British writer

Time passes,

Finally, 1902 arrived silently.

On the morning of New Year's Day, light snow fell in London, covering the sidewalks with white quilts, and then leaving a series of people's footprints.

In the morning light, several carriages heading straight out of the city passed by, adding a few more ruts to the quilt.

The leading carriage is richly decorated,

In the car, Lu Shi and Margarita sat opposite each other.

Their destination was Windsor Castle.

Lu Shi opened the car curtain,

After leaving the city, the scenery became pleasant,

Snowflakes fall gently on the branches of the surrounding trees, turning them into fluffy branches, like a black and white staff.

"Aha……"

Lu Shi yawned,

Because there is a medal ceremony today, I got up too early.

He looked at the carriage behind him,

I saw that the curtains of the car were also opened, and I leaned out and meowed at the snowy scene.

Natsume Soseki worked hard from behind, trying to hold the little guy back.

One person and one cat, a fierce battle is going on.

"Tsk..."

Lu Shi was speechless.

Margarita asked: "What's wrong?"

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"nothing."

He withdrew his fingers and let the car curtains hang down naturally, and then said: "Rita, why did Your Majesty choose Windsor Castle as the location?"

Margarita was also a little awake,

She stretched and said listlessly: "I don't know the specific reason, but isn't the Order of the Garter always in the St. George's Hall of Windsor Castle? And there are some rumors that seem to be related to the change of dynasty."

Many people believe based on experience that in all British dynasties, the Hanoverian Dynasty was directly followed by the Windsor Dynasty.

but it is not the truth,

The Hanoverian dynasty ended in 1901 with the death of Queen Victoria;

The House of Windsor began in 1917, when George V converted to Christianity.

During the short period of more than ten years, the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty ruled.

Its origin is Germany, and later spread in Belgium, Portugal, Bulgaria, and the United Kingdom. It has strong bloodline control in Europe.

The reason why George V converted to Christianity is easy to understand——

A battle.

Due to years of complicated marriages, the monarchs of various European countries are mostly cousins.

When the British royal family had a German surname, the king naturally had to stand up to appease the people, so he simply threw away the ancestral tablet.

But what does this have to do with Edward VII?

Lu Shi gently touched his chin,

"don't know."

Margarita chuckled,

"I don't understand either. I just heard from Sir Stephenson that His Majesty has been mumbling a strange word recently, which seems to be...um..."

She tilted her head and recalled for a moment,

"Ah! It's the word 'reverence to heaven and ancestor'!"

"puff!"

Lu Shi was caught off guard and sprayed Margarita across from her in the face.

Her Highness the Princess rolled her eyes at Lu Shi, took out her handkerchief, and wiped it carefully, trying not to affect the delicate makeup on her face.

She continued: "Actually, it's normal for my uncle to have the idea of ​​converting to another religion."

Lu Shi understood,

"To get rid of the past~"

The “past” naturally refers to Queen Victoria.

Margarita nodded and said nothing more.

At this time, the snow was falling lightly,

The scenery outside the car window gradually became clearer, and the outlines of the trees that were originally covered were revealed.

Farther away, a round tower came into view.

Margarita introduced: "Professor Lu, that is Windsor Castle."

Lu Shi spread his hands,

"I've been here before, have you forgotten?"

He pointed to the magnificent building and said: "When the Queen was buried, I was at the Albert Memorial Church in the West End to watch the ceremony. You were also there."

Margarita thought about it,

The Albert Memorial Church was completed in 1863 and is the resting place of Prince Albert.

Queen Victoria is buried with him.

Lu Shi said: "However, our destination this time is Waterloo Hall."

Waterloo Hall is actually the banquet hall and the location of the investiture ceremony.

The carriage drove quickly towards the castle and soon reached the moat.

The river was not frozen, but it was flowing slowly.

On the river, a simple stone bridge leads to the castle gate.

The carriage walked for a few more minutes, and finally the voice of the Coldstream Guards soldiers came from outside: "Mr. Lu, Your Highness Margarita, we are here."

Lu Shi jumped out of the car,

Then he helped Margarita down.

Windsor Castle stands majestically,

Its exterior walls are made of huge gray stones, each stone has been carefully polished, smooth and solid,

There is a huge round tower between the stone walls, with the spire pointing straight to the sky, symbolizing majesty and power.

At this time, Stephenson's figure appeared,

While wiping his sweat, he said: "Professor Lu, you have finally arrived. Hurry! Come with me!"

He didn't even say hello to Margarita and just took Lu Shi's hand.

Lu Shi was surprised,

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

Stephenson said: "Because you are the first one today!"

Lu Shi:? ? ?

He asked with a confused look on his face: "I almost read through the rules and regulations yesterday. It is clearly stated in it. Shouldn't KBE be ranked after GBE?"

Stephenson also looked like he wanted to cry.

"How do I know which song Your Majesty is singing? Just this morning, he issued an internal order from the Privy Council, requiring you to be awarded a medal first no matter what. No one can persuade you. We can only rely on He has to go."

"Ah this..."

Lu Shi scratched his head,

"Call my name?"

Stephenson smiled bitterly and said: "Yes, I just asked you by name."

When he pulls the landing, he rushes in,

"Come on! I still have to ask someone to help you sort out your clothes, prepare bouquets, bow ties... there are so many things to do!"

Margarita covered her lips and smiled softly,

"Professor Lu, come on!"

…

windsor castle,

Prep room.

Queen Alexandra, wife of Edward VII, dressed in finery.

In front of her is a dressing mirror, reflecting her face,

The maids behind are busy,

Some combed her hair and fastened the jeweled crown,

Some were lying on their stomachs, using tiny pieces of tape to tape the inside of their long skirts to prevent the queen from slipping when she knelt down on one knee.

Today, Alexandra will be honored by her husband -

Grand Cross of the Order of Merit.

At this moment, the door of the preparation room was pushed open.

A middle-aged man in his thirties walked in and waved to the maids.

"You go wait outside first."

The maids salute,

"yes."

Then he left the room with small steps.

The middle-aged man said respectfully: "Mother."

He is the future King of Great Britain and Emperor of India——

George V.

Of course, now he is only awarded the title of Duke of Cornwall and Prince of Wales, which is roughly equivalent to "Crown Prince".

Alexandra was surprised,

"Why didn't you follow your father outside? That's all, let's not talk about that for now."

She glanced at the wall clock and said anxiously: "I am the first to receive the medal. Time is running out. Please let them fix my hair first."

But George V took no action;

"..."

"..."

"..."

There was an eerie silence in the room.

Alexandra frowned;

"What's wrong?"

King George V coughed slightly and said, "Father has ordered that your investiture ceremony be postponed for a while."

"Ah this..."

Alexandra was a little worried;

"His Majesty the King has appendicitis again?"

Edward VII suddenly suffered from appendicitis a few days before his coronation.

The queen can only catch up and attend the military parade on behalf of the king.

However, in order not to worry the public too much, the coronation ceremony had to be postponed, and it has been postponed until now.

George V almost burst out laughing,

"No. It's not appendicitis."

He tried his best to keep his face straight and said, "Professor Lu is the first to be awarded the honor today."

Like a bolt from the blue, Alexandra was shocked on the outside and tender on the inside.

She was so mad,

What's going on with this inexplicable feeling of being wearing a hat? Hey!

"Isn't he KBE?"

George V shrugged and said nothing.

The silence speaks,

Even if he didn't speak, he had answered his mother's question.

Alexandra held her forehead,

"how so……"

The air of resentment in every gesture could not be concealed.

She frowned and thought for a while, then said: "No, I have to make it clear to His Majesty! This matter is absolutely..."

Before he finished speaking, George V spoke:

"Please don't be willful! Mother!"

Alexandra looked over and asked with disbelief in her eyes: "George, do you think this is willful? It's obviously a reasonable request."

George V was expressionless,

"Mother, my father and I hold the same view on the praise of Professor Lu. He has made great contributions to Great Britain, and he has shed blood for Great Britain. Therefore, he deserves the first award. You should not have anything to do with it. Complain.”

Alexandra:? ? ?

"Did you bleed? Are you talking about nosebleeds?"

George V had black lines all over his head,

￣□￣｜｜

"That's what I said. It's good that mother understands what I mean."

Alexandra couldn't help but sigh,

"Heh, man."

She already understood,

His son must have decided that Lu Shi was useful to Daying, so he had to give him enough face and try to win over him.

As for what my husband thinks...

There is no better way to know your husband than your wife.

Alexandra felt that Edward VII was simply out of his mind, and whatever he thought was irrelevant.

She said helplessly: "Okay, I accept it."

The son's city is deep and the husband is indifferent.

It’s okay not to accept it.

King George V nodded and prepared to give his mother a hug,

As a result, Alexandra stopped her: "You are as careless as your father. Don't come over and step on my skirt carefully."

King George V: "..."

"Okay~ okay~ I won't go."

He changed the subject: "In a few minutes, Professor Lu will come over and share a preparation room with you."

Alexandra was surprised,

"Sharing a prep room with me? Is that okay?"

King George V sighed;

"Mother, I know that such an arrangement is not in line with etiquette. But there is really no way. Professor Lu also received a temporary notice and only heard that he would be the first to be awarded the medal. He had nothing prepared and had no choice but to make this decision. Don't you? I'm going to hit him."

Alexandra was completely speechless;

You should obviously be worried about being hit by civilians, right?

The father and son of his family are almost becoming Lu Shi's licking dogs...

She said helplessly: "I know~"

King George V nodded with satisfaction and then left.

The maids also returned to the house and continued to help the queen tidy up her appearance.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door,

"I'm in."

Stephenson pushed the door in hastily.

Behind him was a young Asian, naturally Lu Shi.

Alexandra squinted her eyes and observed,

The young man is very handsome. Although he is young, he already exudes an irresistible charm.

Especially those eyes,

The queen even thought of Lake Aare in her hometown of Denmark, which is deep, sharp and full of wisdom.

She nodded to Stephenson,

"Sir, please go out. This is not a place for men to stay for a long time."

Stephenson: "Huh?"

He glanced at Lu Shi, hesitated for a moment, and finally did not refute. Instead, he leaned into Lu Shi's ear and whispered: "You only have fifteen minutes, so be sure to hurry up."

Then he exited the preparation room.

Alexandra waved to the maids,

"You go and help Professor Lu first."

So, the maids gathered around Lu Shi, raising and lowering their hands,

Those who styled their hair styled their hair, and those who arranged their clothes arranged their clothes.

It was the first time Lu Shi was treated like this and he felt a little uncomfortable.

Seeing him in a dilemma, Alexandra couldn't help but curve her lips, and said with a smile: "Professor Lu, I heard that you are going to be awarded the KBE title? His Majesty even specially advanced your award ceremony and asked you to do it. The first person to wear the Order of the British Empire."

"Gu..."

Lu Shi swallowed and felt that there was a trace of resentment in the queen's tone.

The hair on his back stood up.

"sorry, I……"

Before he finished speaking, the other party simply interrupted: "What is there to be sorry for?"

Lu Shi felt more resentful.

He was not good at dealing with women, so the only thing he could do now was to shut up.

Say less and make fewer mistakes,

Not bad.

Alexandra smiled and said: "Your Majesty has always been like that~"

Indeed, Edward VII has always been out of tune;

This is concentrated in private life.

When he was still the crown prince, he engaged in various affairs and had affairs with various women, including Winston Churchill's mother.

There is even a very outrageous anecdote:

In 1876, the wife of Lord Ally Foster, a retainer of Edward VII, filed for divorce and announced that she would elope with the Marquess of Brantford.

Eli Foster then asked Edward VII for justice.

Who would have thought that the big one is coming!

Edward VII could only refuse to intervene in the matter because of his affair with Lord Aliforster's wife.

Thanks to Queen Victoria wiping Edward VII's butt and exerting pressure on Lord Ally Foster, the matter was settled.

Of course, even if you don’t consider the issue of women, His Majesty the King has done many outrageous things.

Just say that he distributed game guides as a king, which is probably unprecedented and unprecedented.

But if there are too many lice, don’t be afraid of them.

Edward VII is now ready to carry out his outrageous actions to the end!

Lu Shi looked at Alexandra,

"Queen, thank you for your understanding."

Alexandra waved her hand magnanimously and was about to say something when the door of the room was knocked again.

Stephenson said outside the door: "Waterloo Hall is already urging me."

The queen chuckled,

"It seems we can't continue talking."

Lu Shi stood up, bowed to the other party as a gentleman, and then went out.

Stephenson led him to Waterloo Hall.

The hall is extremely spacious,

A huge flower-shaped mercury chandelier hangs on the dome, which is elegant and luxurious.

Under the dome is a row of high windows with flowing curtains that let in sunlight, making the entire space appear bright and spacious.

There are oil paintings hanging on the surrounding walls.

The most eye-catching one is the portrait of the Duke of Wellington, the British general who defeated Napoleon.

At this time, Edward VII was standing under the portrait,

He was wearing a red military uniform,

The bright colors make him appear refreshed and energetic.

A wide belt was tied around his waist. The buckle of the belt was made of metal, and an exquisite long sword hung on it. The scabbard was inlaid with pure gold decoration.

For a moment, Lu Shi thought of a word——

The treasure is solemn.

He bowed and saluted,

"His Majesty."

Edward VII drew out his sword and gently struck the ground with the tip of the sword.

Buzz——

A buzzer sounds.

He said in a loud voice: "Mr. Lu Shi, please come forward."

Apparently, his voice was amplified.

Lu Shi raised his head and glanced at the dome.

It must be admitted that the designers of Waterloo Hall are very smart.

He made good use of the principles of light and shadow, perspective, and dome sound focusing to make anyone standing in front of the portrait of the Duke of Wellington look extremely majestic.

Even if this person is as funny as a certain Dehua VII.

Lu Shi stepped forward and saluted again.

"His Majesty."

Then, he put his right knee on the red cushioned stool in front of him.

This counts as kneeling on one leg.

In fact, when the Order of the British Empire was first established, there was no stool setting.

But as more and more people were awarded honors, the number of old men and sick people also increased, and there were also foreigners with different cultures, so such a small stool was added. It can be used to kneel down real or fake.

Lu Shi made this setting appear earlier.

He lowered his head and waited quietly.

Edward VII placed his sword on his left shoulder,

then,

"..."

"..."

"..."

There was a long silence.

Lu Shi was a little confused.

According to the process, it shouldn’t be like this!

When I was surprised, I suddenly heard another buzzer.

Buzz——

Edward VII actually put the sword back into its scabbard.

Then, he held Lu Shi's arms and used a little force to help Lu Shi stand up.

Lu Shi:? ? ?

He was even more confused,

"Your Majesty, you don't want to take it back...hiss...don't you just kidding me?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone attending the ceremony whispered to each other.

"I knew that was the case. How could the king give the original medal to foreigners in the first place?"

"No, I think Mr. Lu is worth it."

"Of course he deserves it, but it's a matter of the order of awarding..."

"You are right to say that, it is indeed inappropriate."

…

Everyone has forgotten etiquette,

They went from whispers to loud discussions.

Edward VII frowned;

"Quiet!"

The sound focusing effect of the dome building was very strong, making his voice deafening.

In an instant, the hall became quiet.

King Edward VII waved to the Purple Staff Herald next to him and said: "Bring the medal! There is no need for those red tapes for Mr. Lu Shi!"

Everyone was stunned,

After half a second, the Purple Staff Herald hurried to find the Dean of Arms, took out a small box, and handed it to Edward VII.

His Majesty the King opened the box,

The KBE medal lies quietly inside,

In the center of it is a ring, inside which is a portrait of Britannia.

Outside the ring, there is a three-pronged page above, below, left and right, making the medal appear in the shape of a cross.

The top page has a crown on top.

Edward VII wore it on Lu Shi's chest.

Then, he said: "Professor Lu, have you ever heard that there is a St. George's Hall in the Palace of Windsor?"

Lu Shi nodded,

“St George’s Hall has always been associated with the Order of the Garter.”

Edward VII smiled,

"Yes, throughout the ages, the names of all Garter knights, as well as their investiture dates and corresponding heraldic numbers, are engraved on the panels around the hall. But the ceiling is a little different. There are some blank shield-shaped patterns there."

Lu Shi was puzzled.

"Isn't the shield the coat of arms of the Garter knight?"

Edward VII shook his head,

"Yes, that's wrong. The blank shield-shaped pattern on the ceiling was left because the Order of the Garter was revoked from knights who had made mistakes and were 'disgraced', and then their coats of arms were obliterated here."

Lu Shi didn't understand why the other party said this.

He remained silent, waiting for an explanation.

Edward VII said: "But I do not think that this 'insurance' applies to everyone..."

As he spoke, he turned to the spectators present,

"I hereby promise to never take back the honor awarded to Mr. Lu Shi!"

For a moment, the scene fell into silence.

After a few seconds,

"good!"

A tsunami of applause resounded through Waterloo Hall, as if it could lift the dome off.

Edward VII turned to the registrar and dean of heralds next to him and asked: "Did you all hear it? If you heard it, please record it quickly."

There are 6 members of the Order of the British Empire:

Prelate, Archbishop, Secretary, Registrar, Dean of Heralds, Herald of the Purple Rod,

Responsibilities vary.

The registrar and the dean of heralds nodded like garlic and took notes.

Lu Shi was shocked,

What's going on with this meow! ?

Daying actually also has an iron certificate for alchemy? !

King Edward VII stretched out his hand to help Lu Shi adjust the KBE medal on his chest, and then said: "Professor Lu, thank you."

Lu Shi shuddered,

"Your Majesty, what do you want to thank me for?"

As long as the other party thanks me, he will probably arrange some errands.

Unexpectedly, Edward VII just smiled.

"Thank you for accepting the award from Great Britain."

"Ah this..."

Lu Shi felt that his mind could not turn around. He was in a daze for more than ten seconds before he remembered that according to the procedure, he should thank him now and then leave.

He walked up to Natsume Soseki and Margarita and complained:

"This is completely different from the rules of the ceremony. I almost... um..."

Halfway through his words, he noticed that Natsume Soseki was pregnant.

"Natsume, are you pregnant?"

"puff!"

Margarita laughed.

Natsume Soseki twitched the corner of his mouth and unbuttoned a button on his suit.

We immediately stuck our heads out,

"Meow~"

Looking around curiously.

Only when Lu Shi saw the chubby me did he have a sense of reality about the world.

He muttered: "It felt like a dream just now."

Natsume Soseki spread his hands,

"It's normal. No matter who it is, they will think it's a dream. No novel would dare to write like this."

Lu Shi reached out and touched my head,

I stretched out my paw and wanted to touch Lu Shi's chest, seemingly treating the KBE medal as a toy.

At this moment, Stephenson squeezed through the crowd and leaned over,

He thrust a piece of paper into Lu Shi's hand,

"The telegram from LSE was captured in Paris and Mr. Xiao forwarded it again."

Lu Shi looked over,

I saw it read:

Zola's death shocked the literary world.