“！ @*#￥%……”

Cowen obviously didn't expect Lu Shi to be so harsh, and he was so scolded that he spat out the words.

The dispute here caused a commotion,

Not far away, the staff of the library cast their eyes, staring at the three East Asians of Landing, Gu Hongming, and Natsume Soseki, their eyes full of curiosity.

Someone walked over,

It was an elderly white man, dressed in a delicate shirt,

But because he had to work, his sleeves were rolled up, revealing his arms covered with brown body hair.

He asked in a low voice, "Shadney, just to ask you to do a simple little favor, why did you get into an argument with a visitor?" ”

Cowan quickly explained: "Sir Oz, it's not what you think. ”

He repeated what had just happened, but did not add oil or vinegar.

Then, he said indignantly: "What is wrong with what I said? The British Museum is a great way to protect artefacts! Besides, these artifacts are the wealth of all mankind and should not be confined to some kind of nationalism. ”

Looking at the way Cowen looked, he seemed convinced of his own point of view.

Gu Hongming snorted coldly,

"Ridiculous."

Sir Oz glared at Cowen fiercely, and motioned for Cowen to shut up quickly,

Subsequently, he turned to Gu Hongming,

"Professor Lu, I'm sorry."

This oolong had an unexpected effect,

There was silence in the air,

“……”

“……”

“……”

The atmosphere that was originally tense turned into an indescribable weirdness at this time.

Lu Shi coughed lightly,

"I'm a visiting professor of economics in London, Lu Shi."

Sir Oz's eyes almost popped out of his sockets,

He withdrew his hand in embarrassment, wiped the sweat from his palm, and then stretched it out to Lu Shi again, and said, "Professor Lu, the contemptible Lezwan Oz, is in charge of the preparation of the British Library in London. It was a faux pas. ”

Reach out and don't hit the smiling man,

Lu Shi nodded and shook hands with the other party.

"Cultural relics need to be maintained and protected by people, and people can't transcend their own environment, no matter how hard that person tries his best," Oz said. ”

Lu Shi frowned tightly, and his lips moved.

Seeing that he was about to say something to refute, Oz preemptively said: "It is true that the British Empire is to blame for some things, and I also object to some of its actions. But my personal ability is small, and I can only act within my own authority. ”

This kind of discourse can be said to be very classic.

Lu Shi didn't even bother to refute.

Oz saluted and said, "Professor Lu, about those two volumes of the Yongle Canon, I will send someone to keep them now." Today, we are not talking about state affairs, but only about cultural relics, literature, history, and archaeology. ”

This is said to gag people's mouths.

Lu Shi raised his eyebrows,

"Okay. However, Ling still put away the "Yongle Canon" first. ”

Oz saluted again,

"Yes, yes, get down to business first."

With that, he pulled Covin aside.

Watching their backs disappear, Gu Hongming said in a low voice: "Robbers! ”

Before, he may have been persuaded by Cowen's set of "cultural relics are the wealth of all mankind", but after coming into contact with Lu Shi, coupled with what he saw, heard, and thought during this time, his mentality changed.

Lu Shi nodded,

"Robber logic indeed."

……

On the other side, Oz pulled Corvin into the shadows between the two rows of bookshelves.

He whispered, "What are you guilty of!?" ”

Covin has a black face,

In terms of position, he is actually on the same level as Oz,

But Oz has a knighthood and is an old-timer, so he can call out to young people in a majestic manner.

But in the battle of ideas, Cowen will not back down,

He said, "Is there something wrong with what I said?" ”

Oz snorted coldly,

"Does it matter if there's something wrong? Have you forgotten Lu Shi's identity? In addition to his guest appearance in London politics and economics, he was also a satirist! At the same time, his is very popular, and his plays are also extremely popular in London, such a person, can you mess with? ”

Cowen couldn't figure it out,

"We are the British Museum, and we are afraid of him?"

Of course not to be afraid.

For two centuries, Britain was open to "robbery", otherwise there would be no privateers, let alone the East India Company,

In the name of the Queen, the robbery is reasonable and legal.

Oz helplessly,

"Can we stop causing trouble? Have you forgotten Victor Hugo? ”

"This ......"

Cowen was speechless.

Any imperialist who thinks of Hugo will have a big head,

After the invasion of China by the Anglo-French forces, Butler wanted to use Hugo's prestige to make Hugo stinky for the victory of the expedition to China.

But Hugo did not give face at all, and wrote the famous "Letter to Captain Butler on the Anglo-French Expedition to China", openly reprimanding the French government like a robber, reversing black and white, and not ashamed, but proud.

This incident has caused a very large repercussion.

Of course, a literati and an open letter don't decide anything,

However, there is still a lot of pressure from public opinion.

Covin muttered: "He can compare to Hugo......"

Oz glanced at the other party,

"Don't you know that Yes! How much of an impact did Prime Minister have on the Cabinet? And, if you think about it, when he comes to borrow books, who greets him, the Earl of Kimberley, the Duke of Devon...... Let's be honest and don't get into trouble. ”

Cowen has been convinced,

But he still couldn't help but complain about Oz in his heart,

Oz admired Lu Shi so much, but when they met, he mistook the bad old man next to him for Lu Shi, which is quite funny to think about.

Cowen asked curiously, "Sir, what you just said is your true opinion?" ”

Oz was puzzled,

"What point of view? Which phrase are you referring to? ”

Cowen said: "That's the sentence, you also object to the British ......."

Oz nodded,

"Well, it's really what I really think. And, frankly, what I just said was somewhat hurtful. If you read the Chinese classics, you will understand that they are a unified country, and they cannot understand the idea that the people and the government can be viewed separately. ”

The corners of Covin's mouth twitched, thinking that he couldn't look at them separately,

He directly pointed out the other party's mistake: "Sir, don't forget, how did you get those Chinese classics. ”

Oz didn't pick up.

This silence represents Oz's attitude.

Covin refuted the other party, his heart was slightly refreshed, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but hook an arc.

Unexpectedly, Oz opened his mouth,

"Then you just said, 'Cultural relics are the wealth of all mankind, and should not be narrowed to some kind of nationalism', but you actually know that you are hypocritical?"

This time it was Cowen's turn.

Oz said: "Shadney, people are selfish, and I am eager to study those texts, so I ......"

Before he could finish speaking, a voice sounded behind him:

"Sir Oz."

"Scare !!!!!" ×2

Both Oz and Cowin were taken aback.

The two turned back,

I saw Lu Shi standing there leaning on the bookshelf, looking at them with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Goo......

Oz swallowed and said, "Professor Lu? ”

Lu Shi smiled: "It's almost like today, I'll wait to come back tomorrow." ”

Oz nodded repeatedly, and then glanced at Covin,

Cowen immediately stepped forward,

"Professor Lu, I'll send you and your companions out."

Lu Shi said "um" and followed the other party to the other end of the bookshelf.

After walking a few steps, he came back as if he remembered something, and said to Oz: "Sir, you just said that you would put away the Yongle Canon, why don't you act?" Don't forget~"

Oz was worried about what would happen to Lu Shi just now, but fortunately it was just this small thing.

He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, and hurriedly promised: "This will be done!" Let's do it! ”

After saying that, I ran to greet the staff.

Lu Shi watched him leave, so he followed Cowen to find Gu Hongming and Natsume Soseki and go out.

Along the way, I studied literature obediently, no longer talking about those that I didn't have, but instead introduced some of the collections of the British Museum, and tried my best to avoid Chinese cultural relics.

I walked near the door, but I was fine.

Sunset

The clouds in the sky were stained with a thick red.

At this time, a staff member ran over in small steps,

He whispered to Cowen: "Sir, a captain has come from outside and wants us to help assess the value of a jade pendant, and we have made an offer of 25 pounds. He is not satisfied, and he insists on negotiating with you. ”

Cowen was a little confused,

"Jade pendant? Let's not care about the jade pendant......"

The staff said: "The jade pendant was tied to the painting, and the staff in the hall didn't figure it out, so they were directly assigned here." ”

Cowen was slightly impatient,

"Really...... You can't work with this group of people who don't know anything. ”

This kind of complaint, the staff has become commonplace,

He kept his head down, and the power was unheard.

Seeing that there was no one to respond to his venting, Cowen inevitably felt bored, so he said: "In this way, you go and tell the big soldier that we don't know how to value jade, and 25 pounds is a very high price." If he wasn't satisfied, let him try something else. ”

After speaking, he added another sentence,

"Or, it's not impossible to change museums."

The staff turned and left.

When Covin turned to land,

"Professor Lu, I'm smiling at you. Not every position at the British Museum today has staff who can match it. ”

Lu Shi nodded and looked around,

We have arrived in the square in front of the main building of the museum, where the majestic statue of Queen Victoria stands quietly, looking down on the people on the lawn.

Lu Shi said: "Let's get here, let's go out by ourselves." ”

Cowen wiped the sweat from his forehead,

"It's finally ......"

Lu Shi chuckled: "What is it in the end?" ”

Covin waved his hand again and again,

"No, no, no. Professor Lu is coming back tomorrow, right? When you arrive, just ask the doorman to find me. ”

That's what I said, but I thought in my heart that I would definitely call for sick leave tomorrow,

The young visiting professor of London politics and economics in front of him is too difficult to deal with, so let old man Oz come by himself.

Lu Shi was like a mirror in his heart, and he didn't pierce the other party,

"In that case, I'll trouble tomorrow."

Cowan hurriedly said goodbye, and then left in a puff of smoke.

Lu Shi and the three of them walked towards the gate.

Gu Hongming looked at the sun that was about to set, sighed, and said, "I didn't expect to encounter this kind of thing today." This British Museum is really ...... It's ......."

I couldn't find a suitable description for a while.

Lu Shi said: "I understand. ”

Gu Hongming looked at him,

"I haven't said anything, you understand?"

Lu Shi nodded,

"The British Museum is really uncomfortable. In a general sense, the primary function of museums is to educate and research, but this is not the case with the British Museum, which is more inclined to show the power of the British state. ”

Gu Hongming admired it very much,

He couldn't figure it out himself, or he wanted to understand it but didn't know how to express his feelings, Lu Shisan made it clear in three or two sentences.

Natsume Soseki on the side said, "I feel that the quality of the exhibitions here is very average. ”

Gu Hongming agreed: "That's right, I see that many exhibits don't even have labels for descriptions, which is quite outrageous. ”

They spit a lot again.

Come to the door,

Lu Shi stretched out in the sunset and said lazily: "For ordinary tourists, the British Museum is indeed a very contradictory place. First of all, it's crowded here. ”

Gu Hongming: ???

Natsume Soseki: ???

The two of them were confused, and they both thought they had heard it wrong.

Unexpectedly, Lu Shi repeated: "It's just very crowded here." Because London is the place with the largest number of international students, the British Museum is next to University College London, and it is crowded all day long. Anyway, when I see so many people, I have a big head. ”

Gu Hongming smiled bitterly,

He didn't expect Lu Shi to be talking about this topic seriously.

Lu Shi said again: "Besides, I'm not a masochist, how could I want to come here to see the history of the motherland being robbed?" ”

Natsume Soseki nodded,

"That's right, this place is indeed full of the glory and grandeur of the empire on which the sun never sets."

Britain has always enjoyed privileges in Japan,

It was not until 1894 that the Japan-Britain Treaty of Commerce and Navigation was signed, and the unequal treaties and extraterritoriality of the Western powers against Japan came to an end.

Of course, this end is only nominal.

Natsume Soseki also has a love-hate relationship for the UK.

The three of them chatted and walked out the door.

As they passed by the porter, they saw a soldier in his early forties arguing with the doorman, with a red face and a thick neck, as if he had been wronged by something.

The doorman looked calm, and turned over and over with only one sentence: "Please go back." ”

The military is furious,

"Such a good piece of jade pendant, only give me 25 pounds!? Isn't that a joke!? ”

Gu Hongming stopped,

Only Orientals understand and love jade, so it is inevitable to be curious.

He lowered his voice and said to Lu Shi, "It should be the captain that Mr. Cowin just mentioned." ”

All three looked at what the captain had in his hand,

It's a picture scroll,

The scroll is tied with a simple jade buckle.

Gu Hongming couldn't stand it anymore, and reminded the other party: "That's a jade buckle, not a jade pendant." ”

The soldier was still arguing with the guard, but when he suddenly heard this, he subconsciously cast his eyes at Gu Hongming,

He asked, "Chinese?" ”

Gu Hongming nodded, pointed to the painting scroll in the other party's hand, and said kindly: "Do you need my help?" ”

This is said in good faith.

Unexpectedly, the soldier refused outright,

"No! I can figure it out myself! ”

Gu Hongming couldn't help frowning and said: "Westerners like gemstones, and Orientals like jade, why don't you find a professional ......?"

Before the words fell, he felt Lu Shi pulling his sleeve.

He looked at Lu Shi and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?" ”

Lu Shi nodded in the direction of the soldiers,

"Don't you feel a little nervous when he hears that we are Chinese? I'm afraid that the things in his hand are not coming from the right way, so he is a thief. ”

Gu Hongming suddenly realized,

"I see."

He shook his head,

"That's it, let him go."

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave.

Unexpectedly, the soldier seemed to be persuaded by the sentence "Westerners like gemstones, and Orientals like jade", hesitated for a moment, and actually chased after the three of them, saying: "This old gentleman, I spoke a little impulsive just now, and I apologize to you." ”

The soldier hands over the things in his hands,

"Please help me appreciate it."

He is indeed a thief with a weak heart,

But than being suspected by the Chinese, he is more worried that what he has in his hand will not sell for a good price.

If it's not for money, why would he join the army?

(End of chapter)