After leaving Kyiv, Nikola traveled to a nearby county for field research.
In the countryside, there were not only individual farmers and village communal farmers but also estates owned by nobles and other property holders who weren't necessarily aristocrats. These could be bourgeoisie, merchants, or wealthy farmers.
Nikola was warmly welcomed and offered accommodation by a landowner in Kyiv province. The host was a retired major and an eighth-rank civil servant.
The ranking system of the Russian Empire originated from the Table of Ranks issued by Peter the Great in 1722, consisting of fourteen ranks.
At first glance, these fourteen ranks seem like a uniform ladder, where one can reach the top by climbing step by step.
In reality, this lengthy bureaucratic ladder has two cliffs that divide it into three tiers: ranks one to four form the top tier, ranks five to eight are the middle tier, and the rest constitute the lower tier.
The first rank civil servant position, known formally as Chancellor, was akin to the Prime Minister and equivalent to a Marshal in the army. Only one person was appointed to this position, making it extremely prestigious.
However, since Alexander III ascended the throne in 1882, the position of the first rank civil servant had remained vacant.
Ranks six to eight belonged to the second tier because civil servants above the eighth rank could attain hereditary nobility.
The hereditary nobility of the Russian Empire certainly did not want the value of "hereditary nobility" to diminish and become commonplace, making it extremely difficult for ninth-rank officials to be promoted to the eighth rank, thus creating a significant gap between these levels.
During the reign of Alexander III, the standards for hereditary nobility became even stricter due to the increasing number of government civil servants. Centralization required more bureaucrats.
At the landowner's home in the village, Nikola was seated in the most honored position at a warm family gathering. The host, a dignified man with graying temples, had prepared a sumptuous feast even though it wasn't a special occasion.
The spread included cabbage soup, pies stuffed with cabbage and peas, sweet rolls, French bread, kvass, crucian carp, sturgeon, millet porridge, and sweet pudding. After the main meal, there were more pastries, bagels, honey cakes, jams, and fruit jellies as desserts.
"Our days are still manageable," said the landowner, Krivenko, with a sigh when Nikola mentioned the harvest over the past year.
"Last year, at this time, we had guests all the time, people drank and danced joyfully. But now, everyone just squeezes in by the manor and can go nowhere but their fields. Your Highness, your visit this time is our most lavish meal of the year!"
Krivenko tactfully described the deteriorating situation of his estate.
It was a tough time for both farmers and landowners.
At least they still had food to eat.
Nikola thought this but didn't say it out loud, as this was a matter of class difference.
During the meal, Krivenko also had his daughter play a piano piece for Nikola. Unfortunately, Nikola wasn't very cultured in the arts; apart from "Für Elise," the music was familiar but unrecognizable to him.
After they were full and content, Nikola proposed a walk around the estate with Krivenko.
"Could you tell me about the management of your family estate?"
"Of course, Your Highness."
Krivenko cheerfully agreed and led Nikola to a small sugar refinery on his estate, where they grew sugar beets and processed them into white sugar.
"Are these workers local farmers?"
"Yes, these people also lease land from my estate. When the refinery gathers enough sugar beets, I have these tenants help with the work."
"Is this free labor?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Krivenko's matter-of-fact tone made Nikola look askance; the Crown Prince was somewhat taken aback.
"Shouldn't these farmers be hired? Paid some wages, or similar compensation?"
"Your Highness, you are kind-hearted indeed!" Krivenko exclaimed. "I have already leased my land to the farmers. Why not have them help out with a bit of work?"
Realizing his attitude might have been too blunt, Krivenko bowed and apologized, then added, "Even landlords are struggling to make ends meet, Your Highness. The golden days are gone forever..."
The golden era Krivenko referred to was the time of his grandfather and the early years of his father, before the reforms of Alexander II, when nobles controlled serfs.
Russian nobles were no different from the German aristocrats Nikola had encountered along the Baltic coast. These large estates relied on forced serf labor for their wealth. Once this system of personal servitude was disrupted, the economic benefits plummeted, and the economic status of the nobles fell accordingly.
In essence, serfs were nearly free labor for the nobility.
"In my grandfather's time, this entire area, and more, was our family estate," Krivenko gestured southward. "By my father's time, managing the estate became challenging. He had to sell much of the land to farmers, and after his death, I had to sell more land to fund the establishment of this sugar refinery."
Krivenko's tone was filled with nostalgia for his childhood, a time of carefree existence on a vast estate.
The old method of managing estates with the benefits of serfdom allowed nobles to gain immense wealth with minimal effort. After the emancipation of the serfs, this easy money-making model collapsed, and the Krivenko family faced significant economic difficulties.
"Moreover, the 'Great Reforms' also abolished the economic privileges of the nobility. My father was so shocked by the first property and land taxes he had to pay that he thought the Tsar had gone mad."
Krivenko recounted how his father fell ill and could not recover from the blow of seeing the family fortune diminish under his care.
"Has the situation improved now?"
"Yes, Your Highness! Thanks to Tsar Alexander III, our lives have improved."
Krivenko made a cross gesture toward St. Petersburg, praying for the health of the distant Tsar.
Krivenko talked to Nikola about adopting foreign management models, importing sugar refining equipment, and using agricultural processing to supplement his income.
"However, not all nobles have adapted their management methods. Many still indulge in past luxuries despite their declining incomes, ultimately selling off their properties and falling into poverty."
Krivenko mentioned several classmates from the noble school who had fallen into destitution and vanished without a trace.
Like the peasants, the nobility underwent significant changes during Alexander II's "Great Reforms."
In addition to visiting Krivenko's medium-sized estate, Nikolai also stayed at various other landed estates owned by nobles in the surrounding counties.
The conditions of these nobles varied greatly. Nobles like Krivenko, who were resourceful, adaptable, and likely well-educated, had managed to keep up with the times. They realized the "golden age" of the past was gone for good and had accepted reality, learning to manage their estates using modern capitalist methods.
Other nobles, born into a life of ease and luxury, stumbled through the "Great Reforms" of 1864 like ice melting slowly in a warm room.
One impoverished noble family that Nikolai visited still clung to a few small estates. The head of the household had to work the land himself. This small noble family with four children had a meager daily breakfast: two cups of tea in winter, one cup of milk and a piece of bread in summer. Their lunch consisted of three dishes: cabbage soup, a small piece of salted beef or a meat patty, and a small pie or some porridge. Dinner was just a piece of bread and some kvass.
Their only remaining privilege as nobles was an ample supply of black bread. However, not everyone could stomach such coarse fare. The lady of the house suffered from stomach cramps due to the long-term consumption of black bread.
Nikolai thought this was the extent of noble poverty until he encountered even worse situations that left him speechless.
"Unimaginable, such a Spartan lifestyle..."
Even the officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs accompanying Crown Prince Nikolai could not believe the extent of this poverty.
In another county, Nikolai visited a noble family whose land had dwindled to less than that of their wealthy peasant neighbors. This family of six, spanning two generations, subsisted on a breakfast of a thin slice of black bread with a bit of butter and gray-green cheese. Only on holidays would they replace the cheese with a thin, almost transparent slice of meat. They drank milk or diluted porridge. Lunch consisted of cabbage soup without beef, baked goods or pies, and some jams made from lingonberries, chokeberries, or cranberries. Dinner occasionally included boiled fish and either six small potatoes or three medium-sized ones.
The noble parents had to coax their hungry children to bed, often accompanied by crying. The children would lie in bed, hungry and cold, unable to sleep.
Their health was precarious; they fell ill every winter, and if they couldn't survive, it was left to fate.
After witnessing these hardships firsthand, Nikolai attended a county-level noble assembly in the local county seat to discuss with more local nobles.
"Many nobles have already gone bankrupt and sold their land. Among those who retained their land, many are barely making ends meet."
The chief noble of the county in Kyiv province said to Crown Prince Nikolai.
Chief nobles were divided into provincial and county levels, with candidates nominated by the noble assembly and appointed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The organization of noble groups was formed during the reign of Catherine the Great. Although there have been some changes since then, the provincial and county noble assemblies still primarily operate according to the 1785 "Charter to the Nobility."
Almost all classes defined by Russian Imperial law have their own associations: nobles have noble assemblies, merchants have guilds, clergy have the Orthodox Church, and peasants have rural communes. However, this feudal social operation model is outdated and has become fragmented since the "Great Reforms."
The noble assembly's functions are somewhat similar to those of the rural communes, serving as a semi-official, semi-civil organization to assist the Russian Empire's governance. The noble assembly also has the function of electing government officials and submitting petitions to the Tsar.
Now, the chief noble of the county was exercising his rights according to the "Charter to the Nobility" by petitioning Crown Prince Nikolai.
After receiving the petition, Nikolai first said he would study it carefully. Due to the strong wishes of the local noble representatives at the assembly, he then formally stated he would report their plight to his father.
"What do you all think?"
After completing his survey in Kyiv province and the surrounding rural areas, Nikolai returned to the investigation team's base in Kyiv and asked the senior government advisors in the team while holding the petition.
Besides the talented Witte, there were several high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Directorate of Agriculture and Land Management, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of State Property. These individuals had provided Nikolai with much-needed assistance during the earlier investigations.
The first request in the noble petition was to legislate that only hereditary nobles could serve as local governors.
"Regarding the first request, His Majesty the Emperor indeed hoped to appoint a respected noble as the local governor for each region."
A senior official from the Ministry of Internal Affairs explained to Nikolai.
"However, according to the government's investigations, many provinces no longer have enough nobles who meet the qualifications for local governance. In provinces with severe noble bankruptcies, we can only appoint non-nobles as local governors."
The local governor position, established in 1889, was a new office with county-level administrative and judicial authority. This was an important initiative by Alexander III to address peasant management issues, strengthen autocratic rule, and enhance noble local power.
"Local governors are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but in practice, since they are selected by chief nobles, they tend to protect the interests of the noble class. This also threatens the power of the government and His Majesty's autocratic authority."
Another informed official from the Ministry of Internal Affairs said to Nikolai.
Government bureaucrats clearly wanted more power for themselves and held a hostile attitude towards these decentralized noble classes. Although they were nominally hereditary nobles, they did not belong to the same interest group.
"I see. What about the second request?"
Crown Prince Nikolai rarely spoke, and when he did, it was mostly to ask questions.
Since he was the central figure of this meeting, if he expressed any inclination first, these experienced officials would undoubtedly follow his lead. Therefore, only after all the officials present had expressed their views would Nikolai consider the matter comprehensively to reach a more balanced decision.
The second request in the noble petition was about reforming local self-government institutions: weakening the representation of ignorant commoners and strengthening the representation of noble landowners; and providing state agricultural loans to landed nobles.
"This is simply too much."
Officials from the Ministry of Finance and Witte both expressed similar indignant sentiments.