I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 114 Mikhail and the Inspector: Nearly Falling into a Noble's Trap

Regarding whether Mikhail will be able to complete his remaining studies, things don't seem to be going smoothly. Simply put, although Mikhail has applied to the school to continue his studies, for some reason, the school is delaying his application. Every time Mikhail inquires, he only receives the following reply:

"The school is currently considering this matter carefully. Go back and wait for news."

Mikhail: “?”

Normally, taking a break from school for a period of time before continuing one's studies is not unusual, so why is it so complicated now?

It makes me sound like some kind of dangerous element.
Or maybe it's some scheme orchestrated by the nobility to ruin my college entrance exam. Pshaw! My dream of going to university?
As he waited, Mikhail felt he really had to do something. After all, the graduation time and degree-granting examinations at St. Petersburg Imperial University were fixed. If he didn't enroll at the right time, he would probably have to wait until the year after next to get his degree, which was a bit unnecessary.

Fortunately, the cultural circles in St. Petersburg are indeed not very large, and people may have some connection with each other for some reason. In the case of Mikhail's current desire to enroll, let's put it this way: the current rector of the Imperial University of St. Petersburg is Pletnyov, who is a good friend of Pushkin and also the former boss of "The Contemporary".

Mikhail and his colleagues received "The Modern Man" from him.

Meanwhile, Mikhail had met both Nikichenko, the censor currently nominally an editor of "The Contemporary," and Nikichenko, a literary historian and critic who was also a professor at St. Petersburg University. At first, they thought of Mikhail as just a lucky young man, but after witnessing firsthand the rising prestige of Mikhail in the literary world and the flourishing of "The Contemporary," they now held him in higher regard.

At least in terms of business acumen, they even admired the young man. After all, not everyone has the ability to start from an article with a fee of only twenty rubles and become the largest shareholder of a best-selling literary magazine in just six months.

Because of this connection, Mikhail simply asked Panayev about Pletnyov's recent whereabouts. After confirming that Pletnyov had not been on a business trip recently, Mikhail quickly paid him a visit.

However, the timing of his visit seemed rather inappropriate. When he arrived at the Pletnyov's house, he discovered that a literary salon was being held there, with literary authorities and some young writers in attendance. After thinking for a while, Mikhail didn't feel there was anything shameful about the matter, so he immediately asked the Pletnyov's servant to inform them.

After giving his name, the servant noticed that Mikhail was well-dressed and, after a moment's thought, went inside to report.

When he entered, the living room of the Pletnyov family was quite lively. Several elderly authorities were talking about something, while the younger people around them did not just stand by and watch; they occasionally chimed in with a few words.

Just as this small salon was in progress, the servant who came in to announce the visitor found a moment to announce the name of the visitor: "Master, a young man wants to see you. He says his name is Mikhail Romanovich."

Upon hearing this name, the previously lively atmosphere seemed to instantly quiet down. Just as the servant was somewhat bewildered, an older gentleman immediately began to flatter Pletnyov:
"Look, this is our Mr. Pletnyov. Even that mysterious Mikhail had to pay him a visit."

After he said that, people quickly echoed his words. Compared to them, the young people were even more excited after a moment of stunned silence. Some of them were so excited that they could no longer sit down and stood up to look at the door.

"I understand, you can let him in."

Although Mikhail had almost never visited him before, Pletnyov was still quite pleased after hearing the compliments and immediately gestured for his servant to bring Mikhail in.

Not long after the servant left, he returned with a very distinguished young man. As soon as he appeared, everyone present became noticeably more serious, since he was probably meeting many of them for the first time.

Among these people, almost everyone held the young man in high regard, even the authorities.

After all, even though they have already made a name for themselves in the literary world, there is no need for them to act too arrogantly in front of the owner of a best-selling literary magazine. For writers, unless they are the kind of people who have truly established their position, most writers still need to keep appearing in magazines to leave an impression on readers.

Moreover, thanks to their presence, the royalties for articles in St. Petersburg literary magazines have recently increased significantly.

This young man, who was already famous at such a young age, did not appear arrogant. Instead, he politely greeted everyone present and asked their names. When he reached a young man who seemed the most excited, he was the first to speak:

“I remember you, Nikolai Sergeyevich, right? How is your novel coming along? The dialogue between the farmers working in the fields was really impressive.”

Mikhail now possesses an astonishing memory; if he were willing to use his brain, he could most likely recall the names of people he had ever met.

For some reason, this small gesture excited the young man even more, and he couldn't help but step forward and shake Mikhail's hand.

Mikhail: “?”

oioi, you're getting a little too hot, buddy.
After exchanging greetings, Mikhail didn't waste any time and went straight to the point, asking, "Mr. Pletnyov, as you know, I am a law student at the Imperial University of St. Petersburg. About half a year ago, I dropped out of school for a while due to financial problems. Now that I'm a little better off financially, I'm preparing to finish my studies."

But for some reason, my application hasn't yielded any results, so I wanted to ask you about it.

Pletnyov and the others, who had thought it was something serious, were left bewildered: "???"

College students, their financial situation has improved somewhat recently.
These individual words are not difficult to understand, but when put together, they can be quite confusing.

However, after realizing what was happening, although he really wanted to ask if the young man had given the clerk a gift, some things were better left unsaid. So, with a somewhat strange feeling, Pletnyov agreed to the request from this young man who didn't seem like a college student at all.

"Okay, I'll ask around for you. If there are no special circumstances, you should be able to continue your studies."

"That would be perfect."

Seeing that things were looking promising, Mikhail immediately thanked the principal. However, even though the matter was settled, Mikhail felt awkward leaving immediately and instead sat down to chat with everyone about literature.

Discussing social issues was out of the question. Even though Pletnyov was a friend of Pushkin, he always tried to adopt an eclectic approach, avoiding extremes. If something didn't conform to his usual standards, he would accuse it of being unconventional. When it came to literature, even though Mikhail was probably the youngest among them, everyone present would frequently look at him, seemingly seeking his opinion. Mikhail did say something, and perhaps because what he said was insightful, everyone present nodded in agreement.

While Mikhail was participating in this literary salon, Nikkichenko, a university professor and censor who was also involved in the magazine "The Contemporary," was reviewing manuscripts for the latest issue of the magazine.

To be honest, Nikki Chanko initially thought this job was just a way to make some money. Even though the pay wasn't too high because of personal connections, it was still a lucrative job.

However, during the process of reviewing manuscripts for "Modern Man," this university professor, who always tried to avoid the sharp issues touched upon in the works, also increasingly felt the danger of this job.

It may seem like nothing at first glance, but in reality, I really don't dare to think about it too much.

Fortunately, he hasn't yet encountered anything too blatant or dangerous, but the inspector still decided to resign after two or three years to avoid unnecessary trouble.

While that was indeed his thought, to be honest, he actually had a considerable fondness for Mikhail's novels, which contained dangerous elements. After all, in terms of background, he was a serf freed by Count Sheremedev, who, by chance, climbed step by step to the position of university professor.

Yesterday's serfs are now professors. As they enter society, they often follow the crowd, abandoning their free thinking and spirit of resistance, gradually conforming to the existing system, and beginning to serve the government. Of course, they will not become loyal servants of the monarchical system like the inspector of schools in the St. Petersburg region and Count Mushin-Pushkin, a fervent supporter of serfdom.

Some extreme measures by the government may provoke their anger, but that's all they feel. They have long been oppressed by the ideology of the government's authoritarian bureaucracy, but they lack the resolve and courage to directly oppose it, so they always dodge and weave.

Nikichenko was like that; when he was lecturing, when he really had to clarify the inherent principles of the work he was analyzing, he would always skillfully and cleverly circumvent the obstacles by using vague and lofty rhetoric to evade the issue.

After living like this for a while, Nikkichenko gradually became accustomed to this kind of life. After all, it's always pleasant to live within one's comfort zone, especially since the external environment is so harsh. In today's universities, even a police precinct chief can act as a university professor. Every professor's actions are subject to public and private, written and oral orders, as well as various "regulations" and instructions.

Just like a meeting once held at the university, someone read aloud an edict drawn up by a minister on the emperor's orders, which clarified how professors should understand "our national character." The edict stated, "National character is boundless loyalty and absolute obedience to the monarchical system."

Accordingly, Minister Uvarov requested that professors uphold national character in their lectures and adhere strictly to the syllabus and government directives. The directive specifically addressed professors teaching Slavic dialects, Russian history, and the Russian legal code.

In short, Nikichenko has gradually become accustomed to this kind of life, and his life will probably continue to be like this. However, for some reason, the young man's novel does move him to some extent, so much so that he is indeed willing to relax his authority a little.

Of course, there's also the consideration of the salary.

As for this round of review, the novels, needless to say, are a must-read. At the same time, the young man's latest short story has also piqued his interest, so he put aside all the other articles and started reading this short story first:
"My colleague, the Greek teacher Belikov, died in our town just two months ago. You must have heard of him. He was quite peculiar; even on the sunniest days, he would wear rain boots, carry an umbrella, and always wear a warm cotton overcoat. He always kept his umbrella in a case, his watch in a gray deerskin case, and even his pencil sharpener in a small case."
In short, this person always wanted to encase himself in a shell, as if to create a protective enclosure to isolate himself from the world and avoid external influences. Perhaps to justify his cowardice and his hatred of reality, he always praised the past and things that never existed. In fact, the ancient language he taught was nothing more than rain boots and umbrellas to him, which he used to escape from real life.

Belikov also tried his best to keep his thoughts hidden. He only understood what was prohibited by government notices and newspaper articles. Whenever a theater club, reading room, or teahouse opened in town with the approval of the authorities, he would always shake his head and mutter, "Of course, it's fine, it's good, but please don't cause any trouble."

As always, the article was concise and incisive. Nikki Tsenko thought that this article would, as usual, quickly evoke his sympathy for some pitiful people and things. But to his surprise, after reading only three paragraphs, Nikki Tsenko immediately blushed.

As the temperature rapidly rose, images of himself and many others immediately flashed through his mind.

"My God, he has extended his vicious pen from the police officers to us teachers!"

Despite muttering a curse under his breath, he continued reading out of curiosity about the fate of a man like this:

“Anything that violates the law, deviates from the norm, or goes against the rules, even if it seems to have nothing to do with him, makes him very unhappy.”
Under the influence of people like Belikov, the entire town lived in fear for ten to fifteen years, terrified of everything. They dared not speak loudly, write letters, make friends, read books, help the poor, or teach anyone to read and write.

Being around people like that is unbearable. The thought had just popped into Nikkichenko's mind when he unconsciously thought of himself and some people around him, even some important figures, which made Nikkichenko even more unbearable.

But just as he decided to temporarily abandon the novel, the next line immediately caught his attention:

"But this man in the case almost got married. A new history and geography teacher, a man originally from Ukraine named Mikhay, was sent to our school. He came with his sister Varenka. Later, thanks to the principal's wife's efforts to bring them together, Varenka began to openly express her affection for our Belikov."

This might have been a good thing, as the two seemed to be on the verge of getting married. However, a mischievous person drew a cartoon to tease Belikov. While feeling embarrassed, Belikov also saw the young lady he might marry riding a bicycle with her brother, and he immediately became restless again.

After much deliberation, he finally decided to talk to the woman's brother.

"Does this need explaining, Mihai Sawich? Isn't this self-evident? If teachers ride bicycles, what good can you expect from the students? All they can do is walk backwards with their heads! Since the government hasn't issued a notice allowing this to happen, then it can't be done."

Mihai, who already disliked him, couldn't stand his words any longer. When he heard him say, "But I have to make this clear beforehand: someone might have overheard our conversation. To avoid any misunderstandings and trouble, I have to report the content of our conversation to the principal—explain the gist of it. I have no choice but to do this," he immediately pushed him out.

Just as he tumbled down the stairs, the woman Varenka happened to witness it and couldn't help but laugh. Belikov, who was already afraid of unusual things happening, went to bed and never woke up again.

And then comes the ending: "We went home from the cemetery in high spirits. But before a week was even over, life went back to the old ways, just as depressing, boring, and chaotic as before. The situation hadn't improved at all. In fact, although we had buried Belikov, there were still many people like him trapped in their shells, and who knows how many more there would be in the future!"

Upon seeing this sentence, the first thought that popped into the mind of censor Nikki Tsenko was: "This part must be deleted! It's suspected of reflecting negative aspects of society!"

But soon, he began to feel annoyed and even ashamed of his perfectly normal thought, and his old face turned bright red.

To be honest, Nikki Tsenko actually really liked the novel "The Chameleon," and he laughed out loud when he read it. But now that it's a novel that might be related to him, Nikki Tsenko really can't laugh at all.

How incredibly sarcastic and mean!
(End of this chapter)