The Viscount Nikolai Orlov, thoroughly swayed by the grand presentation from Duke Golitsyn, became even more convinced that Duke Golitsyn was indeed the "Great Man" who could lead all of Russia out of the quagmire.

Consequently, under the guidance of Duke Golitsyn, Viscount Nikolai Orlov removed his usual attire and donned the deep green military uniform he wore during his tenure as a commander in the Guard Army.

"Very good!" Duke Golitsyn nodded in satisfaction, with his profound understanding of Nicholas I’s character and psyche, believing firmly that this attire of Count Nikolai Orlov would certainly win Nicholas I’s favor. "We should get going!"

"Yes!" Viscount Nikolai Orlov saluted Duke Golitsyn with a standard military salute, then followed Duke Golitsyn onto the carriage destined for Tsarskoye Selo.

The carriage carrying Duke Golitsyn and Nikolai Orlov sped along the road and soon arrived at the gates of the palace where Nicholas I resided.

Together, Duke Golitsyn and Viscount Orlov entered the palace and swiftly arrived at Nicholas I’s chamber door.

Duke Golitsyn gently knocked on the door, eliciting a slightly weak voice from within: "Come in!"

Duke Golitsyn immediately gave Nikolai Orlov a meaningful glance, to which Viscount Nikolai Orlov quickly readied himself.

Once everything was in order, Duke Golitsyn opened the door and entered, with Viscount Nikolai Orlov following close behind.

Upon entering the room, Viscount Nikolai Orlov was immediately questioned by the Monarch.

Nicholas I, his eyes full of appreciation, looked up and down at the well-dressed and appealing Nikolai Orlov—this was still an era that valued appearance—and inquired, "Are you Nikolai Orlov?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Viscount Nikolai Orlov responded firmly and resolutely.

"Golitsyn just told me that you once served in the Guard Army and even held the position of commander of an elite regiment. Could you tell me which regiment you commanded?" Nicholas I further inquired.

"Your Majesty, I served as the commander of the Saint Petersburg Musketeer Corps at that time!" Nikolai Orlov continued to reply to Nicholas I.

Hearing Nikolai Orlov’s response, Nicholas I’s smile broadened, for the Saint Petersburg Musketeer Corps was one of the Empire’s most loyal units (even though the corruption within the entire army was most severe, for the Monarch, loyalty was far more important than corruption). Nikolai Orlov being able to command such a unit surely demonstrated his loyalty.

"I heard you resigned in protest due to dissatisfaction with your colleagues’ corrupt activities—is that true?" Nicholas I continued.

"Your Majesty, you are correct!" Viscount Nikolai Orlov answered firmly to Nicholas I: "I believe a great soldier should not only be loyal to the Monarch and the country but also control their desires! Unchecked corruption only erodes a troop’s combat effectiveness!"

"Viscount Orlov, your words are somewhat alarmist!" Despite Nikolai Orlov’s critique of the Russian Army, Nicholas I was not at all upset; instead, he admired Nikolai Orlov’s "candor" even more. He had witnessed too many officers fall to their desires, so he cherished those not crushed by such urges.

"Your Majesty, I am not being alarmist! Every word I speak is backed by solid evidence!" Viscount Nikolai Orlov continued to faithfully project his "candid" persona towards Nicholas I.

"What solid evidence?" Nicholas I curiously asked.

"After I left the military, I conducted an investigation on the correlation between military combat effectiveness and corruption!" Nikolai Orlov eloquently explained to Nicholas I.

"And what were the results?" Nicholas I asked, intrigued.

"I found that the deeper the corruption, the poorer the combat effectiveness!" Nikolai Orlov answered Nicholas I: "Take, for instance, our war in Silistra. We dispatched a division to assist Prince Paskevich in attacking Silistra. Although this Guard Division had superior weaponry compared to the Polish Corps and the Danube Corps, its performance in Silistra was not significantly better than the troops stationed with Prince Paskevich in the Polish Region, and in some respects, even inferior..."

Nikolai Orlov’s words reshaped Nicholas I’s view of the Guard Army.

For a long time, Nicholas I had only focused on the outcomes of wars, neglecting the conditions of individual units.

The fact that the Guard Army, a pillar of the Empire, had degenerated to being compared with the Danube Army under Gorchakov’s command was alarming, giving him a sense that the Guard Army was no longer reliable for important duties.

Nicholas I turned his gaze towards Duke Golitsyn and asked in a low voice, "Is what he says true?"

Duke Golitsyn nodded and replied to Nicholas I, "Your Majesty, Viscount Orlov’s words are largely true! The Guard Army indeed shows a gradual decline!"

"Is there any way to make improvements?" Nicholas I asked Duke Golitsyn again.

"Your Majesty, we are gradually reforming (replacing with our own people)!" Duke Golitsyn told Nicholas I. Since the Russian Empire is at war with England and France, he did not carry out a purge of the Guard Army.

However, Duke Golitsyn assured Nicholas I that the Guard Army he dispatched here was the most stringent.

"Alright! I understand!" Nicholas I nodded, then turned to Nikolai Orlov and said, "If it weren’t for the Third Hall, I would really want to make you..."

At this point, Nicholas I shook his head and muttered to himself: "Forget it, I won’t say more!"

Subsequently, Nicholas I moved onto the main topic, first asking Nikolai Orlov if he was willing to continue serving him and the Russian Empire.

Nikolai Orlov firmly told Nicholas I that he had sworn allegiance to the Romanov Clan from the moment he was born.

Then, Nicholas I appointed Viscount Nikolai Orlov to temporarily act as the head of the "Third Hall."

Viscount Nikolai Orlov accepted the appointment from Nicholas I as per Duke Golitsyn’s instructions.

"I am only giving you one week, in which you must fully grasp the Third Hall and swiftly uproot the insurgents entrenched in St. Petersburg!" Nicholas I ordered Nikolai Orlov.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will not betray your trust in me!" Viscount Nikolai Orlov responded resolutely.

After assigning the task, Nicholas I and Nikolai Orlov had a brief conversation, after which Viscount Nikolai Orlov was escorted out of the palace by Duke Golitsyn.

...

On the fifth day of Viscount Nikolai Orlov temporarily acting as the highest administrative officer of the "Third Hall," he used his position to bring the entire Third Hall into complete compliance.

A portion of the middle bureaucrats who originally pledged allegiance to Count Orlov and resisted Nikolai Orlov was directly expelled from the "Third Hall" by Nikolai Orlov.

They were replaced by a group of lower bureaucrats, all of whom had the standard characteristic of rarely being corrupt.

Some dissatisfied with Nikolai Orlov started to conspire among themselves, slandering him as an insurgent and swearing that Nikolai Orlov had bigger conspiracies because he did not partake in corruption.

When the "fake news" of Nikolai Orlov being an insurgent reached Nicholas I’s ears through Grand Duke Constantine, Nicholas I first felt deceived but after calming down, he asked Grand Duke Constantine if there was any basis for this rumor.

Grand Duke Constantine revealed the hearsay evidence he had, after hearing which Nicholas I couldn’t help but laugh and asked Grand Duke Constantine: Can’t the Russian Empire have one or two just and honest people? Must we force everyone into corruption to be the true Russian Empire?

Nicholas I’s words left Grand Duke Constantine speechless.

Affected by a small faction of disenfranchised individuals, Nikolai Orlov was called to Nicholas I once again and awarded a medal by him.

Nikolai Orlov once more vowed to Nicholas I that he would die loyal to the Romanov Clan, and for the next half month, the Third Hall officials, as if invigorated, launched an intense crackdown on "insurgents" within St. Petersburg.

In a short half month, nearly hundreds of insurgents were arrested, all without exception admitting to their involvement in smuggling arsenals.

Upon receiving the list of insurgents submitted by Nikolai Orlov, Nicholas I immediately ordered that everyone involved with the insurgents be exiled.

In no time, everyone in St. Petersburg was on edge, with many shops being directly shut down by the "Third Hall" for unknowingly trading with insurgents.

The contradictions in St. Petersburg, which had already become apparent, were further intensified by the actions of Duke Golitsyn and Nikolai Orlov.

Many bureaucrats with a bit of conscience began to secretly berate Duke Golitsyn and Viscount Nikolai Orlov as two vicious dogs of His Majesty the Tsar, saying that the Russian Empire would be ruined by them.

However, what they said was destined not to reach Nicholas I’s ears.

After the sweep began, Duke Golitsyn further increased the protection around Nicholas I, making it impossible for any officials to see Nicholas I without Duke Golitsyn’s approval.

And the only one who could meet Nicholas I without restraint, Grand Duke Constantine, had long gone to the Kingdom of Poland to serve as Governor.