"This is the seal and some important documents."
In the palace, Orlov put some of the things he found on the table, and Ekaterina was also looking at the documents.
"Any news about Peter?" she asked.
"According to the intelligence we asked, after learning about the coup, he was very panicked. His subordinates suggested that he immediately leave for Kronstadt, lead the navy and troops loyal to him, and rely on Prussia to counterattack St. Petersburg.
However, Peter III rejected this suggestion and commanded his Holstein Army to stay in a local wooden castle that was usually used for training. "
Ekaterina smiled disdainfully, "It is indeed something he will do, and then what?"
"Later, it was estimated that we brought with us the elite Imperial Guards, but we changed our minds, took our mistresses and entourage with us, and fled to Kronstadt."
Ekaterina nodded, "When you catch him, remember not to kill him. I will also ask him to sign the abdication decree."
"yes!"
After Orlov left, it didn't take much time to capture Peter III.
Because when Peter III arrived in Kronstadt.
The local garrison announced that they had sworn allegiance to Catherine and therefore could not accept Peter III.
After that, Peter III completely lost his fighting spirit and even lost the courage to flee to Prussia. He obediently followed Catherine's wishes and returned to Oranienbaum to sign the abdication edict.
Of course, this alone is not enough. Judging from the succession law stipulated by Peter the Great, Catherine's approach is undoubtedly a conspiracy to usurp the throne and is legally untenable.
Therefore, the first thing she did after ascending the throne was to tell the world and explain the legitimacy of her gaining power. Ekaterina knew that she could not explain her behavior from a legal perspective, so she needed to make an issue on the moral and political level.
So at this moment, she was sitting at the desk writing a manifesto. In it, she would denounce Peter III's perverse behavior and describe many of Peter III's actions as betrayal and crimes against Russia at the national level. Therefore, launching a coup was a last resort. .
In a sense, these contents are actually correct.
After she wrote these declarations, Orlov also walked in from the outside, holding a roll of parchment.
"He's already written it."
That should be the abdication edict of Peter III. Catherine was already very disgusted with Peter III, so Orlov did everything and didn't even bother to see him.
"Your Majesty." Orlov looked at Yekaterina with a glint in his eyes, "Now that he has lost his use to you, can you leave him to us?"
Peter III's act of returning the land conquered by those bloody soldiers to Germany was undoubtedly a great betrayal and humiliation to the army.
Their glory was trampled on and their faith was shaken. Both those who participated in that war and those who did not participate in that war hated the emperor extremely.
So his purpose can be imagined.
Ekaterina closed her eyes slightly and continued.
"Let him live for now. Don't touch him without my consent."
Orlov curled his lips, but still said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
With that said, he retreated directly from here.
Ekaterina slowly opened her eyes, looked forward and said.
"Tell me, what should I do with Peter?"
Xia Ya was standing next to her, so she was obviously talking to him.
Xia Ya's eyelids closed slightly, "You are the emperor, this is something you should decide, isn't it?"
Ekaterina's eyes flashed, "Someone once asked me to save Peter III's life."
"Is this person important to you?"
"It's not important, but I respect him very much."
Ekaterina did not continue speaking, but just stood up from her seat.
"You should still have time, right?"
"I'm going back to have dinner before sunset today." Xia Ya said.
"Then come with me to another place." She said.
She stood up from her position and walked out of the room, with Char following her.
She found an Orlov and said to him.
"Prepare the carriage, I'm going to Shlisselburg Fortress."
"yes!"
Orlov nodded in response, and then retreated from here. After Catherine walked out of the palace, a carriage was parked at the door.
She and Xia got on the carriage together, and with the rumble of wheels, they gradually drove into the distance. The carriage walked for probably dozens of minutes, and they arrived at the Shlisselburg Fortress in her mouth.
This is the Bastille in Russia, a place where political prisoners were held. It was once occupied by revolutionaries during the revolutionary movement in another world.
There are many towers here, connected only by a suspension bridge, with many heavy artillery placed on it, which fulfills its fortress function very well.
However, the soldiers here also declared their surrender to Catherine. Under the leadership of the soldiers, they walked through the corridor, walked up the stairs, and entered a tower.
The environment here is very dark. The eighteenth-century fortress structure can only support a few small windows, so the interior needs to be illuminated by torches.
"Have you heard of Ivan VI?" Catherine asked.
Xia Ya raised his eyebrows. Ivan VI was also a celebrity for those who knew the history of this country.
He was the eldest son of Duke Antonin Ulrich of Braunschweig. Ivan VI's mother, Anna Leopoldovna, was the only granddaughter of Tsar Ivan V and the only niece of Russian Empress Anna I.
Anna had lived almost all her life in Russia, where her husband also made his home, and the couple hoped that they or their descendants would inherit the throne after the empress' death.
On October 5, 1740, Ivan VI's great-aunt Anna I adopted him on her deathbed and declared Ivan VI her heir.
Anna also declared her long-time lover and advisor, Duke Ernst Johann von Byron of Courland, to serve as regent until Ivan VI came of age.
In fact, in order to ensure that her lover would enjoy power and influence after her death, the dying empress chose the infant Ivan as his heir rather than Ivan VI's adult mother.
On October 28, 1740, Anna I died. The next day, infant Ivan was proclaimed emperor Ivan VI, dictator of all Russia, and Byron became regent.
However, neither Ivan VI's parents nor most of the nobles accepted Byron's rise to power. As Anna's lover, Byron made countless enemies and was extremely unpopular at court. Within three weeks Byron was overthrown, orchestrated by Ivan VI's father.
At midnight on November 8/19, 1740, Byron was captured in his bedroom by the Imperial Guards led by Minih, the leader of the Royal Guards, and was exiled to Siberia.
Ivan VI's mother, Anna Leopoldovna, was elected as the new regent, but the real power was still in the hands of Minikh and other imperial generals.
Shortly after Minih came to power, he was overthrown by Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Ivanovich Osterman. Minih was dismissed from his official position and demoted to a commoner. Ostermann becomes the new regent.
The reign of Ivan VI and his mother's regency lasted only 13 months. On December 6, 1741, Elizabeth Petrovna launched a coup and ascended to the throne.
This Elizabeth was the previous emperor of Peter III.
Since then, Ivan VI began his extremely long imprisonment career, that is to say, he was imprisoned as an infant and was not allowed to receive education or freedom.
In the whole of Russia, he should be the most miserable person.
Xia Ya looked at the iron door at the end of the corridor. A guard in military uniform opened the iron door. Behind the iron door was a metal square iron fence. Inside was a round cell with no space. It's big, only a dozen square meters, dark and dim.
There was only a small window that let in light, and the sunlight from outside poured in through that window, just hitting the face of Ekaterina who was standing at the door.
In that cell, stood a man, wearing a dirty petticoat, his hair casually scattered on his shoulders, and it was glued together because it had not been washed for a long time.
There was a little bird on his hand, and he seemed to be communicating something to the bird in a low voice.
Then, he carefully placed the bird on the narrow window and let it fly away.
Then he slowly turned his head. Because he had not left the cell for many years, his face was sickly pale, his cheekbones and eye sockets were sunken, and he was too thin to look like a human.
Seeing Yekaterina, he walked over slowly, grabbed the iron railing, and looked at Yekaterina up and down with his eyes wide open. There was no hostility in his eyes, but only a bit of ignorant curiosity.
He opened his mouth slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't.
After a moment, he spoke with a slight stutter.
"glad to meet you.
Your eyes are very pretty.
I am the Emperor, Ivan VI. "
Ekaterina's eyes rippled a little, but she had no words.
She tilted her body slightly, not looking directly at him, but just looking at him from the corner of her eyes.
"What's your name?" Ivan VI said.
"Ekaterina," said Ekaterina.
"Ekaterina" he repeated.
"They said you couldn't speak," Ekaterina said.
"No, I can talk." He said, "It's just that I haven't had anyone to talk to for a long time, so I'm glad you can come.
I often read the Bible alone. "
It seemed that the sunlight shining outside the window was a bit dazzling, and Ekaterina flicked her eyelids.
“Who gave you the Bible?”
"My grandma."
His palm was slightly open, and in his hand was a soldier puppet. He showed it to Ekaterina as if showing off to his friends.
"This was given to me by a very good magician
His name is Peter and I pray for him every day.
He promised to free me. "
Ekaterina lowered her eyes, "I haven't prepared anything for you."
"I'm very happy to see you." He smiled, "I will also pray for you every day."
After a pause, he asked curiously, "Will you let me go?"
Ekaterina raised her eyes and continued to look at him, staring at him for a long time, looking at his empty and innocent eyes, and his sickly pale cheeks due to years of imprisonment.
After a moment, she whispered.
"Will do."
With that said, she turned around and left, and the soldier behind her also closed the iron door.
Ekaterina let out a breath, raised her hand and touched her arm, trembling a little.
asked a soldier on one side.
"Your Majesty, do you know that the late emperor once ordered that if someone robs the prison, the secret prisoner will be executed? Is the order valid?"
She was silent for a long time, glanced at Xia Ya standing on one side, and said.
"The order is valid."
With that said, she turned and left the room, and a more senior officer stood by the door and asked.
"Your Majesty, do you have any other instructions for the secret prisoners?"
Ekaterina turned to him.
"As long as you have a clear conscience."
"Please give me clear instructions," he said.
"You are a heroic and noble man."
She raised her eyes to look at the officer, without any hesitation in her blue eyes.
"You will make the right choice."
The officer's eyes flashed, then he nodded and said, "I understand."
Yekaterina continued to take Char out, and they got back on the carriage, but the carriage did not leave immediately.
After a while, Charia opened the curtain, and through the window of the carriage, Charia saw a group of people wearing different military uniforms walking into the fortress holding firearms.
"Who are those people?" Xia Ya asked curiously.
"Prison robber."
Ekaterina said without looking back, she was quietly staring at the scenery outside the window at the moment.
Xia Ya's eyes flashed, but she had no words.
After a moment, Ekaterina whispered.
"Do you feel sorry for him?"
"A tragedy caused by fate." Xia Ya said, "He did nothing. He was not the one who usurped the throne. He was just a puppet who was pushed to the throne and a tool for his mother to rule the empire. But the sufferings in the future... But it’s all his responsibility.”
“Queen Elizabeth chose to imprison a man for twenty years for her oath not to kill, making him live a life worse than death.
This is not kind, and is very hypocritical. "
She raised her eyes and looked at him, her blue eyes full of sharpness.
"He is the emperor.
As an emperor, you should have the dignity of an emperor. "
Xia Ya's eyes flashed, "I think you already have the answer to how to deal with Peter."
She leaned on the backrest of the carriage and continued to look out the window, sparks dancing in her eyes.
Ivan VI was the emperor, and even though he never really held power for a day, he was still the legitimate emperor who had succeeded him.
Except for Peter III, no emperor with normal intelligence would be able to release him.
The political risks brought about are extremely huge, not to mention that Yekaterina usurped the throne.
Ending his pain and tragic fate was the greatest dignity she could give him.
This is the kindness of Catherine.
She had already made the decision to ascend to the throne with blood on her feet.
(End of chapter)
