Catherine and the Black Emperor

041. The Birth of the Black Emperor

In May, Peter moved with Elizabeth to the summer palace on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland.

Catherine was left in St. Petersburg.

Although Sergei and Ekaterina saw each other often, as the wedding approached, they talked less and less. Sergei could sense Ekaterina's unease and nervousness, a kind of helplessness that she did not want to grow distant but had to do so.

"Your Highness, I am very sorry that we cannot have a heart-to-heart talk. The way you have treated me these past few days has made me very uneasy." After meeting Sergei once, Ekaterina couldn't help but confide in him.

"I deliberately avoided doing this for you, Princess. With the wedding approaching, this is for the best for both of us. We should do this especially when the Empress and the Grand Duke are not around," Sergei advised with a smile.

After parting ways with Catherine, he met Ulyana and gave her a bunch of grapes.

"Ukrainian grapes are delicious."

Ulyana was flattered.

He then visited Felice and Gemma, and finally arrived at Hofmall's place. The latter was painting in the garden, while he lay down on a deck chair next to him and fell asleep without realizing it.

"What a wonderful sleep."

Sergei left the garden.

In June, as summer arrived, Elizabeth, Peter, and others moved to Peterhof Palace on the shore of the Gulf of Finland.

This time, Catherine was allowed to accompany Elizabeth, an exception made before the wedding—strictly speaking, Catherine was not a member of the royal family before the ceremony.

"Every day I go horseback riding, walking, and driving around, which helps me relax."

On one occasion, when Sergei went to Peterhof Palace, Catherine spoke to him in secret.

Sergei saw the teachers who were at a loss with Peter.

Upon learning that Peter spent his days playing games with his servants, even dolls, and forcing the performer to stand guard in front of the suite dressed in armor and holding a musket, Naryshkin was both amused and exasperated, and muttered to Sergei in a low voice.

"The Grand Duke's behavior is simply unbelievably childish."

Sergei parted ways with Naryshkin and went to Elizabeth's room where she handled official business.

He has now become Shuvalov's right-hand man, reporting to Elizabeth daily on the work of the secret committee.

"Peter is too immature now. Once Catherine sleeps with him and unleashes her youthful charm, Peter will surely forget all about playing house with his servants!"

"Regardless of anything else, the feelings between husband and wife are trivial matters. Whether they love each other or not, they must get married. Once they have a new heir to the throne, everything else will be irrelevant!"

Sergei stood outside the door, listening to Elizabeth's loud voice inside. His gaze was cold, and his fists clenched slightly.

He waited until the noise inside subsided before knocking on the door.

After leaving the Summer Palace, Sergei returned home and looked at the date July 1st on the calendar.

"You should know that even if you are the Empress of Russia, there are still times when things don't go your way."

In the days that followed, a series of bad news worsened Elizabeth's mood.

"The French painters and our painters have disagreed on the painting style for the ground, and we need Your Majesty's decision."

"Regarding the theatrical performance after the wedding, our performers and their partners lacked coordination. As for the acting style, Your Majesty, do you think it should be adjusted according to the French performers' requirements?"

"The venue is too large, and there are far too many people. The secret committee's investigation cannot be completed in time. I have ordered everyone to work day and night to ensure that there are no security problems."

"Your Majesty, when the servants were packing up, they discovered that many of the gold tassels were missing. We strongly suspect that the merchant in charge of the procurement shortchanged us, and even...

The heavy and complicated wedding preparations were bound to cause all sorts of problems, but Elizabeth hadn't expected so many.

Even in a rush, Elizabeth still had to order the wedding postponed.

"We've become a laughing stock in Europe! The wedding was not only postponed, it was postponed twice!" Elizabeth was furious every time the wedding was mentioned.

Fortunately, the wedding was finally set for August 21st.

On August 20, late at night, the sound of cannons and the rumbling of bells echoed throughout St. Petersburg.

6 a.m. on the 21st.

After Catherine got up, took a bath, and dressed properly, Elizabeth, accompanied by her personal hairdresser, styled Catherine's hair to ensure that the crown could be worn securely.

"I have never seen such sparkly clothing."

Elizabeth watched as Catherine donned a silver satin gown, embroidered with roses in silver thread. The skirt was very long, and the bodice was short-sleeved. Combined with the bracelets, earrings, brooches, and rings she wore, Catherine was radiant from head to toe.

After applying a light makeup to his face, adorning his shoulders with a cloak-like headdress made of silver thread, and donning the crown symbolizing a Russian Grand Duchess, Peter entered, dressed in the same fabric.

"You don't look any better than me," Ekaterina asked with concern.

Peter was so overwhelmed by the jewels covering his entire body that he could barely breathe. His buttons, sword hilt, and shoe buckles were studded with diamonds. He didn't even bother to acknowledge his new wife's concern.

"Alright, let's go!" Elizabeth ordered.

The newlyweds, adorned with silver threads and diamonds, emerged from the palace. A deafening chorus of horns and thunderous drums heralded the start of the wedding. Twenty-four luxurious carriages departed from the Winter Palace, proceeding along Nevsky Prospekt towards the Kazan Cathedral.

"Look! The carriage pulled by eight white horses looks like a small castle, where Queen Elizabeth and the Grand Duchess live!" some people couldn't help but shout.

Inside the church, the Archbishop of Novgorod presided over the ceremony.

"Peter, the servant of God, married Catherine, the servant of God. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen..."

At the very back of the church, filled with courtiers and nobles, a person walked slowly.

Sergei wore an outfit quite different from Russian and even European styles, consisting of a black top and a crimson bottom.

"Heavenly Father, Earthly Mother, the rites of Zhou and Han."

Naryshkin moved closer to Sergei from the crowd, looking at his clothes with surprise.

"What are you muttering about? Where did you get these clothes? They're so strange, I've never seen anything like them before. They look awkward, but they're also quite nice, and... well... extremely formal."

"Because this is a wedding, and you are a witness."

"Witness? Witness what?" Naryshkin wondered.

Sergei stopped talking.

About an hour later, he saw Shuvalov approaching in a hurry. The man looked very unwell as he walked forward, with the secret police clearing a path for him.

He quickly approached Elizabeth, leaned down and whispered something in her ear, and then many guests saw Elizabeth get up and leave the wedding venue without making a sound.

As soon as she stepped out of the church, Elizabeth's face turned extremely pale.

She quickened her pace toward the palace, her anxiety causing her to stumble several times and nearly fall, but Razumovsky was there to support her and prevent any accidents.

Upon arriving at her bedchamber, Elizabeth strode to her desk, where a black sheet of paper lay flat with a line of gold lettering on it.

Witness the birth of the Black Emperor! I send my greetings on behalf of Ivan VI of Peter and Paul Fortress, Elizabeth!

"Who? Who? Who is the Black Emperor? How does he know Ivan VI is imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress! Who put this paper here? Who! Tell me!"

"Your Majesty, no one has entered your room. It...it appeared out of thin air!"

Elizabeth fainted.