Catherine and the Black Emperor

75. Horse racing

Dzogolokov retained all his positions except for Grand Duke's Chief Steward and remained in St. Petersburg.

"I am so grateful to you, Chairman. From now on, you are our benefactor, and we will follow your lead without question!" Mrs. Djogolokova almost knelt on the ground.

Following Sergei's instructions, she preserved her existing living conditions.

"As you wish, I have handed the account books over to the Empress. Shuvalov will soon get his comeuppance!"

Sergei shook his head: "I have never known anything about the ledgers."

Mrs. Djogolokova nodded repeatedly: "Yes, that's exactly what I meant."

Sergei thought to himself that the couple could be used by him, but they absolutely could not become his entourage.

Djogolokov couldn't control his desires, Djogolokova was too foolish, and both of them were fickle and cowardly.

In a secret committee, such a person only needs to use a little trickery to get the other party to reveal everything.

Furthermore, although they are still husband and wife, this incident has destroyed any remaining affection between them.

Sergei watched the two men leave, muttering to himself.

"The husband's betrayal of his wife and the public humiliation she suffered will cause her to harbor an insurmountable aversion to him. The only thing that can hold the two of them together is their shared interests for survival."

He defined the couple and turned to go back to his room.

12 month.

Catherine and Peter moved from Peterhof Palace to Oranienbaum Palace in the nearby bay.

With the dismissal of both Djogolokovs, Ekaterina and Peter were completely freed.

"I gained unimaginable freedom. I would wake up at 3 a.m., dressed in men's clothes from head to toe, and an old hunter would be waiting for me with a gun."

"We carried our rifles and walked through the orange groves to the fishing boats by the bay. Besides us, there was a short-haired hound and a fisherman. I skillfully shot ducks in the reeds."

"I return to my room at 10 o'clock, change my clothes, have lunch, and then spend the afternoon either horseback riding or reading..."

Ekaterina and Sergei were talking about their recent lives.

This summer, horseback riding became her "number one hobby".

"The Queen wouldn't let me sit astride a horse, so I designed a side-sitting English saddle with a movable saddle ring on the side. As long as I'm not in Elizabeth's or any other watchers' sight, I can turn the saddle ring and return to my original position!"

Ekaterina proudly spoke of her intelligence, her smooth chin so fair and bright.

Sergei always expressed his full support for Catherine's hobbies.

The more intense the horseback riding, the more it demonstrated Catherine's courage and determination. If a horse was difficult to tame, it would further ignite Catherine's desire to conquer, which would unconsciously lead her to develop the qualities befitting an empress.

"I have some news to tell Your Highness." Sergei took out a letter.

After reading the letter, Catherine looked up in surprise: "Mrs. Deanim?"

Sergei nodded: "She is the wife of the Saxon ambassador. This woman recently boasted to the Empress about her great passion for horseback riding and claimed to be an excellent female rider."

"The other party is unaware that their arrogant words have displeased the Queen, so you will have an opportunity to accompany Lady Deanim to the horse race."

Ekaterina nodded happily: "I know what to do!"

1750 October.

Royal riding arena.

Catherine met the wife of the Saxon ambassador.

A tall man, probably in his mid-twenties, seemed quite clumsy when it came to eating, making it hard to understand how he possessed such excellent horseback riding skills.

"Gentlemen, let's begin."

Elizabeth sat down and gestured to Catherine and Madame de Anim.

Sergei was standing right next to her.

He knew that Elizabeth had been an excellent jockey in her youth, but that was in her youth.

Elizabeth has gained weight, and her steps are noticeably halting when she walks or dances. Her curly hair is also not as beautiful as before, and she is aging.

Also.

If it weren't for her physical condition, Elizabeth, with her pride, would surely have personally taught Madame de Anim a lesson.

That is why she chose Grand Duchess Catherine, who could represent her.

Catherine and Madame de Arnim's horses were brought out.

"The outcome is decided!" Naryshkin said with absolute certainty.

"Hmm?" Sergei turned around.

Naryshkin, thinking Sergei hadn't understood, explained to him boastfully: "Look at Madame de Arnim's horse. Although it's tall and sturdy, it's also ugly and old. The Grand Duchess's horse is strong and young, so the outcome of this race is already decided."

Sergei smiled and shook his head.

"What? Am I wrong?" Naryshkin pressed.

Sergei was in a good mood, so he explained to him, "I just had someone find out that Lady Deanim's horse was used for pulling things. Although it's old, it's strong enough. After carrying heavy loads for years, it's incredibly fast now that it's relaxed."

"Okay!" Peter suddenly shouted.

Naryshkin sighed helplessly.

The Grand Duchess is so pitiful. Even at this moment, the Grand Duke doesn't stand by his wife's side. Doesn't the Grand Duke know that this will also make him lose face?

Or……

Does the Grand Duke like Lady Deanime?

He paid no attention to Peter and asked Sergei, "So the Grand Duchess lost?"

Sergei shook his head: "We will win."

What a joke! He had witnessed firsthand how skilled Catherine was at riding, and he had carefully selected Catherine's horse. In the end, he had also tampered with Madame de Anim's horse.

Therefore, there is absolutely no chance of failure.

Naryshkin rolled his eyes: "Isn't the outcome already decided? I was right!"

He didn't even ask Sergei why he was so certain, as if his subconscious had already unconditionally trusted Sergei.

That's exactly what happened.

Ekaterina won the match, and even Sergei's backup plan was useless.

Madame de Arnim always mounted her horse with the help of a ladder and servants, a flurry of activity. When the old horse galloped off, she was jostled around in the saddle, her bottom never quite settling into place.

Her feet weren't fully on the stirrups; she could only grip the saddle rings tightly, making her look like a comical ripple on water. This made Elizabeth laugh so hard she almost fell over. If it weren't for the Queen's dignity, she probably would have burst into laughter.

Ekaterina maintained the lead throughout and ultimately won the match.

"Madam, your hat."

Sergei returned the hat that Madame de Arnim had lost while riding to her, which made her lose face again. Her cheeks turned as red as apples, but she showed no shame whatsoever.

Elizabeth gave Sergei a satisfied smile.

However, Sergei never achieved his goal; he remained only the vice chairman of the secret committee.