British writer

LSE,

Polling Office.

A group of students are extremely busy here, and the office is completely in chaos.

Nikolic flipped through the data sheet;

Solomon next to him asked: "How is the answer rate and efficiency?"

Nikolic said: "It's better than expected. We sent out a total of today..."

At this time, the door was pushed open.

Lu Shi walked in and nodded to everyone,

"Go on. Leave me alone."

Nikolic continued the topic: "A total of 30,000 questionnaires were sent out, and 7,100 questionnaires were collected on site throughout the day. Considering that more than 10,000 questionnaires are expected to be collected tomorrow, this response rate is still quite good. of."

This result surprised everyone present.

More than "pretty good"?

Simply far exceeded expectations!

In Britain at the beginning of the 20th century, except for those wealthy people and noble lords, almost everyone worked overtime.

I have a lot of work, so I naturally have no time to worry about anything else.

Combined with the reality that the literacy rate and education for all are relatively backward, the questionnaire filling rate will definitely not be high.

Solomon muttered: "It seems to be 70%. This data is very good..."

Nikolic echoed: "It's strange. In the past polls, not many people were willing to fill in the questionnaire. "The 20 Greatest Britons" is unprecedented."

Lu Shi moved a chair and sat down.

"It's not hard to understand."

Everyone's eyes came over, shining with a thirst for knowledge.

Lu Shi said: "The entertainment nature of "The 20 Greatest Britons" is strong and it can provide conversation topics after dinner. Of course the citizens like it. For example, 'Who did you vote for?', 'I voted for XXX', 'Ah, I voted for him too' can open up the conversation in an instant."

This is true,

On the streets, many people are discussing "The 20 Greatest Britons".

Such a large-scale discussion even gave the polls a sense of fashion, making them more extensive than when selecting prime ministers and members of parliament.

Solomon joked,

"I even had the illusion that everyone was participating."

Lu Shi shook his head,

"That's not the case, it's just that these types of topics are easier to talk about. Moreover, it can also build a sense of identity and create cohesion."

Anyone present may have felt something.

Solomon said: "Indeed, when discussing "The 20 Greatest Britons", it is inevitable to understand the people on the list. For example, the example I gave before is the great engineer who even Professor Lu has never heard of. Isambard Kingdom Brunel."

Lu Shi's head was full of black lines,

￣□￣｜｜

"I know that now. Brunel was the chief engineer and chief designer of the Great Western Railway and also designed the Box Tunnel, the longest tunnel in the world at the time. As well as these achievements on land, he also worked on the sea His contribution was also very great. He designed the 'Great Western', 'Great Britain', and 'Great Eastern'. Each of these ships was larger than the last and will always be the 'world's first ship'."

Solomon spread his hands,

"Let's see."

Nikolic on the side rolled his eyes at him and complained: "What 'see'!? Can't you make it clearer!?"

Solomon said: "What thoughts will you have after understanding Brunel's life?"

Nikolic pondered for a moment,

After a long while, he said: "I understand."

Knowing the writing at a glance,

Brunel's contributions in the field of transportation actually helped the British economy develop as a whole.

Therefore, when the British come into contact with his deeds, they will feel proud of "I am a citizen of the British Empire";

When foreigners are exposed to these, they will yearn for the British Empire.

This is what Professor Lu calls “shaping identity and creating cohesion.”

It's no wonder that "The 20 Greatest Britons" has such a high degree of discussion.

Nikolic shook his head,

"It's a pity that it's useless. This kind of thing is too easy to be imitated. I can guarantee that by the end of this year, there will be similar selections in various countries around the world."

Solomon said: "It is inevitable. This kind of thing is reasonable for everyone. For example, I think Cai Lun is as great as Gutenberg."

The two of them were getting further and further apart.

Lu Shi brought the topic back to voting and asked, "How efficient is it?"

Nikolic replied: "No problem. From the results, the Queen is overwhelmingly the first. However, Faraday, Sir Newton, and Darwin are all ranked low, which I did not expect. It is as if the British do not value it. intelligence."

Solomon teased: "We just make excuses for ourselves, 'I'm not stupid, I just don't have money and power.'"

Everyone couldn't help laughing after hearing this.

Solomon said: "I learned sarcasm from Professor Lu."

Lu Shi couldn't help but complain: "Don't blame me for everything! What you said also sounds sarcastic."

As he spoke, he stretched himself,

“It’s normal for different circles to have different perceptions.”

Some people think it is Newton;

Some people think it’s Queen Victoria;

Some people think it’s Shakespeare;

…

There is no right or wrong in this matter.

Nikolic still had some regrets and said: "The key to the problem is not the difference between Newton, Faraday or Darwin. The key to the problem is that people did not vote for the greatest first person to be a scientist or an explorer."

The young man was still sad for spring and sad for autumn.

Lu Shi patted him on the shoulder,

"Okay, although the results are not completely out yet, they are almost there. Send them to Fleet Street and let Mr. Scott prepare in advance."

He had a hunch that the time was almost here.

…

Isle of Wight.

Osborne House, the Queen's bedroom.

It's early morning.

"Ahem..."

"hot……"

After a while of breathing, the queen reluctantly opened her eyes from the coma of illness.

She looked around with difficulty and found Margarita lying on the side of the hospital bed. Two nurses were standing not far away, carefully fiddling with the injection needles, but did not notice that the Queen was awake.

The climate on the Isle of Wight is humid and warm.

There was no air conditioning in this era, and the queen was covered with a thick quilt, which was terrible.

Moreover, the air is filled with strong floral fragrance,

Originally this was the queen's favorite smell, but at this moment, she almost felt nauseous.

The Queen slowly raised her hand, aiming at the small window high up.

As a result, she found that she could not move at all. Her right arm was numb and numb, as if the bones had been ripped out. The numbness spread along the blood vessels to her fingertips.

Margarita then woke up,

"Grandma?"

The two nurses next to me also looked over.

"His Majesty."

The Queen didn't answer, but simply said: "Open the window."

Margarita gently wiped the cold sweat on the Queen's forehead and complained in a low voice: "You are so sick and you still open the window?"

The Queen said "Hmm" and repeated: "Open the window."

Margarita had no choice but to look at the two nurses, her eyes full of consultation.

How dare the nurse take charge of this?

"..."

"..."

"..."

For a moment, there was silence in the room.

Margarita said: "Grandma, please give me the voting paper in your hand first."

The queen was a little surprised,

"I'm holding something in my hand?"

She had lost feeling in her right hand.

Margarita nodded and said: "Yesterday, since you took the voting paper for "The 20 Greatest Britons", you haven't let go of it. I can't even take it away from you."

The queen wants to squeeze her fingers,

As a result, he was still paralyzed without any consciousness.

Faintly, she knew what was coming was coming.

She smiled at Margarita and said in a most kind tone: "Okay, you open the window first. I will give it to you when the window is opened."

Margarita chuckled,

"Why are you still bargaining with me? You spoiled old kid~"

After speaking, she touched her grandmother’s forehead,

"How do you open the window when it's so hot?"

The Queen said: "Five minutes. Just five minutes."

Margarita can't do anything to the Queen;

"Let's make an agreement first and only give you a five-minute window."

With that said, she helped the Queen tuck the quilt, then stood up, moved her numb arms a little, and opened the window.

The sea breeze with a faint salty smell slowly blew into the house,

The room fell into a comfort and silence that could not be experienced in London.

Margarita's long hair was blown by the wind, and the tips of her hair lightly touched the tip of her nose, tickling.

Some of the ends of her hair touched her eyes, making her eyes slightly moist, as if she was about to cry.

A strange feeling filled my heart.

Margarita turned around,

"Grandma, the window is open~"

However, the Queen made no response.

Her hands were on the edge of the bed, and they naturally drooped down, and the voting paper for "The 20 Greatest Britons" that she was holding tightly fell to the ground.

The moonlight streamed in through the narrow window,

Two nurses knelt in front of the bed, as if praying, but they were so sad that they couldn't make a sound.

Margarita looked at the Queen on the hospital bed,

For a moment, she couldn't recognize this great woman, because the queen was smaller and older than she thought.

A nurse whispered: "Your Highness..."

Margarita interrupted: "I know."

After saying that, she opened the door.

In the room, the Prince of Wales and other royal families all glanced at Margarita, as if they were waiting for something.

Margarita slowly stretched out her right hand and pointed her index finger to the sky.

Osborne Palace was silent, as if even the noise of the seabirds chirping outside had suddenly disappeared.

The Prince of Wales stood up slowly,

"I'll send a telegram to London right away."

…

London.

curfew!

For no apparent reason, the pedestrians on the street seemed to disappear.

Even the drunkards were moved to the entrance of the bar and under the bridge, leaving the streets empty.

Citizens who had something to do ran out and were then driven back home by the Queen's Guards who suddenly appeared in the streets. They were not allowed to go out on the streets and had no choice but to go to bed.

But for the gentlemen of Westminster, things are completely different.

Not many members of Congress could sleep.

Prime Minister Robert Gascoigne-Cecil was neatly dressed and sitting in his study with a serious face, closing his eyes and concentrating.

The two gas lamps behind him flickered on and off due to insufficient air supply.

Looking from a distance, they look like two dying old people.

for a long time,

Dong dong dong——

There was a knock on the closed door.

Cecil opened his eyes suddenly and scolded: "I have already said, don't disturb me before the message is sent out!"

The knocking on the door stopped immediately,

The butler's cautious voice came from outside: "The news has been sent out. Editor-in-chief Buckle of The Times said that they will finish the work in the last two hours and get the news published in the newspaper."

"Huh~"

Cecil let out a sigh of relief;

"Where's the Daily Telegraph? Come in and talk."

The door was pushed open.

The butler rushed in with small steps, bowed deeply to Cecil and said, "There is no guarantee over there."

Cecil couldn't help but frown,

After a long time, he shook his head,

"That's all, don't force it."

Ever since the Daily Telegraph began serializing Lu Shi's articles, there has been some estrangement between the two sides.

But this kind of thing cannot be put on the table.

The Daily Telegraph's early political stance was pro-Liberal, and later became close to the Conservative Party.

It's not so bright, it's also a protective color.

Cecil murmured to himself: "You can't force it..."

He turned to the butler and asked, "How was the message sent?"

The butler replied: "The Queen's Guards have withdrawn."

Cecil was slightly confused.

Yesterday, he received a telegram from the Isle of Wight and learned that the Queen had died of illness, so he sent his family out to inform colleagues in the Conservative Party to make early preparations.

During this period of time, because of "Yes!" Prime Minister" and the budget of the Royal Navy, Cecil has been criticized. Both the people and the parliamentarians have criticized him. It seems that he will be unable to survive and the cabinet will be dissolved.

Unexpectedly, the Queen soared on a crane at this juncture.

At the time of transition from old to new, the Prince of Wales must seek stability.

As a veteran politician, Cecil certainly knows how to make good use of this buffer period, find ways to control public opinion, and regain the initiative in parliament.

Unexpectedly, all the people he sent out yesterday were driven back by the Queen's Guards on the grounds of "curfew".

This made Cecil couldn't help but think,

Could it be that the Prince of Wales also supports the Liberal Party?

Or did Queen Victoria have any last wish to resolve the Anglo-Boer War once and for all?

All kinds of doubts came to mind, and of course Cecil couldn't sleep peacefully.

But now...

"You told me that all the Queen's Guards have withdrawn?"

Cecil was still a little unbelievable.

The butler nodded,

"right."

Cecil asked again: "So, the curfew is over? It's only been a few hours and it's over?"

The housekeeper glanced at the clock and said, "Less than two hours."

Cecil became more and more confused, wondering why the Prince of Wales imposed this two-hour curfew.

Is it fun?

Or is it the new king who establishes his power and the new official’s three main things in taking office?

Or is it really just a curfew to control security in London?

No matter how you think about it, it's a bit incredible.

Cecil was puzzled.

For a long time, he felt that as a politician, he was too sensitive and read too many signals from some common things.

Gradually, the confidence of veteran politicians returned to him;

From the analysis of the current situation, Cecil believes that the Prince of Wales is not a resolute and iron-fisted monarch like Queen Victoria.

In other words, the Prince of Wales is not prepared to interfere in the cabinet and parliament.

As long as we make good use of the buffer period after the Queen's death, we will definitely be able to knock down those ducks who like to make noise and freedom!

Cecil's lips curled up,

"Hmph, look how I pluck those ducks!"

After saying that, he bent over his desk and wrote a letter and handed it to the housekeeper.

"Sent to The Times headquarters."

The butler took it and turned around to go out.

Cecil stopped him again: "Prepare the carriage for me, I'm going to see Belfort."

The housekeeper looked back and said,

Cecil puffed out his chest and regained his former majesty, no longer bowing his head in defeat as before.

The housekeeper suppressed his laughter.

"Yes, I'll get ready right away."