Struggle in Russia

On August 26, the Kremlin Cathedral Square.

Crowds crowded the entire square early in the morning, standing on the wall of the Red Square and looking around, there were crowds of people everywhere.

The aristocrats and noble ladies dressed up one by one to welcome their new masters with the best posture. People stood on tiptoe and raised their heads, hoping that the ceremony would start soon.

At ten o'clock, with the shout of the guards in full costume, and the cheerful bells of the church, Alexander II and the queen walked up the red porch arm in arm.

Today's Alexander II wears a military uniform as usual, the Order of St. Andrew is hung on a gold chain, and Empress Maria Alexandrovna wears a sky-blue Catherine ribbon, and she is not like other nobles. Wearing a gaudy and exaggerated hat like a woman, she just combed her hair back into two strands and hung on her shoulders.

The reason why Queen Mary does not wear a hat is very simple, because Alexander II will put the queen's crown on her head during the coronation ceremony.

According to custom and tradition, Alexander II and Empress Maria will bow deeply to all the onlookers when they arrive at the red porch. This is an old tradition from the time of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great and Catherine the Great bowed to the crowd in this way at the coronation.

As the emperor and queen bent their noble spines, the crowd in the square cheered like a tsunami, and then the military band began to play music, and the salute began to roar crazily.

When all this happened, Li Xiao was also standing among the crowd of onlookers, but he couldn't blend into the excited crowd around him at all, he just made a mouth shape, he didn't want to be stupid and hoarse.

It's just that he was more or less infected by watching the tearful crowd around him. For the first time, he didn't slander or sarcasm, but just observed Alexander II's performance.

To be honest, he felt that Alexander II's performance was average. His cheap cousin seemed a little nervous, his face was tense, and his fists were clenched into balls, as if he was about to fight someone at any time. .

So that the whole person is stiff, walking a bit like a puppet, and every pause is like a frame.

The Empress Maria next to her was not as stiff as he was, but the expression on her face gave off an inexplicable dignified and sad feeling. It felt less like a coronation than a funeral.

Li Xiao shook his head, feeling a little funny, especially when Alexander II and Empress Maria walked down the stairs and moved towards the Cathedral of the Assumption under the canopy held by the veterans headed by Menshikov. The feeling of moving forward became stronger and stronger.

Compared with a year ago, Menshikov has changed completely. He looks pale and skinny like a walking skeleton.

The faltering team slowly marched towards the Cathedral of the Assumption. This distance was not close, and it was a huge test for both the tsarist couple and the accompanying courtiers, especially those "old and decrepit".

It took two hours for the huge team to arrive at the Cathedral of the Assumption. At this time, in the fully seated ancient cathedral, Russia's top nobles had gathered together, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the door of the church. They all look forward to the early arrival of the Tsar and his wife.

The reason is very simple. There are too many people in the church and the weather is too hot. Under the scorching sun, the church is like a big furnace, which is suffocating.

And the nobles who participated in the coronation ceremony were all dressed up, in short, they were wrapped in three layers inside and outside three layers, which was called an airtight, and naturally it was even hotter.

Empress Dowager Alexandra's health was not very good, and the stagnant air in the church made her breathless, and in order to maintain her posture, she had to stand all the time, which was extremely difficult for her. Big test.

The nobles who couldn't stand the heat kept leaving the church to take a breather. Compared with the solemn and rigid atmosphere inside the church, the scene of the nobles chatting and smoking in twos and threes outside was undoubtedly much more relaxed.

If everyone was looking forward to this grand coronation ceremony before, the wish of the big guys now is that this **** ceremony should end as soon as possible.

Under much anticipation, Alexander II and his party finally arrived at the entrance of the church. It was obvious that they were not in a good condition. Alexander II became more and more stiff. When he went up the stairs, he almost made a joke and rolled down. As for Ma Queen Leah didn't know whether the corset was too tight or the dress was too thick. She was sweating profusely and almost all her makeup was spent.

As for Menshikov as a veteran, well, the old guys are already out of breath, and it seems that they may die at any time.

Li Xiao shook his head, he suddenly felt that something might happen to this coronation ceremony, and if someone had their braids on the spot, it would be a lot of fun.

It's just that the coronation ceremony had to be done on the string, UU Reading www.uukanshu.com As Alexander II and Queen Maria stepped into the church and ascended to the C position, the ceremony officially began.

First of all, Prince Mikhail Gorchakov, yes, in order to win over the Gorchakov family, Alexander II gave him the title of Prince Mikhail for a rare and generous time.

First of all, the new prince will carry the symbol of royal power - the golden ball to Alexander II.

This respected veteran held a plate made of pure gold, on which was placed a beautiful velvet cushion, on which was the "golden ball" that symbolized the imperial power!

This golden ball was made by Catherine the Great and was the most important ritual vessel at her coronation. The golden ball, also known as the Tsar's Apple, or derzhava in Russian, has ancient roots: its source is the Old Russian word drzha (regime).

It is said that the golden ball embodies the power of the ruler and his ability to "hold" the country, so for hundreds of years the golden ball has been considered one of the symbols of the Russian royal family's imperial power.

It's just that Catherine the Great's original golden ball was relatively plain in appearance: a golden ball surrounded by a diamond band and topped with a small cross. Legend has it that the diamond band on the Golden Ball was taken from a dress of Catherine II.

In the era of Paul I, in order to show that he was different from his mother, the nagging tsar specially inlaid a 200-carat sapphire and a 47-carat pure diamond for the golden ball.

According to the flow of the ceremony, Prince Mikhail will first hold the golden ball on the high platform of the church and stand on the side of Alexander II, and then Prince Menshikov will hold another golden plate containing the tsar's scepter Standing on the other side, Alexander II was finally crowned by the Archbishop of Moscow.

It's just that today's process has just started and something went wrong!