Catherine and the Black Emperor

Chapter 128. Louisa's Help

Sergei and Jonathan left the prison.

Jonathan looked at Sergei with a complicated expression.

"Are you really going to help Matthias?"

He never showed himself in front of Matthias, but he heard every word of Sergei's conversation with Matthias.

So in the end, the two sides reached a cooperation agreement.

Sergei helps Matthias rescue his wife and daughters and brings them to the prison so that he can see them for himself. In return, Matthias will tell Sergei the secret between William and Elias.

"It's not about helping Matthias, it's about helping ourselves. I'm going to deal with William, and the Prince is going to deal with Elias. Matthias is so close to both of them, he must know some secrets."

Sergei replied.

"Your Highness, what are your thoughts on the Minister of Justice?" Sergei suddenly asked.

Jonathan was baffled by Sergei's dramatic change of heart: "Ingrid has always remained neutral, not participating in the struggle between the top hat faction and the cap faction."

"Is that really the case?" Sergei continued to press.

Jonathan remained silent.

In fact, as a member of the royal family and holding certain positions, he was responsible for some important work in Sweden and was very familiar with the important courtiers.

Ingrid acted neutrally, but sometimes she gave him a strange feeling.

"Her attitude is somewhat different from mine. I don't like to get involved in the fight between the hat faction and the cap faction, so I often stay out of it. But she—she always maintained that whoever violated Swedish law would be punished. She wasn't staying out of it; she was dealing with both sides."

Jonathan analyzed the situation carefully and gradually came to an answer. He looked at Sergei.

"You mean, Ingrid is His Majesty the King's woman?"

Undoubtedly, Ingrid appears to be fulfilling the duties of the Minister of Justice, but is it possible for her to remain firmly in the position while simultaneously disregarding both major factions in Parliament?

If the other party truly wants to remain neutral, then they should do the same and stay out of it!

As for who benefits from her actions that weaken the power of the two major factions, it is obvious.

The King and Queen!

"It's just speculation. After all, it wasn't me who really brought down Matthias, but Ingrid. So, Your Highness, since you're going to deal with Elias, you can no longer remain neutral. Neither Elias, William, nor Jones or Joachim will allow you to do that."

Jonathan stared intently at Sergei.

"That's why you asked me to bring you to prison, isn't it? If you want to come here, Panin can make it happen for you."

Sergei smiled but said nothing.

Yonathan fell into deep thought.

After parting ways with Jonathan, Sergei did not return to his residence, but went to the palace to meet Queen Louise.

"queen."

"What brings the Duke here? I don't usually come looking for you, but you've never come looking for me on your own initiative." Louisa put down the book she was holding.

Sergei smiled warmly, but his gaze was fixed on Louisa's full, white cleavage.

"Then I'll come to see the Queen more often in the future. But I tend to sleep a lot during the day, so I don't know if it would be appropriate to come at night?"

Louisa slightly raised her smooth chin, her smile defiant: "Do you dare?"

Only when the two of them were alone in the room did Sergei dare to speak so arrogantly. At this moment, he took a step forward, walked up to Louisa, and placed his hand on her thigh.

Through the velvet skirt, her thighs felt incredibly supple in my hands.

"Your Majesty, do you think I dare?" Sergei teased.

Louisa smiled: "Young man, you really are restless and impatient."

She got up, walked past Sergei, and went to the window. Her fresh and alluring fragrance wafted into Sergei's nose, making him close his eyes and savor it for a few seconds.

"Does the Queen also read the Chronicles?"

Sergei noticed the books on the table.

Louisa turned around, her expression surprised: "You're watching too?"

Sergei nodded.

Louisa became even more interested in Sergei. In her view, since Sergei was a womanizer and also had some achievements in politics, he must not have the time or energy to do other things.

But now it seems that she doesn't really understand this young man; he has always been shrouded in mystery.

What are your thoughts on Emperor Tumishan's fifteen-year reign?

Louisa mentioned a portion of the book, clearly to test whether Sergei had actually read it.

"The Reign of Terror was especially severe in Rome, where titles, wealth, and positions, whether given or received, could become grounds for charges. Virtue led to the loss of one's life—a slave who received a bribe would testify against his master; a redeemed person would testify against his protector."

Those who never made enemies were all framed by their friends —

As Louisa listened to Sergei's story, her eyes shone even brighter, as beautiful as jewels.

"Actually, I prefer Tacitus's depictions of historical figures; they are concise and vivid, such as Poppy, Nero's wife."

.

Sergei seemed to have already pictured the woman from the Chronicle in his mind.

"She has countless virtues, except for kindness. In fact, the most lovable woman in the world is her mother. Her wealth is commensurate with her birth. She is intelligent and good at conversation. At first glance, she has many admirable qualities. However, she cannot escape the fate of depravity in the end."

In her eyes, Sergei was like a wise man, radiating wisdom.

Louisa shared her insights: "The Chronicles is a good book. Dictatorships and tyranny persecute freedom, and changing all of this requires a strong personality, but the division of power can also bring crises."

Sergei and Luisa discussed literature, philosophy, and politics for nearly an hour.

Compared to Catherine's approval of enlightened despotism, Louisa preferred dictatorship, albeit not in the form of tyranny. However, they were in agreement on the opposing views of good and evil.

"We were all so focused that we didn't notice the passage of time. The Duke must have come to see me about something," Louisa said, getting back to the point.

Sergei stated bluntly, "I need the Queen to send Justice Minister Ingrid to the residence of British Ambassador William to rescue two people."

"Who?"

"Matthias's wife and daughters."

Louisa asked with interest, "When did the Duke become interested in women? Oh, no, the Duke has always been interested in women."

This time, Sergei did not flirt with the other person again.

"If you rescue the mother and daughter, Matthias will tell me some secrets and dirt on William and Elias."

Louisa paused slightly, then said, "Your attacks have been directed at the Hat Faction, which weakens my and the King's power. Could it be that you were sent by the Top Hat Faction?"

"The Queen should understand that without internal unity, the Hat Faction is just a disorganized mess. What use is such a force to you and His Majesty the King?"

Louisa did not respond.

In fact, according to her idea, or the most beneficial method, it would be for Sergei to help her weaken the power of the top hat faction, while the side hat faction was divided on its own, so that she could regain the throne in one fell swoop.

But now Sergei is the one taking action, and the initiative is in his hands.

"Are you really going back to Russia?" Louisa asked.

If Sergei had done this, things would have inevitably developed so that the Hat faction would have been unified and closely linked to Russia, while the Top Hat faction would have had close ties with France. With her and Adolf also involved, the Swedish monarchy would have been completely divided into three parts.

Sergei understood the other's thoughts: "Although I long to be with the Queen forever, I cannot usurp the throne and become the King of Sweden. Therefore, returning to Russia is more tempting to me."

"Even putting aside the worst-case scenario, it's better for royal power to be divided into three parts than for it to be unified but controlled by outsiders, isn't it?"

Louisa gave the guy a serious look and smiled gently.

"Ingrid will go."