Blya Road.

Night had fallen, and the room was lit with a dim gas lamp.

Lu Shi was sitting behind the table, holding a small hammer and pounding, tinkering with something.

On the side, Natsume Soseki complained: "Lu, you haven't given up yet?" I advise you to give up. This guy is already lazy out of the sky, and there is no help. ”

Lu Shi didn't pick up the stubble and continued to work with his head down.

Natsume Soseki asked, "What's the name of this thing you're doing?" Amuse...... Tease ......"

Lu Shi said: "Teasing cat." ”

He's actually tried it three times, but the finished product is extremely poor.

To be precise, the effect on our generation is extremely poor.

Previously, Lu Shi did a comparative experiment,

He used other people's cats as an experimental group,

Those cats saw the cat teasing stick, their eyes were as big as copper bells, and they bit with the rabbit fur claws at the front end of the cat teasing stick, and the amount of activity was very large;

It's good for my generation, when I look at Lu, I shake the cat stick like a fool.

Lu Shi does not believe in evil,

"I think it's because of the material. General feathers and rabbit fur are not good, but they must be made of real fur. Now the trouble is that there is no plastic...... Cough...... Anyway, I needed to find a little bit of material to make the rod body that was flexible enough to allow the front end to move quickly and attract our attention. ”

Natsume Soseki: "......"

I'm too lazy to complain.

He picked up today's mirror newspaper and read the article "Serialization, Is It Really Not Suitable for Writing a Long Story?" for the fifth time. 》，

The article is very well written and teaches a lot of real things.

Natsume Soseki held down the newspaper with his left hand and the original manuscript of "I Am a Cat" with his right hand, wondering if there was any possibility of further revision and improvement.

He said: "Lu Ling's article says that you can 'collage' in writing? ”

Lu Shizheng was engrossed in making cat teasing sticks, but he didn't hear clearly,

"What?"

Natsume Soseki repeats:

"'Collage'! I say 'collage'! ”

Lu Shi heard it clearly this time,

"Oh, that's what you say...... The collage writing method is too experimental and avant-garde, considering the author's imagination and non-linear thinking ability. ”

As soon as he heard the word "non-linear", Natsume Soseki's head was big,

This mathematical concept was the most difficult for him to understand.

Lu Shi saw that he didn't understand, and explained: "To put it simply, it is to cut a story into pieces and arrange them in different orders, but the theme is still unified. The advantage of such a non-linear approach is that you don't have to worry too much about the coherence of the plot. ”

This method is suitable for serialization, because it is similar to where you think and where you write.

The best example of this is. Eliot's long poem "The Waste Land",

The poem consists of five parts:

The funeral rites of the dead, the games, the sermons of fire, the death in the water, the words of thunder.

These five parts are hardly a story, more like a group of five paintings with different themes that are faintly connected and cut together.

Natsume Soseki stared at the original manuscript of "I Am a Cat" and fell into deep thought.

Lu Shi said: "You, don't think about it. ”

Natsume Soseki was puzzled,

"What's wrong?"

Lu Shi spreads his hands,

When he wrote Anna Karenina, he revised it 12 times because he knew exactly what he wanted to express. And you want to revise the manuscript because you have read my article and mastered new writing techniques, because this kind of thing is revised, isn't it putting the cart before the horse? ”

Natsume Soseki scratched his head, a little convinced.

Lu Shi further said: "So, it's better to make a cat teasing stick with me." ”

He waved his hand,

"Here, give me a hand."

Natsume Soseki was completely speechless, walked over, and pressed the back end of the cat teasing stick that Lu Shi handed over,

Lu Shi picked up the hammer and struck it carefully,

The front end is finally fixed.

Then, he picked up the cat teasing stick and dangled it in front of my generation.

Of course, it turned out to be useless.

My generation watched the bewildered behavior of human beings, showed a helpless expression, slipped under the bed, and looked at Lu Shi with big eyes, as if to say silently: "If you move, I will lose." ”

Lu Shi complained: "Big brother, you're about to become a pig!" ”

Natsume Soseki said: "I also think it's getting fatter, but on the other hand, no matter how fat this thing is, it won't be able to get under the bed." ”

As a Japanese, I really know how to comfort myself.

Lu Shi threw the cat teaser aside.

Seeing that he was finally willing to give up, Natsume Soseki said, "I can finally talk to you about business." ”

He shook the Mirror in his hand.

Lu Shi sighed,

"Actually, I didn't plan to publish this article in the Mirror. Because its content is too formal and serious, it is incompatible with the pedigree of the Mirror, but considering that it is a counterattack...... By the way, I don't know how the Daily Times is selling today. ”

Natsume Soseki said, "Mr. Cooper speculates that sales will not be bad. ”

Lu Shi asked, "What did he say?" ”

Natsume Soseki replied: "Because the citizens like to watch fun the most, so the two newspapers fight, no matter who is right and who is wrong, the sales will not be low." ”

Before, Lu Shi used a book review to reveal the secret of "The Dancing Villain",

As a result, sales of both the Manchester Guardian and the Waterfront Magazine soared.

Readers don't want to know what's right and what's wrong.

They just want to see rivers of blood flow.

Lu Shi can also understand,

Who isn't a fun-hearted person at heart?

He stretched and said, "I didn't expect to really let Bakker's goods get traffic." ”

Natsume Soseki chuckled,

"But in any case, it will definitely be the Mirror that will benefit more. exposed the sales fraud of the Times, and "Serialization, is it really not suitable for writing a long story?" This kind of serious article is very popular in various colleges and universities. ”

Lu Shi waved his hand, ready to say a few words of modesty,

After all, it's standing on the shoulders of giants picking apples, and there's nothing to be proud of.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door outside.

Natsume Soseki looked at the sky and asked curiously, "Who will come to visit at such a late hour?" ”

He walked over and opened the door.

I saw a Queen's Guard officer in a red uniform standing outside the door, it was none other than Sir Frederick von Stephenson, the commander of the Cold Creek Guard.

Stephenson slowly moved out of the way, and Edward VII revealed.

Natsume Soseki was surprised: "Your Majesty? ”

Lu Shi also rushed over,

"Your Majesty, you're here."

Edward VII took off his hat and bowed his head, "I'm sorry, I should have found time to visit, but ...... Alas...... There's so much work to do, and I'm so busy that I can't take a break. Please forgive me. ”

The king apologized when he saw him,

If this news spreads, I am afraid that it will shock the jaws of a bunch of people.

Lu Shi and Natsume Soseki hurriedly opened the door,

Edward VII entered the room.

He was the prince of the Republic of China, and he had visited the homes of commoners many times, but he still couldn't help but look around curiously,

As a result, he didn't pay attention to his feet and almost tripped over.

Stephenson, who was fat but very dexterous, quickly stepped forward, picked up the cat teaser on the ground, showed a confused expression, and said, "What is this?" ”

Lu Shi explained: "Teasing cats." ”

You can literally know what this thing does.

Edward VII was curious, took the cat teasing stick, and waved it at our generation under the bed,

My generation: "Meow~"

Look at the king like a fool.

There was silence in the house,

“……”

“……”

“……”

An eerie atmosphere called "embarrassment" spreads.

Lu Shi tilted his head to the side and tried to hold back a smile.

After a while, Edward VII adjusted his mentality, threw the cat teaser to the ground, kicked it under the bed, and then said to Lu Shi: "Professor Lu, I have only come here for one purpose, and that is to thank you for fulfilling my mother's wish. ”

The drunkard's intention is not in the wine, but in the mountains and rivers.

What His Majesty the King wants to talk about is by no means a verbal thank-you, but a promise made by the Queen to Lu Shi before her death-

Knighted.

Lu Shi's face was calm, quietly waiting for the next article.

Edward VII knew that Lu Shi was not an ordinary person, but he didn't expect Lu Shi to be so calm.

That's a lifetime honor for the British Empire!

Who doesn't want it!?

He couldn't help but raise his evaluation of Lu Shi in his heart, and said, "Professor Lu, what do you think?" ”

Lu Shi chuckled,

"Could it be that Your Majesty is going to award me the Order of the Garter?"

Edward VII was stunned for a moment, and then laughed,

"Professor Lu really likes to joke, do you know that the Order of the Garter can only be awarded to certain special people? Didn't you create Yes! Prime Minister? The main character in it is the Lord Lord Harker, Baron Islington, winner of the Order of the Garter, and member of the Privy Council. ”

Being able to appreciate Huck's multiple identities shows that His Majesty really likes Yes! Prime Minister.

Lu Shi was somewhat surprised by this, and he didn't know what to say for a while.

Edward VII continued: "You should be well aware that the Order of the Garter has a maximum of 25 living wearers. ”

The Order of the Garter, the full title of which shall be the Order of the High Order of the Garter,

It originated in the Middle Ages and is the oldest knightly order in the world and the highest level of the British honour system, often awarded by monarchs, bishops or prime ministers.

Moreover, the Guardian Medal Ceremony is a completely private royal affair, and even the British Prime Minister, who is in charge of the real power of the country, has no right to speak.

Lu Shi said: "It's a pity, I'm afraid the Royal Victoria Medal won't work." ”

This medal is listed in the "Yes! It is also mentioned in the Prime Minister,

Humphrey is its wearer.

Unexpectedly, Edward VII did not speak, but frowned and fell into deep thought.

Looking at it like that, it seems to be considering the feasibility of the Royal Victorian Medal.

Land Hours: ???

Natsume Soseki: ???

Stephenson:???

All three were stunned.

Edward VII muttered: "The Royal Victoria Medal is mainly awarded to those who are recognized as serving the monarch, so it seems that the scope is very large. ”

Stephenson hastened to stop this nonsense,

"Your Majesty, you must understand that there is no precedent for our medal to be awarded to foreigners now!"

Edward VII frowned,

"Then you'd be wrong. Didn't the Queen establish the Order of the Indian Empire? ”

The Order of the Indian Empire was established by Victoria in 1877.

This medal was awarded to officials or local nobles who served in India while it was a colony of the British Empire, as well as to British military personnel who served in the service.

Stephenson scratched his head,

He couldn't figure out the purpose of the ruffle on India.

Lu Shi understood, shook his head solemnly, and said, "Your Majesty, I don't agree with this approach. ”

Edward VII couldn't help but sigh,

"I knew it."

This conversation sounds like a dumb riddle.

Stephenson and Natsume Soseki listened to it in a fog, and their faces were confused.

Edward VII explained: "Flake, have you forgotten that we also have lands under control in China? ”

Since 1842, when the Qing Dynasty signed its first unequal treaty, a small number of people along China's southeast coast have belonged to the British Commonwealth and have British identity.

That's why there are people there who can be called "Jazz".

The strictness of the status has always been the restriction of British decorations.

Take, for example, the equally great football coaches Arsène Wenger and Alex Ferguson,

Although both were awarded the Order of the British Empire, only the latter could be called "Sir Alex Ferguson", as Arsene Wenger was born in Strasbourg, France.

Edward VII said: "I feel that our existing medals have limitations and need to be updated. ”

After saying this, everyone present was shocked.

Lu Shi said: "Your Majesty, in fact, you don't have to be so ...... Forehead...... At that time, Her Majesty gave me a promise, but she was already ...... Already ......"

In front of the Queen's son, the word "the end is coming" is unspeakable.

Edward VII was not dissatisfied,

"How can there be any reason not to fulfill the promise of the royal family?"

Lu Shi muttered: "It's not necessary." ”

Edward VII said firmly: "No, the promise must be kept." ”

He returned to the topic: "We have medals awarded to senior officers and public officials; There are medals awarded to diplomats; There are medals awarded to those who serve the British royal family...... However, most of the awarders are eunuchs, meritorious heroes, and soldiers, and there are too few people covered. ”

It can be heard that the recipients of the new medal he wants to get must come from a wide enough class and be more popular.

Lu Shi was surprised,

"What about the Order of the British Empire?"

In his impression, Britain has this kind of medal, which is called the "Order of the British Empire".

It can be awarded to all classes and professions.

People are well-known for the female singer Adele, the Beatles members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, director Alfred Hitchcock,

This medal can also be awarded to foreigners, in addition to the aforementioned Wenger, the American director Spielberg is among them.

Edward VII couldn't help but pat his thigh,

"Order of the British Empire? That's a good name! ”

Lu Shi was stunned,

“……”

He only now realizes that the Order of the British Empire, which he has just proposed, may not have appeared in 1901.

I only blame myself for not learning history well.

Edward VII continued: "The matter of the medal is settled, and the next thing to deal with is ......"

Before the words fell, Lu Shi hurriedly said, "This is solved?" ”

Edward VII nodded,

"Of course. Great Britain does need a new kind of decoration. ”

Lu Shi was silent, and he didn't know what to say at all.

But this thing is actually not much ahead of its time.

Historically, the Order of the British Empire was created by King George V on 4 June 1917 to fill the gap in the British honours and awards system.

Edward VII continued: "The question now is, Professor Lu, on what grounds should I grant you? ”

When the land is not connected,

Say more wrong, say less wrong, don't say good,

It's better to be honest, don't be foolish, and save yourself from inexplicably changing history.

Unexpectedly, Edward VII dropped a big bomb when he opened his mouth: "How about entering the Privy Council?" The Privy Council has a University Committee, which is just right for Professor Luk......"

Lu Shi couldn't help it,

"Your Majesty, be sensible, hey!"

(End of chapter)