The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1387: Chapter 204: The Renowned Hastings

He (Tsar Nicholas I) is a self-indulgent mediocrity, his vision never surpasses that of a regimental officer, he mistakenly takes cruelty as a sign of perseverance, and stubbornness as a sign of strength... The Tsarist Government has disgraced Russia in front of the whole world. At the same time, it has also disgraced itself in front of Russia, marking the beginning of an unprecedented awakening period.

— Friedrich Engels ”On Russia’s Social Issues”

Arthur, holding his chin with interest, inquired Pushkin about that ’China expert’ translator in the Foreign Office: ”Are you telling the truth? You must be deceiving me; even if a priest is negligent to his vocation, he wouldn’t entirely neglect appearances, leading to his exile to a desolate place.”

Pushkin laughed heartily: ”You are not the first to question me like this, but indeed, such people exist in the world. God created all sorts of races and endowed them with peculiar characters, and Yajin Fu Bichulin is one such character. In my opinion, the fundamental reason he enraged the Tsar was because of his identity; he was the leader of the Eastern Orthodox Missionary Group to Beijing. However, this leader turned out to be the least pious in the entire group; not only did he not preach, but he also developed a keen interest in Chinese culture, spending all day in his Beijing residence studying the ’Three Character Classic.’ It wasn’t until he became so unorthodox that the Tsar, in great anger, exiled him to Valaam Island.”

At this point, Pushkin also introduced to Arthur: ”Do you know the ’Three Character Classic?’ Voltaire may not have even read this book, but Bichulin was probably the first scholar in Europe to translate this work. I still have a Russian translation of the ’Three Character Classic’ he gifted me.”

Arthur began reciting: ”At the beginning of man, nature is inherently good. Nature is similar, habits are far apart?”

”What?” This time it was Pushkin’s turn to scratch his head: ”Are you speaking English?”

”No, Chinese.” Arthur said with a hidden agenda: ”I am also an enthusiast of Chinese studies. I hired a tutor in London who had worked at the East India Company’s Guangzhou Committee, and these were the things he taught me.”

Hearing this, Pushkin couldn’t help but widen his eyes: ”It seems like you and Bichulin would have many topics in common. Have you joined the British Club in St. Petersburg?”

Arthur had heard of both the British Clubs in St. Petersburg and Moscow long ago.

Although these clubs were prefixed with ’British,’ they actually had nothing to do with Britain. The reason they were called British Clubs was primarily because such clubs often emulated British gentleman culture, with interiors heavily adorned in British style furniture, artwork, and even offering English teas. They had private libraries with collections of books, newspapers, and periodicals from Britain.

Moreover, the British Clubs in Russia were known for their high bar and strict membership qualifications, typically only allowing the upper echelons of society to join, particularly those with some status in the nobility or high official circles.

Such a conducive place for an old spy to stretch their talents, Arthur had naturally long been salivating over it.

However, his attitude towards joining the British Club appeared very restrained.

It was well known that ever since the Decembrist uprising, the new Tsar Nicholas I held a vigilant attitude towards any activities with a gathering nature.

Although the core of the British Club was non-political socializing and entertainment, the Tsarist Government was still concerned that any form of gathering might become a venue for discussing opposing policies, spreading liberal ideas, or organizing actions.

Especially since the members of the British Club were influential figures in Russia, including government civil servants, Imperial Guard officers, successful merchants, and senior scholars. If these people clicked together, they could pose a serious threat to the Tsarist regime at any time.

Therefore, each gathering hosted by the British Club was under strict monitoring by the Third Bureau and the Home Office police.

To avoid trouble, the club naturally needed to maintain a publicly loyal attitude towards the government, otherwise it risked severe repercussions.

Although the club did not state it overtly, almost everyone knew that the candidate list for new members of the British Club was immediately handed over to the Tsar himself. If any proposed member had participated in activities deemed dangerous by the government, such as supporting liberalism, nationalism, or other anti-autocratic movements, it was logical for the government to apply pressure through secret police or other semi-public channels, preventing that person from joining.

Moreover, according to the information Arthur obtained from the British Captain Richard Hoot of the Third Bureau, these British Clubs would proactively accept certain officials loyal to the government under the Tsar’s direction, so these individuals could monitor activities within the club.

Engaging in intelligence work in the British Club was not only a high-reward behavior but also a high-risk one.

Arthur tactfully expressed his predicament to Pushkin: ”I do wish to join the British Club, as in St. Petersburg, there might not be a place more akin to enjoying a British lifestyle than the British Club. But, I’ve heard that the British Club only offers one chance for candidacy, and if my application is rejected, I wouldn’t get a second chance.”

Pushkin winked at Arthur: ”Rules? Perhaps for others, but you needn’t worry about this rule.”