British writer

Kao Wen obviously didn't expect Lu Shi to be so young, so he mistook Gu Hongming as the rightful owner at first.

Fortunately, he was cautious enough to ask the guard first.

Lu Shi stretched out his hand,

"Hi, I'm Lu Shi from London Political Economy."

Kaowen introduced: "Because the library is doing the final classification of books and manuscripts, the staff are all busy, so I, the manager of the printmaking and painting department, will lead the way. I hope Professor Lu will forgive me a lot. .”

After finishing speaking, he aimed at Gu Hongming and Natsume Soseki again,

Lu Shigang was about to make a recommendation,

Unexpectedly, Cowen smiled and shook his head,

"It's okay, Professor Lu. It's not important."

He turned and walked into the hall.

Being told face to face that "it's not important", Gu Hongming couldn't laugh or cry, and he didn't know whether the other party had a good attitude or was too arrogant.

The three followed Kaowen.

The British Museum covers a vast area and has a large collection. The collections on display to the outside world account for only one percent of all collections, which is evident.

Kaowen introduced as he walked, and at the same time told Lu Shi to pay attention to protecting the books when borrowing them, even if they were just rubbings or transcripts, he should be as careful as possible.

Several people went to the reading room.

The materials Lu Shi wanted to read belonged to the history of the Ming Dynasty. There were no originals in the library, only copies.

After Kaowen asked the staff, he was sure that there was no need to move the manuscript, so he was relieved, and even intimately told Lu Shi which bookcases and bookshelves to look for.

After that, he found a corner to stay and didn't bother me anymore.

Lu Shi carefully took notes.

Gu Hongming watched curiously from the side,

He whispered: "After reading these historical materials, I realized the novelty of your "Fifteen Years of Wanli"."

Gu Hongming is good at literature and Confucian classics, but historiography is relatively weak.

If he is also proficient in history, he will find that the research method of "Fifteen Years of Wanli" is interdisciplinary, similar to "Guns, Germs and Steel".

Lu Shi was still studying, without raising his head.

"Well, I wrote this to observe the pulse of history from the perspective of long-term social development, and to pay attention to the interaction between characters and current situations. This is different from the traditional way of writing monographs on history."

Gu Hongming chewed this sentence carefully.

After a while, he said, "I don't really understand."

Lu Shi asked: "Mr. Gu, have you read "Da Yi Jue Mi Lu"? How did Emperor Yongzheng evaluate himself?"

Gu Hongming replied: "I may not be able to memorize it all. Let me think about it... um..." Su Ye worked diligently and diligently to govern. In Wumei, there is nothing that can't be exhausted.'”

This is enough to memorize.

Lu Shi said: "Bring the lamp to boil the oil, and work hard all night. What's the effect?"

Gu Hongming immediately said: "In the prosperous age of Kangxi and Qianlong, Emperor Yongzheng connected the past and the future, and the effect is very good. Of course, it cannot be denied that the corruption will soon be over..."

The old man has indeed changed,

When discussing the Qing Dynasty, try to be as objective as possible.

Lu Shi nodded,

"The same is true during the Wanli period. Excellent officials worked hard to govern, and even trivial affairs in the township and county had to be done by themselves in order to turn the tide. But what about the final outcome? It's still a piece of corruption."

That's a bit of a predestined statement.

Gu Hongming suddenly realized, and said: "I think your book is quite different, so it is so."

He read "The Fifteen Years of Wanli" before, and only thought the historical story was wonderful,

But looking back now, I find that there are arguments in it, and this argument transcends specific historical figures and historical details, and is an analysis of the general trend of history.

As Lu Shi just said:

"Focus on the interaction between characters and the situation."

Gu Hongming sighed,

"Evil door."

Lu Shi was puzzled,

"Evil sect? What evil sect are you talking about?"

Gu Hongming raised his chin and replied: "Your book is evil. I thought about it carefully and felt powerless when I read your book. Whether it is Wanli who is the emperor, or Zhang Juzheng who holds the power of the empire, It doesn't seem to work."

This is the grand view of history in "Fifteen Years of Wanli\

,"The problem of the system cannot be repaired locally, but the answer can only be found in the economic foundation, social structure and cultural soil.

Lu Shi said: "After reading "Guns, Germs and Steel", it shouldn't be difficult to understand "The Fifteen Years of Wanli".

Both are interdisciplinary works,

In terms of research methods, there are many commonalities.

Gu Hongming said: "Can it be the same?"

One book takes foreign countries as examples, starting from the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the Chinese read it as if they were watching the fire from the other side;

A book about Chinese history, empathetic.

Gu Hongming was very depressed,

"Don't talk anymore! Don't talk anymore! The more you talk, the more you feel stuffy. It was like this last time, and it made you dizzy."

Lu Shi was embarrassed,

"cough……"

Gu Hongming stepped aside,

"I'd better flip through the books myself. It's rare to come to the library of the British Museum, and such a good opportunity should not be wasted."

Lu Shi was also happy to be quiet,

It is not difficult to copy books, but it is difficult to copy historical works.

Especially the book "Fifteen Years of Wanli", which was popular in the 1980s and 1990s,

And he traveled from the 20s of the 21st century. After 30 to 40 years of development, his view of history has also advanced with the times. Many views have been revised on the basis of Huang Renyu.

He needs to concentrate on perfecting "The Fifteen Years of Wanli" by combining historical materials and newer historical viewpoints.

On the other side, Gu Hongming studied hard.

At this moment, Natsume Soseki approached him and said in a low voice, "Mr. Gu, come and have a look."

Gu Hongming was puzzled,

"What's wrong?"

Natsume Soseki swallowed, lowered his voice, and said, "I seem to have seen "Yongle Dadian"."

Gu Hongming didn't think too much,

"normal."

He ran his fingers across the spine of the book he was reading, and said: "There are not only transcripts of the Twenty-Four Histories here, but also a large number of transcripts of unofficial histories. It is so novel to include transcripts of such a comprehensive collection of classics as the "Yongle Dadian" ?”

Natsume Soseki nodded, then shook his head again,

"However, the manuscripts of the "Yongle Dadian" collected here are not complete."

Gu Hongming smiled lightly,

"You don't know how many volumes there are in the "Yongle Dadian", do you? The catalog alone has 60 volumes, 370 million characters, and a total of more than 10,000 volumes. How can we collect them all?"

He put down the history book in his hand,

"Where is it, take me to see it."

Natsume Soseki immediately led Gu Hongming to a bookcase.

Gu Hongming leaned over,

Soon, he showed a somewhat puzzled expression, and said in a low voice, "Why does this look like a copy..."

When Natsume Soseki heard this, he felt relieved.

"Just now, I saw that there are two volumes of "Yongle Canon". I thought they were genuine because they were so rare, but they were copies... That's good, that's good!"

Gu Hongming raised his eyebrows,

"Who says a copy is not a genuine product?"

Natsume Soseki was stunned,

"ah?"

Gu Hongming said: "As I just said, there are tens of thousands of volumes of "Yongle Dadian". It was compiled from the first year of Yongle, and it was finally finalized in the fifth year of Yongle, and it took another whole year to complete the copying. It also involves astronomy and geography, yin and yang medicine, divination, Buddhism, Taoism, drama, crafts, agriculture... How can such an important book have only original copies and no copies?"

Natsume Soseki understood,

"Yongle Dadian" does have the difference between the original and the copy.

But from the perspective of cultural relics, both are true and original.

He asked, "Where is the original?"

Gu Hongming muttered: "It is presumed to be in Yongling."

Natsume Soseki nodded,

"Yongle Mausoleum...Emperor Yongle was buried with the "Yongle Grand Ceremony", even if he had selfish intentions, it is not incomprehensible."

Gu Hongming was slightly embarrassed, lowered his head and coughed a few times,

"Cough cough cough..."

In fact, the Ming Yongling Mausoleum is the joint burial mausoleum of the eleventh emperor Shizong Zhu Houcong (reign name Jiajing) of the Ming Dynasty and three empresses Chen, Fang, and Du. ,

The so-called "copies" were also transcribed during the Jiajing period, in order to be buried with the original, and there was no distinction between the original and the copy when the book was written.

It's not easy to explain this kind of thing to a Japanese, Natsume Soseki.

Gu Hongming walked to Lu Shi's side and whispered.

Lu Shi's recording hand paused slightly,

"real?"

After all, Gu Hongming is not an archaeologist, and he is not sure, so he can only say: "It looks like it."

Lu Shi lowered his head in thought.

At this moment, Kaowen's voice came from behind: "Professor Lu, what happened?"

He has not left, and has been paying attention to the three of them.

Lu Shi nodded to Gu Hongming.

Gu Hongming told Kaowen his point of view, and then asked with some concern: "Mr. Kaowen, you should be able to understand that the original and the copy are treasures, right?"

Cowen chuckled,

"Of course, how could I not know? I know this kind of thing better than you."

Gu Hongming frowned,

Obviously feel that the other party is too arrogant.

Cowen also felt that his words were exaggerating, so he hurriedly explained: "This old gentleman, I didn't mean to be sarcastic. You know, I am the manager of the printmaking and painting department, and I still have a concept about this kind of thing .”

He thought about it and gave an example:

"For example, Li Sixun's painting of the Tang Dynasty, which is called "Green Landscape Map" in your country, has copies in both the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty. But even the copies are considered cultural relics. As far as I know, there is Ni Zan of the Yuan Dynasty on the copy of the Northern Song Dynasty. , Postscript of Zhang Tianjun in the Ming Dynasty."

I didn't expect that the monks from outside could really chant scriptures.

Now that you know how to identify treasures, it's easy to say.

Gu Hongming said: "Then hurry up and ask your staff to keep these two volumes of "Yongle Dadian" well, so as not to damage them."

Cowen nodded and left quickly.

Watching his back disappear, Lu Shi couldn't help sighing,

When you come to the British Museum to look through historical materials, you will inevitably encounter such problems, but if you do, you will still be depressed.

well……

Wanqing...

After a while, Cowen came back,

He saluted Lu Shi,

"Professor Lu, thank you for your help. I have asked the library colleagues just now, and they actually know that the two volumes of "Yongle Canon" are genuine, but they are too busy to deal with them for the time being."

Lu Shi:? ? ?

Gu Hongming:? ? ?

Natsume Soseki:? ? ?

The three of them were a little confused.

I thought the British were ignorant,

Unexpectedly, people know the goods, but it is "not enough time".

Gu Hongming's face turned black,

"not enough time?"

This sounds like an excuse.

As a result, Cowan said: "It is true that my colleagues are worrying about the Egyptian papyrus."

Anyone can hear the smugness in his language.

Gu Hongming lowered his voice and asked: "Lu Shi, this papyrus is..."

The language is Chinese, so I can't understand the text.

Lu Shi also replied in Chinese: "I think it's ancient Egyptian documents or paintings. From a historical point of view, those papyrus have survived far longer than the "Yongle Dadian". He is gagging us."

"Asshole!"

Gu Hongming was so angry that he cursed.

Kao Wen saw that the two were chattering, but couldn't understand, so he interjected: "Don't worry, you two, your country does not have the ability to protect cultural relics, and the British Museum will do everything we can."

Lu Shi snorted coldly,

"Collection of cultural relics looted from different countries, and claiming it is the protection of cultural relics... For this phenomenon, we usually call it 'shameless'."

This is merciless.

Cowen's face turned red and white,

He said: "Professor Lu's words are a bit paranoid and extreme. Have you ever heard of the Parthenon?"

Lu Shi had already guessed what the other party wanted to say, but he didn't stop him.

He replied: "Yes, in Greece."

Cowen nods,

"Now that Professor Lu has heard of it, he should also know that the famous Parthenon marble was bought by Earl Elgin from the Sultan of Ottoman Turkey for 36,500 pounds, otherwise, it would have been ground and made Brick."

Lu Shi quietly watched the other party pretend to be X.

Cowen was stared at uncomfortably, and continued: "So, is there anything wrong with what I said? For countries that do not have the ability to protect cultural relics, the British Museum has undoubtedly done the right thing."

Lu Shi said, "Then, one day in the future, when Greece has the ability to protect cultural relics, will the British Museum return them?"

One sentence stunned Kowen,

"this……"

In modern times, the Greek government has repeatedly asked Britain to return cultural relics,

They even built a museum around the ruins of the Parthenon, but it was empty, in order to express their demands for the return of cultural relics.

Of course, the result is definitely nothing.

Lu Shi said: "It is undeniable that the British Museum has organized, researched and restored these cultural relics, which has objectively promoted the spread and exchange of culture, and it can barely be regarded as a kind of 'protection'."

Hearing this sentence, Cowen's face became better.

But Lu Shi didn't finish talking,

He added: "However, what is the original intention of this 'protection'?"

Cowen didn't give an answer.

It's not impossible to answer, but the answer is self-evident.

This kind of "protection" "protects" the plundered spoils, so its purpose is to maintain the cultural order under the world colonial system.

What's more, this kind of "protection" may not be very professional:

Using Japanese painting restoration techniques to restore the Chinese painting "The Admonitions of the Female History" caused the "Admonitions of the Female History" to be repaired, resulting in slag and other diseases;

Polish off the yellow shell of the Elgin stone carvings to cater to the social concept of "white is noble" before World War I;

The papyrus is damp, cracked, and cut off in the middle;

...

After so many oolongs, the British Museum had to invite cultural relics and archaeological experts from all over the world to restore them.

There are a large number of people from China in the China Pavilion.

Lu Shi said: "The British Museum robs, steals, buys and sells by force, so don't pretend to be innocent. Why not admit your face honestly?"