I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 128 He who cannot obey himself will be obeyed by others.

While Krajewsky may not have had a great eye for literary appreciation, he was, after all, the owner of a major magazine and could still make a basic judgment on many articles. For example, regarding the General's work, Krajewsky only glanced at the outline and could confidently declare, "I'm a toilet," and that was it.
vomit!
Although the analogy isn't quite accurate, that's the gist of it.

Articles written according to such an outline would, at the very least, not be published in a literary magazine like "Chronicles of the Motherland".

However, if the person who wrote this outline was General Danilevsky, the astute Krajevsky would naturally have chosen to be polite, since although there were many generals in St. Petersburg, the Danilevsky family was not exactly unknown among them.

But when it comes to publication, things really go back to the point. After all, short stories are one thing; they can just be quietly slipped into an issue. But judging from this outline, it's clearly a novel. If that's the case, when the general's novel is finished being serialized, then "Chronicles of the Motherland" will really be finished.

In this situation, Krajewsky would certainly prefer the readers' large rubles to doing the general a favor.

But while refusing is one thing, how to refuse is a true art.

At first, Krajewsky had a sudden inspiration and only wanted to shift the blame to another country, so he said: "Our magazine 'Chronicle of the Fatherland' is not bad, but compared to the long-established and recently resurgent 'Modern Man', what is it?"

Therefore, I suggest you simply submit your work to *Modern People* magazine; that way, your work will definitely be seen by more readers.

This was obviously a case of flattery backfiring. In reality, Krajewsky was extremely dissatisfied with the rise of "The Contemporary." After all, what future could a magazine led by a mere young man have? It was nothing but hype and luck.

Meanwhile, if a general had spoken to that young man, he might not have dared to refuse.

Just as Krajevsky was feeling somewhat pleased with his sudden inspiration, the general quickly spoke up with some regret: "I had this idea, but my daughter had already told me before that 'The Modern Man' didn't have enough space, because after Mikhail finished serializing this novel, he was already preparing another one."

His novels are also quite good; I read them every month, so let's give this young man a break for now.

Krajevsky: "???"

Is it really such a coincidence?
And you're a general! You're avoiding his attacks?!

Finally, Krajevsky really didn't expect that the general would like to read Mikhail's novels. After all, the despicable and ridiculous characters described in Mikhail's novels are, to put it bluntly, all the big shots in St. Petersburg are somewhat like that. It's just that, in most cases, the bigger the person, the less self-aware they are.

Of course, none of that matters; what matters is how to refuse.

Thinking of this, Krajevsky's forehead broke out in a sweat. Although he frantically tried to come up with all sorts of seemingly good reasons, he had gone a bit too far in flattering the general, to the point that no matter what he said later, the general became somewhat displeased.

Although the general didn't say anything too harsh, he must have harbored some resentment, so he simply continued along the lines of what Krajewsky had just said about "The Modern Man":
"Alright, actually I don't necessarily have to write it. After all, you know, there aren't many people in St. Petersburg with my status and power. People like us are already doing our best to serve His Majesty the Tsar every day, so where would we find so much time to write something?"

However, what you just said is indeed true. Your "Chronicles of the Motherland" is nothing compared to "Modern Man," and in my opinion, if things aren't going well, things might get even worse!

Krajevsky: "."

These were certainly not kind words, but Krajevsky really couldn't say anything. However, as the saying goes, the more you think about it, the angrier you get, and the more you feel you've lost out, so Krajevsky simply blamed Mikhail for it and cursed him several times in his heart.

As for the recent business situation of "Chronicles of the Motherland", as mentioned before, it can rely on its reputation and readers accumulated over the years to make a living. However, if you really look at the data, it can only be said that it is barely stabilizing and is far from the booming success of "Modern People".

Then there's Valerian Maikov, the chief critic for "Chronicles of the Fatherland" after Belinsky's departure. This talented man, though young, possessed a clear artistic and literary vision and was able to express it in a fairly engaging way.

For Krajewsky, what was even more important was that this young man dared to challenge Belinsky, a renowned critic in the field. He deeply abhorred the remaining German Romanticism and Idealism in Belinsky's criticism and was attempting to surpass Belinsky's status as a cultural critic through this kind of criticism.

This is especially important, because if "Chronicle of the Fatherland" still follows the path Belinsky took in some aspects, wouldn't that just prove that Belinsky was right?

So, from both a personal and business perspective, Krajewsky was unwilling to see this happen. Therefore, he was generally quite satisfied with this talented young critic.

The only point of contention was the critic's attitude towards Mikhail's work. He dared to criticize even a great critic like Belinsky, yet when faced with Mikhail's work, he couldn't help but praise it in front of Krajevsky more than once: "It's practically a near-perfect work! I'd rather exchange all the short stories our magazine publishes in a year for just one of his short stories!"

Even with Mikhail's highly controversial "The Superfluous Man," which even became a laughing stock among some aristocratic youths, the young critic, after much contemplation, couldn't help but sigh: "I always feel that his predictions about the future of Russian society are very likely to come true."

Krajewski: “?”

Which magazine do you work for?

Moreover, this young critic not only praised him privately, but even in a magazine, a place where one should be fighting and having fun, he actually wrote an article praising him and put it on the magazine's page.

As a result, that issue of the magazine sold very well, and some readers even wrote in to give feedback:
"I've always felt that Mikhail's novels are good, but I can't quite put my finger on why. Other newspapers and magazines in St. Petersburg often just offer superficial praise, lacking any sincerity. But your magazine's review in this issue is excellent, hitting the nail on the head. Please write more reviews like this." So, despite his displeasure, one can't sacrifice readers' wealth for personal preference. A large part of Krajevsky's current luxurious lifestyle and status is supported by the profits from *Chronicles of the Fatherland*.

This is the current state of "Chronicles of the Fatherland". It has been quite a while since Krajevsky has seen Mikhail. Although it is said that the cunning young man is studying hard, Krajevsky himself scoffs at this claim.

In his view, every success of "Modern Man" and every failure of "Chronicle of the Motherland" was probably inseparable from this young man who liked to stay in the shadows.

However, considering the timeframe, since the end of the year is approaching, if nothing unexpected happens, he will probably meet this young man at some formal occasion. Krajevsky is certain that he will give this young man a hard time then.

Of course, if the other party suddenly changes their mind and wants to contribute to "Chronicles of the Motherland," then being amiable is perfectly fine.
Just as Krajevsky was lost in his fantasies, at the same time, at the Imperial University of St. Petersburg, the superintendent Alexei held a completely opposite view of Mikhail.

If Krajevsky thought Mikhail was treacherous and cunning, hiding all day long yet still using his invisible hand to do all sorts of bad things, then Alexei thought Mikhail was far too open and honest.

Generally speaking, dangerous individuals commonly found in universities tend to conceal their whereabouts, secretly contact classmates with similar ideas, form underground groups, and then engage in dangerous activities or even dangerous acts.

However, this Mikhail seemed to be different. Faced with scrutiny from the academic supervisor and even the secret police—yes, Alexei was certain that the secret police had likely already taken notice of this student—after all, at the current St. Petersburg Imperial University, it was common for students to unconsciously quote from a novelist's work whenever they discussed current affairs to illustrate their ideas.

Unfortunately, most of the ideas they want to express are dangerous. Under such circumstances, is it possible not to pay attention to this author?

And which other student is like him, always surrounded by a group of students in the center?
In short, under such scrutiny, the other party seemed to behave no differently from ordinary students, studying normally, communicating with people, and occasionally attending normal gatherings.

If there's anything special about him, it's his amazing learning ability. It's said that he can memorize complex legal provisions after just a short time. Although his speech is sometimes vague, he always seems to make the listener feel like they understand something. As for gatherings, although he still avoids sensitive topics, he seems to be intentionally training himself to handle such occasions, perhaps for better promotion in the officialdom in the future.

During this process, some of the things he said sometimes didn't seem dangerous, but they excited some young people immensely, like:
"Go to battle and to feast with joy, do not be melancholy, do not dream, prepare to deal with the most difficult things, just as you would go to a feast, be healthy and well."

"It overflows on its own, it brings down dew on its own, it becomes the rain on the parched wilderness."

"He who cannot obey himself will be obeyed by others."

On its own, these words seem fine, but when combined with the atmosphere the other person creates through their language, they do indeed make some young people's eyes light up.

Although this is a bad omen, it doesn't seem quite right to say that he was saying something dangerous.

After all, His Majesty the Tsar's heavy blows mainly fell on political and social issues.

In addition, as a law student, his recent absurd story about law, "At the Gate of Law," was initially known mainly to law students, but it gradually spread to more people.

Regarding this bizarre story, both students and some professors have their own speculations.

If the school supervisor Alexei were to tell this story himself, it would be perfectly reasonable for a country bumpkin to be barred from the law. "You stinking country bumpkin, what makes you think you can enter the law? Go back to the countryside and farm!"
The guards were simply doing their duty by not letting him in. There was nothing wrong with accepting money from the villagers; they had given it to him voluntarily, so what could the guards do?
It's no wonder that country folk die of old age in front of the law. This is the usual treatment for people who don't recognize their own place. Sometimes you might even have to hold such people accountable. Once they're dead, won't everything be over? The troubles will naturally disappear.

The only thing that's a bit confusing is the ending; otherwise, this almost emotionless story holds virtually no secrets for Alexei.

However, for some reason, this story sparked a huge discussion among some students and teachers. However, most of these discussions took place in private. In public, some professors in the law department never mentioned this story, and even if students asked them about it, they would pretend not to hear it.

In short, in the eyes of the school supervisor Alexei, Mikhail had not done anything out of line or said anything out of line, and did not seem like a dangerous element. However, for some reason, he always managed to create one strange wave after another around him.

To be honest, if Mikhail were a freshman, even if he hadn't done anything wrong, the school would probably have kicked him out out of suspicion and concern. But he doesn't have much of his studies left, and with his connections with the principal and other people, he's managed to survive for now.

Regardless, the school supervisor Alexei continued to spy on Mikhail.

The above is a general overview of Mikhail's experiences at university during this period. He had a lot to do and very little free time, but he still managed to find some opportunities to clear his mind.

Just like today, Mikhail slipped away from the crowd and quietly came to a relatively secluded grassy area on campus. Once there, Mikhail didn't care about being dirty anymore and just lay down on the grass. Although he was lying down, Mikhail's hands and feet were not still, and he started "swimming" on the grass.

Mikhail thus emptied his mind, sometimes swimming and sometimes stretching.

In the midst of his somewhat unsettling university life, Mikhail took a short nap on the grass.

(End of this chapter)