In Moscow, no political turmoil escapes the notice of powerful families, especially major political events. The Tsar publicly executed all the male members of the Shuisky family, and Grand Duke Andrei Shuisky was also missing. All the nobles saw this as an opportunity to regain control of the government.
Grinsky sensed the political winds and was eager to enter the palace to meet the Emperor and manipulate the young Tsar. Grinsky had always been suppressed by the Shuisky family and had no chance to rise up; now was a golden opportunity.
"Prepare the carriage; I'm going to the Kremlin."
After nightfall, barricades were set up on all the streets leading to the Kremlin, and the cannons on the palace walls were guarded by the Tsar's personal guards.
Inside the low-ceilinged palace, gold and red hues filled the view. The descendants of the illustrious former princes, dressed in magnificent gold robes, each had their own representatives in the court, independent of the Tsar's control.
After a day of turmoil, Ivan IV returned wearily to his palace. He had previously met with Tuchkov and the captured Grand Duke Shuysky. Looking at the bound and gagged Shuysky, the Tsar was very satisfied with the outcome.
The Grand Duke stared venomously at Ivan IV, his mouth gagged, unable to utter a word.
"Go and prepare, Grand Duke Tuchkov. Those flies that smell the scent will swarm me, swearing their loyalty and kicking me while I'm down. I want someone to keep things under control."
Mentioning control, Tuchkov's expression turned uneasy. The Tsar had given him enough surprises that day; he didn't want another unexpected one.
The Tsar noticed Tuchkov's concerns and explained, "I won't act recklessly, just subtly probe. After all, some of the Grand Dukes still hold military power."
Hearing Ivan IV's assurance, Tuchkov breathed a sigh of relief. Following Ivan IV's instructions, he was taken to a room and placed under guard.
After everything was settled, Ivan was surprised to see Archbishop Kamari, his theology and history teacher, standing at the end of the corridor, looking at the young Tsar with a somber expression.
"Teacher,"
Ivan said reverently, showing great respect for his mentor, "Why are you here?"
Kamari, however, was not so temperamental. He controlled his emotions and calmly asked, "I heard you executed the male members of the Shuysky family in the street?"
"Yes, teacher,"
Ivan IV replied casually, as if discussing something insignificant.
"Why did you do that? You are the Tsar, not an executioner or a butcher! Your Majesty, you have killed a great nobleman. Who will fight for you in future wars?"
Archbishop Kamari had always taught the young Ivan IV to be virtuous, aiming to cultivate a benevolent and wise monarch. Clearly, his plan had failed.
Years of loving education had only produced a demon, an evil tyrant.
Ivan didn't directly refute his teacher. He went into the room, stood before the map, and softly asked, "Teacher, do you know what Western Europe is doing right now?"
Bishop Kamari didn't know why Ivan IV would suddenly ask this question; after all, he was just an Orthodox bishop and had no idea what was happening in distant Western Europe.
Ivan IV didn't expect him to answer, so he continued speaking on his own.
"Let me begin from the beginning. There were three main trade routes from the West to the East. One was the land route, the traditional Silk Road, which started in Constantinople, passed through Asia Minor, the Black Sea, and the southern coast of the Caspian Sea to Central Asia, and then crossed the Pamir Plateau to China. The other two were sea routes: one from Syria and the eastern Mediterranean coast, through Mesopotamia to the Persian Gulf, and the other from Egypt through the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, where goods were then transferred to ships to India and China. These trade routes involved multiple intermediaries by merchants from Italy, Arabia, Byzantium, and Persia before goods could reach Western Europe. With the rise of the Ottoman Empire, which successively occupied Asia Minor and the Balkans, controlled the traditional trade routes and levied heavy taxes on passing goods, the amount of goods reaching Western Europe was not only small, but also nearly eight times higher than the original price. Therefore, Western European merchants and nobles were eager to open a new sea route that bypassed the eastern Mediterranean coast and reached China and India directly."
"Your Majesty, is this necessary to my question?"
Before Ivan could finish his long speech, Bishop Kamari suddenly interrupted. He had absolutely no interest in these topics.
But Ivan IV didn't mind and continued,
"For this reason, what followed was the Age of Exploration in Western Europe. Columbus discovered the continent in 1492, and Magellan conducted a circumnavigation from 1519 to 1522, proving that the Earth is round."
"Your Majesty, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Archbishop Kamari looked flustered. He adhered to the biblical view that God created everything, but for the Tsar, a divinely ordained ruler, to utter such "heretical" words made his face change drastically. He didn't even know when the Tsar had developed so many heretical thoughts.
The Tsar waved his hand, signaling the archbishop not to interrupt his train of thought.
"All of Western Europe is busy conquering the world and establishing colonies, but what about our Grand Duchy of Moscow? The mysterious Siberian steppes, the Volga River basin which has not yet submitted, Astrakhan and Crimea, western Ukraine, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Baltic coast are not yet within Russia's borders. My task is to suppress the arrogance of the nobles and expand our territory, transforming Moscow from a grand duchy into a true empire. The whole process is arduous and long."
"I would like to ask, the nobles have been stealing from the national treasury for years, leaving the Grand Duchy of Moscow unable to pay its soldiers. Their decadent lifestyle has led to increasing rebellions and uprisings within the duchy's territory. If I do not act, they will become increasingly audacious, swaggering and domineering."
Ivan IV's impassioned speech left Kamari stunned. He had never seriously considered the Tsar's words.
"They should understand that all power was granted by the Tsar, and no one has the right to stand above me and point fingers."
This question was left for the bishop, who stood frozen in place, to ponder. He had more important matters to attend to.
The grand dukes were likely rushing towards the Kremlin, and for Ivan IV, this was yet another power struggle.
"My teacher, do you think those noble grand dukes who stand in my way should be hanged?"