The departure of Marshal Jomini and Grand Duke Constantine suddenly made the previously relaxed atmosphere become grave.

"Commander Gorchakov, what do you think?" Alexander II inquired of Gorchakov.

"Your Highness, I still maintain my previous opinion!" Commander Gorchakov replied decisively to Alexander II, "Even if we ultimately cannot reach an agreement with France, we can take advantage of this negotiation period to recuperate and await the onset of the next war!"

"Hmm!" Crown Prince Alexander nodded to indicate his understanding, then glanced at Ivanov Gorchakov and asked, "Major Ivanov, what do you think?"

"Your Highness, I agree with Commander Gorchakov’s view! Regardless of the outcome, we still need to give it a try!" Ivanov Gorchakov responded promptly.

"Alright! Understood!" Crown Prince Alexander also expressed his viewpoint, "I also agree with Commander Gorchakov’s view! Whether this matter succeeds or not, we must give it a try!

If successful, Russia will be able to immediately extricate itself from the current predicament!"

Afterwards, Alexander II inquired Ivanov Gorchakov about whether Emperor Jerome Bonaparte had made any new demands!

Ivanov Gorchakov said to Alexander II, "Emperor Jerome Bonaparte once told me that if we are interested in peace talks, we need to dispatch someone whose status matches his to participate in the talks!"

"Status match?" The first person Alexander II thought of was his father, Nicholas I.

Nicholas I is currently seriously ill and is simply unable to reach the Crimea Peninsula; Jerome Bonaparte’s demand is simply too difficult.

"That’s right!" Ivanov Gorchakov nodded slightly, and then changed the subject to talk to Crown Prince Alexander, "But later, Emperor Jerome Bonaparte also seemed to realize that His Majesty Nicholas I would not be able to reach the Crimea Peninsula to communicate with him, so he lowered his request, hoping that you could be present at the peace talks!"

"Me?" Crown Prince Alexander, upon hearing that Jerome Bonaparte requested him to attend the peace talks, breathed a sigh of relief; at least Jerome Bonaparte was unaware of his father Nicholas I’s illness.

Meanwhile, Count Orlov had a contemplative expression on his face. As a member of the secret police, he always felt that Jerome Bonaparte’s target was the Crown Prince from the beginning.

Of course, Count Orlov did not think too much into it; he just assumed that Jerome Bonaparte’s demand was due to matters of face, insisting that Crown Prince Alexander must be present.

"Hmm!"

Once all matters had been discussed, Crown Prince Alexander concluded the meeting.

Upon leaving the room, he decided to head to Marshal Jomini’s room to persuade him to stay for the Russian Empire.

When Crown Prince Alexander arrived at Marshal Jomini’s room, he saw Jomini packing his luggage. He hurried into the room to stop Jomini and apologized on behalf of Grand Duke Constantine.

"Your Highness, it’s really nothing!" Marshal Jomini shook his head, "I think the Grand Duke was right! I am a Frenchman!"

"Teacher, your love for Russia has been evident to us all!" Crown Prince Alexander responded to Marshal Jomini.

"Your Highness, fallen leaves always return to the earth one day! I do not wish to be cursed by my compatriots on the last leg of my journey, becoming a disgrace to France (even though strictly speaking, Jomini is Swiss, but he considers himself French)!" Marshal Jomini said to Alexander II.

"No! It won’t be! This is merely a matter of serving one’s country!" Crown Prince Alexander shook his head, arguing with Marshal Jomini.

"They certainly won’t see it as serving one’s country!" Marshal Jomini responded to Crown Prince Alexander with a bitter smile, shaking his head.

"Then, teacher, stay in Russia and enjoy your later years!" Crown Prince Alexander sought a path for Marshal Jomini.

"Your Highness, I love Russia, but my home is in France, so..." Marshal Jomini bowed to Crown Prince Alexander, "I am very sorry, Your Highness!"

Crown Prince Alexander pondered for a moment, realizing that even if he kept Marshal Jomini by his side, he likely wouldn’t continue to serve diligently!

After all, the cultural affinity for France is far stronger than that of Russia’s. (Here, Alexander II is rather subjective.)

Alexander thought that if he were Marshal Jomini, he would have the same reaction as Jomini.

"Very well then!" Crown Prince Alexander chose to let go, "But, teacher, you must promise me one condition!"

"What condition?" Jomini inquired of Crown Prince Alexander.

"I have a letter that I intend to send to my father. I hope that when you leave, you can deliver it to my father!" Crown Prince Alexander responded solemnly to Jomini.

Marshal Jomini did not refuse Crown Prince Alexander’s request and nodded to him, saying, "I will deliver the letter on time!"

"Thank you very much!" After shaking hands with Marshal Jomini once more, Crown Prince Alexander closed the door and left.

As Alexander II continued walking through the hallway after leaving the room, he soon encountered Grand Duke Constantine.

At this moment, Grand Duke Constantine was like a child who had done something wrong, standing nervously in front of Crown Prince Alexander.

"You... you!" Crown Prince Alexander sighed again, responding with a tone of exasperation, "I have told you before, you are not a child anymore! You need to take responsibility for your words!"

"I know I was wrong!" Grand Duke Constantine apologized softly to Crown Prince Alexander, then suggested, "Maybe I should apologize to the teacher again, I really didn’t think it through at the time!"

"Too late!" Crown Prince Alexander replied to Grand Duke Constantine, then pointing at him, said, "In a while, you will return to St. Petersburg with Teacher Jomini!"

"Ah!" Grand Duke Constantine shook his head vigorously, "The reason Father sent me here was to replace you, now that you haven’t left, if I leave, isn’t it inappropriate?"

"Do you still think you can replace me like this? Aren’t things messy enough already?" Crown Prince Alexander raised his voice in response to Grand Duke Constantine.

"I..." Grand Duke Constantine wanted to say something but found he had no reason to argue.

"Alright! It’s decided this way!" Crown Prince Alexander responded to Grand Duke Constantine without hesitation, "You must return to St. Petersburg!"

"Yes!" Grand Duke Constantine replied dismally.

...

In the blink of an eye, another two days passed, and during this time, Sevastopol and Bakhchisaray had another exchange. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Alexander II wanted the French Empire to slightly relax its policies regarding the Black Sea, but Jerome Bonaparte did not agree to Alexander II’s request, still insisting on the original terms.

Having no choice, Alexander II had to temporarily back down, and to him, the conditions for peace talks were basically settled.

Afterward, Alexander II wrote a letter to St. Petersburg.

In the letter, apart from Jerome Bonaparte’s terms, Alexander II also included his own views.

Alexander II believed that there were no substantial conflicts between France and Russia, and in some respects (referring to the British issue), they could reach a consensus. Therefore, he hoped that Nicholas I could consider some negotiation.

After all, the longer the fight between France and Russia continued, the more conflicts would arise between the two sides.

At that time, as long as Britain stirred things up, it would become difficult for Russia to seek peace,

...

After writing the letter, Alexander II handed it solemnly to Marshal Jomini, who was about to depart for St. Petersburg for his report, and saluted Marshal Jomini.

Marshal Jomini returned the salute to Alexander II, then mounted his horse,

Standing beside Jomini, Grand Duke Constantine also followed closely under Alexander II’s instructions.

In the biting cold wind, Marshal Jomini and Grand Duke Constantine left Bakhchisaray, crossing the pontoon bridge that led from the peninsula to the mainland that very night, and continued on.

Finally, after nearly 5 days of relentless galloping, Jomini and Grand Duke Constantine arrived near Moscow, and on this night, took a train departing from Moscow to St. Petersburg.

The train sped all the way and arrived at the Tsarskoye Selo outside St. Petersburg after half a day and night of travel.

"This damn weather!" Grand Duke Constantine, just having disembarked from the train, couldn’t help but curse quietly while rubbing his body with his hands.

Having stayed on the Crimea Peninsula for a long time, he had long forgotten about the temperature in St. Petersburg, so much so that he had forgotten to change into winter clothing before getting off the train.

Standing next to Grand Duke Constantine, Marshal Jomini, although wearing the same thin outer garment, was not shivering like Grand Duke Constantine, but stood unflinchingly waiting for the carriage to arrive.

After a while, a simple black carriage emblazoned with the Tsar’s emblem appeared before Grand Duke Constantine and Jomini.

The person who alighted from the carriage was one of the butlers from Nicholas I’s Imperial Palace. He first bowed slightly to Marshal Jomini and Grand Duke Constantine, "Marshal, Your Highness, I’m sorry to keep you waiting!"

He then opened the carriage door, and Grand Duke Constantine swiftly entered the carriage, with Marshal Jomini also boarding step by step.

The carriage door closed, and the carriage started slowly.

When Jomini left the train station and approached Tsarskoye Selo, he was surprised to find that at some unknown time, soldiers had appeared on the streets of Tsarskoye Selo. They were stationed every five steps, and there was a sentry every ten steps. The entire Tsarskoye Selo seemed to be surrounded by the military.

"What’s going on here?"