The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1326: Chapter 181: I See You Have No Intention of Improving!

In most cases, people, even villains, are more naive and innocent than we imagine. In fact, so are we.

——Dostoevsky ”The Brothers Karamazov”

”The Im...Imperial Envoy stayed in the small inn for five days and nights?”

The Mayor heard this news as if struck by lightning, he originally planned on how to please the Imperial Envoy, to let the envoy see the newly revitalized Druiysk under his governance.

But if the envoy had already arrived here, then all the recently arranged surface work had lost its meaning.

The Mayor, thinking of this, began to sweat even in the cold weather, and his voice involuntarily lowered as he attentively poured tea for the old gentry: ”Grigory Nikiforovich, what kind of person is the Imperial Envoy, what does he look like?”

The old gentry rudely grabbed the teacup from the mayor’s hand, sipped some tea, and his mouth was full of sarcastic cold laughter.

He glared at the mayor with a gaze full of superiority and disdain: ”Imperial Envoy? That Mr. Hestingov, hmm! Though he dresses simply, he looks fresher than your mayor’s uniform. You’re asking what he looks like? I’ll tell you, his appearance is simply a textbook example of ’not judging a book by its cover’!”

The old gentry paused for a moment and continued: ”Look at his face, especially his eyes, it’s simply like a knife in winter, sharp enough to cut with one look! Those eyes of his, not only sharp but have a power that can penetrate the human heart, even a bear blinded by the snow can’t withstand his gaze! His eyebrows are so thick, like two brooms across his forehead, you know at a glance no one dares to lie to him. His nose is very straight, unlike some others who have crooked noses, as if they’re always ready to conspire to do something sneaky.”

Even when describing Arthur’s appearance, the old gentry had to sarcastically remark about the mayor.

However, Bakarjin at this time dared not argue with him further, as he still hoped to learn about the envoy’s preferences from his mouth.

Seeing Bakarjin smiling apologetically, the old gentry snorted and continued with satisfaction: ”The Imperial Envoy is a Cavalry Colonel, naturally tall and mighty, with a distinct frame. A straight back, when walking, like he’s stepping on something hard, a steady pace, giving off the oppressive presence expected from the St. Petersburg nobility with every step. If anyone dares to put on airs in front of him, it’s certain they’d be swiftly captured and sent off to Siberia!”

The Mayor seized the opportunity to quickly inquire: ”Is he a young man, or middle-aged?”

The old gentry closed his eyes, resting and said: ”Looks about twenty-five or twenty-six.”

Hearing this, the mayor slightly breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: ”Young is good, young is good! Young people are easy to approach, if an old fox was sent, then it would be terrible!”

Upon hearing this, the old gentry couldn’t help but widen his eyes: ”Bakarjin! You still didn’t listen to my words, are you taking the Imperial Envoy for a naive youth without sophistication! If you dare to fool him and something goes wrong, don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

The silent Mayor suddenly spoke up: ”Are you certain he is the Imperial Envoy? A twenty-five or twenty-six-year-old Cavalry Colonel, could he be a fraud in disguise? Even if he was promoted fast, he wouldn’t have reached such a position at this age!”

The old gentry, hearing the judge question him, recalled the morning’s grievance where the judge criticized his son-in-law, and sneered sarcastically: ”Nikolai Ivanovich, if you bring up the ’official rank promotion regulations’, yes, normally no one can become a Cavalry Colonel before thirty. But does this mean Russia has no Cavalry Colonels under thirty years old? Fool! If you really think so, you deserve to get promoted slowly according to the ’promotion regulations’ all your life. You’re a bookworm who went to a secondary school, learned little knowledge, but filled your head with rigid rules. Do you really think all promotions in Russia have to follow the rules step by step? Who dares to say that on this land, there isn’t a uniquely talented, special young man who can break the rules, skip all obstacles, and directly reach a high position? In St. Petersburg and Moscow, people like Mr. Hestingov are numerous. He relies not on those rigid rules, but on strength! His family background might be deeper than you think. You’ve just never seen it.”

He fiddled with the teacup in his fingers as if savoring its flavor, or perhaps ready to throw these words directly at Bakarjin’s head: ”With your level, you have the audacity to doubt the Imperial Envoy. Let me tell you, if it really was a fraud posing as the envoy, he would’ve been found out long ago. Let me tell you, if he really was a fraud, then I’d admit it! A fraud who can speak German, French, quotes Voltaire and Goethe, with a gold-plated revolver at his waist, dressed in clothes worth eight hundred Rubles, and carries the Third Bureau’s handkerchief emblem. If such a person came to be a fraud, he might even be able to deceive the Emperor, earning him a genuine Cavalry Colonel’s rank!”

The old gentry’s last sentence was provocative, obviously expecting his words to make everyone realize the seriousness of some issues.

Although the Judge was rebutted until his face was flushed, he dared not argue with the old gentry again.

Facing the pressure of the yet-unseen Mr. Hestingov, the Mayor could not help but feel a palpitation.