British writer

A week later.

Palace of Westminster.

Wodehouse was in the office, watering the green plants placed in the corner, and occasionally using a small shovel to loosen the humus.

The air is mixed with the smell of earth.

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

"Sir!"

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

Churchill turned aside and ducked into the room.

He walked straight to the desk, sat down, poured himself a glass of warm water, drank it down, and then said: "Old John, have you read today's Mirror? His Majesty the King actually accepted it. It’s…well…”

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Churchill found that Wodehouse's cigar cabinet was still locked, which was very unpleasant.

Wodehouse chuckled and said: "His Majesty the King was interviewed by the Mirror, right?"

Churchill looked surprised,

"you know?"

The corners of Wodehouse's lips curled up, but he said nothing.

The silence speaks.

Churchill muttered: "That's right. With the Privy Council and the Minister of Internal Affairs, His Majesty's schedule cannot be kept secret."

The implication is that there are some things that the king himself has no say in.

Wodehouse stretched himself;

"Cigar?"

With that said, he opened the lock on the cigar cabinet.

Churchill asked curiously: "Are you willing to give me a cigar? You seem to be in a good mood~ Is it because of the king's affairs?"

Wodehouse handed over the cigar and cut one himself.

"Huh~"

He took a sip and then said: "Your Majesty's interview with the Mirror this time mainly talked about university education and scientific research. Lu sent the interview transcript to the Privy Council for review. The questions were not sharp. Even Cecil felt that feasible."

Upon hearing the Prime Minister's name, Churchill coughed.

He took off his cigar, wiped his mouth,

"What? You and Robert have reached an agreement?"

Wodehouse was very calm. He gave the other party another glass of warm water and continued: "Your Majesty wants to do whatever he wants, so he has to pay a little... hum..."

He rubbed his fingers together and smiled.

"Tsk..."

Churchill was speechless.

He was a little disgusted with his current low position.

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

But for some big things, he is still not qualified.

Wodehouse patted Churchill on the shoulder and consoled him: "The number of people in the Liberal and Conservative parties who know about this matter can be counted on two hands, because it involves royal interests."

Churchill frowned,

No matter how hard he thought about it, he didn't know what promises Edward VII would make.

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

The corner of Wodehouse's mouth curled up.

"Bingo!"

Churchill:? ? ?

Everyone was confused.

grass!

What about "the laws of our ancestors are immutable"?

Is this special person still the indifferent Dai Ying that I know?

Wodehouse said: "I have to admit that His Majesty the King is very courageous. He agreed to pay taxes on the income and capital gains of the Crown Estate (Crown Estate), and at the same time announced that only a few members will be able to receive royal funds in the future."

Is this reasonable?

Churchill thought he was watching "The Country Teacher."

He asked: "His Majesty the King wants to win the Jules Verne Prize?"

"puff!"

Wodehouse laughed and scolded: "Be more serious!"

Churchill said: "But I really think this is science fiction. Members of the royal family have stopped drawing royal funds...hiss..."

Wodehouse waved his hands and said: "It's not that the withdrawals are stopped. It's just that after they withdraw, His Majesty will return the same amount to the treasury. In other words, this is a compromise to cover up the management and legislative problems after the payment is stopped."

Churchill: "..."

Sure enough, Daying was still the one who led the team.

"Has not changed much."

Wodehouse said: "It's better than nothing. Of course, your Majesty will pay a huge amount less income tax every year, because the income goes directly into the national treasury."

"No wonder Robert agreed," Churchill said.

For a long time, the royal family's pension has been a politically sensitive issue. If it can be resolved during Cecil's term, even if it is only on the surface, it can be regarded as a great achievement.

This matter can win more votes than launching the Boer War.

The common people have never seen the Boers, but they have seen The Crown Estate nameplate on the building.

Wodehouse said: "Have you brought the Mirror?"

Churchill took out the newspaper,

"I've brought it with me. However, there is no report on the reduction of royal funds. Only the interview page shows His Majesty the King. What's more worth reading is the novel version. The first part of "Lord of the Rings", "The Fellowship of the Ring", should be serialized soon. it's over."

Wodehouse asked: "Did you read it?"

Churchill shook his head,

"I came directly to find you."

He has already determined in his heart that "Mirror" will become the number one newspaper in the UK and even the world.

Needless to say, it’s entertaining.

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

Which newspaper has such energy?

Moreover, Lu Shi also knows how to attract traffic. He put the serialization of "The Lord of the Rings" and the interview with King Edward VII on the same day. It would be strange if sales didn't explode.

Churchill turned to the interview page.

The two read together.

…

Reporter: Hello, Your Majesty, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India. The topic we want to talk about today is about university education.

King Edward VII: Hello.

Reporter: What do you think of the current British university education?

Edward VII: First in the world. Many basic scientific discoveries were concentrated in the UK, and even the education system, system, and research paradigms were born in the UK. Let me take the school I graduated from as an example. It has a history of more than 800 years. It has famous figures such as Newton and Darwin, and its research results are among the best. Such historical and cultural heritage and academic achievements have established the current status of British university education.

…

Seeing this, both Wodehouse and Churchill fell silent.

What 800 years of history...

What Newton, Darwin...

Wodehouse said: "If I remember correctly, your majesty graduated from Cambridge, right?"

Churchill added: "Actually, there is also Oxford. He was the first crown prince to study at Oxford University, and later transferred to Trinity College, Cambridge University. But..."

Wodehouse raised his eyebrows.

"but?"

Churchill lowered his voice and said: "But they can't graduate."

In an instant, the office fell silent.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The two stared at each other.

After Churchill reminded Wodehouse, he remembered a short story he had heard from Sir Reed.

When Edward VII was serving in the Army in Ireland, he had a fling with an actress and ended up getting pregnant...

That seems to be what happened after Edward VII left Cambridge.

Wodehouse: "Fxxk!"

Churchill smiled bitterly,

"So, His Majesty the King is not a graduate, but just an undergraduate. You... I said, is the interview page of "Mirror" so real? Professor Lu really doesn't stop His Majesty from bragging at all? "

Wodehouse also smiled bitterly and said: "Professor Lu may not necessarily know the truth about His Majesty's failure to graduate. Moreover, interviews must be truthful~"

Churchill asked: "What should I do if someone exposes me?"

Wodehouse sighed helplessly and made no reply.

Both of them thought of the fairy tale created by the Danish writer Andersen——

"The King's New Clothes".

Churchill muttered: "Maybe... maybe... probably... maybe no one will expose it."

Wodehouse echoed: "Well, I think so too."

The two continue reading,

…

Reporter: Your Majesty, do you think cultural influence has an impact on university education?

Edward VII: Of course.

Reporter: Can you tell us in detail?

Edward VII: Britain itself is a country that attaches great importance to history and culture, and will always maintain this tradition in the future. We have promoted English as a global language. This is a unique initiative. This is also the reason why The Times can be sold around the world. As a result, graduates from British universities can find work opportunities around the world to fulfill their ambitions.

…

On the surface, we are talking about university education.

In fact, it is talking about the experience of Lifan (colonial management).

Churchill was vaguely aware of Edward VII's true purpose, and said with some surprise: "I didn't expect that our King is quite ambitious."

Wodehouse wondered,

"how to say?"

Churchill glanced at him, a little unsure again.

"Didn't you read the questions prepared for His Majesty by the Mirror?"

As he spoke, he pointed out a sentence in the interview, "Graduates from British universities can find job opportunities around the world to realize their ideals and ambitions," and then said: "If you were a Cambridge graduate, would you go to South Africa to realize your ideals and ambitions?"

Wodehouse spread his hands,

"Don't forget, I am Earl Kimberley."

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

Churchill was speechless for a while.

"That's not what I meant! You...sigh...I mean the kind of person who has no background. You should understand, right?"

Wodehouse mused,

If a British man who graduated from Cambridge went to South Africa just for the so-called "finding job opportunities to realize his ideals and ambitions", he must be very smart.

Therefore, this sentence should be understood in reverse:

If a South African studies university in the UK, he will definitely be able to "find job opportunities to realize his ideals and ambitions" when he returns to his hometown.

Wodehouse thought back to the questions Lu Shi had reviewed for him, and his eyes flickered slightly.

It turns out that this is where His Majesty the King wanted to be interviewed.

Churchill chuckled and said: "Realizing ideals and ambitions..."

Wodehouse asked: "This does sound fake, big, and empty, but I have to admit that it is very appealing. International students come to the UK to study to 'realize their ideals and ambitions.' His Majesty the King encourages international students to go to the UK But also for his own grand vision.”

It's a two-way street.

They continue to read the interview version,

Later, we discussed a lot about university education. Because Edward VII made preparations, he talked about it in a realistic way.

Professors run the school,

Focus on academics,

Pay attention to fairness,

…

These contents are all mentioned.

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

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

This provides professors with 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 matters.

Churchill looked at Wodehouse;

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

Wodehouse said: "I generally agree. But this is not entirely correct. For example, London Political Science and Economics focuses on humanities and social sciences. If we ignore non-academic affairs at all, there will still be polling projects and "Mirror" Newspaper?"

Churchill curled his lips and said nothing.

Wodehouse said dissatisfied: "Speak up if you have something to say."

Churchill complained: "The things you mentioned are not institutional problems. Professor Lu is obviously very good."

Wodehouse could not argue.

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

…

Reporter: The UK’s university education ranks first in the world. Is there no problem?

Edward VII: Not really.

Reporter: So where do you think the problem, or the risk, comes from? Is it financial?

Edward VII: British universities have their own foundations and receive massive donations every year, which provides a good material foundation for scientific research. Finances were never an issue.

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

King Edward VII: I have to remind you that Britain is the most powerful country in the world, including scientific research and education.

Reporter: Your Majesty, you should speak for yourself.

Edward VII: I think the answer is diversity, openness. Britain is number one in the world, so it naturally has to shoulder the important task of cultivating talents for the world. Both teachers and students should be oriented to the world.

Reporter: But even at Cambridge or Oxford universities, it is difficult to persuade students to leave their hometowns.

Edward VII: So, I think there is a need for a ranking of university education. This evaluation needs to pay attention to the school's scientific research, education, education, internationalization, etc...

…

See you in the picture!

Both Churchill and Wodehouse knew that it would be of great help to the UK if there could really be a ranking evaluation accepted by universities around the world, especially in areas with a strong influence of British culture.

Wodehouse muttered: "Attract global talents..."

He asked Churchill: "Do you think our university education in the UK is really better than that in 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 our education is not better than France and Germany, but the education industry Better than France and Germany.”

He put an emphasis on "industry."

Wodehouse looked at Churchill with contempt and said, "'Industry'? Do you mean making money through education?"

The tone was full of disdain.

The British in the early 20th century were very arrogant;

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

Even a visionary like Churchill could not have imagined that in the future, money earned from studying abroad would account for a huge proportion of Britain’s financial revenue.

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

Churchill shrugged,

"I just mentioned a possibility, there's nothing wrong with making some extra money, right?"

Wodehouse did not bother to argue;

He still focused on expanding Britain's influence and attracting global talents, and then asked: "Do you think France and Germany would agree to this ranking?"

Churchill said: "France and Germany are easy to talk about. The most important thing is the United States."

Wodehouse was speechless;

"Across the Atlantic Ocean~"

Churchill shook his head seriously,

"If globalized education is inevitable, then ranking evaluations will inevitably become the focus of society and students. These evaluation systems will even have a profound impact on the reputation of universities, educational concepts, training and management mechanisms. And there are many good universities in the United States! On In terms of diversity and openness, the United States is ahead of the United Kingdom. And, most importantly, Americans also speak English."

Wodehouse sighed;

"Alas...it seems that this matter is not easy to handle..."

He looked at Churchill next to him,

"Winston, what do you think?"

Churchill: "..."

Without saying a word, he stared at the interview page of "Mirror" with wide eyes, surprise written all over his face.

No!

It should be said that it was frightening!

Wodehouse was surprised: "Winston!? Winston?!"

Churchill raised his head numbly. After a few seconds, his eyes regained their luster and said: "The Tafu Valley case... is over! Something big has happened! Something terrible has happened!"