The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1393: Chapter 206: The Tsar’s Curiosity: Who Is Arthur Hastings?

The night deepens, yet the Imperial Garden within the Winter Palace remains as bright as day.

Constrained by the cold winters of St. Petersburg, the garden was not constructed outdoors but situated within the Winter Palace.

Chandeliers inlaid with gold gently cast their light amidst the lush greenery. The garden is home to exotic flowers and plants brought from southern Russia and all over Europe, with the occasional sight of tropical flora, flowers, and shrubs. The central marble fountain emits a faint mist, the hazy vapor enveloping its surroundings, giving one the feeling of being in a fairyland.

Tsar Nicholas I walked slowly with his hands behind his back.

The soles of the Tsar’s boots tread upon the mosaic path, producing a low sound.

Behind him was a nearly silent footstep, a figure gradually emerging through the thin mist into the light.

A deep black military uniform accentuated his upright figure. His short black hair was neatly combed, and the gold embroidery glimmered faintly under the soft light. His black boots made not a single superfluous sound, one hand resting on the hilt of a sword engraved with the imperial double-headed eagle, the St. Andrew Medal on his chest testifying not only to his battlefield merits but also to his identity as a loyal supporter of the Tsar.

Russian Empire Cavalry Admiral, Director of the Third Bureau of the Imperial Office and Commander of Constitutional Soldiers, Count Alexander Hristoforovich Benkendorf.

Benkendorf first approached ten steps from the Tsar, then paused briefly before advancing three more steps. Once standing still, he brought his feet together, straightened his body, deeply bowed his head, clenched his right hand into a fist and lightly touched his chest, then lowered it steadily.

”Your Majesty.” His voice was deep and solemn, seeming unshakeable.

The Tsar did not immediately turn around but instead joked with a tone that was almost imperceptibly playful with the minister he trusted the most: ”Benkendorf, has time brought you here?”

Upon hearing the Tsar’s words, Benkendorf bowed his head again, softly replying: ”Yes, Your Majesty. I dare not delay your command.”

Tsar Nicholas I stood with his hands behind him, gazing at the mist rising from the distant fountain, suddenly tilting his head slightly, saying: ”How is your sister, lately?”

Benkendorf was slightly startled by this abrupt question.

He did not expect Nicholas I to mention Mrs. Levin.

Last year, when the news reached the Winter Palace that Mrs. Levin was unwilling to return to St. Petersburg to settle with her husband, Nicholas I had not erupted in anger, but as a close minister of the Tsar, he could sense the Emperor’s dissatisfaction. Mrs. Levin’s choice to remain in Paris had already been seen as a behavior ”escaping direct control of the Tsar.”

Thus, even though the Tsar did not actively demand it, Benkendorf privately wrote a letter to his sister, advising her not to cause trouble.

However, the protagonist of European diplomacy clearly ignored her brother’s warning. Mrs. Levin, having lived in London for many years, had long ceased to be like an ordinary Russian noble. Not only did she stray in affairs of the heart, but her thoughts also began to veer off track.

Whether in London or Paris, her salons would always attract a great number of European liberal intellectuals and state actors, although Mrs. Levin often stated in letters to her brother that her invitations were merely for cultural entertainment and diplomatic intelligence exchange.

In Benkendorf’s view, hosting such salons frequently makes it difficult for his sister’s thoughts not to be influenced.

For he had seen more than once in her family letters, that Mrs. Levin emphasized the values of reform and freedom, starting from Enlightenment ideas.

According to reports returned by Russian spies from Paris, it has been mentioned more than once that Mrs. Levin’s activities there might appear excessively free and insufficiently obedient.

The reason the Tsar has not acted against Mrs. Levin is partly due to admiration for her influence in the diplomatic world, and also in consideration of the sentiments of the powerful Benkendorf and Levin families in Russian politics.

Her brother, Count Benkendorf, was the Director of the Third Bureau and Commander of Constitutional Soldiers.

Mrs. Levin’s husband, Count Christoph von Levin, was acknowledged as Russia’s most outstanding ambassador. After stepping down as the Envoy to Britain, he is currently serving as the Imperial Army Director, specifically in charge of military education and officer training.

As for Mrs. Levin’s brother-in-law, he is the same person who last year just stepped down and was termed as ’shallow-minded’ ’ignorant’ ’lacking in education’ by the Third Bureau in the public opinion survey report evaluating the works of various central ministries, Count Karl Andreas von Leven, the former Minister of Education.

Count Benkendorf, in a move as if upholding righteousness above familial loyalty, harshly criticized his brother-in-law in the center of that survey report.

Although, as a relative, this might have been too ruthless.

But, perhaps this was Benkendorf’s purpose, no?

Because at least this report met with great satisfaction from the Tsar, who later highly praised the Third Bureau’s work.

The Tsar’s approval brought more power to the Third Bureau and its leader, Benkendorf.

Although all departments secretly cursed the Third Bureau and were constantly ready to catch their faults for a counterattack, at least on the surface, they had to give high regard to issues raised by the Third Bureau and proactively report everything required by the Constitutional Soldiers.

When the Third Bureau suggested reforms to these departments, if you didn’t want to cause trouble, it was best to take the suggestions of these Constitutional Soldiers very seriously.