Literary Master 1983

Chapter 404 Officer's Medal
Charles's final act of retaliation was to contact the Iron Lady through various channels, hoping that she would postpone the broadcast of the documentary for the sake of the Prince of Wales.

The Iron Lady's health had been declining this year. She found Charles's request difficult to handle and sent her trusted confidant, Ian, to dissuade him.

Ian asked him, “What’s the point of all this? Yuche has already achieved great success. His novel has spread throughout Europe, and the Spanish and Americans are also paying attention to the Royal Army in 1942… Besides, the Queen has given the order, and we have no choice but to do it.”

Queen Elizabeth II has always been cautious in her words and actions, maintaining the royal family's high status through an air of mystery and rarely wielding power.

When she makes a public appearance and has to do something, she often has to get it done, otherwise people will doubt the stability of the Queen's authority.

The matter has now been resolved, and the basic framework has been set.

Ian patiently explained, "For the reasons mentioned above... if we defect now, it won't affect Yuqie's prestige, but rather the prestige of the royal family. Ultimately, the royal family and religion are the same; their power comes from the power of 'belief,' and we must all uphold this 'belief.'"

"When Her Majesty the Queen appears to have the power to command, she is a true Queen who governs the Commonwealth."

Charles erupted in a fit of rage, as if suffering from a manic episode: "Why do you all disrespect me like this? Why am I always ignored?"

“Prince Charles, we have reached an agreement with the Queen. She is the head of the Royal Family and the representative of the British Empire! Moreover, she loves the Commonwealth.”

"I can talk, and I can love the Commonwealth."

"She is the Queen of the British Empire. Who are you?"

“I…” Charles was speechless.

Is this the kind of person who wants to be the future king of the Commonwealth?

Marginalizing the monarchy is a global trend, so why is Britain going against the tide?

Ian looked at Charles across from him with some disdain: he didn't know where his authority came from.

In fact, the royal family brand has not only generated a huge "royal brand" industry, but the real influence and appeal of the royal family in places like Canada and Australia make maintaining the royal family beneficial to the British Empire. The Queen is aware of this, and therefore, for decades she has been Britain's "mascot."

Do you remember the stuttering king of England?

He knew this too, and during World War II, the introverted George VI, encouraged by Churchill, stepped forward to deliver a speech, a miracle that quickly inspired the Commonwealth people.

Princess Diana may not have known it, but she inadvertently became a "mascot," a chemistry that made her far more popular than Charles himself.

But Charles is no longer a child, and to this day he still doesn't know.

Charles always reversed cause and effect; he thought he was born with power.

Ian expressed his protest tactfully: "Although I don't like Dongfang Yu, he knows where his prestige comes from. I heard you mocked him for not having a title? It's a good thing I wasn't there, otherwise I would have been truly ashamed!"

“So you’re ashamed too?! He really doesn’t have any title, you’ve discovered that too! He should be ashamed,” Charles said.

“No!” Ian shook his head. “I am ashamed of you. You are ambitious but incompetent, and know nothing about the real world.”
-
The documentary "Lisbon Maru" was also broadcast in response.

In late January, many Britons turned on their televisions to watch the documentary filmed by Cowens.

The incident began when the daughter of a veteran contacted Yu Qie, who lives at Cambridge University, hoping to publish her father's experiences in China.

After a brief inquiry, Yu Qie immediately decided to "do our best to do this."

Afterwards, Secretary Yu traveled all over Britain in a very short time; back in China, Yu Qie also contacted a remote fishing village, trying to find out the truth; the part where the bookseller persuaded Yu Qie not to write "The Lisbon Maru" is the highlight of the documentary, where he faced a choice between pursuing the truth and practical interests, but he remained steadfast...

The book was successfully published in Japan, but Yu Qie did not become complacent. Instead, he quickly threw himself into his next task.

What shocked the British most was when Cowens asked him: "Essentially, these are British veterans who no longer have any voice, and recalling the past is just reliving their pain; in China, they are mostly fishermen, and I doubt they even have the money to buy your original book."

"Was all of this worth it for you?"

Without hesitation, Yu Qie said, “I’m an atheist, but I want to tell you a story from the Bible: Jesus was hung on a tree and bore the sins of us (humanity) with his own body. His death became a symbol of overcoming sin and death, and then Jesus rose from the dead.”

It was a wonderful feeling to listen to a Chinese communist talk about the Bible. But Yu Qie was indeed such a learned person.

As the German sinologist Wolfgang Kubin said, he was highly educated and truly understood the essence of the Western soul.

Ke Wensi was stunned and couldn't say a word.

Yu Qie laughed and said, "You see, the pursuit of justice and fairness is enough to make even Jesus face death; therefore, you don't need to ask me if it's worth it. On the contrary, it is my greatest honor."

Cowens' pupils trembled, and the veterans all gasped. The entire scene fell silent as if in a vacuum.

The documentary footage went black for a moment, then cut to footage from Japan—Yu Qie's novel was a huge success, selling hundreds of thousands of copies!
Countless Britons remember this scene, and some even have a strong feeling that Yuche's experience is exactly the same as Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection, and that Jesus was no longer a mortal but had obtained divinity.

Yu Qie, of course, was different; to the British, he was no longer just an ordinary writer.

"Wow! This documentary is really well made!"

"Indeed...not bad!"

“It’s very good!”

The Iron Lady sighed!
“If Yu Qie were British, and there were more Asians here, he might become prime minister in the future.”

She was talking to her former secretary, Ian.

Ian has retired from politics and become a third-rate writer, but he is widely recognized as representing the Iron Lady's will to some extent. Because of this unique position, his words are sometimes seen as an extension of the Iron Lady's opinions.

Ian reported Charles's idea to the Iron Lady.

“I still think he’s a child,” the Iron Lady said after hearing this.

“That’s right.” Ian dropped another bombshell, “Yu Qie said something wrong. Charles doesn’t just read the first page of a novel. He’s a big fan of novels, and sometimes he even misses royal events.”

What type of novel?

"Adventure novels of the knight type."

“No wonder!” The Iron Lady couldn’t hold back any longer. “Charles believes that some people are born to be protagonists, always miraculously surviving and being loved by others. But this time, he is not the protagonist.”

“Actually, he was never the main character!” Ian said. “I suspect that Charles admires Yuche in his heart, because Yuche is a knight from the East; but Charles is not Yuche, and jealousy turned his feelings into hatred, but he himself was unaware of it.”

"Or, fundamentally, he can't admit that he admires Yu Qie!"

The Iron Lady thought the secretary was too sharp-tongued: "Even though you're British, you're still too mean."

That night, the Iron Lady fell asleep listening to a documentary about the Lisbon Maru. The Falklands War, which took place near Argentina in 82, caused the Iron Lady three months of anxiety and vomiting. She was not at all as tough as the media portrayed her; instead, she took a gamble and was anxious throughout the entire process.

After that, the Iron Lady's health deteriorated, and she developed an eye disease.

She had trouble sleeping, and at five in the morning, she got up to listen to BBC International News. One news item caught her attention: "King Juan Carlos of Spain paid homage at the Valley of the Fallen, which was built after the Civil War, and laid flowers. Afterwards, he praised the humanitarian news in Britain: the Lisbon Maru incident."

"The brave British fought against fascism, leaving behind their young lives in the East China Sea! And Chinese fishermen risked their lives to salvage and escort prisoners of war home! They were all outstanding!"

"But there is still a knight here, my God! There is still a knight worthy of praise..."

The Iron Lady had met Carlos. She could already picture his exaggerated expression in her mind.

—Is Carlos speaking out because Spain is a traditionally Catholic country?

After "International News," came "Agriculture Today"... Around seven in the morning, the Iron Lady would get up to process documents and answer calls from political acquaintances. British high society knew that this was when the Iron Lady was at her best.

Suddenly, a mysterious phone call came in.

The Iron Lady took a deep breath and answered the phone.

"Queen Elizabeth?"

The caller was the Queen of England.

"Yes...yes...it is indeed a good business opportunity...I mean, a good publicity opportunity."

The Queen wanted to turn the tragedy into a celebration, so she decided to make the Lisbon Maru incident one of Britain's national memories.

The truth can't be hidden anymore.

"Awarding medals to Yu Qie? It's already past the New Year... Could it be..."

"Okay...okay...I understand."

hang up the phone.

The Queen is indeed the Queen; she quickly led everyone to victory.

The Royal Family will allocate an additional £400,000 as compensation for the soldiers who went missing in the water forty years ago. These men were members of the Royal Regiment and fought for the Royal Family; it is only right that they receive compensation.

If you're going to do something, do it thoroughly. The Queen even plans to award Yuche a medal.

Since nominees cannot nominate themselves, the Queen's phone call was a request for the Iron Lady, as Prime Minister, to nominate Yuche.

Every year, the Queen holds large-scale investiture ceremonies on holidays such as Christmas, New Year's Day, and her birthday. The most recent New Year's Day has passed, so a separate investiture ceremony will be held as Yuche departs.

Besides Yu Qie, several British veterans who had narrowly escaped death were also present. Documentary filmmaker Kevin Corvinus will also receive a medal, as the documentary "Lisbon Maru" was also broadcast in China, and "Zhoushan" became a popular place name for them, with many Chinese viewers writing letters to express their admiration for Corvinus.

Seeing that things were developing to the point of being politically correct, Japan also imported the documentary, and the BBC made a fortune.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the Iron Lady's workday officially began, and she summoned the officials of the Cultural Committee to 10 Downing Street.

"The Queen is preparing to award Dongfang Yu a medal, and the government is also going to cooperate in the publicity. Do you think this is a good idea?"

“Of course!” the men replied immediately.

The meeting lasted for two hours.

The Culture Committee believes that if Asian countries are included, the number of people who have ultimately seen the Lisbon Maru book or related documentaries will exceed 600 million. Active involvement in such matters would benefit the promotion of Britain's national image.

“And Dongfang Yu is a real heartthrob! He’s very photogenic!” the British men said. “There’s a reason he’s always so popular with the media! Just look at him!”

The Iron Lady's gaze lingered on the photograph in The Guardian.

Although Yu Qie only showed most of his profile, he did indeed appear very elegant.

The Iron Lady was not good-looking and was rather short. She started to gain weight during her second term as prime minister, so she had to spend an hour every day, without fail, on makeup and dressing up.

For public figures, outward appearance is extremely important!

Why do people always criticize me for promoting handsome men?
This is because handsome men have a better future in politics.

"Alright! As you wish."
-
The royal family and government immediately sprang into action, announcing that "there will be a temporary award ceremony." The media immediately inquired, "Who is the recipient?", but the royal family pretended to remain secretive.

Everyone knew that the person receiving the medal was definitely Yu Qie.

At the end of the month, Yuche officially received the invitation; his investiture ceremony was scheduled for January 31st. In addition, many others also rushed to London. The royal family announced the list of investiture recipients, and Yuche was listed first.

At Yu Qie's suggestion, more than seventy Chinese fishermen at the time received the British Royal Victoria Order as a whole.

The last time a Chinese person received this medal was more than 90 years ago, when Li Hongzhang received a grand reception from the British royal family. After returning to China, Li Hongzhang believed that he had the support of Britain and became determined to "learn from the barbarians' superior techniques to control the barbarians."

Now, a century later, someone else has received this medal.

The royal family is still the same royal family, but things have changed drastically here.

Yu Qie received the Order of the British Empire and was also awarded the title of Baron in the United Kingdom.

The concept of a "baron" in Britain is quite complex, with distinctions between a Grand Baron and a Common Baron. Yu Qie holds the title of Grand Baron, which is almost the highest honor an "outsider" can attain in Britain.

In the past, only the governor of a colony could symbolically receive this title upon leaving office.

Now when I go to Hong Kong, I'll really have the upper hand over those Justices of the Peace!

Queen Elizabeth II issues hundreds of medals a year, to the point of being excessive, yet she only gives those Hong Kong tycoons the title of "Justice of the Peace" to fool them. I don't know what they're so excited about all day.
Yu Qie shook his head inwardly.

A few months ago, the Lisbon Maru incident was virtually unknown. Now, the number of people who have heard of it is in the hundreds of millions. This is the influence of a literary giant, and also because he skillfully utilized the resources of all parties involved.

Everyone won.

Are there no losers?

The royal family's enormous annual expenses are borne by British taxpayers' money. If anything, the only losers are the British people, but the British people don't care.

Stepping into Buckingham Palace once again, I was filled with countless emotions.

(End of this chapter)