British writer

January 2, 1902

That was the day after Lu Shi was awarded the title.

LSE,

Office of the Superintendent of Schools.

Bernard Shaw sat in his armchair, reading the newspapers one after another,

Le Figaro,

"Le Monde\

,""Shuguang Newspaper\

,"…

Because they are all in French, I can’t read them very fast.

Opposite George Bernard Shaw sat an old English gentleman,

He is almost bald,

Starting from the forehead, the hair in the middle gradually becomes thinner, leaving most of the scalp exposed, while the hair on both sides is slightly thicker, forming a sharp contrast with the middle.

It looked like a braised egg with two tufts of hair next to it.

This man's name is William Randall Creamer,

A well-known social activist, he was a member of the First International and, like Frederic Passy, ​​a founder of the Parliamentary League for Arbitration and Peace.

In two years he would receive the Nobel Peace Prize for it.

"Huh~"

Bernard Shaw let out a sigh of relief.

"I don't feel very optimistic."

Creamer said "hmm" and said, "I didn't expect that Mr. Zola's posthumous name would cause such a large-scale discussion."

The two smiled bitterly at each other.

After a while, Creamer asked: "Will Sir Lu come today?"

George Bernard Shaw was curious,

"How do you know him?"

Do you still need to know each other?

Who in Britain today, whether in academic circles, literary circles, or political circles, doesn't know Lu Shi?

But to some extent, Creamer does have his own "way\

,""Frederick told me about him."

George Bernard Shaw recalled,

"Ah...I remembered that Mr. Passy is this year's Peace Prize winner."

Creamer nodded and said: "When Frederick talked about Sir Lu, he focused on his two identities: first, internationalist; second, humanitarian. Coincidentally, his KBE is It was awarded for this reason.”

Bernard Shaw curled his lips,

In the eyes of a thousand people, there are a thousand Lu Shi,

This "thousand land hours" may be a positive image or a negative image, but both are impressive.

Bernard Shaw said: "What do you mean, Mr. Lu and Mr. Passi met in Stockholm?"

Creamer nodded,

"Sir Lu also helped write the Charter of the Parliamentary Assembly. He is really brilliant in writing and makes people excited to listen to it."

He even began to recite:

"

‘We are jointly determined to

To prevent future generations from suffering the unspeakable scourge of war that humanity has experienced in this generation...'

"

Bernard Shaw shook his head when he heard this.

As a social activist, he supports women's rights, advocates income equality, and advocates the abolition of private property, so he deeply agrees with Lu Shi's "IPU Charter."

After Creamer finished reciting, he even took out a bottle of wine.

"Lu's charter is so well written! It actually makes me want to have a drink!"

He raised his cup,

"William, are you coming?"

Creamer waved his hand and whispered: "I'm old, I should quit early~"

He brought the topic back to Emile Zola and asked him: "Mr. Xiao, do you think Mr. Zola should receive honor?"

Although the mountain-headism in the literary circle is not as high as in the academic circle, let alone in the political arena, mutual strife has existed since time immemorial.

Just like Heise,

Because of the discussion about naturalism, he once exchanged words with Zola in the newspaper.

But one of them spoke German and the other spoke French, and the newspaper was slow to deliver news, so the exchange ended after a few rounds.

Similarly, Bernard Shaw did not necessarily like naturalism.

Fortunately, he nodded and said: "Mr. Zola deserves to be buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery or Montmartre Cemetery and receive high-standard treatment."

Creamer was relieved.

"That's how it should be, and I think so too."

The corners of Bernard Shaw's lips curled up,

"Why, you're trying to find out what I'm talking about first. Are you worried that I might 'slander' Lu?"

Creamer does worry about this;

I had heard before that Bernard Shaw and Lu Shi had been friends for many years and were very close to each other.

If George Bernard Shaw was truly intent on sabotage, there would certainly be consequences.

Of course, this cannot be said explicitly.

Creamer laughed,

"I'm just worried that you and Mr. Zola don't have the same ideas."

Bernard Shaw looked indifferent,

"You mean naturalism? Indeed, I think that kind of writing method that imitates cats and tigers is a bit childish and has no aesthetic feeling. But that is a dispute over creative ideas and will not affect my judgment of a person's character."

Creamer replied: "That's not what I want to say. You support the abolition of private ownership. And Mr. Zola predicted in his book "Labour" that if you do that, there will be very funny situations in the future. He gave an example: Sometimes there is no soap at all in the store; other times the shelves are full and demand exceeds supply."

Otherwise everyone would say that Zola was a master,

His prophecy would indeed come true in the future regime that would succeed Tsarist Russia.

But George Bernard Shaw couldn't see that far and was about to retort,

At this time, there was a knock on the door,

Dong dong dong——

At the same time, there was Lu Shi's voice: "Old Xiao, it's me."

Bernard Shaw went over to open the door;

"land……"

He smacked his lips and joked: "Sir Lu."

Lu Shibai glanced at the other party,

"Brother, we have known each other for such a long time, why don't you stop making fun of me?"

Bernard Shaw spread his hands,

"I'm just joking with you because I've known you for a long time."

He introduced Lu Shi into the office,

"If Mr. Creamer calls you 'Sir Lu,' he really means it."

Lu Shi knew Patsy, and naturally knew Creamer.

He stepped forward to shake hands with the other party, and then asked straight to the point: "Why is there such controversy after the death of a literary giant like Mr. Zola? Are the French people crazy?"

Creamer was helpless,

"It's not like having a twitch...well, some people do have a twitch."

He pointed to the newspaper spread out on the table,

"Of course, there are some people who are sober and determined."

By implication, the French were divided into two groups regarding Zola.

Bernard Shaw reminded: "Lu, you should read Le Monde first. That is the correct view."

Lu Shi picked up the newspaper from Jian Ruliu,

He read in a low voice:

"

'Emile took all the risks, regardless of his own safety, reputation, and even his life, to use his talents and write in the service of truth.

He is an outstanding literary figure and a defender of ethics and morals.

When others remain silent, he expresses himself. ’

…

"

Very smooth.

Creamer was stunned beside him.

Although I knew that Lu Shi could write in French, it still felt different to see that I could read a newspaper at a glance.

No wonder Frederick said Lu Shi was a genius,

Really awesome.

Lu Shi put down the newspaper,

"This is an article written by Mr. France, and his evaluation is very objective. No, it should be said that the words of praise he used are not rich enough. Mr. Zola deserves higher praise."

He sighed,

"Speaking of which, how did Mr. Zola die?"

In his mind, Zola died of gas poisoning in his apartment in Paris on September 28, 1902.

Now that it has been brought forward, it is really a loss for literature.

Creamer glanced at Lu Shi cautiously,

strange silence,

"..."

Faintly, Lu Shi felt a strange feeling in his heart.

He didn't say anything, waiting for the answer quietly.

It took a long time before Creamer uttered one word: "Shipwreck."

Lu Shi was confused,

"What?"

Creamer said helplessly: "Sir Lu, you rated Mr. Zola very highly in Stockholm, which made him very proud. So, he wants to go back to the UK to have a look... Of course, these are just speculations and there is no evidence."

The reason why I say "return to England" is because Zola's first stop in exile was London.

Later, I went to the United States after many twists and turns.

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"This cannot be hearsay. I know that there must be some reason for the so-called 'speculation'."

Creamer said softly, "Yeah".

"Yes. When sorting out Mr. Zola's belongings, the crew found his notes, which contain his thoughts. There are two main reasons why he chose to return to England: first, he wanted to communicate with you face to face; second, he wanted to revisit his old place. ."

Lu Shi still didn't understand.

Zola had just been released from prison, and there was no reason why his heart should soar after hearing a stranger's comment.

While he was puzzled, he thought of a work——

"reverse".

It is a drama about equality, and it is now popular in colleges and universities across the United States.

And Zola devoted his life to equality,

In addition, he had been in exile in the United States, so it was normal for him to have heard about it.

Lu Shi was helpless,

"It turned out to be like this..."

Bernard Shaw patted him on the shoulder,

"Lu, don't think too much, I don't blame you for this."

Lu Shi was not a moral guardian, and of course he would not blame himself for this.

But when I think about a great writer from far away admiring me so much, it's impossible not to have thoughts in my heart, and it's even more impossible not to have fluctuations in my emotions.

At the beginning of time travel, he was thinking about self-preservation and living as well as he could.

But now, his mind has changed,

Now that you have integrated, some things should stand out.

What's more, he now has the ability, status, and money, so many things can be done easily.

Lu Shi said: "Shall we talk in detail?"

Creamer shook his head,

"Sir Lu, you'd better read the opposing side's point of view first. Just read Le Figaro."

Lu Shi smiled,

"Mr. Creamer doesn't know something. I know the whole story of Mr. Zola's exile, so there is no need to..."

Creamer interrupted: "Let's take a look before making a conclusion."

"Ah this..."

Lu Shi was surprised,

"Since you said so, fine."

He opened "Le Figaro" and found the section that commented on Zola,

Unexpectedly, the title of the article was called "Protecting Innocence".

——

Childhood is the best part of life, it represents innocence, innocence, kindness and happiness.

Children always express their emotions and thoughts in the most authentic way. They will not hide their emotions or deceive others.

…

It's a pity that in Mr. Zola's works, innocence seems to be filthy.

That famous female character——

Nana,

By the time she was six, she "already looked like a scoundrel";

When he was ten years old, "the bad boy walked unsteadily in front of Landier like a woman, and looked at him askance, his eyes full of evil";

At the age of fifteen, she was "as plump as a calf, with very white skin, red lips, and eyes like two bright lamps. All the men wanted to light their pipes on her lamp."

Soon, she started charging for her body.

…

——

Lu Shi was confused.

"how so?"

Zola was exiled because of a spy case——

Dreyfus case.

Dreyfus was of Jewish descent and served in the French army with the rank of captain.

He was convicted and quickly imprisoned.

Zola stood up and published the article "Scherer Dreyfus\

,"Afterwards, he wrote "I Accuse: A Letter to the President of the Republic", exposing the military's evil deeds and accusing several senior French military officials by name as the main conspirators.

(PS: The article "I Accuse" is very famous.)

France was divided over the Dreyfus case:

One party advocates a retrial, calls for the truth to be disclosed and mistakes corrected;

One party opposed the retrial and believed that traitors must be executed.

Both sides actually have names, the former is called the "League of Human Rights" and the latter is called the "League of the Fatherland of France".

The impact of this incident on society is evident.

A new word has even been popularized——

Intellectuals.

As a class, it has been given special significance.

Intellectuals have their own professional knowledge, but at the same time they pay attention to public affairs, safeguard fairness and justice, and strive to tell the truth to the people.

But speaking out comes at a price, and revenge will come as expected,

The military sentenced Zola to one year in prison and a fine of 3,000 francs for libel.

Zola was forced into exile.

Later, although the military court retried the case, it upheld the original verdict and declared Dreyfus guilty, but added: "The criminal circumstances were special and the circumstances were extenuating."

But even so, many people still feel that they have been refuted.

But this also allowed Zola to return to France and continue the struggle.

Lu Shi scratched his head,

"I thought they would make a fuss about the Dreyfus case and focus on patriotism~"

Next to him, Bernard Shaw took a puff of his pipe.

"They might have done that before the "Chao Wen Dao" incident was blocked."

Lu Shi laughed dumbly,

Because of Nicholas II’s idiot-like operation, the media all over the world understood the truth:

If you want to make a hot search, it's absolutely not possible for both parties to fight back and forth.

That will only heat things up more.

The way to reduce the heat is to find new hot spots to cover up the previous hot spots, or to start smearing the parties from other places.

But Zola's problem is quite obvious.

There are so many erotic descriptions in his novels!

It is true that there are many French people who write about that matter, and there are also many who are explicit about it.

But as the report said, the Nana portrayed by Zola appeared as a supporting role in "The Bistro" at the age of six. By the time "Nana" was released, she had become a gorgeous woman who made all men bow to her. main character.

No matter how receptive the French are to this, if you tell them,

"Three-year-olds look young and seven-year-olds look old. This girl is destined to be sold in the future."

They must disagree.

This is the logic of the article "Protecting Innocence".

Lu Shi snorted coldly,

"These people are quite smart. They don't dare to attack from the front. Instead, they want to play some moral smear campaign."

Bernard Shaw's expression was also very cold, and he said: "The French literary world is on the side of Mr. Zola. Have those people ever played with pens? And it's not just pens. The one who sought justice for Dreyfus was also Mr. Monet. "

Monet exhibited a complete set of "Water Lilies" at the World Expo, which has become a French cultural symbol that no one can afford to offend.

Lu Shi fell into deep thought,

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and asked Creamer: "Mr. Creamer, how did you get involved in this matter?"

Creamer shrugged.

“Wherever humanitarianism is needed, I am there.”

Lu Shi felt a chill when he heard it.

This guy, doesn’t he think he’s handsome when he talks like this?

He and Bernard Shaw looked at each other,

Eye contact, everything is silent.

Creamer's head is full of black lines,

￣□￣｜｜,

"Hey! Don't say anything! I'm so embarrassed!"

He said helplessly: "Actually, there is nothing wrong with what I just said. But this matter is mainly Frederick's idea. As a Frenchman, he believed that the military's retaliation against Mr. Zola was extremely excessive, so he ran around ."

Lu Shi understood,

“It turns out that it was Mr. Passi’s credit for the court’s concession.”

"this……"

Creamer seemed to become more embarrassed;

After a long while, he said: "No, he is running to try to commute Mr. Zola's sentence. Didn't the French military accuse Mr. Zola of defamation and imprison him for one year?"

"Tsk..."

Lu Shi was speechless and said nothing.

Bernard Shaw, who was standing next to him, asked very insightfully: "Mr. Zola ended up living in exile for four or five years. Is this considered a reduction or not?"

My brother is indeed a genius at chatting, and he can chat to death in just one sentence.

The room fell silent again,

"..."

"..."

"..."

No one spoke.

If Bernard Shaw felt something, he looked at Lu Shi,

"Lu, um... do you smoke a pipe?"

Lu Shi: "..."

"Old Xiao, you know I don't smoke. Besides, in order to lighten the atmosphere, don't harm me!"

Bernard Shaw muttered: "Lu, you really don't know how to chat."

Lu Shi: Fuck!

Ten thousand grass and mud horses galloped past in my heart.

Creamer said: "Professor Lu, what can you do about this matter?"

Lu Shi fell into deep thought,

In fact, France, as an old revolutionary base, changes every year.

In early 1902, nationalists could still write nonsense in newspapers and slander Zola.

But according to the original timeline, if Zola died on September 28, 1902, there would be no problem with his burial in Montmartre Cemetery.

Despite harassment by nationalist groups, the funeral procession still numbered more than 20,000 people, including Dreyfus.

In 1906, the French High Court would declare that the accusation against Dreyfus was no longer established.

Shortly thereafter, his rank was restored and he was promoted to major.

Therefore, Lu Shi could have done nothing, and the wheel of history would rectify Zola's name, and it would not take a few years.

But now that the matter is at hand, there is absolutely no reason for him to stay out of it.

“I would respond with literature,” he said.

"Huh~"

Creamer let out a sigh of relief.

"It's good that you agree. Otherwise, Frederick would have come from France and tried every means to convince you. Of course, how could the person who compiled the "IPU Charter" stand by and watch such a thing?"

Next to him, Bernard Shaw is more practical,

He asked: "Lu, from which aspect are you planning to create?"

Lu Shi pondered,

"Since the other party wants to talk about innocence, then I will play with them."

He glanced at the two of them,

"Old Xiao, Mr. Creamer, how do you think we should understand the innocence of children?"

This proposition is too big.

Bernard Shaw frowned and said, "Lu, this subject matter is very dangerous."

Creamer shook his head,

"Mr. Xiao, I think it's too early to say this. The world today is changing very fast, and all kinds of themes are blooming. Just a year ago, you can think of "Country Teacher", "Yes! Prime Minister", and "Animal Farm" Such a work?"

Bernard Shaw pondered,

Then, he showed a convinced smile,

"In the final analysis, it still depends on the quality of the work. If it is well written, dangerous subjects can become safe; if it is not well written, safe subjects can also become dangerous."

This is to the point.

Lu Shi found paper and pen,

In an instant, countless works flashed through his mind.

Creamer wondered,

"Sir Lu, are you also going to write about girly themes?"

Lu Shi couldn't help but laugh,

"Why would Mr. Creamer ask that?"

Creamer shrugged.

"Human nature is hypocritical. Even though many girls now start selling their bodies at the age of twelve or thirteen, adults still like to pretend not to see it. It is a good idea to pierce this hypocrisy."

Being reminded like this, Lu Shi instantly thought of "Lolita".

But after hesitating for a moment, he still shook his head.

That book should not be taken out directly.

"In that case..."

He murmured and wrote the title of the new book on the paper——

"hunting".