitude certainly reveals that he was a specially appointed Hanlin scholar, while his second brother was a genuine Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

As for the list from the thirty-seventh year of Qianlong's reign, Pan Youdu also considered it an interesting story.

But he wouldn't say what happened, which made Solovyov a little anxious.

"General Su also wants to know?"

"It's interesting, so why can't I know it?"

“My elder brother’s classmate is still in the court at this time. However, there is a distinction between Chinese and barbarians, and the general knows that the court is very strict in guarding against the British barbarians.”

"I am naturally aware of the laws and regulations of the Celestial Empire, so there is no need for the General Manager to say more."

But once the decree was issued, the Russian fleet had to wait for favorable winds to set sail.

In 1816, ships capable of long-distance sea voyages were still sailing vessels, and their propulsion systems were not as advanced.

Steam power, at this point, only plays a supporting role.

Before his departure, Pan Youdu held a banquet in the Pan family's residence as a farewell feast.

"General Suo's journey is also to meet the Emperor and represent the Russian monarch in paying tribute. We, on behalf of Governor-General Jiang and Governor-General Dong, have prepared this banquet to wish the General all the best on his journey and to please the Emperor."

Pan Youdu's speech was quite lengthy. In short, if Russia wanted to get things done under the premise of paying tribute, it would indeed have to lower its stance.

He was the chief envoy with full authority, and the Qing Dynasty was aware of this.

But what will happen next, whether it will be diplomatic negotiations or just tribute, depends on the meeting between the two sides in Tianjin.

Although Solovyov was confident that he had spent so much money, set up so many agencies, engaged in trade and diplomatic negotiations, he couldn't return to St. Petersburg without producing some results.

That would be truly foolish to end up like the British, without even the chance to meet the emperor and express one's opinions.

In the 19th century, the British, due to their power, still possessed a certain degree of inherent arrogance.

Such a situation is rarely seen in other countries at this time.

Solovyov's goal was also to get things done, so he didn't add any extra scenes of his own.

He simply said, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. General Manager."

Even Pan Youwei, who has already retired from officialdom, came today, which shows that the Pan family's hospitality and etiquette were very thoughtful.

However, Pan Youwei also had some skill in poetry and prose, and he suddenly raised a question.

"Since you have read the books of the sages, why not compose a poem to express your aspirations and show your country's goodwill? In the future, you can present it to the emperor, pay tribute, and exchange goods. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Brother."

Pan Youdu knew that Solovyov had some skill, but in general, he would use folk songs to fill in the gaps. If he really had to perform, he didn't know how good Solovyov's skills were.

But his second elder brother was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and had served as a second-rank official in the salt administration. In reality, his rank was higher than that of his family, which consisted of officials and merchants, and was a third-rank official. From the perspective of seniority within the family and in the officialdom, his second elder brother was older than him, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Moreover, Pan Youwei's poems are quite good; for example, he wrote such poems when he described the hardships his father faced in starting his business.

My father, barely twenty, was a poor orphan; our family had no grain to eat or store. We ate in the wind and slept in the open, our bodies starving, the stench of the sea and the harsh smell of mirages assaulting our faces.

He had witnessed his father's success before he became wealthy, and his family had come from Fujian to Guangdong without being rejected by the locals. They were able to become the top merchant, and many of his brothers even became officials in the imperial court. It was truly remarkable.

Moreover, during the banquet, he recited a poem, an older work, but one with a strong local flavor. It displayed the temperament of a graceful poet and also revealed feminine sentiments.

There were quite a few women at the banquet today, and this old man was indeed quite interesting.

"Mr. Yitang, you are testing my knowledge."

"Indeed, General, you regard the enemy as nothing amidst a million soldiers. You are a magnificent man. You can recite this poem. How can I not compose one myself?"

"In that case."

Solovyov's face also turned red. He stood up and said, "If I were like Jia Dao of the late Tang Dynasty, still pondering when I met Han Changli, I'm afraid that once I boarded the ship, Mr. Yitang would be unable to bear hearing any more sentences."

Pan Youwei thought to himself, "This kid is quite capable. He knows that knowing this story proves he's not a 'nine-year-old fish' (a person who misses the mark in the imperial examinations), and he knows that Jia Dao's poetry is incredibly slow. That means he reads a lot of extracurricular books, and maybe even more."

Then, before he could finish his opening remarks, he continued: "If one could compose a poem in seven steps like the Marquis of Linzi, one would surely be a celestial being. Mr. Yitang, please allow me to demonstrate."

Actually, even if he hadn't come, Pan Youwei had planned to give him a way out. However, he didn't expect that this blond, blue-eyed Russian envoy with a queue would be such a fascinating person, and he had to bite the bullet and go.

Katya was a little confused for a moment, so she turned around and said to Mihrima.

“Rima, if you asked Mishka to write a sonnet, he might be able to. But asking that retired second-class official in Chinese poetry, although well-intentioned, is a bit of a stretch.”

In Katya's eyes, Pan Youwei was probably a retired provincial governor-general, a rank similar to that of her father, Prince Vasily, when he was alive.

Officials of this rank often idled their time in Russia, unlike Pan Youwei who served as an official abroad for an extended period.

“Madam, I think the master will also be able to get through this hurdle; he is so intelligent.”

"Yes."

At this moment, Solovyov finally managed to squeeze out the first two sentences.

"I left the capital of Guangdong to travel to the capital, but the long journey made my ambitions grow ever more humble."

"This is not good, General, you are traveling by water."

"If it were by sea, would this be considered harmonious?" For foreigners, or if there were no Jiu Louyu in later generations who had received higher education, this level of understanding would be barely acceptable.

"A poem will suffice; please give it a try, General."

"That"

Solovyov was a bit of a glitch; making him recite poetry was like forcing an RTS player to run some other software. Although he knew the process, the strategy was still difficult.

It's no longer an option; it's become a fill-in-the-blank question.

"The smoke and light over the Five Ridges should have carried away the banners; the sun's rays from the Nine Heavens are to be seen, but is that acceptable?"

“The banners and pennants come from the Lesser Odes, so it doesn’t matter.”

That way, he can always have some confidence.

"I have long admired Your Majesty's virtue and have come to Your Majesty's throne. I wish to offer you local specialties on the Jade Steps. That's enough for now; I cannot compose any more poems."

"Alright, alright."

However, Pan Youwei also cautioned: "The general traveled thousands of miles by sea, but the hardship was not evident."

Solovyov went back and added a sentence, which, sandwiched between Djuchin's sentence, looked awkward.

We travel thousands of miles to deliver our sincere gratitude, and wholeheartedly await Your Majesty's grace.

It always seems just so-so, neither high nor low, just average.

As for the banquet itself, all that remained was drinking and chatting.

Nei sat nearby, finally finding some amusement in the spectacle.

The kid finally managed to back down, but judging from how uncomfortable he looked, he probably won't be able to write Chinese poetry in the future.
Pan Youwei stroked his beard and laughed. Once this poem is written, it will flow smoothly regardless of the tones and rhymes. There may be even more advanced foreigners in the future, but this is the first time I have seen one like this.

He later mentioned that Zhang Xu, the current Grand Councilor, was also his classmate in the thirty-seventh year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign. They entered the Hanlin Academy in the same year and both participated in the compilation of the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries).

As for the top scholar, Jinbang, and the third-ranked scholar, Yu Dayou, their names are indeed a battle of wits, but their achievements are hard to judge.

Note: Pan Youwei's epitaph states that he was a Juren (successful candidate in the provincial examination) in the thirty-fifth year of the Qianlong reign, but the list of candidates in the Ren Chen year of the Qianlong reign is incomplete. His name is indeed listed among the Hanlin scholars who participated in the compilation of the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries), so he should be among the names of the second-class Jinshi (successful candidates in the imperial examination) whose names are missing.

As for the Pan family, they were treated very well, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely. They also made an appointment to visit them again when they returned to Guangzhou.

"But please don't ask me to recite poetry then, sir."

Solovyov was also afraid. Reciting poetry in front of Qing Dynasty officials was a serious matter, and he might run into some trouble if he wasn't careful.

Fortunately, the meaning was correct, so it barely passes muster.

The next stop will be Tianjin. Emperor Jiaqing's edict has arrived. Although the Russian warships are traveling fast, they will need to be resupplyed along the way.

When the imperial edict was issued, Jiaqing's attitude was very clear: passengers were allowed to disembark for supplies in Dinghai, Zhejiang and Weihai, Shandong, but they were not allowed to have much contact with local officials and civilians.

This can be considered a grace period, and designating a landing location also facilitates management.

However, given the sheer size of the Russian warship, which McDonnell had described as a "hull-up ship," the Qing Dynasty officials, merchants, and commoners in Guangzhou were now forced to watch the "Grace" ship, which had arrived in Guangzhou, depart just like that.

This ship is truly enormous. Even with its gun ports closed, it is still a giant ship of the Russian Navy, possessing over 120 cannons.

Furthermore, Solovyov specifically mentioned that Russia still has large ships like these, with more than ten ships in the navy equipped with a hundred "General God's Might" cannons, as well as some other second- and third-class warships.

But what exactly was the size of the British navy, which was even more powerful in Europe?

Jiang Youxian should ask Pan Youdu about this.

However, Pan Youdu wasn't a Baidu search engine; he only had a general idea of ​​the capabilities of foreign navies from his conversations with them.

Russia can only manage third place, so how strong must the top two, Britain and France, be?

This is indeed a question, and Jiang Youxian also explained this point in his memorial.

Solovyov had already arrived at the Lingdingyang.

Lazarev finally made it from Aceh to Guangzhou and boarded the "Grace," where Solovyov gave him instructions.

"You want me to go to Guangzhou to await orders?"

“I’m worried that the British will clash with the Chinese later, so you should stay here.”

"However, the Sultan of Aceh also wanted to send people to the Chinese capital; the envoys and tribute were on the ship."

"Then you should give the order to Captain Crom, the captain of the 'Gabriel'. His father is an admiral and he's Scottish, so he should know how to handle this."

"Yes."

Lazarev also wanted to go to Tianjin, and Solovyov had some reasons for wanting him as his adjutant.

As for Sukup, he was not in the tribute procession at all, but rather traveled between Batavia and Guangzhou to do business.

If his problem can be resolved, or if an agreement can be reached with the Qing Dynasty in the future.

Even Qing Dynasty officials, having already seen the Russian warships, should have been aware of what the British were good at.

This opponent is not easy to deal with, and buying ships at the last minute will not help.

Solovyov had no idea how far the negotiations would go.

What he knew was that, apart from the Ismailov mission during Peter the Great's time, this was probably the largest, most successful, and best-interacting mission he had ever undertaken with Qing officials.

When it came time to meet the emperor, the preceding matters of tribute would naturally proceed very smoothly.

He pondered this question along the way. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, there were typhoons along the southeast coast in September and October. However, the Russian fleet was very lucky. They did not encounter any major storms all the way to Dinghai.

Upon arriving at Mount Putuo, the Bodhisattva's sacred site, and following the descriptions of the guides and interpreters sent by the Thirteen Factories, we found ourselves in a very favorable situation and felt we should pay our respects to the Bodhisattva.

However, the Russians only allowed a brief resupply in Dinghai, and the local general had also received instructions, so he only set up an incense table on the ship and bowed three times when passing Putuo Mountain.

The rest of the journey went smoothly, and they soon arrived at the Bohai Strait. It was already October.

For the Russian mission, the real test lies here. (End of Chapter)