[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia":3,"chapter-my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-chapter-48":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Life as a Literary Giant in Russia",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2317223,4531,"Chapter 48: Serving His Majesty","my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-chapter-48",48,"\u003Cp>“Mother, dear Du Niya, I’m busy writing all day long—how could I possibly have time for socializing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve just become a member of a literary group; it’s normal to have more contact now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who nowadays would a young lady visit in person? As for Dmitri, he’s one of my very good friends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After much effort, Mikhail finally dispelled the doubt in his mother’s and sister’s eyes; his throat dry from talking, he sipped tea to moisten it, then couldn’t help glancing at Nastasya, who was watching the scene, and said irritably:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nastasya, I think your workload is too light—I’ll definitely suggest to Pavlovna that you take on more responsibilities; you’re at the age to strive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You won’t, dear Mikhail,” Nastasya said firmly, shaking her head despite the alarming remark: “You’re a kind-hearted student—you’d never let Pavlovna do that; you’d even hope we work less!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And the reason I spoke just now was only to remind you that you should live better.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mikhail: “………”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never mind…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, it wasn’t that Mikhail enjoyed associating with a bunch of old men—it was simply that there was no one else to associate with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The social circle was so small; Mikhail couldn’t possibly follow that brat Nechayev and fall for someone else’s wife, could he?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cough, cough…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waving his hand to signal Nastasya to leave first, Mikhail turned to his mother and sister and asked: “Where are you planning to stay tonight?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When this topic came up, recalling the attitude Mikhail had shown in his previous letters, Plyushchikhia hesitated a moment, then finally said: “Pyotr Petrovich arranged a house for us to stay in temporarily.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where?” Mikhail asked further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not far from here—it’s a house belonging to a certain Mr. Bakaleyev.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know where it is, Mother—Voznesensky Street. The house has two floors; it’s a small inn. They say the place is utterly dreadful, repulsive, filthy, stinking, and suspicious; accidents happen constantly; God knows who lives there! But the rent is cheap.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying this with mild disbelief, and recalling his mother and sister’s decision to come without informing him, Mikhail immediately guessed what had happened, and continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pyotr Petrovich wrote you that I’m no good, didn’t he? I bet he called me a good-for-nothing rogue and a con artist trying to swindle him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of that pretentious gentleman, Mikhail looked straight into his mother’s and sister’s eyes and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, dear Du Niya, after all this, I hope you now understand this man better. As for my situation—it’s exactly as you see: though it will take time, the future is promising; I will make sure you live better.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Du Niya is still young; some matters can be discussed at length—she’ll have better choices.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, I’m still young,” the quiet girl interjected, “but you’re not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mikhail: “.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m barely twenty—I’m practically dripping with youth, how can you say I’m old?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t speak when I’m talking to Mother, Du Niya.” He cleared his throat, glanced at his sister, who seemed slightly defiant, then quickly averted her gaze and turned back to Plyushchikhia:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I think we should revisit some matters. If anything comes up, tell me—I have several reliable friends in St. Petersburg; they’ll help me resolve this properly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All right, then I’ll listen to you, dear Misha!” After a moment’s hesitation, the woman who usually agonized over every decision nodded firmly: “I wasn’t fully convinced myself—just seeing the beautiful scene he painted, I ended up swaying toward him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From now on, I’ll handle the talks with him myself. If anything happens, I’ll tell you, Misha.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plyushchikhia was usually indecisive—long, hard life had made her cautious—but when real issues arose, she revealed a quiet strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a woman who had supported two children since so early, life had to be this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After setting aside this heavy topic, Plyushchikhia quickly turned to Mikhail, her eyes hopeful: “Then, dear Misha, since your situation has improved, when will you return to university?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A student like you, once he finishes his studies, can quickly enter government service as a respected civil official—you’ll be serving His Majesty!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mikhail: “.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, though this path offered almost no upward mobility due to his status, it was still a fine route for families like Mikhail’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, in an era when the Tsar’s authority remained firm, collaborating with the imperial apparatus was far more comfortable than opposing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem was this: if the Tsar truly were as good as he claimed, Mikhail would gladly become a loyal subject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, propaganda was always lies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What landed on people’s shoulders was real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, Mikhail wanted to reply: “Mother! I seem to be getting too radical!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to avoid sending his mother into a faint, he postponed it: “Perhaps I’ll need more time—you know, my career here has just begun; I must keep writing for a while longer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right, Misha—you must write well. Your talent in this area is unmatched. And if you write well, won’t His Majesty notice? I heard that the great poet Pushkin was greatly favored by the Tsar and promoted to high office.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mikhail: “.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be fair, Nicholas I may have publicly shown Pushkin respect, but behind the scenes he tormented him relentlessly; it’s said Pushkin’s death had much to do with Nicholas I.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Pushkin never gave Nicholas I an inch of respect. After the Decembrist uprising, though Pushkin didn’t directly participate, when Nicholas I asked him: “If you had been in St. Petersburg, would you have joined the December 14th revolt?”—Pushkin answered without hesitation:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Without doubt, all my friends joined—I wouldn’t have stayed away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Nicholas I pardoned Pushkin for the sake of his reputation, he stripped him of his freedom to write and triggered a series of subsequent events.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back to the point: faced with his mother’s most simple wish, Mikhail offered no further explanation—only smiled and nodded: “I will.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in what way, I can’t guarantee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",991,"2026-06-20T14:41:53.633Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","294b4e19643d602f919e0888cb061c027ada1f9b9c1638d4bfd53db670c722f8","my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-chapter-49","my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-chapter-47",105,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-cover.jpg"]