Literary Master 1983

Chapter 403 The End
Many white women acknowledge that Castro "is the sexiest man in the world," including the biological mother of the later-ruling Castro.

Marquez, having heard the news from somewhere, was greatly surprised and called Yu Qie to say:
"You've finally taken this step, just like your novels. Now it's our turn to learn from you! You always surprise us with your sudden burst of brilliance, bringing us unparalleled glory! Just like that man!"

Gabriel García Márquez considered the affair of Yúchet abducting the princess as a source of pride for Latin American men.

This is because of the environment in Latin America. It's like a scene from Chronicle of a Death Foretold: a young woman gets married, and her husband returns her to her parents because she's not a virgin. The two brothers even kill the man they believe took her virginity.

They believe that a woman's affection is not only due to the woman herself, but also involves a man's dignity; conversely, if a woman is willing to give up her original spouse for you, then you have completely defeated another man and trampled him underfoot.

Even though you've never met, he's already lost. Because you've taken his woman away.

Gabriel García Márquez recounted an old story: Castro once wrote in a magazine that he hoped to be a writer like Márquez in his next life. After witnessing Castro's immense charisma firsthand, Márquez bitterly remarked, "I wish I could live the same life as you, at least in terms of popularity."

I broke out in a cold sweat.

It's fortunate that this happened in the UK, and that he really didn't do it.

If this happened in a warlord government in Latin America, it would truly shake the legitimacy of the country's ruler, and he might actually be blown to bits by a car bomb!
Less than two days later, someone from Buckingham Palace approached Yu Qie and invited him to come and discuss the matter.

What are we discussing?

Yu Che should stop these tricks; he's crossed the line. The royal family can give him what he wants, but Yu Che should also cooperate in clarifying the rumors—rumors that have greatly angered the royal family.

So, Yu Qie walked into Buckingham Palace in front of a large number of reporters.

Yuche was received by the royal butler, and after a long wait, he finally met Charles and his entourage that evening.

Charles first confronted Yu Qie: "You're Dongfang Yu? The novelist!"

Yu Qie smiled: "Yes, the person in front of you is the Chinese writer who won the Formentor Prize."

“What use are writers? They are here at Buckingham Palace, receiving my mother’s medals, kissing the back of my mother’s hand, kneeling on one knee… all for a mere baron.”

Charles was referring to something the Queen does every day: awarding medals to writers who have made a name for themselves.

Every year, the Queen spends a great deal of time on these "abstract" activities. The Times once revealed that the Queen shakes hands up to 2,400 times a day and awards honors to more than 400 people, including a large number of celebrities from all over Europe.

Having been exposed to such situations, Charles naturally developed a dislike for those celebrities.

Yu Qieque said, "People call me Eastern Yu because most of the honors I have received have nothing to do with the West. Fundamentally, I am an Easterner."

"Really?" Charles scoffed. "The Cervantes Prize is an Eastern honor? The National Book Award is an Eastern honor?"

Yu Qie shook his head and said, "You've misunderstood what honor is. Honor is the works I've written, while these awards are just byproducts. A person isn't great because of titles; he is great first and foremost because of himself."

Charles was stunned by this remark and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Many years ago, Charles's great-uncle, Prince Mountbatten, had said something to him that went something like this: "People don't really respect you just because you have a title."

He said this because when Mountbatten led troops in battle, the soldiers were afraid he was a fool and ran away... There was no phenomenon of them bowing down to him.

Mountbatten then gained some insight.

Unfortunately, although Charles was also born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he did not have Mountbatten's good looks, nor did he have enough good luck.

He could only stammer, "You're a writer, of course I can't argue with you."

Soon after, Yu Qie was led to an inner room. A well-dressed man introduced him:
"Buckingham Palace is actually where the Queen bestows honors, but she does not live there permanently. She has five residences throughout the UK, and Buckingham Palace is the place she visits the least."

"Of course, she always seems to be here in the media."

Yu asked urgently, "Who are you...?"

“I am the Queen’s steward at Buckingham Palace. You don’t need to remember someone as insignificant as me.”

“When I’m working, I use job titles? I don’t have the habit of calling people ‘housekeepers’,” Yu Qie said.

The man looked at Yu Qie in surprise and smiled: "My name is Paul Burrell, you can just call me Paul. I accompanied the Queen on her visit to China in 86, so I can speak some Chinese."

This message reveals a lot: Yu Qie speculates that the Queen is relatively friendly towards him.

Furthermore, this Paul may be the famous butler who later published a book, having been deeply involved in royal affairs for decades. The rumor that "Diana had a premonition of danger before her assassination" originated from his book.

Sure enough, in the inner chamber, he met Queen Elizabeth, who looked somewhat tired but had a smile on her face.

These were among the finalists in the online finals back then. The casual posts on the forums all said, "Because women live longer, she will live past 100, surpassing the other finalists... She will live until Charles dies before her, and will only ever be the crown prince."

The result is not.

Yu Qie felt a pang of sadness.

The Queen beckoned Yu Qie over. She looked Yu Qie up and down and said with a smile, "Please give my regards to your sir! He said you are from the same hometown."

Do you know how to play bridge?

"Of course I will."

Elizabeth gestured for Yu to come closer until he sat down opposite her.

"I visited China two years ago, first in your capital, and then I fell in love with ancient Chang'an. I flew there specifically to visit the Terracotta Army at the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. It is an army that has been sleeping for two thousand years, and it is far more impressive than I have seen in photos."

“I walked down into the terracotta army pit, and those ancient soldiers… were almost standing right in front of me. It was truly a masterpiece.”

Yu said, "I haven't been to the Terracotta Army yet, but I will go next time."

“Of course you should go,” Elizabeth said. “After all, we all know you are someone who loves your people.”

Yu and the Queen spoke for about ten minutes, mostly symbolic pleasantries. There was no direct information exchanged, but it represented the Royal Family's stance. At the end of the conversation, Charles entered.

The Queen cut to the chase: "Charles, I hope to see you all safe and sound here."

"Nothing happened?" Charles looked furious at Yu Qie. "He has disgraced my reputation and the reputation of the royal family."

"Shut up! He didn't do anything. Mr. Yu, please forgive me for having someone investigate privately in order to find out the truth... I know you are innocent."

when?
Yu Qie was startled. The faces of everyone he had seen since arriving in England flashed through his mind.

Finally, he identified a wealthy man who had donated to his foundation—an eccentric British veteran who had donated a full $100,000 but refused to sign up for a trip to Zhoushan to "visit relatives." "That British veteran named Hunter?"

Elizabeth was somewhat moved. She said, "You are a perceptive person. No wonder you were able to evade the Chilean assassination attempt like a phoenix."

Charles seemed surprised as well; just as Yu Qie looked at him, he quickly looked away.

After that, under the Queen's arrangement, Yuche and several other housekeepers played bridge, and the game became very close. Charles mistakenly thought that Yuche was a novice and joined in, and the situation immediately turned around, with Yuche starting to win frequently.

“That’s not fair!” Charles said. “Paul has been playing these card games his whole life, he’s a professional! It’s not fair for me that he’s on the same team as Yuche.”

After the team was switched, Charles continued to lose. By this time, Charles didn't know who to blame anymore, and he remained sullen throughout the game.

If Watson were here, would he start smugly making sarcastic remarks?
Yu Qie couldn't help but laugh out loud when he thought of Watson's foul mouth.

"What are you laughing at?" Charles snapped.

Yu Qie spread his hands, feigning innocence. "I was just laughing, but why are you angry with me? I wasn't laughing at you, or do you think I should be laughing at you?"

“You…you…” Charles stammered in anger.

The Queen opened her mouth as if she wanted to complain to Charles in front of Yu Qie, but she held back, though her disappointment was obvious.

Everyone present noticed it.

Yu Qie thought to himself: This Charles doesn't look like a ruler at all! It is said that Elizabeth originally wanted to pass the throne to her grandson William, but for some reason she eventually gave up.

I initially thought it was a rumor, but now it seems that might not be the case.

Late at night, Yu Qie emerged from Buckingham Palace, immediately attracting the attention of the outside media.

"Mr. Yu, have you seen the Queen?"

"No comment."

"Prince Charles is known for his extensive reading, but when asked about your work, he said he didn't know you... What do you think of his answer?"

"I hope that when he leaves behind those showy photos, he'll turn to the second page besides the title page."

"Ian Dale criticized you for abusing your celebrity status by portraying the British Royal Army as cowardly and suicidal in your novel, while depicting Chinese fishermen as angels saving the world..."

Who is Ian Dale?

"He is the Iron Lady's spokesperson, her former secretary, and is still active in the literary and media circles."

“This man is right! I abused my influence, while he has ignored British veterans for the past forty years—because he wants to use his influence moderately.”

After saying that, Yu Qie turned and left.

The Queen has already acted as a peacemaker, demanding that "nothing happen," so why is she still putting on a show with the reporters?

"Mr. Yu..." The reporter caught up with them, still having many questions to ask.

“Friend, when you encounter problems, don’t always look for my faults; look for other people’s faults more often,” Yu Qie said, turning around.

He added, still not quite finished, "After all, you only need to write news based on my answers, while I have many more things to consider... Happy New Year to you all."

The reporter, not giving up, pressed on, "Mr. Yu! Mr. Yu! Is there anything one last thing you'd like to say to us?"

What else do you want me to say?

"Anything is fine! A blessing, a curse, or a warning, and how's the weather today?"

Yu Qie remained silent for a moment, then said something cryptic, as if to mark the end of his investigation into the Lisbon Maru incident.

"1987 has passed, and I miss it very much."

This became his last public response in major newspapers such as The Times and The Guardian.

The following day, all 60 million people in the British Isles saw Yu Qie's words, which seemed meaningless yet also carried a profound sense of nostalgia.

Traditionalists see it as "a nostalgic look back at the humanitarian rescue of 1942, when he was on the run, it was after him, and he had no way to escape," while radicals believe it is "a nostalgic look back at the days when he single-handedly fought his way through a special forces team, and if Charles wanted to respond, this is the real response."

The reformers believed that while the Iron Lady had made a mess of the economy, Yuche was "reminiscing about the once invincible British Empire," and Yuche was calling for England to be great again.

Outside Buckingham Palace, in a private residence on Oxford Street. Diana, too, felt that she, as the party involved, was the most vulnerable, and overall, she couldn't even say anything!

That's why the TV stations were always so brazenly wiretapping her. Diana knew her status as a "mascot."

Before Diana became pregnant, she had an affair with her handsome bodyguard. Two weeks later, Charles told her in front of her that her bodyguard had just died in a car accident.

But nothing actually happened to Diana; she was just mentally distracted, otherwise she wouldn't have gotten pregnant with William.

However, the British royal family could not tolerate such a scandal.

Now this has happened again, but the outcome is very different.

The Guardian published a photo of Yu Qie looking back one last time.

Despite being tired and weary from playing bridge all night, Yu still easily defeated the meticulously dressed Charles.

Is it due to the various legendary stories surrounding him? Or is he truly more handsome than a prince?
All of them!
“No wonder some people say he looks like a boxer!” Diana thought to herself. “Charles is so frail, while Yuche is as strong as a boxer!”

Yu Qie appears somewhat melancholy in the photo.

Diana suddenly realized that what she liked was not pure melancholy, but the melancholy of the strong.

Six years with Charles is not as enjoyable as six days with Yu Qie.

At the Queen's direction, the Royal Family became involved in the Lisbon Maru incident. They also established a charity in Britain dedicated to the Lisbon Maru, with Princess Diana as its chairperson, thus demonstrating that there was no personal connection between Yuche and Diana.

If so, it's just one of the many charitable projects the royal family has undertaken, and Yu Qie is involved this time.

That's how it all ended.

(End of this chapter)