The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1429: Chapter 217: Daddy’s Boy Herzen (Part 3)

Herzen’s complaints left Arthur and Blackwell stunned.

Was this really the way to raise a son?

Even in a conservative place like Britain, only noble ladies were subjected to such strict control.

Noble ladies in Paris lived much more freely than Herzen.

Arthur joked, ”Does His Majesty the Tsar know that his country’s officials are under such high-level surveillance? Perhaps I should recommend to the Tsar that your father replace Count Benkendorf in the Third Bureau.”

Herzen retorted, ”Is that so? According to you, there is more than one Benkendorf among the parents of Moscow University’s students.”

”Do your classmates’ parents act like this too?”

”Perhaps not as severely as my father, but quite a few do secretly open our correspondence.”

Herzen began, ”There’s a rather naive child in our department whose mother intimidated him with a whip, questioning him about the Marlov incident. Scared, he disclosed some details to her. As a result, this kind mother, this Duchess, immediately sought a meeting with the headmaster, using her son’s confession as proof of his repentance. She thought this would protect her son, but she didn’t anticipate the public outcry it caused, with classmates condemning him as a traitor, so much so that he voluntarily withdrew before finishing the school year.”

”The Marlov incident?”

Herzen explained, ”Marlov is an ignorant, rough, uncultured professor in the politics department. Students dislike him due to his vicious and harsh nature towards them. One day, they couldn’t stand it anymore and decided to unite in driving him out. After the politics students deliberated, they sent two representatives to our science and mathematics department to ask me to lead a backup force to support them.

I immediately started a mobilization in the science and mathematics department, rallying students to wage war against Marlov. A few people went with me, and when we arrived at the politics classroom, Marlov was lecturing, and he saw us. The politics students wore worried expressions, fearing he might not utter a single harsh word today. But their worries soon dissipated. The tightly packed classroom was restless, filled with a low hum of whispers.

Marlov began to lecture because he heard the sound of feet scraping the floor: ’You are like a herd of horses, expressing your thoughts with your feet. I thought horses think in trots and canters.’

This remark instantly enraged the students, boiling the classroom over with hisses and booing, the shouts never ceasing: ’Get rid of him, out! Expel him!’

Marlov’s face turned as white as a sheet, desperately trying to quiet everyone, but to no avail. Students jumped onto their seats. Marlov had no choice but to quietly step down from the podium, duck his head, and squeeze out of the classroom. The entire class followed, crossing the school yard, driving him onto the street, tossing his rubber galoshes after him from behind.”

Arthur, rich in experience with battling professors, commented, ”You shouldn’t have driven him into the street; in public areas, the nature of the event changes.”

Herzen sighed, ”Yes, but the students hadn’t considered that at the time. The incident became public, Moscow citizens witnessed it, and so it eventually escalated. The university committee panicked and had to convince the district superintendent to settle it privately, imprisoning a few troublemakers or others for a few days sufficed. This was a wise measure, or else the Emperor might have sent an attendant military officer to handle it, who, eager for the Cross Medal, would undoubtedly escalate it to a conspiracy or revolt, suggesting everyone be sent to penal servitude, then pardoned by the Emperor, and made soldiers in the barracks.

Fortunately, this time the Emperor didn’t make a fuss; seeing the matter settled, punishment dealt, and virtue triumphed, he simply approved the students’ demand, dismissing Marlov from his professorship. We expelled Marlov from within the school, but he drove him out of both the school and outside. In Russia, the defeated are always doomed, but this time we couldn’t blame the Emperor. However, our joy didn’t last long because once Moscow citizens felt the students were let off, they slowly began to settle scores with the students.”