Catherine and the Black Emperor

027. The Informant

Sergei stood among the courtiers, waiting for Elizabeth's entourage.

That day I heard from Besdudev that the new doctor was on his way to St. Petersburg.

Felice had spent a long time at court and, through his connections, found out the new doctor's background.

The Duchess of Oldenburg had her first child at the age of 41, thanks to Dr. Kalamaldi.

"Can infertility be cured by using herbs, hot baths, and poultices, and by trying Spartan-style treatments?" Sergei couldn't help but shake his head.

It was a case of a blind cat catching a dead mouse; the new doctor was undeniably lucky.

But in the Russian court, they wouldn't be so lucky again.

"If Sophia doesn't make it through this, Elizabeth, with her personality, will definitely send her back to Germany."

Sergei had no doubt about this.

Kalamaldi had already set off before Sofia fell ill, which suggests that Besdudev was the doctor he brought to help Elizabeth cure her infertility.

Besdov's purpose was clear: to weaken Lestok's position as the chief physician by introducing a new doctor.

Elizabeth could tell, but as long as she could get pregnant, the Queen wouldn't even blink if Lestoker were killed.

"Given Elizabeth's determination, she'd be willing to endure anything, even if it meant being completely exhausted by Spartan-style treatments, or even being twisted into a knot..."

Sergei suddenly remembered a quote from Elizabeth: "I'd be willing to be boiled in a pot of alkaline water if it meant I could get pregnant!"

"Your Majesty, you have been wronged."

Just as Sergei was talking to himself, Elizabeth's convoy appeared at the door.

The other party hurriedly got off the carriage, showing no kindness to the Prime Minister and the President of the Court, and rushed into the palace, heading straight for Sofia's room. Sergei followed behind the two ministers and caught up with the Empress.

"The moment I left, everything went completely wrong!" Elizabeth reprimanded Besdov and Shuvalov without any politeness.

"Your Majesty, the princess's illness came on very suddenly," Besdutev explained.

Elizabeth gave Shuvalov a cold look.

"You're the head of the secret committee, what do you think? What does it mean that your letter says nothing suspicious was found? You need to understand the secret committee's responsibilities! Reinvestigate! And why is your letter taking so long? How about having Saltykov replace you?"

Shuvalov kept his head down.

Sergei's mind was on high alert.

Elizabeth's words would inevitably make her a target of Shuvalov, even though Shuvalov knows that with her current position, it is impossible for her to be replaced.

But there is good news.

Sergei finally had a legitimate reason—to curry favor with Shuvalov and present the "gift" he had been preparing for so long.

Seeing Sofia, who was delirious with fever, Elizabeth couldn't help but tear up and angrily shouted at Besdov, Shuvalov, and other courtiers who had recommended princesses from other countries.

"As long as the devil hasn't taken Sofia's life, I won't consider princesses from other countries! Don't be overjoyed; from today onwards, I will personally take care of Frederica!"

Elizabeth then ordered Razumovsky to expel Besdov and other courtiers.

Apart from Razumovsky and his servants, only Sergei and three other courtiers remained.

For the next few days, Eliza stayed by Sophia's bedside every day, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead. Except when she was resting, she was in the outer room even when dealing with state affairs.

Taking this opportunity, Sergei finally learned from Razumovsky another reason why Elizabeth was furious with Shuvalov.

During her trip to Moscow, Elizabeth discovered a major oversight by Shuvalov.

"Anna (Ivan VI's mother, not Empress Anna, nor Elizabeth's older sister) died before Anton (Ivan VI's father)," Sergei recalled history.

He began to analyze.

Anna (Ivan VI's mother) is dead... but Shuvalov didn't report it in time... Upon learning of Anna's death, given Elizabeth's suspicious nature, she would inevitably suspect that Anna faked her death to escape... What if the grave is empty... What if she's plotting a huge conspiracy...

"What method should we use to let Shuvalov know about this? This would reduce some of his hostility towards me!"

During this time, Sergei clearly sensed Shuvalov's indifference and hostility towards him.

Clearly, because of Elizabeth's words, the president of the special court has come to regard him as a thorn in her side.

"We must find an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone!"

Soon, the opportunity will come.

One day, Shuvalov kidnapped Gemma.

Few people knew about this, but Sergei, as an advisor to the secret council, had heard about it.

He knew that Gemma's affair with Lestok had already spread among the servants and could not be kept from Shuvalov, so he had already instructed Gemma: only by pretending that you know nothing will you and your father have a chance of survival.

When Shuvalov found him, he concluded that Gemma hadn't said anything.

"Who do you think is more suitable to investigate the secret, Mattrena (servant) or Gemma (servant)? I've investigated them, and they're both innocent. Now we need the smartest one of them to find the murderer!" Shuvalov said bluntly.

"Chairman, do you mean the murderer will seek revenge on the princess again?" Sergei asked in astonishment.

"The princess is recovering day by day under the Empress's care, and it's inevitable that she will commit another crime!" Shuvalov said with certainty.

Without hesitation, Sergei named his choice: "Matrena!"

"Why her?" Shuvalov asked expressionlessly.

Sergei hit the nail on the head: "I recently discovered a secret: Gemma and Counselor Lestok have an ambiguous relationship. The counselor opposes the princess, and Gemma herself could be the murderer!"

Shuvalov said calmly, "It's no secret. I've already arrested and interrogated the person. It wasn't her."

"Could it be that the torture wasn't enough? A woman's perseverance in love is exceptional," Sergei questioned.

Shuvalov said coldly, "Are you doubting the Secret Committee's interrogation capabilities? I had her stripped naked and threatened her with her father's life. This is not something a servant could withstand!"

Sergei was struck by Gemma's resilience.

He assumed that Shuvalov would not torture Gemma since the interrogation would be fruitless and she could be quietly sent back.

Otherwise, if torture is used and the interrogation yields no results, it would give Besdov and Lestok the opportunity to accuse him of incompetence in front of Elizabeth. Shuvalov's position is now precarious, and he would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.

But he still miscalculated. Torture is not just about physical pain, especially for women, there are many more ways to torture them.

Gemma's ability to pull through impressed Sergei, who also felt a sense of relief, completely unaware that he had been through hell these past few days.

"So, Mr. Chairman, your choice is Gemma?" Sergei asked rhetorically.

"Leistock has every woman he wants, yet he chooses to seduce the princess's servant. His motives are obvious. In that case, why don't we turn the tables on him?"

"I understand, I know what you need me to do!"

Sergei knew that the other party had gone to such lengths simply because they needed him.

"Once the princess is better, His Majesty will no longer stay here. What you need to do is tell the Grand Duke to stop coming here as well, giving the murderer room to strike!"

"That's easy. The Grand Duke is just putting on an act for the Empress. If the Empress isn't here, the Grand Duke won't come here."

Shuvalov turned and left, and Sergei watched his retreating figure with an expressionless face.

He instructed Gemma so that she could survive if she was arrested. He had deliberately chosen Matrena as the candidate earlier, using Gemma's alleged problems and his doubts to reinforce Shuvalov's confidence in the interrogation results—that Gemma was innocent.

The ultimate goal is singular: to get Shuvalov to recruit Gemma as an informant!

"The plan... can finally be put into action!"