He couldn’t endure the climate of St. Petersburg, and the weather in Moscow was evidently worse than in St. Petersburg.
As for the case involving Ogarev and others, perhaps it was because Herzen had overheard the conversation between Arthur and Shubinsky that day, so Herzen sent a ssage through his private contacts to Ogarev in the police prison, advising him not to be deceived by the police and Constitutional Soldiers, and to never give in.
Of course, in reality, there was nothing for Ogarev to give in to, because according to the current investigations conducted by the police and Constitutional Soldiers, the banquet where the song insulting Tsar Nicholas I was vehently sung did not invite them.
The young people who truly attended this banquet had long been convicted and were already escorted to serve in the Caucasus Corps under Captain Hutter.
According to Scotland Yard’s case-handling process, the case ought to have been concluded.
However, as Colonel Shubinsky had anticipated, Moscow’s Constitutional Soldier Commander, Volkov, was determined to turn this case into a major group incident, in order to step on the backs of this group of young people to climb the ranks and make a fortune.
Now that there was no longer a need to send people to the Caucasus, Arthur, considering his scant conscience, managed to borrow Russia’s through Shubinsky’s connections, which explicitly stated: All detainees have the right to know the cause of their arrest within three days of being detained, otherwise, they should be released imdiately.
But what about Ogarev? According to Herzen: "He’s already been in prison for several weeks for this case. However, whenever he questions what charges he’s facing, the police chief would just retort fiercely: ’You aren’t aware of what you did? Why bother asking !’"
If this were in London, it would be very easy to resolve; lawyers love these kinds of cases that they can win at a glance.
The case is clear, with ample evidence.
Therefore, they wouldn’t even have to spend a lot of money to hire a famous lawyer; a al with Mr. Disraeli would suffice to persuade him back into his forr profession as a lawyer for a day.
But we are not in Britain, this is Russia.
Not only do the two countries fall under different legal systems, but Russia also does not even have the profession of a lawyer. The duties of a lawyer are perford by nobility and scholars terd ’Prosecutors,’ or directly prosecuted by the Prosecutor.
And regardless of whether they are Prosecutors or Representatives, these individuals essentially survive on the Tsar’s provision.
Therefore, there is basically no hope that they would handle Ogarev’s case of being unlawfully detained beyond the allowed ti.
From a general perspective, Ogarev could only admit to his bad luck this ti because the Constitutional Soldier Commander has decided to make him a stepping stone for his promotion.
But the interesting part of the matter lies in the fact that Colonel Shubinsky, Volkov’s deputy, recently received so unfortunate news through a secret channel—that Volkov, in a letter to the Third Bureau’s Director, Count Benkendorf, greatly belittles Shubinsky’s work capacity and criticizes his personal ambition.
What really irked Shubinsky was: once Volkov vacated his position, he had no intention of recomnding Shubinsky as the Commander of the Moscow Constitutional Soldiers but suggested appointing a Commander from the First District instead.
According to rumors, the new Constitutional Soldier Commander would either be another Duke from the Golitsyn family—Duke Alexander Feodorovich Golitsyn—or Mikhail Nikiforovich Muravyov.
If it’s the forr becoming the Commander, well, Shubinsky wouldn’t have any complaints.
After all, who isn’t aware of the Golitsyn family’s influence, and who doesn’t know that in Moscow, the na Golitsyn carries even more weight than Romanov?
Shubinsky was not rash enough to reckon with the formidable Golitsyn family.
But Muravyov?
Ha!
The person Shubinsky despises most is soone like Muravyov.
During his youth, he joined the Decembrists’ Savior Alliance but defected to the Tsarist Governnt on the very day of the 1825 uprising, proving his allegiance by actively suppressing the Polish uprising and the Novgorod garrison uprising afterward.
Many of Muravyov’s close kin were either executed on the day of the uprising or exiled, yet he shalessly proclaid: "I do not belong to the Muravyovs who were hanged, but to the Muravyovs who hang others."
Although they both served under His Majesty the Tsar, this doesn’t prevent Shubinsky from disliking him. In his view, even the Liberals seem cuter than Muravyov.
This Constitutional Soldier in charge of Moscow University always believed that most students who were taken in by liberalism were simply naive due to a lack of experience.
And soone like Muravyov?
He’s the kind who feigned ignorance while capitalizing, rising through the ranks by selling the lives of buffoons—plain malice.
If Muravyov commanded Shubinsky, he could literally vomit out yesterday’s al.
Thus, when Arthur inford Shubinsky that a naive Moscow University graduate, Herzen, was going around trying to save his friend Ogarev, the self-proclaid empathetic Constitutional Soldier discreetly pointed them in the right direction—neither the Constitutional Soldiers nor the police would be of any use; they were better off starting at the court.
Finally, he ’unintentionally’ left the business card of the Moscow Court’s Deputy Chief at Arthur’s residence.
Arthur, after painstakingly organizing and archiving the intelligence from the Caucasus, looked at the horizon, guessing it was about ti for Herzen to arrive.
Sure enough, he had just poured a cup of tea when the sound of rolling wheels and the clip-clopping of hooves on cobblestones wafted from downstairs.
His secretary Blackwell pushed open the door to inform him that Herzen’s carriage had arrived.
Arthur hurried downstairs, seeing Herzen alight from the carriage. He wore that slightly worn long coat as always, his hair slightly disheveled by the cold wind. Although there was a trace of fatigue on Herzen’s face, the urgency in his eyes was undisguisable.
His steps were sowhat hurried, not even pausing to respond to the doorman’s greetings, he walked straight towards Arthur.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Arthur wasted no ti and followed him up onto the carriage.
The atmosphere at the Moscow Court was as always, oppressive and solemn, with the gray building’s exterior walls stained by residues left from the lting winter snow.
Pointing to the dingy building, Arthur said, "The Deputy Chief’s office is on the second floor, west side, I already sent him a ssage yesterday."
Herzen felt sowhat apprehensive; he’d practically scoured the entire city of Moscow these past days but failed to find a single Russian willing to help.
The only person willing to extend a helping hand was Sir Arthur Hastings, and he apparently even took leave to co all the way to Moscow for Ogarev’s case, it was truly...
Herzen sighed, "Do you know what the Deputy Chief looks like?"
Arthur recalled what Shubinsky had told him: "Just as you’d expect, a kindly old man wearing blue glasses, sitting there alone, looking at the enormous ledgers. My friend says, he is one of the few upright figures in the Russian judiciary."
"We can only hope."
Inside the Moscow Court’s hall, the gray-white marble floors shone subtly courtesy of the nurous passing footprints. Arthur and Herzen hurriedly made their way past clerks whose indifferent gazes seed to carry whispers and echoes that the two ignored. Climbing up the wide stairs to the second floor, they finally halted before a thick oak door.
Arthur knocked thrice gently, the sound emanating in the corridor steady and firm.
"Co in." An elderly voice replied from inside, not loud, yet unmistakably clear.
Arthur pushed open the door, and the door creaked lowly, revealing an office simple in decor yet not lacking in authority. The bookshelves were laden with hefty legal tos and files, while the center of the desk bore piles of opened docunts.
The Deputy Chief looked up, observing the two of them through his glasses. His gaze passed over Arthur, pausing slightly on Herzen before nodding and slowly rising: "Sir Arthur Hastings? Here for Ogarev’s case?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers