Lansheng Grand Theatre
The performance on stage was nearing the end of the first act.
From the first floor of the theatre, bursts of laughter could be heard:
"Hahahaha!"
These sounds reached Cecil's ears, feeling like endless mockery.
Wodehouse, chuckling, said, "Prime Minister, is this really what Number 10 Downing Street is like? The civil servant can just... Sorry, I'm asking too much."
Cecil clenched his fists. He was one hundred percent sure that Lu Shi must have received guidance from the Liberal Party to know so many "political secrets."
The most unacceptable part was that, in "Yes, Prime Minister," Jim occasionally managed to force Humphrey to concede. In reality, Cecil had to rack his brains for even a tiny bit of reform, leaving him mentally and physically exhausted.
This gave him a very absurd feeling: perhaps... maybe... possibly... he wasn't as good as Jim?
As soon as this thought emerged, Cecil quickly took a sip of red wine to suppress it and then asked Irwin beside him, "Sir Irwin, is the playwright in the adjacent Box 1... Sir Irwin?"
Irwin was staring at the stage, lost in thought. Suddenly, he snapped out of it.
"Prime Minister?"
Cecil frowned, "Sir, what are you thinking about?"
"Gulp..."
Irwin swallowed.
In "Yes, Prime Minister," the character of Prime Minister Jim Hacker was undoubtedly portrayed as someone constantly outwitted by the civil servants. If the playwright was satirizing the real cabinet, the target would undoubtedly be Cecil. If used wisely, the excessive naval budget of the Royal Navy could be attributed to the incompetent prime minister through this play.
Of course, this wouldn't genuinely be blamed on Cecil, as the cabinet wouldn't be that foolish, but it could be leveraged in public opinion.
Perhaps "Yes, Prime Minister" could be a golden opportunity for the Royal Navy to balance its accounts—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Irwin was calculating in his mind. Unaware of Irwin's thoughts, Cecil continued, "Just now, Sir Wodehouse mentioned that the two playwrights are in Box 1?"
Irwin displayed a somewhat defensive posture, leaning back into his chair.
"Prime Minister, are you planning to...?"
...
In Box 1.
"Marvelous! Simply marvelous!"
Since the performance began, the queen had hardly closed her mouth, either laughing or praising the script.
Lu Shi and George Bernard Shaw sat beside her, feeling anxious, worried that the queen might get too excited and suffer a stroke.
Luckily, it was now the intermission.
The curtain slowly came down, bringing the stage into darkness.
But the theatre was much livelier than before. During the actors' performance, the audience tried to control their laughter unless they couldn't hold it in. During the intermission, however, they could freely discuss the plot.
The air was filled with chatter.
The queen placed the small brass binoculars she had been using to watch the stage aside, then stretched contentedly, her old joints creaking.
Lu Shi and George Bernard Shaw quickly looked away, adhering to the principle of not observing inappropriate things. The queen's behavior was clearly against royal etiquette.
Margareta laughed, "Your Majesty, I've long told you that 'Yes, Prime Minister' is very amusing."
In the presence of others, she would not address the queen as "grandmother."
The queen nodded approvingly, "Indeed. It's just a pity that the facilities of the Lansheng Grand Theatre are mediocre; this chair is making my back ache."
Stephenson asked, "Shall I help you stretch a bit?"
The queen shook her head, "No, no. If the performance resumes and I'm not in my seat, I'd miss out. I don't want to miss a single moment of this play."
She then turned to Lu Shi, intending to speak, but was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.
Stephenson frowned, "What's with the theatre staff!? Didn't we tell them not to disturb us!?"
The queen waved her hand, magnanimously saying, "Freck, we are here incognito. The theatre staff doesn't know our true identities. There's no need to trouble them."
Stephenson was a bit disgruntled. The queen's statues and large portraits were almost everywhere in London's major landmarks. This outing, although the queen had deliberately covered her face with a hat and collar, anyone paying close attention could still vaguely recognize her. Strangely, no one had recognized her along the way. Perhaps it was the case of being too close to see.
Meanwhile, the knocking on the door grew louder.
Thump, thump, thump—
Stephenson clicked his tongue, "Tsk..."
He asked quietly, "Your Majesty, shall I open the door?"
The queen adjusted herself into a more comfortable position, blending into the shadows, and said, "Go ahead."
Stephenson walked over and opened the door, revealing a theatre staff member.
The staff member instinctively tried to peek into Box 1 but was immediately blocked by Stephenson.
"Don't look around!"
The staff member quickly lowered his head, "I wonder if Mr. Lu and Mr. Shaw are available now..."
Stephenson frowned, "They are not!"
With that, he was about to close the door when the queen spoke, "Freck, the main guests are here. It's not your place to refuse on their behalf."
Stephenson had no choice but to step aside, his eyes still closely following the staff member to prevent any mishap.
Fortunately, the staff member went straight to Lu Shi, whispering something to him.
Lu Shi looked surprised, "The adjacent box? Isn't that Churchill… uh… who wants to invite me for a drink?"
The staff member was also at a loss, "A gentleman who introduced himself as 'Salisbury.'"
Salisbury, a small city in Wiltshire, southern England, home to the highest cathedral in the UK and the famous prehistoric Stonehenge on its outskirts.
Lu Shi was puzzled, "Who?"
The queen beside him let out an aged laugh, "Professor Lu, how can someone who writes such excellent political satire lack such basic political knowledge? The Marquess of Salisbury is the current prime minister."
Though Lu Shi had considered the possibility of the prime minister attending, he hadn't expected it so soon.
He pondered for a moment, "The prime minister wants to have a drink with me?"
The staff member stood still, unable to answer.
The queen said with an elegant and steady voice, "This young man probably didn't expect he had just encountered the prime minister up close, so he's a bit slow to react."
She addressed the staff member, "Young man, don't be nervous. Tell the prime minister that Mr. Lu and Mr. Shaw are currently unable to leave as they are accompanying a friend, Miss Margareta, who is here in an official capacity."
The staff member was stunned and instinctively glanced over, "Official capacity?"
He vaguely felt that the elderly woman looked familiar, but Stephenson didn't give him a chance to observe further, shoving him gently and scolding, "Get going!"
The staff member felt like today's events were overwhelming, nodded hurriedly, "Yes! I'll go right away!"