The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1322: Chapter 179: The Mysterious Guest (Part 3)

The shopkeeper didn’t dare to echo the old squire’s insults towards the mayor and the judge, but he couldn’t oppose him either, so he just kept flattering him: ”Who in Druiysk doesn’t know that you’re the most kind-hearted, sir? Even the priest in the church wouldn’t dare to say he’s more devout to God than you are. Your land rent is the lowest. Whenever there’s an event to donate to the poor or show loyalty to the Emperor, you’re the most active. Whenever people on this street talk about you, they say you’re truly a godsend, and us, the humble folks, feel like we’re meeting God when we see you; to receive your care is truly a blessing across lifetimes!”

Perhaps because he was used to hearing these flattering words regularly, the old squire took the shopkeeper’s words quite sincerely.

Not only was he not embarrassed, but he nodded while smoking and said: ”Although people say those beneath us lack insight, lacking insight doesn’t mean they have no sense. In my opinion, if you were to become the mayor, you might even do a better job than Bakarjin!”

Seeing the old fellow in good spirits, the shopkeeper quickly continued: ”You’re really too kind, someone like me doesn’t have such great fortune; let alone becoming mayor, if I were to see the Emperor’s face, I’d probably be so frightened I’d collapse on the ground and forget how to walk.”

Hearing this, the old squire snorted: ”Then your performance is still better than the mayor’s! Bakarjin, let alone seeing the Emperor, was so scared he wet his pants when he heard the Imperial Envoy was coming in disguise.”

At this point, the old squire worried the shopkeeper wouldn’t believe him, so he pointed out the window with his smoking pipe at a few policemen shoveling snow: ”Look at those black dogs wearing fur, just look at their disposition. Usually, they don’t finish their work properly; they wait until the Imperial Envoy is about to arrive, and then suddenly start cleaning. It’s like tidying up a pigsty and hanging a ’fine farm’ sign outside, only for the Imperial Envoy to smell the stench as soon as they walk in!”

However, the shopkeeper didn’t have much of a reaction upon hearing this: ”What is an Imperial Envoy?”

Upon hearing this question, the old squire felt like he was talking to a wall, impatiently waving his hand: ”Ignorance is ignorance in the end, you don’t even know what an Imperial Envoy is? It’s the master coming from St. Petersburg for an inspection!”

”Coming from St. Petersburg?” The shopkeeper suddenly understood: ”Then what rank might he be?”

”Generally speaking, at least a Sixth or Seventh Rank...” The old squire saw the shopkeeper wasn’t surprised and quickly changed his words: ”But this time is different, this time it’s someone personally sent by the Emperor, definitely a Fifth Rank official! Might as well be a Constitutional Soldier Commander of some province!”

”Fifth Rank? Nine, eight, seven, six, five...” The shopkeeper counted on his fingers, and as he counted, his calves started trembling until he couldn’t help but exclaim: ”Wouldn’t that mean he’s several levels higher than the mayor!”

Seeing him scared, the old squire smugly said: ”Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal. Back in the day, when I was working in St. Petersburg, I had these high officials sitting next to me.”

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper couldn’t help but be in awe, his tone becoming increasingly humble: ”No wonder everyone respects you so much. I used to only know you were close to the Emperor, but never thought about how even those sharing an office with you are incredible people.”

The old squire nodded slightly, enjoying the shopkeeper’s compliments, when suddenly, his nose twitched, and he frowned sharply: ”Damn it! Is my salmon burning?”

”Ah!” The shopkeeper hurriedly ran back to the kitchen: ”I was so engrossed, I forgot about the actual business.”

”Then hurry up! If the salmon burns, I won’t spare you!”

The shopkeeper dashed back into the kitchen, but quickly returned, saying: ”Sir, I almost forgot to tell you, it’s about... your son-in-law, our Police Chief, Mr. Skornikov. I understand that security inspections are necessary, and he’s a diligent person, but isn’t checking here seven times in one month a bit too diligent?”

Upon hearing this, the old squire immediately changed his tone, officiously replying: ”Ah! Peter Alexandrovich, I know doing business is not easy for you, but you also have to understand his difficulties. Strict security inspections are the Emperor’s orders, the Decemberists, the Happiness Association, and the Poles, these are all extremely dangerous. Of course, I know you’re an honest and decent businessman, but you can’t be too careful. With frequent inspections, once everything is clear, your safety is assured! Then you’ll be at ease, the police will be at ease, all of Druiysk will be at ease, don’t you agree?”

The shopkeeper replied with a distressed look: ”Sir, of course, I can understand your son-in-law’s difficulties. But could you please tell him not to confiscate a few salmon with liberal ideas every time he comes for an inspection?”

Upon hearing this, the old squire glared and slammed the table: ”How dare you! What nonsense are you talking? He’s doing it for your safety; do you know how fierce those rebels are? He’s risking his life to conduct these security inspections for you, and instead of treating him to a meal as a token of gratitude, you complain about him taking them home to save you trouble! To me, it seems you indeed have ties with the Decemberists. I think we should skip this meal today, and you should accompany me to the police station immediately!”

The shopkeeper was scared to death, quickly bowing repeatedly and apologizing: ”Look at my mouth, I was led astray by those damned salmon. Don’t be angry, I’ll immediately stew all those wretched things in the store and present them to you for guidance.”

After speaking, the shopkeeper dashed back into the kitchen, not daring to come out anymore.

Seeing this, the old squire sneered, crossed his legs again, and happily smoked: ”Ignorance is ignorance.”

But as he smoked, he couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable.

The old squire looked around and discovered he wasn’t the only customer in the store. At a small table in the corner sat a young man in a tailcoat.

The young man was wiping his mouth with a white handkerchief, occasionally sneaking glances at him, as if contemplating something.

Druiysk, being such a tiny place, had no one the old squire didn’t know within ten miles, yet this young man was a stranger to him.

Perhaps he was an outsider trapped here by the heavy snow.

The old squire pondered this while his eyes, not unconsciously, focused on Arthur’s tailcoat.

Looking closer, he was taken aback.

The more the old squire looked at this attire, the more he could see its remarkable quality.

Having worked in St. Petersburg, though not part of high society, he had glimpsed a corner of it.

The tailcoat, from its woolen fabric to the clearly skillful and refined tailoring, even the pleated white shirt paired with it, was not something an average person could possess.

An outfit like this would cost at least 800 Rubles?

The old squire was secretly alarmed: ”This lad must be a young man from some wealthy family coming out for experience, right?”

Arthur noticed the old squire examining him, so he also stopped hiding his gaze, directly meeting the squire’s eyes.

Being stared at by him, the old squire lost his composure, his confidence wavered, and his gaze began to evade.

Seeing his reaction, Arthur was slightly annoyed: ”Damn it, this old rascal, why doesn’t he come over to talk? After eating and drinking, I want nothing more than a smoke now. And from his words earlier, the Police Chief is his son-in-law?”

For dealing with blusterous cowards like the old squire, the old hands at Scotland Yard have their techniques.

One of them is to apply enough pressure before engaging; don’t make the first move, let the other come to you.

But for some reason, the old squire seemed bent on having a standoff with Arthur, refusing to approach.

Agitated, Arthur adjusted his cuffs, casually exposing the badge Shubinsky had given him, to his surprise, the old squire, upon seeing the badge, suddenly stood up in shock: ”You...”