The next morning,
University College London,
Library.
Niccolich and Solomon came here to borrow books again.
Because they had been studying modern history overnight, they both looked tired, with dark circles under their eyes, resembling pandas.
Solomon yawned,
"Ugh, this is tough."
In front of him was a spread-out piece of paper, still blank.
Niccolich said, "If you find it difficult, you can temporarily..."
Before he could finish his sentence, they heard commotion not far away,
This kind of situation was very unusual in the library.
They couldn't help but look in the direction of the noise, only to see a group of students gathered together, discussing something, but because they were too excited, they forgot to control their volume,
The attention of others was also drawn over.
Solomon squinted,
"Is that... hmm... 'The Manchester Guardian'?"
As he said this, he suddenly slapped his forehead,
"These past few days have been so hectic, I forgot to buy today's newspaper."
Niccolich made a gesture for his friend to be quiet,
Solomon understood.
They both perked up their ears and listened carefully to what was being discussed over there.
"I didn't expect Professor Lu to respond like this."
"This poem is really good."
"Can this be considered a poem?"
"Definitely! But he's so direct and fierce, nothing like an Asian."
...
Niccolich and Solomon couldn't help but exchange glances.
Then, they both stood up simultaneously and quickly left the library, heading towards the nearby bookstore.
As expected, the bookstore's entrance was crowded with students,
Almost every one of them had a copy of "The Manchester Guardian," reading it with relish, completely forgetting about attending classes.
Pushing through the crowd, Solomon reached the counter and asked the shopkeeper as he handed over money, "What's going on outside?"
The shopkeeper shrugged,
"It's all because of Lu. Whenever his articles are published, my bookstore becomes busier than the library. But today is particularly unusual. Why are you students swarming the entrance as if there's a riot going on?"
In the past, students would buy a newspaper and leave while reading it, quickly departing from the store,
But the current situation was completely different.
The shopkeeper was baffled.
Solomon handed over the money,
"Give me a copy."
Without any hesitation, Niccolich grabbed a newspaper and quickly flipped through it,
Suddenly, his movements stopped,
"'The Answer'?"
"What is it?"
Solomon stepped closer.
The page Niccolich had opened was the book review section of "The Manchester Guardian,"
There were no distinct articles, no large blocks of text, no sharp satire like Shaw's,
Instead, there was only a modern poem—
"The Answer."
Authored by Lu.
Solomon's face flushed with excitement,
"I knew it... I just knew it! How could Professor Lu not fight back when he's being accused like this?"
Niccolich nodded,
"Indeed, the title of this poem is full of aggression."
Solomon retorted, "Aggression? This is clearly self-defense! If it were an attack, why would he use the word 'Answer'? The momentum is just too weak! If it were an attack, it would definitely be 'Fxxk you!'"
Niccolich was speechless,
"Alright, you're amazing. Just read the poem."
The two refocused their attention on the newspaper, reading it carefully,
As they read, they suddenly broke into a sweat on this chilly day.
Niccolich whispered, "The line 'I came into this world carrying only paper, rope, and shadows, to read those sentenced voices before judgment'—is it referring to Mr. Wilde or Professor Lu himself?"
There are as many Hamlets as there are readers,
Solomon didn't think that Professor Lu's intended message was necessarily very specific; it was the implicit emotions and inspiration that were most important.
Regarding this poem,
some people could read it with a full sense of anger;
some people could read it with a desire for change;
some people could read it with a longing for freedom;
...
Everyone's feelings were different, just as Shakespeare released a thousand Hamlets in "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark."
"This line 'Base is the passport of the base, noble is the epitaph of the noble'—"
Niccolich interrupted, "Is this about the 'Perversion of Honor'?"
Solomon nodded,
"Yes, this poem is full of wisdom."
As they read, they both sensed that there was some emotion brewing among the students around them,
The atmosphere was such that the students didn't need to communicate verbally; they could rely on this poem, "The Answer," to reach some kind of consensus,
This was the power of literary works.
Suddenly, someone spoke up, "I think we should do something for Professor Lu."
The speaker was a student from the School of Arts and Entertainment.
This college specialized in arts and media and was only granted admission to the University of London Alliance in 1904, renamed as Goldsmiths, University of London,
Compared to the "noble" University College London and King's College London, Goldsmiths was quite underground, but for some reason, there wasn't a single student present who didn't consider the speaking student as one of their own.
Someone asked, "What should we do?"
The students contemplated.
Solomon's eyes lit up with a sly smile and he said, "We are students, so of course we should find a way within the school."
This statement was essentially saying nothing.
The students grumbled with dissatisfaction.
Niccolich nudged Solomon and whispered, "Just spit it out if you have an idea, stop beating around the bush."
Solomon chuckled,
"Well... right, does King's College have a teacher named Thomas Hardy? If I remember correctly, he wrote 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' and 'Jude the Obscure.'"
Hardy was not only a novelist but also a poet,
Although his poetry was modern, it had a "dry humor," such as his representative work, "Wessex Poems," which described his daily life, somewhat uninteresting,
This method of writing was completely different from Lu's "One Generation," so Hardy also participated in the criticism of Lu.
The students present all caught on,
Solomon actually intended to target the teachers at various colleges affiliated with the University of London who opposed Lu.
Out of desperation!
A student from King's College said, "Professor Hardy is only an honorary professor, there's no need..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he immediately drew the attention of everyone,
Their gazes were unusually intense.
Solomon smiled and said, "Fellow student, I know what you want to say, and indeed, there's no need. However, 'I love my teacher, but I love the truth more.' When a teacher makes a mistake, students must have the courage to step forward and correct it."
There was nothing wrong with this statement,
But using it in the current context felt a bit strange.
The students remained somewhat hesitant.
Solomon continued persuasively, "Actually, we don't need to do anything extreme, just write a few hand-copied newspapers, chant some slogans, and express our views. As for demonstrations, marches, etc... hehehe... hehehehe..."
"Hiss..."
The students gasped in shock,
This guy was ruthless, he even thought about demonstrations and marches!
Niccolich pulled Solomon's sleeve and whispered, "Calm down."
Solomon also worried that he had gone too far,
He cleared his throat and raised his voice to recite "The Answer":
"
Base is the passport of the base, Noble is the epitaph of the noble. Behold, in that gilded sky, Float the twisted reflections of the dead. ...
"
With "The Answer," the emotions of the crowd were instantly ignited.
So what if they questioned the teacher?
Screw this!