Buckingham Palace

Beautiful and majestic.

After Queen Victoria's accession to the throne, it officially became a royal palace, and since then it has been used as the residence of the British royal family, continuing to modern times.

The Queen's reception and banquet of foreign guests and other important events are held here.

Stephenson walked through the square in front of the palace when he took the land,

The golden statue of the goddess of victory on the lawn stared at them wordlessly.

Stephenson said: "Mr. Lu, you don't understand the rules of the audience, it doesn't matter, but don't use the Qing government's set of kneeling etiquette." In addition, you should remember not to look at what you shouldn't see, and don't say what you shouldn't say. ”

Lu Shi nodded,

"Sir, I have a doubt. How did the Queen know about me? Is it because of "No One Left Alive"? ”

He's been thinking about it, but he doesn't think it's right.

If the queen asks about "No One Survives", Cooper and Scott will definitely remind themselves.

The corners of Stephenson's mouth curled up and he said, "I can't answer this question, but I can promise that the queen has no ill will towards you." ”

As the two spoke, they had reached a side gate at Buckingham Palace.

Stephenson pushed the door open,

Sunlight shines into the house.

It seems to be a study with tall bookshelves crammed with books on all four walls,

The crisp fragrance of the ink comes to the face.

In the center of the room, behind a long and sumptuous table sat an old lady, none other than Queen Victoria, the last king of the Hanoverian dynasty and the Empress of India, a living legend.

The queen looked up and squinted at the comer,

"Mr. Lu?"

Lu Shi stepped forward slowly, supported his left chest with his right hand, bowed forward slightly and nodded at the same time, and said, "Your Majesty." ”

Stephenson was slightly stunned,

He didn't expect Lu Shi's gentlemanly etiquette to be so standard.

The queen smiled softly,

"Fleck, don't be stunned, move a comfortable armchair for our guests."

Stephenson's name is Frederick, and his nickname is Frayke,

In the past, the queen would not call him in such an informal way in front of outsiders, but as the queen gets older, this situation is increasing.

Every time he heard that nickname, Stephenson would have a blocked nose,

The queen is old.

The most important thing is that the world can't stay, and the face of the mirror is a flowery tree,

It is said that the twilight of beauty and the end of heroes are the most regrettable things in the world, and the queen is a superposition of the two.

She is a beauty and a hero of England at the same time.

Stephenson helped Lu Shi move a chair, and then went to the side to stand still.

Lu Shi was sitting in danger.

The queen said: "Mr. Lu does not need to be nervous. I summoned you just to talk casually, like your novels, and then your views on the United States. ”

Lu Shi was stunned and didn't dare to squeak.

Stranded in China, the emperor personally asked, that is, the palace test.

When the queen saw Lu Shi's restraint, she continued: "Mr. Lu seems to feel that the United States is on the rise. ”

In fact, it is not necessary to "seem",

The United States is on the rise, this is the consensus of all entrepreneurs, politicians, and scholars.

Lu Shi thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, Britain is still the most powerful country in the world. ”

The queen couldn't help but grin,

"You just said 'still'? The word is used very carefully. I would like to thank you, an international student from the East, for not deliberately saying those nice things to please me and deceive me, you are very honest. ”

Lu Shi was praised like this, and even felt a little embarrassed,

I obviously don't have anything to do with honesty.

He said: "Your Majesty, the people revere England under your rule, and they revere you even more. When I arrived at Buckingham Palace in a horse-drawn carriage today, the citizens of London saw the Queen's Guard's iconic red uniform and consciously made a way out of the way. ”

The queen also likes the feeling of being patted on the back,

But she still said calmly: "That's not reverence, that's fear, it's fear of the law." ”

There is indeed such a law,

The Queen's Guard, as the guardian of the supreme leader of the United Kingdom, is equipped to maintain a state of responsiveness at all times, and it is illegal to stand, go against the road, or block them in the path of travel, and the soldiers of the Queen's Guard can deal with them on their own without approval.

In other words, they really have the right to empty the magazine,

The American-style kind.

Lu Shi shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, I don't mean any compliments. Your influence is huge, and many landmarks around the world are named after Victoria, Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa, Victoria in Australia, the city of Victoria in Canada, and Victoria parks all over the world......"

The Queen's eyes lit up and sparkled, as if she were fifty years younger.

She looked at Stephenson,

"Flake, is it true? I don't remember Canada...... Not...... Isn't it Brazil? ”

Stephenson's face flushed,

"Your Majesty, I ...... I'll check it out right away. ”

With that, he walked away quickly.

Soon, he returned to the room and said breathlessly, "Your Majesty, what Mr. Lu said is not wrong at all. And you remember correctly, Brazil has Victoria, and Canada has it. ”

The queen let out a soft "um" and turned to Lushi,

"Mr. Lu, you are very knowledgeable and well-informed, so it is no wonder that you have such a judgment about the United States."

Or went back to this topic.

The Queen's reign was the period of Britain's strongest "empire on which the sun never sets", known in history as the "Victorian era".

During this period, Britain increased colonial expansion, liberal capitalism developed from the ascendant to the top, and then transitioned to monopoly capitalism, the economy and culture prospered unprecedentedly, and the constitutional monarchy was fully developed.

Victoria herself became a symbol of British prosperity.

But this heyday didn't last.

After the Queen's death, the U.S. overtook the corner at incredible speed.

The date of the Queen's death was January 22, 1901, less than three months away.

Lu Shi said: "Your Majesty, I am just a foreign student, and it has not been long since I opened my eyes to the world, and the praise you just gave is really too much, and I can't afford it." ”

This sentence is not modest, Lu Shi knows very well how many catties and taels he has.

The queen was not annoyed by Lu Shi's rebuttal,

She pondered for a moment and said, "Originally, I wanted to ask Mr. Lu to work for the royal family and tutor the princess in English writing. Now it seems that there is no chance. ”

Princess......

That chick named Margarita?

A figure flashed through Lu Shi's mind, and he instantly figured out why the queen would know about it.

He hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, according to the rules, the education of the princess should be the responsibility of the nobles with titles, and I, a foreigner, are not qualified at all. What's more, it's a tutor in English writing, which I can't do at all. Taking a step back, even if aristocratic education is not taken into account, there are so many universities in London and countless well-educated people, so why use the traditional way of hiring a private tutor? ”

The queen also heard that the University of Paris was recruiting female students,

She frowned,

"Sending the princess to college? Mr. Lu went one step further. ”

Actually, it's not that radical,

Historically, the education of the British royal family will soon be reformed, and princesses will have the same opportunity to enter university as princes.

The queen bowed her head in contemplation, as if considering the feasibility of this matter.

Time passed minute by minute,

The room was extremely quiet, and the sound of steady breathing even gave Lu Shi the illusion that the queen was asleep.

I don't know how long it has been,

"Mr. Lu, thank you for visiting today."

The queen finally sent off.

Lu Shi couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, and was just about to say goodbye, but heard the other party say again: "I heard that Mr. Lu is going to write editorials for The Daily Telegraph and Manchester Guardian, and I am very much looking forward to it." ”

Just this sentence made Lu Shi's heart hang again.

How could he be targeted by the queen?