British writer

Chapter 143 Pure Love

Chapter 143 Pure love...

The next day, early morning.

Breya Road.

"Meow~"

A cute cat meow made Lu Shi wake up from his deep sleep.

He prepared to turn over, but failed.

"Good weight……"

I was lying on his chest, looking at him with wide eyes, and occasionally sticking out my tongue to lick my left paw.

Lu Shi picked me up in his arms,

"It's time for you to lose weight, little one."

Me: "Meow?"

It seems that he didn't understand.

Lu Shi said: "Losing weight means eating less."

The little guy understood this time. He stuck out his tongue and rolled Lu Shi's cheek, then jumped out of bed with his legs on his chest.

Natsume Soseki's voice came,

"I'm so kind to you. If I let him eat less, he would definitely show off his claws at me."

As he spoke, he pointed at the table,

"Let's have breakfast~"

There is a complete breakfast meal on the table, including toast, smoked delicious sausages, three kinds of cheese, and watery scrambled eggs, which is rich in European style.

After Lu Shi washed up, he sat at the table.

"Did the landlord send it to you?"

Natsume Soseki nodded and said, "Yes. I gave you my share of scrambled eggs."

Lu Shi was speechless,

"Um...thank you...but, don't you like eating?"

Natsume Soseki touched his nose awkwardly.

"the weather is nice today."

Lu Shi rolled his eyes at the other party, ate the bread in a few bites, then cut a small piece of sausage and put it on the ground.

We all rushed out immediately, our mouths full of oil.

Lu Shi fondly touched the little guy's head and said, "Only when you are full can you have the strength to lose weight~"

My generation: "Meow~"

Just then, there was a knock on the door outside,

Natsume Soseki was surprised,

"Who's so early?"

He walked over and opened the door and saw the girl standing outside. He was surprised and said: "Miss Felice, why are you here? Aren't you going to Rome?"

Lu Shi turned around and saw Felice walking into the house quickly.

Her face was flushed,

"Professor Lu, you are indeed back!"

With that said, he saluted Lu Shi.

Lu Shi waved his hand and looked at the other person up and down.

The little girl is dressed as a newsboy. The men's peaked cap, one size larger, is droopy and low, and the messenger bag is slung across the body.

Overall, she is much more mature than before.

Lu Shi asked: "Why didn't you go to Rome?"

Phyllis explained: "Now that all the major ports in London are blocked, shipping will not resume until tomorrow, so our troupe has postponed the trip. A telegram was also sent from Rome, saying that it is understandable."

Port blockade?

Lu Shi couldn't help but ponder, and soon figured out the reason:

The Queen died of illness on the Isle of Wight, and her coffin had to be taken by ship to Portsmouth or Southampton, and then by train to London.

In order to ensure that there is no problem with the coffin, which would be a disgrace to the national dignity, intercity traffic must be controlled.

Lu Shi asked: "Phyllis, what did you come to Blea Road for?"

Phyllis smiled coquettishly,

Then, she blinked mysteriously, put her hand into her messenger bag, and pulled out a copy of "Mirror" as if offering a treasure.

"Look! Look what this is!?"

Natsume Soseki: "..."

Lu Shi: "..."

Both of them were speechless and looked at each other.

Phyllis babbled like an old woman: "You don't know how difficult it is to buy this newspaper now! Thanks to me infiltrating the newsboy, I finally got a few copies!"

Lu Shi chuckled,

"Is it difficult to buy?"

Phyllis nodded,

"There was another curfew yesterday~ The newsboys were restricted from going out. It was already dark, so we could get the goods~"

The curfew may also be due to transportation problems of the Queen's coffin.

Lu Shi chuckled,

"Why did you remember to bring it to me?"

Phyllis said: "You are a great writer. You have such a best-selling newspaper... Well... Speaking of which, Professor Lu, are your works going to be serialized here?"

The little girl also realized something was wrong.

Lu Shi laughed loudly,

"My work is going to be serialized in the Mirror. How can I not get the newspaper? Besides, do you know who sponsors this newspaper?"

Natsume Soseki on the side also laughed.

Phyllis lowered her head in embarrassment and muttered: "I didn't expect that I presented the wrong treasure."

Natsume Soseki said: "That's right. We haven't read today's newspaper yet~"

He picked up the newspaper.

Front page: "The 20 Greatest Britons\

,"Queen Victoria came first with an overwhelming vote.

Lu Shi asked: "What about other newspapers?"

Phyllis raised her hand,

"I've got plenty here!"

She turned the bag over and various newspapers were poured out on the table.

Lu Shi glanced at the front pages of other newspapers. They were all about the life of Queen Victoria, and then the coronation of the Prince of Wales. The content was similar, and even the structure of the articles could not be seen to be different.

In other words, they are "eating exhaust fumes", repeating what the Mirror said yesterday.

Lu Shi raised the corners of his mouth,

"One step faster, each step faster."

Even if you think about it on your knees, the sales volume of "Mirror" today will definitely exceed 100,000.

This is the importance of differentiation.

On the other side, Natsume Soseki finished reading the article about "The 20 Greatest Britons" and said: "The ranking is about as expected. The only thing unexpected is that Emmeline Pankhurst ranked third."

Lu Shi wasn't too surprised.

From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, everything was booming, and countless movements and ideological trends emerged.

Women's fight for suffrage was one of them;

As a public opinion poll, "The 20 Greatest Britons" has no gender restrictions. The willingness of London's female citizens to participate is naturally unprecedented. It is no wonder that Emmeline Pankhurst was voted for.

Natsume Soseki asked: "Can this be done?"

Lu Shi spread his hands,

"I stated my position before when I said that Marie Curie would win the Nobel Prize. If something can liberate productivity, it will be difficult to stop it."

For people who do not have a deep understanding of social science, this statement is a bit difficult to understand.

Phyllis muttered, "Productivity?"

Lu Shi said: "Phyllis, do you know how many female typists there are in London now?"

He paused and reported the number: "166,000."

This is not made up data;

By 1909, Remington's most mature typewriter, the Remington No. 10, even changed its slogan:

"Let more women be liberated from the family!"

It can be seen.

After listening to the examples given by Lu Shi, Felice somewhat understood how to understand the word "productivity".

She asked: "Will women's rights increase?"

Lu Shi smiled and said nothing.

It was difficult for him to explain to the girl in front of him that in 100 years, certain things would develop into extremely evil trends.

Fortunately, although the early 20th century was an era of chaos, everything was flourishing and there was no need to worry about it in the distance.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door suddenly.

"Professor Lu?"

The voice is deep and deep.

Lu Shi recognized the other party immediately, opened the door and said, "Sir Stephenson, why are you...um...what are you dressed up like? Aren't all the Queen's Guards in red?"

I saw Stephenson in front of me wearing a white cloak.

That look was just like the Kingsguard described in "A Song of Ice and Fire".

Stephenson bowed his head and saluted Lu Shi.

"Professor Lu, please."

Lu Shi was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and said respectfully: "The Queen is back?"

Stephenson didn’t say much;

"please."

Lu Shi turned around, nodded to Natsume Soseki and Phyllis, and then went out.

Stephenson helped him into the carriage,

The wheels turned and rolled across the uneven brick road, making a "squeaking" sound that echoed in the silence.

Lu Shi opened the car curtain,

Unexpectedly, the silence on the street was not because there was no one around.

The citizens of London spontaneously came to the streets, eagerly waiting for the team escorting the Queen's coffin.

Almost all of these citizens have a copy of the Mirror.

Because it is a tabloid, the Mirror can easily be curled into a paper tube, revealing the front-page article, "The 20 Greatest Britons", and a majestic portrait of the Queen.

Occasionally, there is a sound of sobbing,

Looking through the sound, you can see the little girl covering her face and suppressing her cry.

Her parents leaned over to comfort her ears.

Lu Shi sighed, closed the car curtains, and asked, "Sir, don't the Coldstream Guards need to escort the Queen's coffin?"

Stephenson shook his head,

"In accordance with His Majesty's wishes, the duty of escorting the coffin has been entrusted to the Royal Navy Guard of Honor."

Lu Shi was surprised,

"navy?"

Stephenson explained: "What the Queen means is that under her rule, the Royal Navy has expanded its territory, conquered every attack, and won every battle. It has raised Britain to its current international status, and it should enjoy this honor."

This explanation makes sense, but it is too official.

Lu Shi couldn't help but think of the previous dispute between First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff Sir Renato Irwin and Prime Minister Cecil, and always felt that things were far from that simple.

However, it was not Lu Shi's turn to worry about this matter.

He changed the topic,

"where are we going?"

Stephenson replied: "Albert Memorial Church."

The Albert Memorial Church was completed in 1863 and is the resting place of Prince Albert.

Queen Victoria will be buried with him.

The royal coffin will be moved into the church, lifted up through an opening in the floor, and then passed through a mechanical lift into the corridor below, where it will then be taken into the catacombs to complete the funeral.

Of course, outsiders like Lu Shi would definitely not be able to witness the whole process.

Silently all the way, the carriage arrived at the Memorial Church,

A solemn atmosphere came over us.

On the lawn, a group of members of the House of Lords were already waiting to watch the ceremony, and Wodehouse and Churchill could be seen.

Lu Shi walked forward and wanted to say hello to them.

As a result, Stephenson stopped him,

"Professor Lu, go up. Go up the steps."

Lu Shi:? ? ?

He raised his head in confusion and found that the steps leading to the church were headed by the Prince of Wales, and almost all of the people standing there were members of the royal family.

There are only a few high-ranking outsiders such as Prime Minister Cecil.

Lu Shi asked, "Should I go up?"

Stephenson replied seriously: "Yes. This is what the Queen means."

Reluctantly, Lu Shi slowly walked up the steps with the attention of the gentlemen in the Palace of Westminster.

Soon, the discussion below came to mind,

"Who is that Asian? From India?"

"It's not like that from India! He is Professor Lu, the author of "Yes! Prime Minister". By the way, he is also the founder of "Mirror". Have you read today's "Mirror"? "The Greatest" 20 Englishmen" is his masterpiece."

"That's it. The Queen wants to express her gratitude to him."

…

The discussion gradually died down.

"Huh~"

Lu Shi let out a long breath.

At this moment, Margarita came over and whispered: "Professor Lu, thank you! Grandma must be very happy after reading today's Mirror."

Lu Shi waved his hand and said nothing.

Margarita continued: "His Majesty the King also asked me to express my gratitude. He cannot express his gratitude in person because my grandmother's coffin needs to be covered with red soil, which must be sprinkled by His Majesty himself with a silver bowl. His Majesty is making preparations."

"His Majesty the King" here naturally refers to the Prince of Wales, or Edward VII.

Lu Shi nodded,

"Condolences."

Margarita shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter. I've already said goodbye to my grandmother."

Regardless of culture, matters of life and death are important.

When a European of this era died, the body would be washed by family members and prepared for burial, and black curtains would be hung on the furniture and doorways.

But Queen Victoria has always been flamboyant and doesn't care about other people's opinions. Even her funeral is separated from others.

She hopes that her funeral will be a pure white world,

This required everyone attending the funeral to have white elements. It is no wonder that Stephenson dressed up like the Kingsguard, and even the carriage was covered with white cloth.

Lu Shi looked around and rubbed his eyes.

Margarita noticed it and whispered: "Professor Lu is surprised?"

Lu Shi nodded,

"With so much white, someone who didn't know it would have thought it was an Oriental funeral."

Margarita said: "So Chinese funerals are white? But one thing I can confirm is that my grandmother is the most unique. Her last wish required that she must wear a white skirt when she was buried in the coffin, and that she would wear a white hair when she got married. The gauze covers the head.”

Lu Shi:? ? ?

Can't understand.

Margarita showed a longing expression and continued: "My grandmother also requested that a plaster statue of Prince Albert be used as a burial object. She hopes to be buried together with her husband's statue."

Lu Shi was even more confused.

"Can it be installed? Besides, it should be very heavy..."

Margarita explained: "Well, so a compromise was adopted. His Majesty the King prepared a plaster hand statue of Prince Albert for my grandmother. Grandma held the plaster hand statue of her husband in her right hand and was carried into the sarcophagus."

Lu Shi: "..."

I didn’t know what to say for a while.

As far as he knew, the Queen had a regular lover in her later years and even got married secretly.

I can only say that your circle is really chaotic.

Of course, as an innocent little girl, Margarita had no knowledge of those things.

She sighed and said, "Professor Lu, I read your article, "Thirteen Years of a Princess: A Stick and a Crown to Seal the Door of the Heart." It was so well written. I even felt that my grandmother's The mental journey is like that..."

Lu Shi quickly waved his hand,

"Don't get me wrong! That wasn't written by me! It was Mr. Scott's masterpiece. To be honest, I didn't expect Mr. Scott to be so suitable for Zhiyin style...well...so suitable for writing this kind of article."

Margarita looked at Lu Shi seriously,

She originally thought that it was an article that could only be written by Lu Shi, and that Scott was just in name.

But looking at Lu Shi's serious look now, it didn't seem like that.

Margarita shook her head,

"In any case, I would like to thank that article for letting people understand my grandmother's sincerity of feelings and bravery of royal responsibilities."

She raised her head, her eyes flickering,

"Pure love..."

scare!

Lu Shi took a step back and stepped on the foot of the person behind him.

Margarita quickly apologized to the man for Lu Shi and said, "Sir Reed, I'm extremely sorry."

james reed,

The Queen's personal physician and confidant in her later years.

Reed looked at them awkwardly, as if he wanted to say something, but finally stopped, waved his hand and said, "You continue."

Lu Shi had one head and two heads.

Don't continue!

If she continues, Margarita will be able to confess her love to herself.

He quickly said: "Your Royal Highness, the funeral is about to start, and there are other business matters~"

Unexpectedly, Margarita shook her head firmly,

"What I want to say is business!"

She approached Lu Shi.

Lu Shi stepped back again, almost touching Reed.

As a result, Margarita said: "Professor Lu, does the Gender Edition of the Mirror still need that kind of pure love article? Can I contribute?"

Lu Shi was stunned for two seconds before he realized that he had thought too much.

He coughed lightly,

"This... of course..."

Margarita smiled and left happily.

Lu Shi looked embarrassed, turned back to Reed and said, "Sir Reed, I'm sorry."

Reed said "Yeah" and looked away.

He listened briefly to the conversation between Lu Shi and Margarita. When the two talked about the Queen's "pure love", he almost spit out a mouthful of old blood.

It is not a secret that the Queen has a lover,

King Edward VII was very angry about this. After Queen Victoria was buried, he demolished and destroyed any royal property that mentioned the Queen's lover's name.

It can be seen that this is an open secret.

But what everyone doesn't know is that in her last wish, the Queen requested that her and her lover's wedding ring be worn on the ring finger of her left hand.

This matter was left to Reed.

Reed racked his brains and came up with a way——

Cover it with flowers.

This trick can really confuse auditions.

So, the queen entered the coffin holding her husband's hand (a plaster hand statue) in her right hand and wearing her lover's ring on her left hand.

Reed's lips trembled,

"Pure love..."

Lu Shi looked over,

"Sir Reed, I'm sorry. I made you laugh."

Reed shook his head, patted Lu Shi on the shoulder, and said, "I sincerely wish the Mirror will get better and better."

Lu Shi scratched his head after hearing this.

He always felt that the other party seemed to want to say something.