British writer

As soon as Lu Shi left the room, two female officers and many doctors and nurses rushed in.

At the same time, a group of royal family members gathered around.

They kept an eye on Lu Shi,

There was silence at first, and then, someone asked: "How is it? Did your Majesty say anything?"

It was impossible for Lu Shi to disclose the things the Queen told the public.

He shook his head seriously and said nothing.

The expressions of all the royal family members are not good-looking.

Obviously, they felt that Lu Shi, an international student from China, was not worthy of showing off in front of them.

The Prince of Wales stepped forward;

"Professor Lu, please believe that we have no malicious intentions."

Lu Shi looked at the future Emperor of Great Britain and said helplessly: "Your Highness, I'm extremely sorry. I really can't tell you what Her Majesty the Queen told me, I'm afraid even you can't. This is a private agreement between me and the Queen. "

The Prince of Wales couldn't help but frown.

Margarita stepped forward;

"Your Highness, don't worry, it might be a job similar to Sir Reed's."

Princess refers to the queen's confidant——

James Reed.

According to records, Victoria dictated a suicide note before her death, telling Reed everything she wanted to put in her coffin.

Its secret instructions are 12 pages long.

This is really difficult,

Because according to the rules, when the old king dies, a new king will naturally ascend the throne to take charge of the funeral. It is obviously against the rules to skip the king and conduct the funeral for the late emperor alone.

However, as a son, the Prince of Wales was very generous and fulfilled most of Victoria's last wishes, even covering the bottom layer of the oversized sarcophagus with thick charcoal, and then covering it with the nightgown of the Queen's husband, Prince Albert.

In addition, there are various small objects that Victoria loved:

Shawls, handkerchiefs, rings, books, photos, jewelry boxes, bracelets...

I can't imagine what the mess inside the coffin would be like.

This also shows that Wales is a humble person.

He thought of Reed, his expression softened, and he bowed to Lu Shi in a gentlemanly manner,

"Sorry, I am also worried that the dignity of the British royal family will be damaged, so I am a little..."

Before the words fell,

Squeak——

With a soft sound, the door was opened, and the female officer poked her head out,

"Your Majesty, His Majesty calls you."

The Prince of Wales saluted Lu Shi again,

"Professor Lu, please."

Then, he walked in.

Lu Shi approached Margarita, thanked her in a low voice for helping him out of the siege, and then got down to business: "Your Highness, I am going back to London now. Can you please call on the Queen's Guards to dispatch a few guards to help me carry a message?" To LSE and Fleet Street.”

Margarita wanted to help Lu Shi personally,

But with the Queen like this, it is obvious that she is destined to die, and her children and grandchildren should not leave.

She nodded,

"I'll pass a note to Sir Stephenson... No, you go directly to Sir Stephenson, he won't ask any more questions."

Lu Shi asked curiously: "Why?"

Margarita pointed to the queen's bedroom and said: "You can be summoned alone. This is the treatment of a close minister. Sir Stephenson will not have such a little bit of vision."

Just as he was talking, the door opened,

The Prince of Wales walked out slowly,

When he looked at Lu, there was a trace of disbelief in his eyes, his lips trembled, and he could make out a few words based on his mouth shape, such as "Jingran", "Fengjue", "Chinese" and so on.

Lu Shi was embarrassed,

To be honest, I also find it a bit difficult to understand the issue of knighthood.

He stepped forward cautiously,

"Your Highness, I have important matters to attend to, so I'll leave first."

The Prince of Wales said "hmm\

,""Professor Lu, just do your best to run errands for the queen."

The two nodded knowingly,

All without saying anything.

Lu Shi told Stephenson a few words and asked him to send soldiers to LSE and Fleet Street to summon people respectively. Then he took a boat back to Southampton, and then hurried back to London.

By the time we reached Burya Road, it was completely dark.

London's unique gray mist with a faint odor filled the air.

The crude laughter of sailors came from the bar,

Not long after, the door of the bar opened, and two burly men carried a drunkard out. They escorted him to the nearest wall. Soon there was the sound of violent vomiting.

Then came the disgusting scolding:

"Fxxk! You vomited on my shoes! No, I have to pee on your shoes, or I'll die."

Then there was the sound of gurgling water.

They say that the corners of old streets in London and Paris smell of ammonia, and that's probably how it comes from.

When Lu Shi heard the noise, the corners of his mouth curled up,

I have indeed returned to London.

He knocked on the door.

Natsume Soseki's wary voice came from inside: "Who!?"

Lu Shi chuckled,

"Me. It's me who's back. The security in London isn't so bad. There was a break-in..."

Before he finished speaking, the door was opened.

Natsume Soseki: "Riku!"

Me: "Meow!"

Both the person and the cat appeared to be very surprised.

Lu Shi bent down and touched my brain, then picked him up and entered the house, closing the door behind him.

In the dim gas light, Briya Road is still as warm as ever.

I lick my fingers on landing,

"Meow~"

Natsume Soseki seemed to have just fallen asleep and was not yet fully awake.

He rubbed his eyes and said, "I miss you, little guy."

Lu Shi asked: "What?"

Natsume Soseki explained: "Recently, Miss Phyllis came to deliver newspapers every day. When we heard the knock on the door, we ran over and sat facing the door, scanning our tails, waiting anxiously. As a result, we saw that the person who came was not you. , and went back under the bed disappointed."

Lu Shi chuckled, pinched my chin,

"You miss me so much?"

I seemed to understand, and looked a little embarrassed. I walked around my feet when I landed, and then ran under the bed.

A pair of big eyes were like two lanterns, staring at Lu Shi dimly in the darkness.

This guy……

Lu Shi chuckled, took out a glass jar from his luggage, and took out the French smoked chicken inside.

"Let you try the French chicken."

We immediately pulled the chicken steak away with our paws and ate it happily.

Lu Shi stretched and asked Natsume Soseki: "Did you just say that Phyllis delivers newspapers every day?"

Natsume Soseki nodded,

"Well, she has experienced the work of a newsboy, and now she is experiencing the work of a waiter. However, she said that selling a newsboy can help her practice basic skills, so she walks the streets every day."

The little girl is quite dedicated.

Lu Shi was quite satisfied.

"good."

Natsume Soseki spread his hands,

"What a pity, Roman Holiday is so popular. Many people can recognize her, which makes her newspapers particularly easy to sell."

After saying that, both of them couldn't help laughing.

Natsume Soseki continued: "She became famous abroad earlier than you. She has now been invited by Milan, Rome and many other places, and will set off to perform in a few days. And you just wrote "Country Teacher"? For how long, it only became popular in Paris."

Lu Shibai glanced at the other party,

"(ˉ▽￣~)Tch~~, I am Chinese, and London is also a foreign country to me."

Natsume Soseki scratched his head,

"That's true."

He turned the topic to "Country Teacher" and asked: "Lu, why did you think of writing science fiction novels in Paris? What's amazing is that you can still write so well!"

Lu Shi recounted his experience during this period.

Natsume Soseki was yearning for it,

"Have you met Toon?"

For anyone who comes into contact with European literature, Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky are two names that cannot be avoided.

The latter has passed away and cannot be seen again,

It is an honor for every writer to meet the former.

Natsume Soseki asked curiously: "Now that you have met Toon, you are planning to set up a charity fund and also prepare to hold a science fiction literature award in France. There are so many clues. Why are you in a hurry to come back?"

As a result, just as Lu Shi was about to speak, there was a knock on the door outside.

He went to open the door.

I saw two groups of people standing at the door.

One group is Scott, editor-in-chief of the Manchester Guardian, and Cooper, editor-in-chief of The Scotsman;

The other group were students of London Political Science and Economics, Nikolic and Solomon;

The two groups of people didn't know each other and stared at each other.

Lu Shi greeted them: "What are you doing standing around outside? Come in quickly!"

Only then did the four of them realize that they were all guests invited by Lu Shi. They entered the room one after another, sat down and briefly introduced themselves.

Cooper said: "I've heard about the polls a long time ago, but I didn't expect you two to be in charge. It's very good. You are young and promising."

Everyone carries the sedan chair,

Solomon and Nikolic immediately returned the compliments,

The two first said that the novel version of "The Scotsman" was extremely exciting, and then said that the "Manchester Guardian" was the pioneer of liberalism.

For a time, the house was filled with flowers.

Lu Shi cleared his throat,

Instantly, the room became quiet.

Everyone looked at Lu Shi, their eyes full of questions.

They all knew that Lu Shi could not have summoned the four of them so late just to make things normal.

Lu Shi said, "Then I'll get straight to the point."

As he spoke, he took a deep breath,

"The Queen is seriously ill."

This sentence was like releasing a blanket of silence into the room. Except for the soft "click-click" sound of the evening breeze blowing against the window glass, there was no sound at all.

After a few seconds,

"I'm going back to Fleet Street now!"×2

Cooper and Scott stood up almost simultaneously.

Lu Shi said with a serious face: "Two, I think the person I invited is not the editor-in-chief of the Manchester Guardian or The Scotsman, but the consultant of the Mirror, right?"

There was calmness and authority in his voice.

Cooper and Scott couldn't help but freeze.

finally,

"Huh~"

Scott exhaled a breath,

"you're right."

He sat down slowly.

Cooper sat down as well.

Lu Shi said: "You two, I know you have complaints and even grievances. Please rest assured that as long as you can ensure the quality of the Mirror's first release, the Manchester Guardian and The Scotsman can also take it from me. Got the news."

Cooper and Scott looked at each other and nodded slowly.

As media people, they all know how important the news of the Queen's death is. If they can publish an exclusive, the sales volume of the newspaper will definitely be extremely high.

However, without Lu Shi's inside information, there is no need to discuss anything.

Do you expect members of the royal family to sell news?

not to mention……

"You are Lu Shi!"

Cooper said with a smile.

Lu Shi was puzzled and asked the other party: "What are these words?"

Cooper replied: "The omnipotent Lu Shi! If I follow you, are you afraid of no news in the future? But let's make an agreement first. You have to serialize a novel with me, and it will be regarded as the hush money I collect."

This is obviously a joke,

Scott, Riku Toki, and Natsume Soseki laughed.

Solomon and Nikolic next to them were a little confused.

They didn't know that Lu Shi was so close to Cooper and Scott, so when they heard about "hush money" and the like, they thought it was a lion talking loudly.

After all, they are students and young.

Lu Shi patted them on the shoulders and told them not to panic, and then said: "I am going to conduct a public opinion poll, called "The 20 Greatest Britons"."

He first mentioned that the Queen was seriously ill;

Later, "The 20 Greatest Britons" was mentioned,

Who among the people present still doesn’t understand?

Scott's lips curled up and he said, "They say 'old kid', but I didn't expect that the queen's wishes on her deathbed would be so willful."

Cooper smiled and said: "Is there a ranking in this "Top 20 Greatest Britons"? The Queen has decided to be number one?"

Everyone laughed at the same time.

Lu Shi said: "In short, this poll should be as loud as possible. We should make this number one the aspiration of the whole people."

His idea actually came from "100 Greatest Britons".

This was a voting event organized by the British Broadcasting Corporation in 2002. After this event was held, the media in other Western countries rushed to imitate it.

The list is based on a survey of more than 30,000 British people by the BBC, so celebrities from all walks of life may appear on the list, and even John Lydon, a member of the rock band "Sex Pistols", is also on the list. .

Of course, it was impossible for Lu Shi to do this.

He asked: "Who are the candidates for the other nineteen?"

Solomon said: "Professor Lu, what do you mean..."

Lu Shi smiled and spread his hands,

"I'm not British, so of course I listen to your opinions~"

That's a lot.

Scott clapped his fingers and said: "I can think of more than twenty people. Charles Robert Darwin, William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Horatio Nelson, Oliver Cromwell..."

Famous names appeared one after another.

Among them, the one not mentioned in middle school textbooks should be Horatio Nelson.

This is a fierce man. As a vice admiral, he defeated the combined fleets of France and Spain in the Battle of Trafalgar and was able to protect the British island from French attack.

On the other side, Cooper said: "By the way, there is also Queen Elizabeth I."

"hiss……"

Lu Shi couldn't help but feel a toothache.

Compared to Victoria, Elizabeth I was a queen who was equally skilled in civil and military skills.

Under her rule, Britain defeated the Spanish "Invincible Fleet" and began to establish maritime hegemony. In 1600, Britain approved the establishment of the "East India Company" and embarked on the colonial road.

You can say that,

Victoria was the promoter and Elizabeth I was the founder.

Solomon looked at Lu Shi's expression and asked curiously: "Professor Lu, what's wrong?"

Lu Shi said: "What if the final results of the polls come out and Elizabeth I gets more votes than Queen Victoria?"

Solomon shook his head,

"no, I can not."

Nikolic glanced at him and asked, "Why not? We don't care how people vote!"

Solomon chuckled and said, "Have you forgotten the example Professor Lu gave us before? It was the questionnaire about the military service system."

Nikolic couldn't help but suddenly realized.

At that time, Lu Shi gave an example:

If you want people to support the military service system, then the questionnaire should read like this:

——

1. Are you worried about the rise in juvenile crime?

2. Do you think young people like to take on challenges?

3. Do you think young people should put an end to freedom and looseness?

4. Do you support the military conscription system?

——

This set of questions clearly supports military service.

If you want people to oppose you, you should:

——

1. Are you worried about war?

2. Do you think it is dangerous for young people to learn to kill people with guns?

3. Do you disagree with forcing people to take up arms?

4. Are you opposed to military service?

——

If you ask this question, you will be completely opposed.

Therefore, public opinion is controllable.

Solomon chuckled and said,

"Nijiati, haven't you seen it yet? Professor Lu is testing us~"

Nikolic opened his eyes wide and looked at Lu Shi,

"Sorry, Professor Lu, I let you down."

"Gu——"

Lu Shi swallowed, waved his hands, and said, "There is a saying in China: 'Know your shame and then be brave.' It doesn't matter. As long as you continue to work hard, you are a good boy!"

Nikolic was greatly moved,

"I see!"

Lu Shi stood with his hands behind his hands, looking at Solomon with an inscrutable expression.

"Go on and tell me what you think."

Solomon said excitedly: "It's actually very simple. Because Elizabeth I's rule was not always good. At the end of her reign, the protracted Anglo-Spanish War worsened, the Irish crisis, the rebellion of the Earl of Essex, agricultural failure and famine all... It casts a bleak color on that glorious era. As long as we provide a little guidance in the questionnaire, citizens will definitely think that Queen Victoria is far greater and more successful than Elizabeth I."

On the other side, Nikolic suggested: “You can also group celebrities into groups.”

Lu Shi asked: "How to divide it?"

Nikolic said: "For example, legendary figures in ancient times include Queen Boudica and King Arthur. One of them was the leader of the ancient Britons and the other was the king of the Celts. People with different backgrounds will inevitably interact with each other among the people. Adjust time and split tickets.”

Solomon added: “Another example is the great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.”

Cooper asked, "Who is that?"

Solomon showed a proud expression,

"I know you haven't heard of it. Brunel is the founder of the Great Western Railway. He is not famous, but that does not prevent him from being a great man. As a candidate, he can also effectively split votes."

Nikolic: "And..."

Solomon: "By the way, is James Cook also..."

The two of them were so excited about talking that they completely forgot about the others.

Lu Shi interrupted the two of them: "Okay, okay, Nikolic and Solomon, I will leave this matter entirely to you two. The result I want is very simple. First of all, this list of twenty people, It must be persuasive and able to convince more than 90% of the British people; secondly, who is the first place, you don’t need me to tell you, right?"

Nikolic and Solomon nodded,

"clear!"

Lu Shi turned to Scott and Cooper and said: "You two, I'm going to trouble you during this period. Go all out and prepare for the first issue of "Mirror"!"

They both nodded at the same time,

After that, Scott came up and whispered: "Lu, you two students can do it. They have completely learned your essence in guiding public opinion."

Lu Shi: "..."

Where is the essence of learning here?

This is clearly better than the old!