Catherine and the Black Emperor

Chapter 131. The Meeting

Sergei left the prison.

William, lusting after a beautiful woman, kidnapped the niece of the former French ambassador. When she escaped, Elias, in a moment of desperation, killed her and, in order to tie Matthias to a boat, made him bury the body.

This was both a crime and a stepping stone for Matthias to successfully enter parliament.

No wonder Matthias was unmoved by the evidence of bribery he presented; it turns out the three of them were already in cahoots.

"It's time to light the fire," Sergei said with a smile.

In fact, he had already anticipated the situation in prison.

Matthias is a shrewd man and will certainly not reveal all his secrets. However, since his wife and daughters are in his hands, the other party will inevitably try to prolong the time he can protect them.

That's why he pretended to tell Matthias that someone wanted to poison him, twice.

In fact, the prison was under the most heavily guarded security at this time, and even if William and Elias wanted to kill someone to cover it up, they would have to wait until things calmed down.

A secret every two weeks, and all the secrets were revealed within three months—this was faster than Sergei had anticipated.

"Madam, my men will escort you back. If you need anything in the future, just let Roman know," Sergei said to Melia.

"Thank you, Duke." Melia was extremely grateful.

The little girl, Liya, looked up and curiously gazed at the young man who was nearly 30 years old.

Sergei smiled and patted the little girl's head.

After leaving the prison, Sergei traveled by carriage to Panin's mansion.

Panin invited him to his home, and he guessed that the task he had assigned to the other party had already been completed.

Sure enough, besides him, several other guests had already arrived.

As everyone looked at Sergei, Sergei also sized up the others.

Besides Prince Jonathan, whom he was familiar with, the other two were a middle-aged woman and a woman in her thirties.

The middle-aged woman had a rather pretty face, but her expression was indifferent, as if she was born unable to smile. She was none other than Hedwig, the parliamentarian who had competed with Elias for the leadership of the Hat Faction.

The other, younger woman, whose appearance could only be described as pleasing to the eye, had a sweet smile and an excellent figure; she was another councilor, Naya.

These are the two members of parliament supported by Panin.

"Duke, let me introduce you. This is Councilor Hedwig, this is Councilor Naya, and I won't say much about Prince Jonathan, you've already met him," Panin introduced.

Sergei nodded to the two female members of parliament.

"I deeply admire Sweden's open-mindedness and its emphasis on equality of rights."

During this period, European countries were under dictatorship and tyranny, and officials in the court were often men. Even empresses like Elizabeth rarely appointed women to official positions.

At least, there has never been a parliamentary body of power.

But in Sweden, he had two female members of parliament in front of him.

"Don't underestimate MPs Hedwig and Nyja; their achievements and contributions to Sweden are unmatched by many other MPs," Prince Jonathan said with a smile.

"Of course not." Sergei smiled slightly.

Compared to Hedwig and Nyarlathotep, he valued Jonathan's appearance more, because it meant that the other party was ready to support the Hats faction.

The support of a prince, especially one who wields considerable power in the court, will strengthen the power of the cap faction.

"Now that everyone is here, let's get straight to the point."

What was supposed to be a tea party has, in effect, turned into an internal meeting, thanks to Panin's words.

In reality, when people get together, it's never as simple as just drinking tea. Everyone is busy with countless affairs, and when they gather together, they not only have to discuss matters, but also major events that could affect the power structure of Sweden.

"I am very grateful for the arrival of Speaker Hedwig, Speaker Nyja, and Prince Jonathan. This shows that the three of you share our ideals: to maintain peace and stability between Russia and Sweden, for the common prosperity of both countries, and for the people of both countries to be free from the ravages of war and live in peace and contentment."

After finishing his high-sounding words, Panin got down to business.

"The Hat Faction, relying on the support of France, has repeatedly made decisions in Parliament that go against the wishes of His Majesty the King and Queen, and contradict the ideals of the Top Hat Faction, attempting to undermine the hard-won peace between Sweden and Russia. It is simply outrageous!"

Panin spoke with righteous indignation.

"And now, British Ambassador William is instigating MP Elias to undermine the unity of the Hats faction, divide its forces, and plunge everyone into conflict—this is even more unforgivable!"

"Therefore, for the stability and prosperity of Sweden and Russia, for the peace of mind of His Majesty the King and Queen, and for the ideals of the Cap Party to truly benefit the Swedish people, we should unite against all instability, factors, and forces with ulterior motives!"

The group nodded in unison, having no objection.

However, Hedwig immediately said, "There is no problem with everyone working together, but with Russia sending two ambassadors, wouldn't it be difficult to form a unified force, just like Parliament? Compared with Britain's full support for Elias, we are at a disadvantage."

Sergei raised an eyebrow.

This is clearly aimed at him.

Regardless of whether the Russian side will be united, the statements made by the two Russian ambassadors alone are enough to show that the other side is provoking him.

He was appointed as the Russian ambassador, with Panin as his deputy. Where did these two ambassadors come from?

Hedwig was clearly standing up for Panin!

This is normal, though. Panin was originally a strong supporter of Hedwig. If Panin hadn't been suddenly demoted, Hedwig would likely be the leader of the hat faction now, not Elias.

Sergei remained silent, intending to observe Panin's reaction.

Panin replied with a smile, "Congressman Hedwig is joking. How could there be two ambassadors? There is only Ambassador Saltykov. As for the unity of voice, Ambassador Saltykov and I have always maintained the same ideals."

Sergei nodded and replied, "That's right. Russia will only have one ambassador to Sweden. As for the voice—there has always been only one, and that is Russia's own voice, not any one person's. I am not representing myself, but Empress Elizabeth and Russia."

"If Congressman Hedwig is not satisfied with this answer, then I will put it more bluntly: there will only be one voice in Russia, and that is my voice, unless Congressman Hedwig does not need Russia's support, or—has already sided with the British!"

Hedwig stood up angrily: "You!"

A strange glint flashed in Panin's eyes. He quickly stood up to smooth things over and gave Hedwig a look. Finally, Hedwig sat down, and the two continued their calm conversation.

Sergei knew that although it seemed like Hedwig was making trouble, it was actually Panin's idea.

That old man.

Since Panin wanted to test his bottom line, he might as well take this opportunity to show the other party his own bottom line.

That's why he said those things just now, and why he was so impolite and even aggressive towards Hedwig.

Let Panin know that as long as I'm in power, he can forget about taking over!

This also lets Hedwig and others know that they cannot do without Russia's help!

And he now represents Russia!