British writer.

Chapter 138 The blue is better than the blue
As soon as Lu Shi left the room, two female officers, doctors and nurses rushed in.

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

When they stared at Lu,

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

It is impossible for Lu Shi to disclose the things the Queen explained to the public.

He shook his head seriously, but didn't answer.

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 British emperor and said helplessly: "Your Highness, I am very sorry. I really cannot tell you what Her Majesty the Queen told me, and I am afraid that even you can't. This is a private agreement between me and the Queen. "

The Prince of Wales couldn't help frowning.

Margarita stepped forward,

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

The princess refers to the queen's confidant——

James Reid.

According to records, Victoria dictated a suicide note before her death, expressing to Reid all the things she would bring in her coffin,
Its secret instructions run to 12 pages.

This is really difficult,
Because according to the rules, when the old king dies, there will naturally be a new king to take charge of the funeral. It is obviously against the rules to skip the king and hold 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 of the super-large sarcophagus with thick charcoal, and then covering the nightgown of the queen's husband, Prince Albert.

In addition, there are various small objects that Victoria loves:
Shawls, handkerchiefs, rings, books, photographs, jewelry boxes, bracelets...

I can't imagine what kind of chaos will be inside the coffin.

This also shows that Wales is a humble person.

He thought of Reed, with a relaxed expression, and bowed to Lu Shi in a gentlemanly way,
"Sorry, I'm also worried about the damage to the dignity of the British royal family, so I'm a little..."

The voice has not fallen,

squeak-

With a soft sound, the door was opened, and the female officer poked her head out,
"Your Highness, His Majesty is calling you."

The Prince of Wales saluted again when he landed,

"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 really wanted to help Lu Shi herself,
But the queen is like this, it is obvious that it will fail, and it is not appropriate for the descendants to 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 is not so blind."

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 knighthood.

He stepped forward cautiously,

"Your Highness, I still have something important to do, so I'll leave first."

The Prince of Wales said "hmm",
"Professor Lu, just do your best for the Queen."

The two nodded knowingly,
It's all in it.

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.

It was completely dark when we got to Brear Road.

The gray, stinking mist peculiar to London hit the air,
The crude laughter of sailors came from the bar,

Not long after, the door of the bar opened, and two burly men came out with a drunk on their shoulders, and pushed him to the base of the nearest wall, and soon there was a violent vomiting sound,

Then there is the disgusting scolding:
"Fxxk! You pissed on my shoe! No, I have to pee on your shoe, or I'll die."

Then there was the sound of dripping water.

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

Lu Shi listened to the noise, the corners of his mouth curled up,
I have indeed returned to London.

He knocks on the door.

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

Lu Shi chuckled,

"I. I'm back. The law and order in London is not so bad. A break-in happened..."

Before he could finish speaking, the door was opened.

Natsume Soseki: "Riku!"

My generation: "Meow!"

Both the person and the cat were 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, Buiya Road is still as warm as ever.

We licked our fingers when we landed,
"Meow~"

Natsume Soseki seemed to have just fallen asleep and was not yet fully awake.
He rubbed his eyes and said, "The little guy misses you."

Lu Shi asked: "What?"

Natsume Soseki explained: "Recently, Miss Phyllis came to deliver newspapers every day. When I heard the knock on the door, I ran over and sat facing the door. I flicked my tail and waited anxiously. In the end, it was not you who came. , and went back under the bed in disappointment."

Lu Shi chuckled and squeezed my chin,

"Miss me so much?"

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

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

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."

Immediately, I pulled the chicken steak away with my claws, and ate it with a "meow meow meow".

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 very 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 finishing speaking, both of them couldn't help laughing out loud.

Natsume Soseki continued: "She became famous abroad earlier than you. Now she has been invited by Milan, Rome and many other places, and she will set off to perform in a few days. How about you, did you just write "Country Teacher"?" How long, only popular in Paris."

Lu Shibai glanced at each other,
"(ˉ▽￣～) Cut~~, 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 longed for it,

"Have you seen Toon?"

Anyone who comes into contact with European literature, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky will always be 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 organize a charity fund, and you are also planning to hold a science fiction literature award in France. There are so many things going on, why are you rushing 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 LSE students, Nikolic and Solomon;

The two groups of people did not know each other, and stared at each other.

Lu Shi greeted them: "What are you doing outside? Come in soon!"

Only then did the four realize that they were all guests invited by Lu Shi. They entered the room one after another, and after taking their seats, they briefly introduced themselves.

Cooper said: "I heard about the polls a long time ago. I didn't expect you two to be in charge. Very good, young and promising."

The flowery sedan chair is carried by everyone,
Solomon and Nikolic immediately complimented back,
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 full of flowers.

Lu Shi cleared his throat,
In an instant, the room fell silent.

Everyone looked at Lu Shi, their eyes full of questions.
They all knew that it was absolutely impossible for Lu Shi to summon the four of them so late to make things happen.

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

As he spoke, he took a deep breath,

"The queen is very 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.

With a serious face, Lu Shi said, "You two, I think the one I invited here is not the editor-in-chief of "Manchester Guardian" or "Scotsman", but the consultant of "Mirror", right?"

There was no anger and prestige in his voice.

Cooper and Scott couldn't help but freeze.
at last,

"Whoo~"

Scott exhaled a breath,
"you're right."

He sat down slowly.

Cooper sat down as well.

Lu Shi said: "Both of you, I know that you have complaints and even grievances. Please rest assured that as long as you can guarantee the quality of the first issue of "Mirror", "Manchester Guardian" and "Scotman" can also get from me. to 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, nothing can be discussed.
Are the royals expected to sell the news?
not to mention……

"You are Lu Shi!"

Cooper said with a smile.

Lu Shi was puzzled and asked the other party: "What is this?"

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, Lu Shi, and Natsume Soseki laughed loudly.

Solomon and Nikolic next to them were a little confused.

They didn't know that Lu Shi had such a close relationship with Cooper and Scott, so when they heard the "hush money" and so on, they thought it was a lion who opened his mouth.

The two are students after all, 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 ticked the corner of his mouth and said, "They all say 'old boy'. I didn't expect the queen's wish to be so capricious when she was dying."

Cooper said with a smile: "Is there a ranking in "The 20 Greatest Britons"? The Queen decides first?"

Everyone laughed at the same time.

Lu Shi said: "All in all, this poll should be as powerful as possible. It should be the number one that the people want."

His idea actually came from "100 Greatest Britons (100 Greatest Britons)",
This was a voting activity organized by the British Broadcasting Corporation in 2002. After this activity was held, the media in other western countries rushed to imitate it.

The list is based on a BBC survey of more than 3 Britons, so celebrities from all walks of life may appear on the list, even John Lydon, a member of the rock band "Sex Pistols" .

Of course, Lu Shi couldn't do that.

"Who are the other 19?" he asked.

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

Lu Shi smiled and spread his hands,
"I'm not British, of course I'm listening to your opinions~"

That's a lot.

Scott snapped his fingers and said, "I can think of more than 20. 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 fleet of France and Spain in the Battle of Trafalgar and was able to protect the British island from the French army.

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 with Victoria, Elizabeth I is also a queen who is not far behind in martial arts and martial arts.
Under her rule, Britain defeated Spain's "Invincible Fleet" and began to establish maritime hegemony. In 1600, it approved the establishment of the "East India Company" and embarked on the road of colonization.
you could put it that way,
Victoria is the promoter, Elizabeth I is the founder.

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

Lu Shi said, "What if the polls show that Queen Elizabeth I has 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, "Did you forget the example that 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 be written like this:
-

[-]. Are you worried about the rise in juvenile crime?

[-]. Do you think young people like to take on challenges?

[-]. Do you think young people should put an end to freedom and looseness?
[-]. Do you support the military conscription system?
-

This set of questions clearly supports military service.

If you want people to oppose you, you should:

-

[-]. Are you worried about war?
[-]. Do you think it is dangerous for young people to learn to kill people with guns?
[-]. Do you disagree with forcing people to take up arms?

[-]. Do you oppose military service?
-

When asked about this set, it is a proper objection.

Therefore, public opinion is controllable.

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

Nikolic widened his eyes and looked at Lu Shi,
"Sorry, Professor Lu, I let you down."

"Goo-"

Lu Shi swallowed, waved his hands, and said, "There is a Chinese saying that 'know your shame and then be brave'. It doesn't matter. As long as you can 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 ahead 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 hand, Nikolic suggested: "You can also group celebrities."

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's 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, 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: "All right, all right, Nikolic and Solomon, I will leave this matter to you two. The result I want is very simple. First of all, this list of 20 people must be It must be convincing, and it can convince more than 1% of the British people; secondly, who is No.[-], I don’t need to say it?”

Nikolic and Solomon nodded,

"understand!"

Lu Shi turned to Scott and Cooper again, and said, "Both of you, I'm going to trouble you for a while, go all out and prepare for the first issue of "Mirror"!"

Both of them nodded at the same time,

After that, Scott came up and said in a low voice, "Lu, you two students can do it. In terms of guiding public opinion, I have completely learned the essence of you."

Lu Shi: "..."

Where is the essence of learning here?

This is clearly better than the old!
(End of this chapter)