There was silence in the room.

Lu Shi looked at Hardy, his eyes full of playfulness.

Hadi has already spoken his demands, but he has regained his composure as a politician, and he has looked at Lu Shi without looking away.

Eyes staggered,

The atmosphere became a little scorching.

George Bernard Shaw cleared his throat,

"Ahem......"

This action lightens the air in the room.

Lu Shi cast his gaze,

"What do you mean, Mr. Superintendent?"

George Bernard Shaw smiled slyly,

"Hehe, I'm just the Chancellor of London Economics and Politics, not the Honorary Chancellor of the University of London Union. I can't take care of the matter of "Mirror"~"

Lu Shi: "......"

secretly said in his heart that he was cunning and cunning.

Unexpectedly, George Bernard Shaw quickly put away his smile and said solemnly: "Lu, what you mean is what I mean." But if you want to ask for my advice, then I think you should refuse. ”

Hardy was shocked and looked at George Bernard Shaw in surprise.

George Bernard Shaw spreads his hands,

"James, people change."

Although he is still a believer in Fabianism, after working with Lu Shi, some of his thoughts have changed subtly.

Hardy said solemnly: "George, you should know the impact of the Tafu Valley case. I have heard that Cecil has made up his mind that he will press the court to order the union to pay more than £20,000 in damages. ”

There was no one in the room,

Lu Shi, George Bernard Shaw, and Natsume Soseki all looked at Hardy with calm faces.

Hardy:???

Again: "Twenty thousand pounds! ”

As a result, no one has indicated this number.

Hardy was stunned, his eyes swept over the people in the room, even the cat, but found that even my generation was just calmly eating French smoked chicken, occasionally "meow~".

George Bernard Shaw reached out and patted Hardy on the shoulder,

"James, I know what you're trying to express. But the figure of 20,000 pounds ......"

As he spoke, he shook his head and pointed his finger at Lu Shi, "James, sitting in front of you is the founder of the Mirror, the author of the best-selling books "No One Survives" and "The Mystery of Roger", and money can't stimulate him. ”

Hardy: "......"

It's completely untidy.

After a while, he calmed down and regained his strength: "Professor Lu, you may not think that my first job was when I was seven years old. At that time, I was placed to work for the Anchor Line Steamship Company, and from that day on, I lost the opportunity to go to school for an education. Later, I worked in a series of low-paying entry-level jobs, apprenticeship in a fitting shop, heating rivets in a shipyard, and a toll collector in a bakery...... At most, I could only earn four shillings a week. Thankfully, my parents ......"

Hardy burst into tears.

Natsume Soseki on the side also sighed: "Alas......"

Lu Shi raised his hand speechlessly,

"Mr. Hardy, please take the taste. This is not your campaign platform for votes, so you don't need to speak. We can be completely open. ”

One sentence shattered Hardy's brewing emotions.

George Bernard Shaw couldn't help laughing,

"Hahaha!"

Hardy's face was red and white, straightened his collar, looked at Lu, and said, "Okay, it seems that neither macro nor micro seems to impress Professor Lu." ”

Lu Shi took a sip of tea,

"Impressed?"

Rubbing his neck, he continued: "Mr. Hardy, didn't you mention the Prime Minister because you heard of my feud with the Conservatives? ”

Hardy couldn't help frowning,

Obviously, he didn't expect Lu Shi to be so sharp.

Lu Shi continued: "As far as I know, suppressing your activities is not the exclusive domain of the Conservative Party, and the Liberal Party seems to be harsher. That's why you set up the Labour Delegates Committee instead of the Labour Party. ”

That's the downside of voting,

Because there are many similarities in the program, it makes the Liberals disgusted with the unions, fearing that they may win the votes of the workers who belong to the Liberal Party at some point in the future.

Lu Shi asked rhetorically: "What?" Heretics are more hateful than heretics? ”

This is a joke,

But to Hardy's ears, it was a wise saying.

He had to admit: "Indeed, the heretics want your life at most; Heresy is not only about fate, but also about status and discourse. Wasn't there still a burning stake hundreds of years ago? ”

Lu Shi stretched,

"And I don't think the Conservatives are going to explode on the spot. Since their birth, they have been fighting the Whigs, the splinter Peeles, and the Liberals, and in the future, they may fight you, and their opponents are changing, but they are conservative. ”

George Bernard Shaw laughed: "How did you say to Wardhouse at the time, 'The conservatives of the Conservatives are not the same, but the Liberals are free in their own way', right? ”

Hardy looked at Lu Shi,

"This is Professor Lu's exact words?"

He really couldn't understand why a Chinese could see British politics so deeply.

This goes far beyond Yes! Prime Minister".

Lu Shi didn't say much about this topic, and instead said: "So, in business, business, and things, let's not talk about what we have or don't, let's talk about the interview version." ”

Hardy nodded,

"How much do I have to pay if the Mirror interviews me?"

Don't play those empty heads, just talk about the exchange of interests.

The answer to this question, Lu Shi didn't have to think about it at all, and he knew with his knees that it was impossible for the "Mirror" to interview a leader of the labor representative committee like Hardy.

The stakes are too high!

He said: "The interview version needs authenticity the most, please come forward, is there any truth at all?" ”

Hardy's face darkened,

But he wasn't Pankhurst after all, and he didn't say those threatening words.

He just pretended to regret and said, "Professor Lu, I thought that you, a student from China, would naturally feel close to us in a foreign country. ”

Lu Shi shook his head,

"Don't 'we', 'you'. I'm still saying the same thing, in business......"

Unexpectedly, before the sentence "business in business" was finished, there was another knock on the door outside.

All eyes moved to the door.

George Bernard Shaw whispered, "Do we need to avoid it?" ”

When the land time looks around,

"Where? In the closet or under the bed? Why don't you go through the window? ”

George Bernard Shaw couldn't help laughing,

"When I didn't say it."

Lu Shi nodded and walked over to open the door.

This time, the people standing outside the door came even bigger—

Edward VII.

His Majesty nodded to Lu Shi, looked inside the house, and then showed a slightly apologetic expression and said, "There are guests?" Do you need me...... Not...... That's, the great playwright George Bernard Shaw, and ...... James Hardy? ”

It's normal to know George Bernard Shaw,

Because of the scarcity of entertainment in this era, royalty often went to the theater.

But knowing Hardy was really unexpected.

Lu Shi was surprised,

"Your Majesty, what are you ......?"

The corners of Edward VII's mouth twitched, and he didn't answer, and asked, "Professor Lu, can I go in?" ”

Lu Shi can only agree,

"Absolutely."

Edward VII straightened his uniform and walked slowly into the house.

Behind him, Stephenson quickly followed, and when he passed by Lu Shi, he lowered his voice and said, "Professor Lu, how do you know that kind of troublesome spirit?" ”

This "troublesome spirit" is undoubtedly talking about Hardy.

Lu Shi said: "We met for the first time today. ”

Stephenson let out an "oh",

"I see."

Lu Shi asked, "What's the matter?" Why does His Majesty know him? ”

Stephenson looked at Edward VII's back and told a short story at great speed.

In 1894, an explosion occurred in a coal mine near Pontiprid, killing 251 miners.

And in that year, the royal heir was born, and Hadi asked to invite the relatives of the victims to attend the congratulatory banquet,

This request, of course, was denied.

So, Hadi gave a speech attacking the monarchy,

The first sentence of the speech was:

“

From childhood, the boy was surrounded by sycophant rigolettos. ’

”

The aggression of the whole speech can be imagined.

And coincidentally, the heir to the royal family was the future Edward VIII, the grandson of Edward VII.

This Nima ......

"Hiss......"

Lu Shi gasped, and said in his heart that everyone has it in this era, and today he met a macho man.

He and Stephenson walked briskly into the room.

In the room, Edward VII and Hardy had already introduced themselves to each other,

The smell of gunpowder seemed to fill the air.

Edward VII was curious,

"Mr. Hardy, are you here to find Professor Lu? What is it? ”

It stands to reason that this involves privacy and can be left unanswered.

But Hardy dared to attack the monarchy, and naturally he said: "Your Majesty, have you ever heard of the Tafu Valley case in Wales? If you think you have a lot of opportunities, you shouldn't know much about it. ”

Edward VII retorted: "It seems that Mr. Hardy has forgotten what the title of Crown Prince of Great Britain is. ”

The title of the British Crown Prince is the Prince of Wales, the head of state of the Principality of Wales,

Since the annexation of Wales by England in 1301, the English king bestowed the title on his eldest son, and since then it has become customary to give the title of "Prince of Wales" to the male heirs of the king, and "Prince of Wales" has become synonymous with the crown prince of England.

Edward VII raised his voice and opened his arms in a rather dramatic hug,

“

'A prince born in Wales, who does not speak English and whose first words are Welsh'!

”

This was a promise made by Edward I when he conquered Wales.

Of course, when Edward VII said it, he sounded like an indescribable "grandeur", very pretentious.

The atmosphere in the room was eerie.

“……”

“……”

“……”

The crowd was silent.

Edward VII also seemed to sense the embarrassment, coughed lightly, sat down, changed back to his normal voice, and said, "Of course I know about the Tafu Valley case. ”

Hardy leaned forward,

"Your Majesty, what do you think about this?"

Edward VII smiled, and did not answer, but turned to look at Lu Shi,

"Professor Lu, I'm here to find you."

Lu Shi nodded,

"Your Majesty, you say."

Edward VII even found a copy of the Mirror and said: "Today, I read the new edition of the Mirror, and I am very curious. ”

He pointed to the interview board and asked, "Are these completely authentic interview transcripts?" ”

Difficult to land time,

"Your Majesty, I don't know what level of 'authenticity' you call it. If you mean impromptu interviews, it certainly isn't. For example, when interviewing, the reporter of the "Mirror" will notify the interviewee in advance so that the interviewee can make some preparations. But every word that the interviewee said when answering, and even some of the tone particles, we will see it in the newspaper. ”

Edward VII had some regrets,

"I see. It's not like I imagined......"

Lu Shi looked at His Majesty the King like this, and really wanted to complain,

But in the end, I held back and didn't squeak.

Edward VII thought about it and continued: "It's okay, it's going to be done. Professor Lu, do you remember the last time we met and discussed together? About getting a university ranking to attract talent. ”

"Hmm......"

Lu Shi suddenly felt a toothache,

I didn't expect the other party to forget it.

A bad premonition gradually rose in the bottom of my heart.

He asked, "Your Majesty, why did you suddenly mention that incident?" Do you want to ...... Forehead...... Interview? Would you like to be interviewed? ”

Edward VII nodded,

"That's right! I just want to talk about education, university rankings, etc. ”

Lu Shi's teeth hurt even more,

"Don't you need to consult the Central Education Agency for this kind of thing? Or rather, the Privy Council's University Committee or something? ”

Edward VII shook his head again and again, and said, "There is no need for that. First of all, the global university rankings cannot be produced by the official British body, for reasons that we have already discussed. The second point is that the meaning of my interview is different. ”

Lu Shi: "......"

I don't want to pick up stubble at all.

Edward VII saw that he was silent, but said to himself: "I'll tell you a Chinese allusion." During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao issued an edict to recruit talents from all over the world, and then re-conquered the city to the east, unifying China. ”

Cao Cao?

Conquering the city to the east?

Unify China?

……

Lu Shi felt that his history had been learned in vain.

On the contrary, Natsume Soseki on the side reacted, attached it to Lu Shi's ear, and said in a low voice: "Lu, it should be that the Wei of the Three Kingdoms and the Qin of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period are confused." ”

Lu Shi: "! @*#￥%……”

Spitting garbled words.

He thought about how to correct the other party.

But Edward VII was so excited that he said, "If I were interviewed, I would say that internationalisation is an important criterion for university rankings, and I would welcome students from all over the world to study in the UK. ”

Lu Shi said: "Your Majesty, didn't you say before that the university rankings can't be left to the official, and the polling organization should be separated from the university and set up a company?" ”

Edward VII said, "I am not going back on my word. ”

Lu Shi is puzzled,

"That ......"

The king looked at Lu Shi like a fool, and continued: "Professor Lu, the reason for my interview is university education, and the matter of global university rankings can be brought up 'inadvertently'~"

Countless grass and mud horses galloped through Lu Shi's heart,

!

it!

The other party has too many slots in his rhetoric, and he doesn't know where to start.

Edward VII, however, continued by leaps and bounds: "This matter is so decided. When it's ready, remember to send someone to inform me. ”

With that, he stood up and prepared to leave.

Before his reincarnation, His Majesty looked back as if he had thought of something,

"Mr. Hardy, you probably want to appear on the interview page about the Tafu Valley case, right?"

Hardy didn't know what to do,

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Edward VII pondered for a moment and said to Lu Shi, "Let him accept it...... No, find a worker representative to be interviewed, and share a version with mine. ”

Everyone present: !!

Stephenson stepped forward and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, doing so will definitely make the cabinet ......"

Edward VII raised his hand,

"I know."

Stephenson almost blurted out, "Do you know you're still dead?" ”

He finally held back and changed his mild expression: "Do you know that you still have to do this? ”

Edward VII's eyes were deep, and he muttered in a voice that could almost only be heard by himself: "When the queen was alive, she relied on her wrist to make the constitution deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the merit was great. As a successor, I should also make a difference. ”

It can be seen that after Queen Victoria, Edward VII is under great pressure.

But Lu Shi remembered that Edward VII in history was by no means a brilliant monarch, but was particularly interested in horse racing and yacht racing.

Moreover, he lived an informal life and sometimes failed to check his ways.

In other words, the king himself is a bastard.

Is it because I'm spurred on by "The 20 Greatest Britons"?

If that's the case, Lu Shi wants to slap his mouth a little,

It's really good to get yourself in trouble!

Edward VII said to Lu Shi: "Professor Lu, I will trouble you in the future. ”

(End of chapter)