The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1506: Chapter 250: Seamless Bureaucratic Jargon

Arthur’s deerskin gloves gently brushed over the copper-rimmed edge of the table, and the warmth of the stove turned the sweat beads at his temples into grains of salt. As Shubinsky adjusted the Persian velvet cushion for the third time, he suddenly sighed.

”When I visited your home last Sunday, I felt that your son is truly a talented young man. His recitation of ’Faust’ reminded me of the scholars in the poplar woods of the University of Göttingen. Such an outstanding young man should naturally study at a top university like Göttingen in all of Europe, where he could pursue a degree in philosophy, law, medicine, or theology. I’m confident that, whichever field he chooses, he will eventually achieve great success. However, this promising young man, due to the Tsar’s decree, can only attend Moscow University or St. Petersburg University. It’s truly regrettable.”

Shubinsky’s silver teaspoon suddenly came to a halt in the red tea, with a cinnamon stick floating on the surface like a dead centipede.

Talking about family affairs clearly relaxed the Constitutional Soldier Colonel, who had been tense for days: ”Frankly speaking, though German philosophy is like overly pickled cucumbers, I privately want him to study philosophy. You know, government departments always tend to regard philosophy students highly, and everyone thinks that Germany’s philosophy is quite well-developed. But my rascal of a son, I don’t know where he heard it from—maybe it’s that talkative German tutor of ours—got the notion in his head that he absolutely wants to study medicine at Heidelberg University.”

”How coincidental! Last year, half of the Russian students rejected by Heidelberg Medical College successfully transferred with private recommendation letters from Göttingen professors.”

Arthur took out a tortoiseshell nose snuff bottle, the carving of the Athena statue conveniently blocking his twitching mouth: ”Of course, there were a few unlucky ones, but that wasn’t Göttingen’s fault; rather, it was because they failed to properly handle some inspection documents in time.”

”Our Göttingen?”

Shubinsky’s mink collar trembled in the wind, and he suddenly remembered that his old friend was a former Göttingen University Supervisor: ”Oh dear, I actually forgot that. You are a diplomat and also a policeman, but your talent in academia is truly outstanding. After the Frankfurt garrison incident last year, of all the universities in Germany, Göttingen was the most disciplined. Oh! If His Majesty the Tsar had sent you to manage Moscow University, there certainly wouldn’t be any trouble! Look at the Russian universities—each has become a refuge for reactionaries!”

As Arthur removed his deerskin gloves, he deliberately let the badge ring he received upon leaving Göttingen University knock against the copper ashtray.

”So, you see. Graduates from foreign universities don’t necessarily cause more trouble than those from Russian universities. While I do not doubt the wisdom of His Majesty the Tsar, even a wise man can make a mistake—at least this time, His Majesty the Tsar has certainly made a wrong decision. However, intelligent leaders like His Majesty usually quickly identify and correct these insignificant errors, just like recalling Speransky from Siberia and appointing him as Chairman of the Imperial Office.”

A few words from Arthur stirred an itch deep in Shubinsky’s heart.

The underlying message from Arthur was very clear—there’s a possibility for Tsar Nicholas I to change his mind.

Moreover, this viewpoint wasn’t baseless, since Tsar Nicholas I had done several such similar things before. The most notable was the 1828 ’University Regulations’.

At that time, Education Minister Duke of Levin advocated that ’mathematics fosters more loyal subjects than Latin,’ urging practical subjects to be included in the curriculum.

However, due to the frequent liberal incidents at Moscow University, a new regulation was issued this year, mandating the proportion of classical education be restored to 62% and requiring mathematics instructors to regularly submit ’Thought State Reports’ to the Third Hall.

After the 1831 Polish uprising, Tsar Nicholas I demanded the military be modernized and restructured, introducing the Prussian staff system.

Yet when the Tsar discovered that officers in the Imperial Guard were reading the ’French Army Manual’, he recently started emphasizing the gun salute’s seven-step breakdown from Peter the Great’s era, also requiring officers to carry the ’Eastern Orthodox Catechism’.

This year, His Majesty the Tsar felt that graduates from foreign universities were all dangerous elements, but a few years later, perhaps he would change his mind, which no one could predict.

Moreover, Shubinsky’s child is only ten years old this year, giving him at least six years before university, so he can definitely afford to wait.

Furthermore, not to mention this university ban by the Tsar is quite unwelcome, particularly among the nobility.

Is it really worthwhile to fall out with Arthur over such a trivial matter?

This matter could be either big or small. Even if elevated, it would merely bring up a Herzen and perhaps his three friends. Besides, to date, there’s indeed no evidence found of these people engaging in rebellion.

Even if they were released, there are still two or three dozen people in jail...

In the distance, the sound of guards changing post approached, and on the seventh step, Shubinsky suddenly said: ”The new decree signed by His Majesty the Tsar last week...”

”My Russian isn’t good, so I can’t read any new decrees, but there’s a thermometer hanging in my study.” Arthur flicked the lid of his pocket watch open and then snapped it shut: ”When I bought that thing, the craftsman specifically warned me that the mercury column would automatically shatter if it rose to the red mark. Fortunately, Russia’s weather is too cold, so it rarely has the chance to break.”