British writer

Box No. 1.

"Ah sneeze!"

"Ah sneeze!"

Lu Shi sneezed twice in succession.

Bernard Shaw looked over and said,

"It's been cold lately. Do you have a cold?"

Lu Shi touched the tip of his nose, shook his head and said, "No, I just feel my nose is a little itchy. I don't know what's going on."

George Bernard Shaw laughed,

"I think you just have a cold."

He stood up and walked to the door, asking the service staff outside to give Lu Shi a cup of hot tea.

When he came back, he said: "Is that His Majesty next door? I see Sir Stephenson and his soldiers."

Lu Shi said "hmm\

,""The Holy See of Canterbury seems to be here too. Then there's the Patriarch of the Diocese of Venice, Cardinal Salto."

"Ah this..."

Bernard Shaw looked a little surprised,

"Cardinal Sarto? I've heard that he is a strong contender for the next pope."

Lu Shi was stunned for a moment and then remembered,

Wasn't Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto later Pius X?

Taking this name as an expression of admiration for the traditionalism and unyielding character of the late Pope Pius IX.

George Bernard Shaw shrugged,

"However, Cardinal Sarto is not the most popular candidate. The one with the highest voice is definitely Cardinal Rampolla, who has promoted the improvement of relations between the Holy See and France."

Lu Shi smiled,

"That may be difficult~Austro-Hungary and France have never dealt with it."

The reason why we talk about Austria-Hungary is that its emperor Franz Joseph I, as the head of the Habsburg family, has the legal authority of the Holy Roman Empire, and the emperor has veto power over the results of the papal election.

Bernard Shaw was surprised,

"Aren't the election ceremonies of the Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel all conducted in secret? How would outsiders know?"

Lu Shi curled his lips and said,

The other party's question was a bit stupid, and he didn't even bother to answer it.

Bernard Shaw also noticed it,

"That's right. The emperor is not a serious person. How come he doesn't have an informant within the Holy See?"

These words made Riku Toki and Natsume Soseki laugh.

at this time,

Boom——

There was drumming again.

The stage curtain slowly closed,

The third and final act of the play begins.

Clara told the truth,

However, the adults didn't believe it and thought it was a lie that Clara told under pressure.

In this way, Lucas has been ostracized by the townspeople.

After half a month of suffering, the police investigation was concluded.

He was finally cleared.

At this point in the performance, the atmosphere in the theater became much more relaxed.

Another discussion came from the first floor,

"Fortunately Lu is still human."

"What? You want to expel him?"

"It would be really disrespectful of him to allow Lucas to remain unjust."

"That's right. My heart dropped for a while, and then hung up again. Fortunately, in the end it was a relatively happy ending."

…

Bernard Shaw and Natsume Soseki were also listening with their ears pricked up.

Both of them couldn't help laughing.

Bernard Shaw winked,

"Lu, you will no longer be a human being~"

Lu Shi's head was full of black lines,

￣□￣｜｜

At this point, the drama has come to an end.

Lucas, who had reintegrated into the town, went hunting with a few friends.

While he was walking, a crossbow arrow suddenly flew past him and hit the tree trunk next to him.

The next performance was quite a test of skill, and Henry Irving performed it well.

When the crossbow arrows flew towards him, he was the first to dodge them;

This reaction showed that he thought it was an accident.

Then, he turned around and looked directly at the audience with a shocked expression, as if he didn't understand why someone would shoot arrows at him.

He wanted an explanation.

Bernard Shaw was very proud,

"How about this design that breaks the fourth wall?"

The fourth wall is a theatrical term that refers to an imaginary "wall" on the stage.

It allows the audience to see themselves in the drama.

Many people believe that this concept only appeared after movies and television became popular.

This is not the case,

The fourth wall originated from the traditional three-walled frame stage. Because the audience believed that there was a gap between drama and reality, they imagined a wall that did not actually exist at the entrance of the stage.

Irving looks directly at the audience, which is equivalent to confusing drama and reality, breaking down the wall.

"hiss……"

There was a clear sound of sucking cold air from below.

Immediately afterwards, Owen's expression changed from shock to anger.

Then, his eyes lost all light, leaving only despair.

The final narration sounded:

"

'I can't see clearly who the man who shot the arrow is.

He stood on a high slope.

Stand in the sun. ’

"

At this point, Lucas realizes that he is fighting an invincible enemy and will never gain innocence or recognition.

The drama ends.

The curtain slowly closed.

No one on the scene made a sound, it was like being cast into complete silence.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Silence roared in the theater.

George Bernard Shaw muttered: "What's going on?"

He stood up, holding on to the railing of the box and looking down.

No audience left the venue,

They are still sitting in their seats, or their bodies are tense and stiff like zombies, or they are slumped in the seats, as if their souls have been sucked away.

The atmosphere at the scene was very strange.

Bernard Shaw was confused,

"Is The Hunt a success?"

I was confident at first, but now I don't dare to make a conclusion.

Lu Shi also stood up, walked to him and said, "Did your last design of breaking the fourth wall go too far..."

Before he finished speaking, the curtain opened again.

The actors bowed and thanked the audience.

As a result, the audience finally came to their senses, and the applause surged like a tide and was deafening, as if it was going to ignite the air in the entire theater.

Praises abound,

"Perfect...perfect drama!"

“Even George Bernard Shaw’s The Widower’s Estate is far inferior!”

"More than that! All of Bernard Shaw's plays put together are not as good as this "The Hunt."

…

Bernard Shaw: "Fxxk!"

In my heart, ten thousand horses of grass and mud were galloping past.

Lu Shi comforted him,

"It's okay~ It's okay~ Didn't you also write this "Hunting"?"

George Bernard Shaw couldn't help complaining: "You don't have to say anything if you don't know how to comfort people. My heart is already bleeding. It would be better for you to poke holes in it with a knife."

Lu Shi laughed,

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Bernard Shaw was helpless,

"Shiit! Are you still laughing!?"

He sat back and took a sip of tea depressedly.

At this time, Natsume Soseki spoke,

"Mr. Superintendent, actually, I think Lu is right. In this drama, your adaptation and his original work are both crucial. Of course, Sir Owen's performance is also indispensable. For example..."

He fell into deep thought,

After a moment, he said: "After watching the play, I will think about a question, who shot the last arrow?"

Bernard Shaw was surprised,

"Didn't you think about it when you were studying?"

Natsume Soseki replied: "After reading it for the first time, I think it may be Lucas's good friend, Theo. Because he is still worried that Lucas is a criminal and a pervert, and will continue to hurt Kara... um... Clara. "

Bernard Shaw gently stroked his beard,

From the looks of it, he didn't seem to agree with Natsume Soseki's point of view.

He asked: "Did you change your mind later?"

Natsume Soseki sighed,

"Later, I thought it might be Lucas' son..."

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Bernard Shaw: "No! Impossible! Marcus is the most supportive of his father!"

Natsume Soseki nodded,

"Of course. However, it is undeniable that what happened to Marcus at school was precisely because of Lucas... No, that's too unfair to say. It should be said that it was because Lucas was falsely accused."

Bernard Shaw sighed,

"Son harming father? I think your thoughts are too dark."

Suddenly, he thought that Lu Shi was at the scene, and asked: "Lu, you wrote the book, you tell me."

Lu Shi spread his hands,

“When I was creating it, I didn’t have any assumptions about a specific person who did it.”

Natsume Soseki nodded,

"That's right! That's what I'm thinking now. After Sir Owen who played Lucas gave such a wonderful performance, I don't think it was a specific person who shot that arrow in the end."

Bernard Shaw looked like a teachable child,

A wise person can indeed realize his purpose of breaking the fourth wall.

Before the adaptation, he and Lu Shi discussed:

Who is the villain in the novel?

Apparently it's Kara.

But after carefully reading Lu Shi's words, it is not difficult to find that Lu Shi portrayed Kara as very "simple".

This kind of "simplicity" is unique to children.

They have no concept of lies,

On the contrary, when I grow up and have a profound understanding of morality and law, I will dream back at midnight and think of the things I did when I was a child. I will toss and turn and cannot fall asleep, and I will curse myself viciously: "I am really nothing!"

Therefore, Bernard Shaw finally believed that the villain of "The Hunt" may be some kind of common humanity.

Human nature is gullible and believes that children cannot lie;

Human nature is sinister, and in the eyes of some townspeople, Lucas is not a pitiful person, but an ironclad proof that they have made stupid mistakes.

This "ironclad evidence" has been flaunting in the market, constantly spreading guilt among the crowd.

Instead of repenting, people decided to "destroy the evidence."

This is the logic of that arrow.

Natsume Soseki said softly: "So, Mr. School Superintendent, your adaptation is very important. Dramas and novels are different after all. Furthermore, literary and artistic creations have different forms and different effects."

George Bernard Shaw was curious,

"Did you come up with this idea because of the comic version of "I Am Cat"?"

Natsume Soseki shook his head,

"It was because Lu and I saw the poster of "Hunting" and we talked about the symbolic meaning of animals in creation."

Bernard Shaw was also very interested,

"Really? Tell me."

…

Box number two.

"This drama is so well written!"

Edward VII applauded wildly and even uttered curse words.

However, the other three did not speak.

Unlike King Doubi, they thought more, so they were still immersed in the shock of the last scene.

Edward VII looked around,

"What? Doesn't it look good?"

Margarita sighed,

"Of course it looks good. But, Your Majesty, what do you think is good about it?"

Edward VII said "Huh?", then cleared his throat and said: "The acting is good, the plot is also exciting, and it is impressive."

Obviously, it’s impossible to tell one, two, three, four, five.

Sarto next to him whispered: "I think Sir Lu is indeed using a metaphor. Do you remember the old fable? Shoot the messenger."

According to unofficial records, the ancient Central Asian country of Khwarezm had a strange custom:

Any messenger who brings good news to the king will be promoted;

Anyone who brings bad news to the king will be fed to the tiger.

To put it simply, it means venting your anger on others.

Temple nodded,

"Yes. So what if people know they are wrong? Are they willing to reflect deeply and correct themselves? That arrow is the answer. Lucas' innocence has become a sin, making him the target of anger."

Edward VII's eyes widened,

If the Holy See and the Cardinal don't quarrel, is it because the sun is rising in the west?

He whispered: "It turns out that this drama is so complicated..."

The other three were helpless;

They had nothing to say to the king.

Unexpectedly, Edward VII said in a calm and nonchalant manner: "Since everyone will not sincerely repent, it is no wonder that the absolution charm has been sold."

"puff!"

Salto just took a sip of water and squirted.

Temple beside him was older and coughing crazily: "Cough cough cough cough cough..."

It looked like he was about to cough his lungs out.

The so-called "absolution charm" is actually an indulgence coupon.

Indulgences came from the Crusades,

In order to strengthen the religious beliefs of the soldiers, the Pope announced that all those who joined the army could have their sins remitted and issued indulgences to every crusader.

Later, indulgences were no longer exclusive to soldiers, and believers could buy them with money.

Therefore, it inevitably evolved into a means for the church to amass wealth.

The very existence of this thing was a blasphemy against the doctrine, so it was later abolished.

Temple and Salto looked at each other,

This kid Lu Shi couldn't really be hinting at something, could he?

They both started looking in the mirror again.

Margarita was speechless and choked, and said to Edward VII: "Your Majesty, can you...can you..."

I really don't know how to word it.

Edward VII:? ? ?

"Can it be anything?"

"never mind."

Margarita waved her hand,

"nothing."

King Edward VII said: "Rita, why are you acting so strange?"

Margarita complained crazily in her heart:

The strange thing is that he is clearly the king!

Which Christian would offer indulgences in front of the Holy See of Canterbury and the Cardinals?

On the other hand, Edward VII didn’t think there was anything wrong with him;

He said enthusiastically: "Archbishop Temple, Cardinal Salto, Sir Lu Shi, the original author of the novel, and Mr. Xiao, the playwright, are in the box next door. Do you want to go and meet them?"

Temple and Salto looked at each other,

moment,

"Let's go!"

The two said in unison.

Margarita: "..."

What more can be said?

Led by King Edward VII, the four of them went out and headed towards box number one.

Voices came from inside the house,

Because the sound insulation is good, I can only vaguely hear scattered sentences.

"For example, sheep... religious sacrifices... divinity and servility... symbols of scapegoats... symbols of the weak... symbols of devotees..."

"Metaphor, irony...I like...it's normal..."

"In novels... there are many..."

…

"Gu..."

Temple swallowed.

That's right!

Lu Shi was secretly satirizing the church!

He looked at Salto next to him,

But Salto's face didn't look good either, as if he had been punched hard.

Edward VII did not notice that the two religious leaders were in a bad mood and knocked on the door.

"land."

After waiting for a while, the door was punched.

Lu Shi stood at the door, looking at Temple and Salto, slightly surprised.

Temple and Sarto were also looking at Lu Shi,

A handsome East Asian with a young and energetic face, a heroic look between his eyebrows, and deep eyes full of wisdom.

They also thought:

not simple!

This guy is definitely not simple!

Lu Shi made way for him,

"Please come in."

Several people entered the door one after another.

When passing by Lu Shi, Margarita warned in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Be careful when dealing with the Archbishop and Cardinal Salto, they have super rich imaginations."

Lu Shi was confused.

"Rich imagination?"

Margarita was very depressed,

She was about to explain when the voice of Edward VII rang out: "Lu, your "Hunting" is so well written! Mr. Xiao's adaptation is also very good! The Holy See and Cardinal Salto were so shocked that they came here to have a chat. .”

Margarita curled her lips and mouthed: "Be careful when dealing with it!"

After saying that, he sat down.

Lu Shi was still confused and returned to his position in confusion.

"Thank you so much for your love."

When you don't know what the other person is thinking, you can only say a few words.

Sarto said "hmm\

,"After hesitating for a moment, he said: "Sir Lu's "Roman Holiday" is very popular in Italy, so I have heard about you for a long time. I heard that you are not only a writer, but also a historian? I wonder if you know the history of religion? "

Lu Shi answered truthfully: "I don't understand religion and theology. But when it comes to history, I know a little bit about it."

Sarto asked again: "Then what do you think of the witch hunt?"

As soon as he finished asking, Temple coughed in a low voice.

"Cough cough cough..."

He interrupted the topic and said: "Sir Lu, please don't get me wrong. The witch hunt Cardinal Salto mentioned is not a simple religious historical event."

After this reminder, Salto also realized that his question was too direct.

He quickly corrected: "Yes! Yes, yes! I'm asking about the meaning and symbol."

Lu Shi felt a little dizzy after hearing this.

Meaning and symbolism…

What an incomprehensible topic! ?

He looked at Margarita,

But I saw that Her Royal Highness the Princess was in a state of emptying herself, looking at her nose and heart with her eyes, and seemed to have given up thinking.

Lu Shi had no idea and looked at Edward VII again.

Edward VII smiled kindly,

"What are you looking at me for?"

His eyes were clear, revealing a touch of stupidity.

Lu Shiwei sighed and replied: "Witch hunting is a metaphor for a moral failure. In history, there are many cases that show that witch hunting is often based on unfounded accusations and excessive suspicion... …”

Having said this, Salto suddenly stood up.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The atmosphere in the house was strange.

Lu Shi asked: "Cardinal Salto, do you have any questions?"

Salto shook his head;

"No."

It would be strange not to have one!

Lu Shi looked at the other person's expression and then thought about what he had just said. What didn't he understand?

It turns out that Temple and Sarto suffered from "Nicholas II Syndrome"——

Take your seat.

Lu Shi's mouth twitched,

In this case, you can only use your professional knowledge and deception skills.

He said: "Of course, the witch hunt must be viewed separately."

Sarto asked in surprise: "What does this mean?"

Lu Shi spread his hands,

"Generally speaking, witch hunting has two stages. The first is the Middle Ages, when witch hunting was guided by the church and the intensity was low; from the 15th to the 18th century, private witch hunting began to rise, with the apparent motivation being religious fervor. In fact, most of them are secular motives, such as political conflicts, property disputes, personal grudges..."

This sentence can be summarized as:

The idea of ​​the church was good, but the execution by the priests below was bad.

Salto's expression finally relaxed,

"That's true. But what's the reason?"

Lu Shi continued: "From a geographical distribution point of view, folk witch hunting mostly occurs in areas where there are religious conflicts or civil wars, and there are fierce conflicts of faith between different groups..."

Before the words fell,

After another moment of rubbing, Temple stood up.

Sarto sat down instead.

Only then did Lu Shi remember,

The Anglican Church, also known as the Anglican Church, is one of the three original sects of Protestantism.

Isn’t the “conflict of faith between different groups” that I mentioned just now the rise of Protestantism and the decline of Catholicism?

He suddenly felt one head and two heads,

"Of course, there is no such problem in England. Because when the Anglicans were founded, they considered themselves part of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Many church members believe that this religion is a mixture of the old and new churches."

Temple echoed: "You are right. There is indeed not much sectarian conflict in England. Otherwise, there would have been figures like Martin Luther and Calvin."

This is quite nonsense.

For example, John Knox,

When Mary I ascended the throne of England and re-established Catholicism, he was forced to resign and leave, running to Calvin;

Another example is John Wesley,

The Methodist Church he founded spanned four regions: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

At the time of the rise of Protestantism, England was anything but peaceful.

Of course, Lu Shi would not be stupid enough to expose it.

He nodded repeatedly,

"The Archbishop is right!"

Temple was also satisfied and sat down slowly.

Lu Shi took a deep breath and concluded: "In short, the witch hunt is not what most people imagine."

Temple and Torsa both smiled;

"Professor Lu is right!"

The scene was immersed in an atmosphere of tacit understanding.

Only Edward VII still looked puzzled.

"Is this the end? Lu just said a few words, how...how did he get it right?"

However, no one paid any attention to him.

Temple shook hands with Lu Shi and said, "Sir Lu, if we encounter any difficulties and need help from Anli Ganzong, we will do our best."

This is just a simple release of kindness,

He knew that Lu Shi would not make any demands.

King Edward VII mentioned that he wanted to give Lu Shi a religious status to help him obtain GBE.

But Lu Shi refused, and in the end it was just KBE.

It can be seen that his views on religion are relatively negative, and naturally he is unlikely to ask Anli Ganzong for help.

On the other side, Torsa said: "Me too."

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"No...well..."

He seemed to have thought of something and said: "Archbishop, maybe I really need your help. I heard that the school has clergy from the church? Is the same true for girls' schools?"