December 1, 1901.

For Western Christian countries, December can be considered almost the most important month of the year.

The reason is simple –

Christmas.

Around Buckingham Palace, several core streets have a more festive atmosphere.

Christmas trees, gift boxes, illuminations......

All sorts of festive decorations are gradually being rolled out.

Shops are also starting to prepare for the festival,

The smell of baked biscuits and hot cocoa filled the air, and even the faint stench of industrial pollution that permeated London was masked.

Da Da Da –

A horse-drawn carriage from Fleet Street slowly drove towards Buckingham Palace.

Soon, it stopped,

Lu Shi jumped down, and then gentlemanly helped Margarita out of the car.

The two walked together in a warm and peaceful atmosphere.

Her Royal Highness the Princess said in a low voice: "I feel that this year's festival atmosphere is earlier than in previous years. ”

Lu Shi said: "As long as you don't fight, it will be earlier and earlier in the future." ”

Margarita couldn't help but be curious,

"Why?"

Lu Shi rubbed his hands and breathed into the palms of his hands,

"Family reunion~ It's been the end of the year, and every family hopes to have a chance to reunite and rest."

He put his hand in his pocket and said, "There is a similar festival in China, called the Spring Festival. The whole country, from the emperor to the officials, to the common people, all attach great importance to it. ”

Margarita let out a soft "um",

"I've heard that the Chinese New Year is grander than Christmas. Professor Lu, are you homesick? ”

This question is a bit abrupt,

Suddenly, Lu Shi was even in a trance for a moment before shaking his head,

"Far from home, alone. What international student is not like this? ”

This is not a positive answer.

Margarita sighed,

"Professor Lu......"

Lu Shi didn't dwell too much on this matter, and diverted the topic: "I just said that the festive atmosphere of Christmas is getting stronger year by year, and there is a big reason for the life of the citizens of London...... Hmmm......"

He paused, feeling a small soft hand reach into his pocket.

Margarita seemed to blush a little, winked playfully at Lu Shi, and then secretly manipulated Lu Shi's pocket.

so

So

……

The four fingers of Lu Shi's right hand except for the thumb were held by the other party,

Warmth is delivered from the palm of your hand.

"Hiss......"

Lu Shi sniffled.

Her Royal Highness the princess is so proactive, she has to show a little bit of everything.

He flipped his right hand and held the other person instead.

Margarita:!!!

"What are you doing?"

Her face was redder than it had been before.

Lu Shi saw that Margarita was blushing cutely, as if he was thinking about something, so he asked, "Your Highness, ......what are you thinking about?"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Margarita,

I only heard her say in a voice as thin as a mosquito and a fly, "Li...... Tower ......"

Word by word.

Lu Shi: "Huh? ”

The voice was too low for him to hear.

Margarita was a little dissatisfied, glared at Lu Shi, but looked at Lu Shi still ignorant, and was even more unhappy, picking Lu Shi's palm with her fingernails,

But because she is now a pure working woman, her nails are very short, and it doesn't hurt to pick people.

But even so, she still took out a handkerchief and stuffed it into Lu Shi's palm,

I'm afraid it hurts a certain elm bump.

Lu Shi couldn't help but be confused,

"What's going on?"

Margarita sighed and said, "Didn't you make an agreement before?" When it's just the two of us in private, you have to call me 'Rita'. ”

"Ah......h

Lu Shi looked around,

There are still a lot of pedestrians around,

There are even parents who bring their children to play happily under the Christmas tree.

Can this be considered "private"?

"Goo......

Lu Shi swallowed his saliva and said, "Rita." ”

Margarita turned her face away,

"I hear you."

This time not because of dissatisfaction, but because of shyness.

Lu Shi scratched his head a little,

"That...... What are you thinking? ”

The corners of Margarita's mouth curled up and gave a somewhat metaphysical answer: "I'm thinking the same thing." ”

Lu Shi was speechless,

“……”

Don't guess the girl's mind, and you don't understand it when you guess.

Margarita couldn't help but laugh out loud when she saw him like this, then she turned the subject back and said, "Just now, we talked about Christmas, what did you say happened to the citizens of London? ”

Lu Shi said: "The life of the citizens of London is getting better and better, and the life is comfortable, and they will definitely think about how to have fun, and Christmas is a good flashpoint." ”

The two chatted and approached the gate of Buckingham Palace.

At this time, a bunch of people gathered here,

They are not here for the parade, but to ask for the prize of participation in the Monopoly Grand Prix -

The Lord of the Rings Board Game Collector's Edition.

"I finally made it through the first round, and as a result, you told me there was no gift?!"

"I wouldn't have participated if I had known."

“Fxxk！ I'm a fan of The Lord of the Rings, and I deliberately lost in the second round, and that's it? ”

……

Noisy.

There are about 30 people, which is also a bit of momentum.

Stephenson was maintaining order, and said expressionlessly: "We already know everyone's demands. Rest assured, we will solve it as soon as possible. Let's go back and wait for news, don't crash into Buckingham Palace. ”

The car talked back and forth, very perfunctory.

That's a good attitude.

Back in the Victorian era, the citizens dared to block Buckingham Palace, which had long been cleaned up by the royal guards.

But Edward VII was different,

He strives to create a persona that is close to the people and does not treat the people as condescending, so as to show the difference from the queen.

Margarita withdrew her hand from Lu Shi's pocket,

"Let's get around."

When the land is like a stream,

"Okay."

The two turned around.

There is a side entrance to the east and west sides of Buckingham Palace, and guards stand guard at the door.

Margarita lived at Buckingham Palace during the Victorian period,

She didn't even need to report her identity, so she brought Lu Shi in.

The two went to the study together.

At this time, Edward VII and the Pike brothers were still sitting around the table, playing the improved Lord of the Rings Collector's Edition.

His Majesty the King is again in that mad obsession,

"Just earn enough experience here to get Gandalf to level up."

"No, no, no, it takes a bit of luck, and the slash needs to deal the highest damage."

“Shiit！ What is the amount of blood of the Fire Demon? ”

……

I'm still trying to clear the customs by myself.

Lu Shi is helpless,

"Your Majesty......"

Edward VII raised his hand,

"Don't interrupt my train of thought just yet. It's almost ...... Soon......"

Lu Shi: "......"

can only be honestly silent.

On the other side, George winked at Edward and motioned for his younger brother to continue coaxing Edward VII, while he came to Lu Shi's side.

"Professor Lu,"

His voice was low,

"The Lord of the Rings is basically no longer a problem. Don't look at the fact that it took us more than ten days, but it was already very fast. I have to admit that this is thanks to His Majesty the King's all-nighters, day and night. ”

Lu Shi wanted to laugh,

If that old brother has this vulture poor style when facing official duties, how can he still wipe his ass with running around.

He asked the other party: "Da Qiao, is there any more questions?" ”

George said: "Cost. The production cost of this set of games is too high, probably around £13, and on that basis, the price tag is £20. ”

Lu Shi was a little puzzled,

Since it is a high-quality product, what if it is more expensive?

But soon he thought about the problem.

The various awards of the previous "Monopoly" competition,

The third place is only 10 pounds,

The prize is a £13 tabletop game with a £20 markup.

The inversion of the bonus is too serious.

What's more, this is still a case that does not take into account the commemorative significance of the first edition of "The Lord of the Rings",

If you consider the subsequent appreciation, then even the first place of 100 pounds is a loss.

Margarita on the side didn't think it was a problem.

She muttered: "Cash and physical prizes have their own advantages and disadvantages, short-sighted people are the majority after all, and between the pocket and future benefits, the former is the vast majority, so don't worry." ”

Lu Shi thought about it and felt that the other party was reasonable,

"Moreover, Lord of the Rings is only a tabletop game, so it has no practical value, so it shouldn't cause trouble."

When George heard this, he was relieved,

"In that case, then we can start selling tomorrow. Removing the participation prize and supplying the market with another 1,000 sets should be no problem. Let's hope the exorbitant pricing won't be prohibitive. ”

Lu Shi was about to comfort the other party,

At this moment, the door was opened.

Stephenson walked in, bowed to Lu Shi, Margarita, and the Pike brothers, and then said to Edward VII, "Your Majesty, the people outside ......"

Edward VII shook his head impatiently,

"Wait a minute."

He focused all his attention on his role.

As in the land time,

This time, the Gandalf he constructed was a melee mage of the Demon and Martial Arts dual cultivation,

It's a pity that his luck was not good, and the last slash hit the lower limit of damage, and he was counter-killed by the fire demon.

The one-pass failed again.

George persuaded, "Your Majesty, you can find a teammate." ”

Edward VII was stunned,

"No, I have to ......"

He clenched his fists, and even a fine bead of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Lu Shi subconsciously took out a handkerchief from his coat pocket,

As a result, as soon as he was about to hand it over, his hand retracted as if it had been scalded by boiling water.

This action attracted the attention of several people,

Stephenson's eyes were sharp, and he found the three letters embroidered on the handkerchief -

.

He immediately thought of the full name of Her Royal Highness the Princess,

Margarita Victoria Fyodor Leopoldina,

Margarita Victoria Fyodorovna Leopoldina，

., but the middle name Victoria is missing.

The Pike brothers on the other side don't know much about the British royal family, but they have worked with Margarita for a long time and quickly figured out the joints.

When the three of them looked at Lu, their eyes changed,

Work together, and also give private tokens......

Next, isn't it time to secretly pass through the song and get pregnant before marriage?

Lu Shi is also bold!

And how could Margarita not notice the change in the atmosphere in the study,

She muttered to herself,

Professor Lu is really,

Even if you put a handkerchief on your body, why do you still take it out?!

Fortunately, His Majesty did not see it......

After thinking about it, Margaritas felt that this place was really not suitable for a long time, so she approached Edward VII and said, "Uncle Edward, Professor Lu and I went out to appease those people and let them leave as soon as possible. ”

Edward VII said, "Before we could speak, you are leaving?" Anyway, "The Lord of the Rings" will be released tomorrow, so why bother? ”

Margarita's eyes rolled,

"It's because it's going to be released, so I have to notify them~"

"This ......"

Something doesn't feel right,

But it feels like there's no problem.

Edward VII had just finished playing the Flame Demon Book, and he was still a little dizzy, so he was too lazy to think about it.

"Okay, then you can go."

Margarita quietly glanced at Lu Shi,

The two walked to the door of the study.

At this moment, Edward VII patted his head as if he remembered something, and exclaimed, "Lu, you wait! ”

Landtime: !!

He turned his head stiffly,

"Do you have any orders, Your Majesty?"

Unexpectedly, Edward VII was talking about board games: "Haven't I been working on games lately? Can I see the report for the method of customs clearance? ”

I actually wanted to publish the game guide in the newspaper.

The king is willing to advertise "The Lord of the Rings", and of course Lu Shi will not refuse.

"Your Majesty submits, how can the Mirror refuse?"

Edward VII was satisfied,

"That's good. If you have something to do, go ahead and get busy. ”

Lu Shi and Margarita glanced at each other and hurriedly went out.

Edward looked at their backs, and couldn't help but be amazed in his heart,

Professor Lu is really a god, and he can even soak in the princess.

He winked at George,

"Did you see that? That handkerchief ......"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by George coughing:

"Ahem!"

Lu Shi is a partner of Parker Brothers in Europe, and his background is particularly hard.

Such a towering tree must not fall.

Besides, when they first entered Buckingham Palace, Stephenson explained the three principles of contact with the royal family:

Don't look at what you shouldn't;

Don't listen to what you shouldn't hear;

Don't say what shouldn't be said.

Royal family affairs, less mixing is better.

Edward VII didn't notice the strangeness of the atmosphere at the scene, and glared dissatisfied,

"Big Joe, sick? Why do you cough so loudly? ”

George waved his hand and said, "No~No~"

His big sincere eyes flashed as he stared at His Majesty.

Edward VII was looked at awkwardly,

"Mm-hmm, it's fine."

He stood up, stretched, and walked in the direction of the gate.

"I'm going to sleep for a few hours. When I woke up after a while, I had to write a manuscript to the Mirror. ”

After saying that, he pushed the door and walked out.

Stephenson followed in his footsteps.

When Edward VII returned to his room, he went into the bathroom, and stripped himself naked while pouring hot water into the bathtub.

The window in front of me is open,

The view from Buckingham Palace is beautiful, with squares, gardens, lawns, etc. forming a magnificent picture.

In the distance, you can still see the crowd at the gate,

Occasionally, there was a sporadic noise,

When I listened closely, I found that it was a keyword such as "Lord of the Rings" and "Participation Award".

Edward VII smiled,

"When you see the real thing tomorrow, you'll be in for a treat...... Not...... That's ......"

He saw Lu Shi and Margarita's figures,

The two work together, nothing strange,

But the problem is that

"They're too close......"

His Majesty muttered to himself.

was stunned for a long time, but when he came back to his senses, he found that Lu Shi and Margarita had disappeared from view.

He hurried to the windowsill,

"What about people?"

I looked left and right, up and down, but I couldn't find anything.

In this case, you have to rely on tools.

Edward VII shouted, "Sir Sir !? Are you out there!? ”

Stephenson, who was outside the door, was already preparing to leave, but when he heard the call, he quickly pushed the door and went straight to the bathroom.

Then, he saw a scene that he will never forget.

I saw His Majesty the King naked on the windowsill, because the upper body leaned forward out of the window, causing the curve behind him to appear concave and convex, unusually rounded.

Stephens' first reaction:

Don't look at what you shouldn't!

Second Reaction:

Run over quickly, hug Edward VII,

"Your Majesty, don't think about it! Isn't it just that you can't clear the customs for the time being? We're going to have a long time coming......"

Edward VII is full of black lines,

￣□￣｜｜

He struggled with his legs kicking violently,

"Don't! Don't hug me! I didn't want to jump off the building, hey! ”

"Ah......h

Stephenson heard some annoyance and anger in the other party's tone, who didn't know that he could be wrong?

He quickly took a step back and lowered his head,

Paying full attention, it seems that I have developed a great interest in the surface of my fan-sized feet.

Edward VII's face turned purple,

"I'm ......"

I have the mind to cut people.

Stephenson continued to keep his head down, studying the natural patterns on the deerskin combat boots.

This little daughter-in-law looks aggrieved, Edward VII must not be able to reprimand.

He sighed helplessly,

"You can't...... Not...... I was tossed by you, and I almost forgot to get down to business! Do you have a telescope? ”

Stephenson: "Huh? "With a bang,

"Your Majesty, there is one in the room."

After saying this, the atmosphere in the room instantly became weird,

“……”

“……”

“……”

The two looked at each other.

It took a full half minute for Edward VII to lick his lips in embarrassment,

"I've lived here for so long, why don't I know? Where is it? ”

Stephenson said, "I'll get it!" ”

With that, he walked quickly out of the bathroom.

Soon after, he returned with a delicate monocular, and said: "When the queen was alive, she loved to look at the edge of the city with a telescope, and she said she felt a sense of pride in watching more and more buildings be built." ”

Edward VII took over,

"I understand."

As he spoke, he leaned to the window again, raised his binoculars, and slowly searched in the direction where Lu Shi and Margarita had just moved.

Finally, he locked up the two figures.

It was a lawn on the east side of Buckingham Palace, falling in the shadow of the building, very close to the angle between it and the courtyard wall.

On the lawn, the parasol resembles a small hill, providing protection for the tables and chairs below.

On the dining table, several delicate porcelain bowls and silver cutlery are neatly arranged.

It was a tea break where the Queen occasionally went with Margarita during her lifetime, and was gradually abandoned after Edward VII succeeded to the throne.

"Sure enough, it's them."

The fire of gossip in the heart of His Majesty the King is blazing,

He held his breath and watched.

I saw that Lu Shi leaned into Margarita's ear very unruly and whispered something.

The latter blushed and kicked Lu Shi's calf.

There is no difference between the two and the couple in love.

"Goo......

Edward VII swallowed and muttered:

"Okay...... Okay......"

Stephenson was next to him, and he didn't know which medicine His Majesty had taken wrong,

What's good or bad?

It's weird.

And Edward VII is still observing,

In the courtyard, Lu Shi felt something out of his pocket, held it high and shook it,

Margarita seemed embarrassed and stepped forward to tiptoe to snatch it.

The two got into a mess.

Edward VII asked, "How can this be magnified?" ”

Stephenson said, "Your Majesty, please twist to the right...... No, it's the front sleeve of the telescope that is ...... to the right Ay...... Right, right. Can you see clearly? ”

As a result, Edward VII did not answer,

I saw that his left eye was closed, his right eye was wide open, and he was almost close to the eyepiece, and there was a word in his mouth: "M...... F…… L…… Hiss...... That's Margarita's handkerchief......"

Stephenson:!!!

I couldn't help but chuckle in my heart,

Unexpectedly, His Majesty the King found out.

In the midst of his anxiety, Edward VII put down his binoculars, turned around, and said, "Sir, I have a serious question to discuss with you. ”

Stephenson looked at the other party's fruit,

"Uh...... Your Majesty, why don't you put on a bathrobe first? ”

"Uh-huh......"

Edward VII quietly "walked the lotus", paced to the closet, and pulled out a bathrobe to cover his body.

Then, he asked, "Sir, is there a precedent for our commoners to marry princesses in Great Britain?" ”

Stephenson immediately recalled,

But he is not a member of the Privy Council who exclusively serves the royal family after all,

"This one needs to be reinvented. However, Her Royal Highness is the daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse, and her marriage involves many countries, especially Germany, and Her Majesty cannot decide it alone. What's more, her marriage partner is still Professor Lu, a Chinese. ”

Edward VII chuckled,

"You shouldn't have to worry about that. Lu was able to make Emperor Wilhelm take back the Yellow Peril...... Wait a minute! ”

He frowned,

"Sir, did I mention Margarita?"

Stephenson nodded,

"I mentioned it."

Edward VII showed a clear expression, and then there were some doubts,

"Then I mentioned Lu just now?"

"Ah......h

Stephenson lowered his head, seemingly intrigued once again by the texture of his upper.

Edward VII looked suspicious,

"Sir, you wouldn't have known about them a long time ago, would you?"

Stephenson hurriedly clarified: "No, no, I am also ...... today"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by His Majesty the King:

"Come on~ If you say this now, will I still believe it?"

This time I jumped into the Yellow River and couldn't wash it,

Stephenson wanted to cry without tears.

Edward VII cared about these details,

He muttered, "I didn't expect it...... Now there is one more reason to give Lu the title. ”

As he spoke, he turned to Stephenson,

"You go to the Privy Council and Whitehall for advice, and seeing that it is almost January, you must complete the matter of the award."

Stephenson asked, "Do you want to ask about Her Royal Highness the princess?" ”

"Tsk......"

Inevitably, Edward VII was a little hesitant,

It's so special that you can't always find the old examples.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally asked, "The Privy Council can ask, and Whitehall will forget it." For the family affairs of the dynasty, we have our own set of procedures and standards, and Whitehall is responsible for the aftermath. ”

The so-called "aftermath" is actually wiping the buttocks,

Anyone who understands understands.

However, with the prestige of Lu Shi, as long as the title is solved, there is not much resistance to marrying the princess.

Stephenson retreated to the door,

"I'll do it."

Edward VII said "um", picked up the monoculars again, and stood by the window to look at the gossip outside.

(End of chapter)