A week later.

Palace of Westminster.

In his office, Wardhouse was watering the plants in the corners, and from time to time he was loosening the humus with a small shovel.

The air was mixed with the smell of earth.

At this time, there was a knock at the door,

"Jazz!"

Wardhouse put down his shovel and watering can, took off his gloves, and walked over to open the door.

Churchill turned to one side and flashed into the house.

He walked straight to the desk, sat down, poured himself a glass of warm water, poured it with a "clatter", and then said, "Old John, have you read today's Mirror?" His Majesty the King actually accepted it...... Hmmm......"

He stopped in the middle of his sentence.

Churchill found that Wardhouse's cigar cabinet was still locked, which was quite unhappy.

Wardhouse chuckled, "His Majesty was interviewed by the Mirror, right?" ”

Churchill's surprised face,

"You know?"

The corners of Wardhouse's mouth hooked, and there was no squeak,

Silence is better than sound at this point.

Churchill muttered, "Yes." There is a Privy Council and a Minister of the Interior, and His Majesty's itinerary cannot be kept secret. ”

In other words, there are some things that the king himself has said that does not count.

Wardhouse stretches,

"Cigar smoking?"

As he spoke, he unlocked the lock on the cigar cabinet.

Churchill wondered, "Will you offer to give me cigars?" It seems that you are in a good mood~ Is it because of the king? ”

Wardhouse handed over the cigar and cut one himself,

"Whew~"

He took a sip, and then said: "Your Majesty participated in the interview with the Mirror this time, mainly talking about university education and scientific research. Lu showed the interview to the Privy Council, and the questions were not sharp, and even Cecil thought it was feasible. ”

Hearing the Prime Minister's name, Churchill coughed,

He took off his cigar and wiped his mouth,

"What? Did you agree with Robert? ”

Wardhouse was very calm, took another glass of warm water for the other party, and continued: "Your Majesty wants to come here, you have to pay a little...... Humph......"

He rubbed his fingers together and smiled.

"Tsk......"

Churchill was staggered.

He was a little disgusted with his current low position.

On the surface, he is a rising political star, and every speech in parliament is a hit.

But when it comes to some big things, he still doesn't qualify.

Wardhouse patted Churchill on the shoulder and reassured: "This matter can be counted on two hands by those who know about the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party, because the interests of the royal family are involved." ”

Churchill frowned,

Even if he wanted to break his head, he didn't know what promises Edward VII would make.

He asked tentatively, "Is it related to the royal family's special funds?" ”

The corners of Wardhouse's mouth curled up,

“Bingo！”

Churchill:???

The whole person was stunned.

!

What about the good "law of the ancestors" that is immutable?

Is this special meow still the one I know who doesn't do anything with Ying?

Waldhouse said: "I have to admit that His Majesty the King is very bold. He agreed to pay taxes on income and financial gains from the Crown Estate, while announcing that only a few members would be able to receive royal funds in the future. ”

Is this reasonable?

Churchill felt like he was watching The Country Teacher.

He asked: "His Majesty wants to receive the Jules Verne Prize?" ”

"Poof!"

Wardhouse laughed and said, "Be serious, hey!" ”

Churchill said, "But I really think it's science fiction." Members of the royal family stopped withdrawing money earmarked for the royal family...... Hiss ......"

Wardhouse spread his hands and said, "It's not that the withdrawal is stopped. It's just that after they take it, His Majesty will return the same amount to the treasury. In other words, it is a compromise to cover up the regulatory and legislative difficulties of post-payment cessation. ”

Churchill: "......"

Sure enough, Daying is still the same with Ying.

"Not much has changed."

Wardhouse, however, said, "Better than nothing." Of course, His Majesty will pay a huge amount of income tax less every year, because his income goes directly to the treasury. ”

Churchill said, "No wonder Robert would agree." ”

For a long time, the royal family's annual salary was a politically sensitive issue, and it was a great achievement to be able to solve it during Cecil's tenure, even if it was only solved on the surface.

This is more likely to win votes than waging the Boer War.

The people had never seen a Boer, but they had seen the nameplate of The Crown Estate on the building.

Wardhouse said, "You brought the Mirror?" ”

Churchill took out the newspaper,

"Brought it. However, there is no report on the reduction of the royal family's special funds, and only the interview version shows His Majesty's honor. The most important thing to watch is the version, the first part of "The Lord of the Rings", "The Fellowship of the Ring", should be about to end the serialization. ”

Wardhouse asked, "Did you see it?" ”

Churchill shook his head,

"I'm coming straight to you."

He had already decided in his heart that the Mirror would become the number one newspaper in Britain and even the world.

Needless to say, entertainment

The most important thing is that you can also invite the king of England to do an interview.

Which newspaper has such energy?

Moreover, Lu Shi also knows how to drain traffic very well, and put the serialization of "The Lord of the Rings" and the interview with Edward VII on the same day, so it is no wonder that sales do not explode.

Churchill flipped to the interview version.

The two read together.

……

Reporter: Hello, Your Majesty, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India. Today we are going to talk about the issue of university education.

Edward VII: Hello.

Reporter: What do you think of British university education now?

Edward VII: No. 1 in the world. Many discoveries in basic science are concentrated in the UK, and even education systems, systems, and research paradigms were born in the UK. I would like to take the example of the institution from which I graduated, which has a history of more than 800 years, and even figures such as Newton and Darwin, whose research results are outstanding. Such historical and cultural heritage and academic achievements have established the status of British university education today.

……

Seeing this, both Wardhouse and Churchill were silent.

What is 800 years old......

What Newton, Darwin......

Wardhouse said, "If I'm not mistaken, Your Majesty's school of graduation is Cambridge, right?" ”

Churchill added: "There's Oxford, actually. He was the first Crown Prince to study at Oxford University before moving to Trinity College, Cambridge. But ......"

Wardhouse raised an eyebrow,

"But?"

Churchill lowered his voice and said, "But neither of them can graduate." ”

Instantly, there was silence in the office,

“……”

“……”

“……”

The two stared wide-eyed.

After being reminded by Churchill, Wardhouse remembered that he had heard a little story from Sir Reed,

During his service in the Irish Army, Edward VII had an affair with an actress who had a big belly......

It seems to have been after Edward VII left Cambridge.

Wardhouse: "Fxxk! ”

Churchill smiled bitterly,

"So, His Majesty is not a graduate, just a dropout. You guys...... I said, is the interview version of the Mirror so real? Your Majesty is such a braggadocio, Professor Lu really doesn't stop it at all? ”

Wardhouse also smiled bitterly: "Professor Lu may not know the truth about His Majesty's dismissal. Moreover, the interview should be real~"

Churchill asked, "What should I do if someone debunks it?" ”

Wardhouse sighed and didn't answer.

Both thought of a fairy tale by the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen -

The King's New Clothes.

Churchill muttered, "Perhaps...... Possible...... Probably...... Maybe no one will debunk it. ”

Wardhouse chimed in: "Well, I think so, too. ”

Two continue to read later,

……

Reporter: Your Majesty, do you think that cultural influence has a plus for university education?

Edward VII: Absolutely.

Reporter: Can you elaborate on that?

Edward VII: Great Britain itself is a country that attaches great importance to history and culture, and it will continue to do so in the future. We are unique in our efforts to promote English as a global language, and it is why The Times sells all over the world. As a result, graduates of UK universities can find job opportunities across the globe to achieve their ambitions.

……

On the surface, it's talking about university education,

In fact, it is about the experience of the Governor (colonial administration).

Churchill vaguely sensed Edward VII's true purpose, and said with a little surprise: "I didn't expect our majesty the king to be quite ambitious. ”

Waldhouse was curious,

"How?"

Churchill glanced at him, and he was a little unsure,

"Haven't you read the questions prepared by the Mirror for Your Majesty?"

He pointed out a quote from the interview, "British university graduates can find jobs around the world to achieve their ambitions", and then said: "If you were a Cambridge graduate, would you go to South Africa to achieve your ambitions?" ”

Wardhouse spreads his hands,

"Don't forget, I'm the Earl of Kimberley."

What he used to do best was to control the slaves in South Africa to dig for diamonds.

Churchill was speechless for a while,

"I didn't mean that! You...... Alas...... I'm talking about the kind of people who don't have a background. You should understand, right? ”

Waldhouse mused,

A Cambridge-graduate Englishman who goes to South Africa just to "find a job opportunity and realize his ambitions" must be a fool of himself.

So, this sentence should be understood the other way around:

If a South African goes to university in the UK, he will be able to "find a job and achieve his ambitions" when he returns to his hometown.

Wardhouse thought of the questions Lu Shi had given him, and his eyes flickered slightly,

It turned out that His Majesty's intention for the interview was here.

Churchill chuckled: "Realize your ambitions......"

Wardhouse asked, "It does sound fake, big, and empty, but I have to admit that it is very appealing." International students come to study in the UK to 'realise their ambitions', and His Majesty the King encourages them to go to the UK for his own ambitions. ”

It's a two-way street.

They continue reading the interview version,

Later, a lot of things about university education are discussed, because Edward VII was prepared, so what is said is good.

Professors run the school,

Academically focused,

Focus on fairness,

……

These are all mentioned.

Edward VII focused on the school governance model of British universities, and also took the University of London Alliance as an example.

He believes that the organizational form of this federal university structure can make each college relatively independent, academically strong and open in the overall atmosphere.

This provides professors with a broad research space and conditions, and also allows them to concentrate on academic research and teaching, without a lot of unnecessary interference and distraction from non-academic affairs.

Churchill looked at Wardhouse,

"Honorary Chancellor of the University of London Union, do you agree?"

Wardhouse said: "Generally agreed. But that's not entirely true. For example, if London politics and economics, humanities and social sciences are the mainstay, if you don't care about non-academic affairs at all, can you still have a polling project and the "Mirror"? ”

Churchill pouted, but did not answer.

Wardhouse was dissatisfied: "There is something to say. ”

Churchill complained: "What you said is not a system problem, it is obviously Professor Lu who is powerful." ”

Wardhouse couldn't argue with that.

Churchill said, "Forget it, keep looking back." ”

……

Reporter: Is there no problem that the UK has the best university education in the world?

Edward VII: Not really.

Reporter: What do you think is the problem, or where does the risk come from? Is it financial?

Edward VII: Universities in the UK have their own foundations and receive a large amount of donations every year, which provides a good material basis for scientific research. Finances have never been an issue.

Reporter: Is that the quality of education and scientific research?

EDWARD VII: I have to remind you that Britain is the most powerful country in the world, and the same is true for research and education.

Reporter: Your Majesty, let's talk about it yourself.

EDWARD VII: I think the answer to the question is pluralism and openness. Great Britain is the world's No. 1, so it is natural to shoulder the heavy responsibility of cultivating talents for the world, whether it is teachers or students, it should be oriented to the world.

Reporter: But even at Cambridge or Oxford, it's hard to persuade students to leave their homes.

EDWARD VII: So, I think we need a university education ranking evaluation now. This evaluation needs to pay attention to the school's scientific research, education, education, internationalization, etc......

……

Show one’s true colors in the end!

Both Churchill and Waldhouse knew that it would be of great help to the UK if there was a ranking that was accepted by universities around the world, especially in regions where British culture was heavily influenced.

Wardhouse muttered: "Absorb global talent......"

He asked Churchill: "You say, is our British university education really better than that of France and Germany?" ”

Churchill laughed,

"You ask this question to an Oxford graduate? Then my answer is, 'Of course!' ’。 If the global ranking of universities is really achieved, I can clearly say that we are not stronger in education than France and Germany, but stronger in education industry. ”

He added an accent to "industry".

Wardhouse gave Churchill a disdainful look and said, "'Estate'? You mean to make money from education? ”

The tone was full of disdain.

The British at the beginning of the 20th century were arrogant,

They believe that allowing those international students to study in the UK is a charity to those international students.

Even a visionary like Churchill could not have imagined that in the future, earning money from international students would account for a huge proportion of Britain's financial revenue.

And Edward VII, who was the first to propose the internationalization of university rankings and education, would turn around in terms of evaluation, and even be no worse than Queen Victoria.

Churchill shrugged,

"I just said that there is a possibility, and there is nothing wrong with making some extra money, right?"

Waldhouse didn't bother to argue,

Still, he focused on expanding Britain's influence and attracting global talent, asking: "Do you think France and Germany would agree to such rankings?" ”

Churchill said: "France and Germany are easy to say." The most critical is the United States. ”

Wardhouse was speechless,

"Across the Atlantic~"

Churchill shook his head solemnly,

"If global education is unavoidable, then ranking evaluation will inevitably become the focus of attention of society and students, and even these evaluation systems will deeply affect the reputation of universities, educational concepts, training and management mechanisms. And there are a lot of good universities in the United States! In terms of diversity and openness, the United States is ahead of the United Kingdom. And, most importantly, Americans also speak English. ”

Wardhouse sighed,

"Alas...... This doesn't seem to be an easy thing to do......"

He looked at Churchill next to him,

"Winston, what do you think?"

Churchill: "......"

Without saying a word, he stared at the interview page of the "Mirror" with wide eyes, and his face was full of surprise,

No!

It should be said that it is frightened!

Wardhouse was surprised: "Winston!? Winston?! ”

Churchill looked up blankly, and after a few seconds his eyes regained their brilliance, he said, "Tafu Valley case...... Finished! Something is wrong! It's a big deal out of Nima! ”

(End of chapter)