Shadow of great britain

The bustling Tver Avenue is one of the main arteries in Moscow, connecting to Red Square. As the core area where nobles and wealthy businessmen gather, the streets are lined with not particularly tall but exquisitely decorated stone buildings, which are a mixture of late 18th century Russian classics. ism and the European style that followed after the Napoleonic Wars.

The exterior of the Herzen mansion at 25 Tver Avenue is painted in light yellow with white lines on the corners, making it simple and elegant. The windows are tall, with some carved patterns on the window frames, and an iron lantern hangs above the door. The light is reflected on the snow in winter, and the orange-yellow light brings a touch of warmth in the cold winter.

Arthur's sudden visit obviously made Herzen very happy. Perhaps it was because the Maslenitsa festival at home was too deserted, and Herzen also hoped to bring some popularity to the family.

He didn't have time to change his clothes, so he came to greet the guests in person wearing a dark woolen robe, a plain scarf tied around his neck, and plush slippers.

Pushing open the door of Herzen's house, a burst of warmth hit my face.

The layout of the living room makes people feel warm, with Persian carpets on the floor and several landscape oil paintings and family portraits hanging on the walls.

The bookshelf took up an entire wall and was filled with books on Russian literature and European philosophy, several of which had worn covers and were obviously works that had been read frequently.

There was a long table in the center of the room, with several marble lamps and a porcelain vase with dried flowers on it. The wood burning in the fireplace crackled, and with the beating of the fire, the temperature in the room also warmed up a lot.

Herzen first asked Arthur and Blackwell to sit down, and then ordered the servant to bring the samovar.

Soon, the servant placed a set of silver samovars on the table. The collision of cups, plates and spoons made a crisp sound in the room, and the lid of the pot was slightly billowing with steam.

A pot of fragrant Russian black tea was placed on the table, along with a plate of jam, a plate of Russian gingerbread to go with the tea, and a few slices of very thinly sliced ​​lemon.

Herzen personally put some jam and lemon slices into Arthur's teacup, then poured a cup of hot black tea into it and put a silver spoon into the cup to stir.

He warmly entertained the two foreign friends and said in a brisk tone: "I hope you like the taste of this Russian tea. I always feel that the samovar is more suitable for this season than the British teapot."

Arthur took a sip of tea. Although this kind of tea with jam is not suitable for relieving tiredness, it has a unique flavor when drunk as a dessert. All in all, it is not unpleasant to drink, and from a personal taste perspective, Arthur is willing to give it an A.

"It tastes good." Arthur looked at Herzen and joked: "I just heard your introduction, you are now working in the local government office? You were a college student half a year ago, but now you can be regarded as an official."

Herzen agreed shyly: "I'm just entering society for the first time. The affairs of the Land Office are complicated, mostly small things like writing reports and reviewing official documents. Compared with your career, it seems too insignificant. I I thought you were lying to me, but I didn’t expect that you were actually transferred from Hanover to Russia.”

From the corner of his eye, he noticed the small ribbon ring on Arthur's chest - a red ribbon with a thin yellow edge.

Such a color scheme made Herzen stunned for a moment, and then he asked: "Is this? The ribbon ring of the Order of Santa Anna?"

Although Arthur said he didn't care about the Czar's medal, his body was extremely honest.

Generally speaking, medals are worn only on formal occasions, and in daily occasions only the small metal ring on the medal, which is a ribbon ring, is worn to indicate the honors one has received.

Although Arthur is a knight of the lower rank conferred by William IV, in this day and age, there is a very annoying thing about this oldest knighthood in Britain, that is, it only has knight's sword, ornamental spurs and ribbon, but no medal. .

Because in the final analysis, although the lower-level knights cannot enter the House of Lords, they are still considered to be feudal titles with military obligations like baron, viscount, earl and other titles.

If this was not the 19th century but the Middle Ages, Arthur, as a knight, would usually receive a piece of land or even a fief.

But the problem is that after entering the 16th century, as the modern army gradually became professional, the national military relied more on national financial support instead of relying on providing land to lords in exchange for military services.

Therefore, the knighthood has become more of an honor, symbolizing recognition of personal achievements, and no longer requires military obligations.

So, naturally, no land will be granted.

And the problem of having neither land nor medals can be regarded as a problem left over from history.

Therefore, the Second Class Order of Saint Anna awarded to Arthur by the Tsar became the first medal Arthur received in his life.

People usually attach great importance to the things they get for the first time. Although Arthur is a ruthless old man, he cannot escape human nature after all. He is very precious to this medal.

Since being awarded the Order of Santa Anna, Herzen was the first person to reveal the secret.

Although Arthur was happy in his heart, as an elder, even though he was only a few years older than Herzen, he still had to maintain the dignity and respectability that elders should have.

Arthur put down the tea cup calmly and pretended to be casual: "What do you mean? This is indeed a reward from His Majesty the Tsar. However, as you know, this honor is more of a symbolic meaning."

Herzen could not help but say with envy: "It looks so beautiful. You must have spent a lot of money on this medal, right?"

If Arthur had not been knighted as a lower-ranking knight, most people would have thought that Herzen was mocking the medal he bought with money.

But in fact, there was no malice in this statement. Because according to Russian law, the recipient of the medal should pay all necessary expenses such as the casting of the medal and the sword to the Medal Bureau.

Britain actually has similar regulations, but it is generally only applicable to high-level honors such as the Knight of the Garter and the Knight of the Bath. Battle medals and lower-level medals do not need to be paid. It is said that those who are knighted as the Knight of the Garter have to pay a high initiation fee of several hundred pounds at one time.

However, even with such a high initiation fee, Arthur still has not heard of anyone refusing to become a Knight of the Garter.

And Arthur's lower-ranking knight title, in fact, should also pay a fee to complete the relevant administrative procedures according to normal procedures.

However, this money was exempted by King William IV on the grounds that Sir Arthur Hastings has made outstanding contributions to science, art, culture and the promotion of social progress for a long time.

What is even more surprising is that when Arthur received the Second Class Order of Saint Anne, he was also exempted from the awarding fee by Tsar Nicholas I, and the reason the Tsar used was exactly the same as the King's.

Most people would only laugh secretly after knowing this, but for Herzen, who was kept in the dark, he felt that it was completely reasonable for Arthur to be exempted from the awarding fee.

Herzen said, "It seems that you have enjoyed the same treatment as Mr. Humboldt."

Arthur had a good impression of the president of the Berlin Academy of Sciences who had gone to Göttingen to support the electromagnetic conference. He asked, "Does Mr. Humboldt also have a Saint Anna Medal?"

Herzen nodded and said, "He has a first-class Saint Anna Medal. The reason why you are second-class, in my opinion, is mainly because you have not hosted scientific expedition projects for the Russian government like Mr. Humboldt did. If you lead the team to complete the geographical survey of Siberia like him, you will definitely get a first-class one."

If it was someone else who put pressure on Arthur, he might still be dissatisfied, but Humboldt got the first class, Arthur really had nothing to say.

After all, this greatest geographer of the 19th century, the founder of meteorology, geomorphology, volcanology and plant geography, has traveled all over Europe, Asia and America, explored the Amazon in depth, climbed Mount Vesuvius three times, studied the Indians in detail, crossed Siberia for 15,000 kilometers, and even dived to the bottom of the Thames wearing a diving bell.

It can be said that these places are not visited by people.

Awarding him a first-class Order of St. Anna is not a high honor, but a low honor.

If Arthur had to choose one place among the places Humboldt had been to, he would only go to Siberia.

But the problem is that the Tsar may not agree.

Let a British diplomat go to Siberia?

God knows what kind of trouble he would make!

Herzen joked, "You didn't come to Moscow just to see me, did you? Although I am a conceited young man, I don't think I have this kind of charm. Even if you come here for my tea, you can't come for me." Arthur smiled and said, "Maslenitsa is not suitable for foreigners like me. It's really boring to stay in St. Petersburg. It just so happened that I remembered that I have a young friend like you in Moscow, and I have a speech at Moscow University during Lent after Maslenitsa, so I came here in advance to take a look." "You have a speech at Moscow University?" Herzen Herzen laughed and said, "I can already imagine the scene. The Moscow Society of Natural Philosophers will probably hold a grand welcome party for you in the school's auditorium. The governor, the chief justice, various military, civil and political officials, and the privy council will all be present. You will see them wearing sashes and official uniforms. Even the professors with tricorn hats under their arms will sit in rows on the stage with swords on their backs. You must be mentally prepared in advance." Arthur was shocked by Herzen's description: "It's just an ordinary speech. Is it necessary to make it so grand? It's a big deal to come to Moscow University. It was me who learned, not our ambassador, Count Dallamo. ”

Herzen waved his hand: “It’s not an exaggeration at all. Mr. Humboldt was embarrassed because he didn’t expect this. You see, you are also a recipient of the Order of St. Anna. Although your reputation is not as great as Mr. Humboldt, you have an additional diplomat identity than him. I bet that most of the upper class in Moscow have already begun to inquire about who Arthur Hastings is.”

Speaking of this, Herzen muttered with some sarcasm: “Everyone is a member of the Society of Natural Philosophers, but they don’t know Arthur Hastings. Who is Arthur Hastings? Maybe even Michael Faraday doesn't know him. Oh... Look, this is our Moscow Society of Natural Philosophers."

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Arthur couldn't agree with this, so he comforted him: "You don't have to take it too seriously, because I can hear similar complaints from the Royal Society."

Herzen opened his eyes wide, he didn't seem to believe it: "Are you serious? The Royal Society in my impression has always been a place where talents come out in large numbers!"

Arthur shrugged helplessly, and explained from a different angle: "You should know that I have traveled to many places, right? However, no matter which country I go to or which region I meet, I can hear the same words. Do you know what they are?"

"What words?" Herzen leaned forward slightly, he was very interested in this topic.

Arthur repeated in English, French, German, Italian and Russian: "There is no place in the world more corrupt than here!"

Arthur joked: "You know, I am a natural philosophy researcher. If you start from the perspective of logic, this sentence must be wrong, because it is impossible for every place to be the most corrupt. But if you think about it carefully, this sentence is right, because which place is the most corrupt depends mainly on where the speaker lives now. When you don't settle here, it is clean, and when you settle here, it becomes corrupt. This is called the duality of corruption and integrity and the uncertainty principle."

Herzen was amused by Arthur's serious explanation, but he still wanted to argue.

"Perhaps in official occasions, everyone is the same. But the problem is that Russia also has this bad habit in private occasions. When you go to a ball in Moscow, you will know that we here like to pay homage to authorities like you and Mr. Humboldt and pretend to be cultured. When we meet, we always say "I have heard a lot about you." But in fact, what do you have heard about? He only knew what you do a few days ago and that you are a natural philosophy researcher, but just because he heard that you are an academic authority, he immediately respected you.

And the ladies in Moscow, they all regard musicians as romantic and suave young men. Everyone only listens to the musicians and only talks to him. The scene was like a traveler harnessing horses on a village road, and the farm children watched him, his carriage and his hat with great interest. The women liked to squeeze in and stand in front of these celebrities to ask about their lives and well-being. They thought that he was just saying an ordinary sentence, but they all thought it was a manifestation of extraordinary demeanor. This is simply too vulgar, and it makes people look down on Russia. "

The remarks of the angry young man Herzen were not particularly new to Arthur. After all, he met too many young people like this on the way from Paris to Moscow. Even when he was a foot patroller in the streets of London, he had the same view.

Because British women also like to squeeze in and join in the fun, listening to Paganini's performance, a large number of them can faint at any time in the theater.

In Paris, the situation is obviously worse, because the king of piano Liszt and the piano poet Chopin are both resident there.

Liszt's cigar butts can be sold at sky-high prices in the Paris market. This is not something that Heine, "Liszt's personal blackie", made up.

Although he had never seen Liszt's cigarette butts, Arthur had seen ladies go backstage to snatch Chopin's tuxedo and the porcelain teacup he drank from in the Paris Opera House.

Heine wrote articles attacking Liszt every day, but he was still alive and well in Paris, thanks to the fact that there was no Internet in the 19th century.

Otherwise, he would have been "unboxed online and real offline" by Liszt's fans.

Of course, Heine's fans are not without any fighting power. After all, he is a great poet and has countless fans in Europe.

But for some reason, it seems that in the ranking of the degree of fan attraction of literary idols these days, musicians are greater than poets.

Paganini's concert in London exhausted Scotland Yard, which was responsible for London's security, but Arthur later became a pianist, so he thought it was okay.

Of course, at Herzen's age, it is normal to have complaints because he has not seen enough.

There is no need to argue with young people. Leave him there for five or six years, and he will understand his mistakes.

However, there are occasionally some stubborn people among young people, such as Mr. Dumas.

Arthur changed the subject and said, "I am mainly facing this problem now. I want to go to the campus of Moscow University, but it seems that it is not open to the outside world, right?"

"Normally it is not open, but there are some special cases." Herzen enthusiastically introduced his alma mater to him: "For example, public lectures, academic conferences, speeches, etc., these activities are generally open to non-student groups, but most of them require invitations. However, with your status, it is easy to get such an invitation. If you need it, I will take you to the Kremlin to apply for it. Please, that's all."

"Does the Land and Resources Department still manage this?"

"Of course not, but whether it manages or not has nothing to do with this."

Herzen explained: "Many Russian regulations are very rigid, but implementation is another matter, such as my work in the Land and Resources Department. In fact, before I entered university, my father begged Prince Yusupov to let me register with the Kremlin Administration. Three years later, I graduated from high school and was promoted to warrant officer. However, according to the regulations, serving officials with official ranks cannot take the entrance examination for Moscow University..."

Arthur was surprised and said: "Why?"

Herzen laughed: "This is because Moscow University has a special night school for officials. The students enrolled in the night school are all officials who are preparing to take the "Committee Examination", which is the examination for promotion to the eighth rank. Therefore, all the rich lazy people, uneducated young men, and those who are unwilling to serve in the military but are eager to get the title of eighth-rank civil servants can take the committee examination through night school. Night school is like a gold mine mined by the old professors of Moscow University. They can receive 20 rubles for a class, so naturally they don't want to cut off this way of making money."

Arthur suddenly realized and asked immediately: "Then how did you get around it back then?"

Herzen He replied carelessly, "Of course it was because my father went to see Prince Yusupov again. Yusupov was both a nobleman and a Tatar, and he solved the problem in his own unique way. He called his secretary and ordered him to write me a certificate approving a three-year leave. The secretary was a little embarrassed, and reported tremblingly that without the emperor's approval, an official's vacation could not exceed four months. The prince said to him impatiently, 'What nonsense, brother, what's the difficulty? Well, if you can't take leave, then just write it, and I will send him to study science - to go to university for further study.' The secretary wrote it, and the next day I sat in the trapezoidal classroom of the Department of Mathematics and Physics of Moscow University."