The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1399: Chapter 208: Russian Old Beijing

In the academic circles of St. Petersburg, Bichulin’s reputation as a founding figure of Russian Sinology far outshone his modest attire.

A robe that seemed to have been washed countless times, losing its once-black dignity, with its hem soaked by the snow, a heavy accumulation of which pressed his shoulders down slightly.

His face was red from the cold, with fine frost clinging to his eyebrows and beard, yet his eyes sparkled with an eager glow, seemingly able to ignite the cold bonfire around him at any moment.

On these frigid days, he still wore a pair of silk cloth shoes in an Eastern style, this incongruous style of dress exuding a subtle sense of rebellion in his stride.

Poor, but not poor like a beggar.

Decent, but not entirely respectable.

If you placed him on the bustling Nevsky Prospect, it would be like a drop of water falling into the ocean, not even causing a ripple that anyone would notice.

After all, at least half of the clerks working in the St. Petersburg government offices felt much the same way.

The only unusual part about Mr. Bichulin was the ”Bible” he held in his hands and the small cross hanging on his chest.

Although he himself might not like dressing this way, there wasn’t much he could do about it.

Why, his father was a priest, his grandfather was a priest, and his great-grandfather was also a priest!

In the Bichulin family, even the ”Bible” and the cross were passed down through generations.

God knows when their family started this line of work; maybe their family’s history in this profession is even longer than that of the Romanov Dynasty.

In Bichulin’s view, the only difference between his family and the Romanov family is that the Romanovs inherited the title of Tsar, while the Bichulins inherited the role of priest.

Farmers couldn’t imagine life without a Tsar, and similarly couldn’t accept a child from a priestly family, regarded as a religious model, ’straying from God’s calling.’

From the moment Yajin Fu Bichulin was born, the villagers said he was destined to serve God.

Growing up in an orthodox priestly family, when he came of age, he was sent to further his studies at the Kazan Theological Academy, and then, like his father, became a parish priest.

Regarding this situation, young Bichulin did not resign himself without a fight, wanting to firmly grasp his fate in his own hands!

But, truth be told, the idea was grand, while reality was harsh.

The seminary’s courses were almost entirely designed to cultivate clergy, with knowledge and skills that had little use in secular professions.

As for working, holding a mundane job was out of the question for him; he couldn’t manage to farm, so only chanting scriptures provided a means for living. Going to church felt like going home, alas, what else could he do?

However, since chanting scriptures was all he could do, he aspired to master and thoroughly understand the ”Bible.”

With the mindset that ’in all lines of work, a Tsar can emerge,’ Bichulin applied himself diligently, continuing to study the ”Bible” while officiating ceremonies, weddings, and funerals, eventually publishing several theological papers.

Such rigorous dedication soon caught the attention of the Holy Episcopal Council, the highest authority of the Russian Eastern Orthodox Church.

At that time, as the Russian government was forming a Beijing Orthodox missionary group, under the strong recommendation of the Procurator-General, the young and knowledgeable priest Yajin Fu Bichulin was appointed leader and ordered to Beijing for missionary work.

And this was indeed a time when, ’like a fish entering the sea, like a bird soaring in the blue sky, he was no longer restrained.’

However, Bichulin did not forget the Tsar’s expectations of him; even far away, he continued to diligently chant scriptures.

The only shortcoming was that while other missionaries recited the ”Bible,” Bichulin read the ”Spirit Treasure Scripture,” the ”Shangqing Scripture,” the ”Taiping Scripture,” the ”Diamond Sutra,” the ”Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma,” and the ”Agama Sutra.”

Of course, in old Beijing, he also read many of the Four Books and Five Classics.

If it weren’t for the Qing Dynasty prohibiting foreigners from taking civil service exams, Bichulin believed that while he might not achieve the scholar’s degree, at least obtaining the status of a licentiate would have been easy.

”Your Excellency is Arthur Hastings?” Bichulin slightly bowed, his voice carrying hoarseness and fatigue, clearly profoundly chilled by St. Petersburg’s weather.

”So you are Yajin Fu Bichulin, a priest?” Arthur curiously observed this monk reputed to have extensive overseas experience: ”I heard you stayed in Beijing for fourteen years?”

”It seems Mr. Pushkin has already recounted my experiences to you.”

”Can you speak Chinese?”

Bichulin humbly replied, ”Of course, but inevitably with a bit of a Russian accent...”

”One moment.” Arthur raised his hand to interrupt Bichulin, then deftly pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket: ”Could you read what’s written here to me in Chinese?”

Bichulin leaned in to scrutinize the paper, hesitantly asking, ”Although these are indeed Chinese characters, they seem to have been scribbled without any particular meaning.”

”That’s of no concern to you, I just want to know how these characters would be pronounced in Chinese.”

Bichulin glanced at Arthur, abruptly blurting out, ”Oh my, Paris is incredibly sweet!”

Arthur’s face broke into a satisfied smile, savoring the moment before finally giving a thumbs-up, praising the gentleman from Kazan: ”You are truly modest; I couldn’t discern a trace of a Russian accent. You certainly lived in Beijing for those fourteen years. By the way, where did you live in Beijing?”