The tent door curtain was suddenly opened, and Lymond. Lychester almost barged in.
There was an abnormal blush on the old man's face, and his gray hair seemed to stand on end with excitement. "Good thing! Suleiman!"
He rushed to Suleiman, grabbed his shoulders with both hands, and his voice trembled with ecstasy.
"What a great thing! I'm going to be appointed Warden of the Trident!"
Lymond. Lychester's eyes were flashing with tears, which were the rekindled flames of ambition and hope that had been suppressed for a long time.
"The fifth among the four guardians of the kingdom! From now on, House Lychester is the eighth family among the seven major families!"
Suleiman was sitting at the table and moved after hearing the words.
He stood up slowly, looking calmly at the old man who was almost in madness, and frowned slightly. "How do you know?"
Lymond. Lychester's ecstasy was interrupted by this calm question, and he was stunned for a moment.
"After the king came here, I gave several Gold Dragon to the king's attendants and servants."
He gave a somewhat confused explanation, as if he didn't understand why Suleiman didn't celebrate with him.
"Everyone does it. It's very common."
Suleiman lowered his eyes.
Considering that Red Keep is penetrated like a sieve, the palace of Westeros is not an Eastern palace after all, and cannot be judged by the East.
Revealing the king's intentions is a serious crime of annihilation. Any servant who dares to spy on the holy will will have to disappear along with the nine tribes.
But here, it seems to be just a business.
If the king on Iron Throne is like Qin Emperor and kills all the servants around him because the news is leaked, then he will only be called the next Mad King.
However, there is real money to be made as a servant to the king, it is a mobile gold mine.
Suleiman raised his head again and looked at the old man. "What else?"
Lymond. Lychester The joy on his face completely solidified.
He didn't see any joy on Suleiman's face, only scrutiny and calmness. "I... I also heard that Jon. Arryn summoned Brynden. Tully."
He added, trying to find the reaction he was expecting from Suleiman's eyes.
"They broke up on bad terms, but that's okay! Nine times out of ten, it can happen!"
The old man became excited again. He waved his arms as if he had seen the family flag flying throughout Riverlands, with the name Seven Kingdoms.
"Lychester! Warden of the Trident!"
"No, my lord."
Suleiman's voice was not loud, but like a basin of ice water, it extinguished all the flames in Lymond. Lychester's heart.
"This is not a good thing."
There was a stir in his heart, and there was actually such a solution.
Jon. Arryn, this old Hand of the King is worthy of being the paper maker of the Baratheon Dynasty.
This duty of guardianship seems to be a glorious reward, but in fact it is the most insidious trap.
He used a false name to cleverly resolve the king's insistent will and House Tully's crisis, pushing House Lychester into the abyss of eternal destruction.
It's calm on the surface, but there's a deadly undercurrent under the water.
Lymond. Lychester stood stunned on the spot, unable to understand.
"Why? Guard... the army that commands a territory...
Suleiman interrupted him, his voice clear and cold. "The duty of guardian, in name, has the power to command the army of a territory."
"But in practice, this is a vacant position."
He walked to the map and pointed his finger at the location Riverrun.
"Sir, think about it, what is the basis of Westeros's power? It is the relationship between the lord and his vassals."
"Lords of Riverlands wants to get a land reward? He is the governor Riverlands."
"Who do they swear allegiance to? Governor Riverlands, and who will decide their disputes? Or Governor Riverlands."
Suleiman turned around and looked directly at the old man's pale face.
"Warden of the West, Warden of the North, Warden of the East, Warden of the South is because they are also first-level lords."
"A vassal will only obey his lord, and a lord will never obey a guardian who only has the power to command troops but cannot give anything in return."
He paused to let the old man have time to digest this cruel reality. Jon. Arryn is equivalent to giving the old man a central military leadership position under the enfeoffment system. Under this system, the so-called guardian is an empty title if it does not have the actual title of king.
Lymond. Lychester's lips began to tremble, and he held on to the table to keep from falling.
Suleiman's voice became colder and colder. "The most important thing is the distribution rights after the war."
"After the war, who will distribute the land to the ownerless families?"
"Who will confiscate the castles of the fleeing nobles? Who will reward the nobles who fought hard?"
"Is it you? No! You don't have this power. You only have the nominal right to command the army of a realm.
"This power only belongs to Governor Riverlands and belongs to House Tully."
Every word Suleiman is like a heavy hammer hitting Lymond. Lychester's violently beating heart.
"You have become a guardian and have the power to command the army, but you can't get an inch of land or separate a Gold Dragon. Those East Riverlands's Lords, why do they have to work with you?"
"They won't, when they find out that you got the title of Guardian instead of Riverlands Governor, and they won't get any benefits after the war."
"They will abandon us immediately, flock to Riverrun, kneel at the feet of House Tully, and beg the new governor for forgiveness and reward."
"At that time, you will be abandoned by the entire Riverlands."
Suleiman looked at the old man and concluded.
"This is a dead end."
Lymond. Lychester's face turned from red to white, and then from white to green.
The light in his eyes was completely extinguished, replaced by endless fear, like a drowning man grasping at the last straw.
"What should we do? Suleiman, what should we do?"
Suleiman is also thinking, Jon. Arryn's arrangement is extremely reasonable, which satisfies the king's mood of rewarding them, and without destroying Westeros's tradition, it forces them into a desperate situation.
Either accept this poisonous reward and be slowly isolated until death.
Either reject the king's gift and anger Robert. Baratheon, which is also a dead end.
At this moment, the tent door curtain was opened again.
Bryn walked in quickly with a serious expression. "My lord!"
"The flags of House Tyrell and Dorne House Martell appeared in the distance.
Suleiman's eyes flashed with a sharp look.
Can't wait any longer.
He looked at the ashen-faced Lymond. Lychester: "Sir, we don't have time to hesitate."
"Contact all East Riverlands Lords who support us immediately."
His voice returned to its usual calmness, carrying undoubted power.
"Convene the Riverlords of the Riverlands conference."
The unusual movement of Riverlords of the Riverlands was like a pebble thrown into still water, and the ripples quickly spread to the center of power of Harrenhal.
Jon. Arryn certainly noticed.
Hand of the King's summons came quickly, but seemed calm.
The Vale knight who delivered the order just calmly told Suleiman that Lord Hand wanted to chat with him.
When Suleiman walked into Jon. Arryn's room, the old man was sitting behind the desk, rubbing a piece of paper filled with densely written small characters in his hand.
There weren't many candles lit in the room, and the light was a little dim, leaving the old man's face half-hidden in the shadows, and the deep furrows and wrinkles appearing deeper.
Jon. Arryn's voice was a little tired, but still calm. "Sit, Suleiman."
He raised his head and examined the young man in front of him with his gray eyes.
"I heard about your deeds at Riverlands."
The old man spoke with undisguised admiration in his tone.
"Robert needs a brave and decisive young man like you, and so does Seven Kingdoms."
Suleiman bowed slightly. "You are exaggerating, sir. I just did what I should do."
Jon. Arryn smiled, but the smile did not reach the bottom of his eyes, "What's your job?"
"Executing the Ironborn nobles, quelling the Riverrun assassination storm, colluding with others, and connecting the Riverlands lords, these are not the duties of a Riverlands lord."
Suleiman heard the sarcasm in the old man's words, and his expression remained unchanged.
"The king is very satisfied with you. He thinks you deserve an honor."
Jon. Arryn put down the paper in his hand, folded his hands on the table, and paused, seeming to observe Suleiman's reaction.
"In a few days, the king will personally canonize you as a knight at Harrenhal."
This is undoubtedly a huge honor, canonized by the king himself, which is enough to make any young man ecstatic.
Suleiman's face showed just the right amount of excitement and gratitude. "This is my honor, sir, and I will swear allegiance to His Majesty the King to the death."
Jon. Arryn nodded, seemingly satisfied with his reaction, and the atmosphere in the room relaxed a little.
The old man leaned back in his chair, sighed, and the topic turned to the past without any warning. "Sometimes, when I look at Robert, it's like looking at a child that will never grow up."
His voice became lower, filled with a sense of wistfulness as he recalled the past.
"He trusts everyone who expresses a word of loyalty to him without making any distinction."
"He is a great Warrior, but he is not a qualified king. He only knows how to use a war hammer to solve problems, but he does not understand that governing a kingdom requires patience and compromise."
"And... clearly distinguish between loyal and traitorous people."
Suleiman listened quietly without interrupting.
There was a profound loneliness in Jon. Arryn's voice. "Everything I did was for the stability of Iron Throne, for Robert, and for the Seven Kingdoms peace that was hard to come by."
His eyes became sharp, as if penetrating time and shadows, he looked directly at Suleiman.
"To achieve this goal, I will severely crack down on any careerist who dares to stir up disputes and any conspirator who hides in the dark."
Suleiman heard the stern warning in Jon. Arryn's words. At this point, the air seemed to freeze.
Jon. Arryn said slowly, finally mentioning the name: "Lymond. Lychester's ambition has shaken the order of Seven Kingdoms."
"Young man, whether you are sincerely helping or you have other agendas, please advise him to turn back."
The hint has become explicit.
The actual person in power of Hand of the King, Westeros is issuing a warning in his own way.
He is like an old man who has seen through the world, persuading a junior who has gone astray. You are still young and have a bright future. Don't go down the wrong path. Abandon Lymond. Lychester, this ambitious man, and you will be safe.
Suleiman still had a respectful smile on his face, as if he didn't hear the warning in his words.
He stood up and walked to the Westeros map hanging on the wall of the study.
"My lord, do you know? I have been listening to bards singing your stories since I was a child."
His voice was not loud, but it echoed clearly in the quiet room.
"They sing about the bravery of King Robert and the honor of Eddard's protection, but those who truly understand history speak of your name."
Jon. Arryn narrowed his eyes slightly and said nothing.
"Back then, Mad King Aerys II was cruel and cruel. He burned Rickard to protect him and strangled Brandon. Stark. Then, he asked you for your two adopted sons."
Suleiman's finger gently crossed the Eyrie on the map.
"The whole Westeros is watching you. If you hand over the two children, you will still be Warden of the East, and House Arryn will still be glorious. To refuse is treason, war, and a river of blood."
He turned around and looked directly at Jon. Arryn.
"You chose the latter. You raised the flag of rebellion, not for the crown or the land, but to protect the two young men who regard you as their father."
"You tell the whole Seven Kingdoms that there are some things that are more important than the king's orders and more important than the order of Seven Kingdoms."
Suleiman's tone was full of reverence, as if he was telling a sacred epic.
"You overthrew the rule of Mad King, made King Robert the king, and became the kingmaker. The world did not go into the abyss because the order was destroyed."
He took a step forward, his voice carrying a strange appeal.
"Instead, a new dynasty was born in your hands, a more powerful and just Westeros, reborn on the ruins."
Suleiman took a deep breath and said the words that had been planned in his heart for a long time.
"If there were no adults, Mad King's rule would be so short-lived. Otherwise, just to satisfy his own selfishness, how many noble families would be wiped out?"
There was a long silence in the room.
The candlelight danced, making their shadows on the wall grow longer and shorter.
There was no expression on Jon. Arryn's old face. He just looked at Suleiman quietly. In those cloudy eyes, something seemed to be slowly cooling down.
He understood.
Every word of Suleiman is a compliment, but when put together, it is actually the most decisive rejection.
Suleiman uses Jon. Arryn's own past to defend Lymond. Lychester's current behavior.
You could overthrow Targaryen for the sake of your adopted son, why can't we today challenge the authority of House Tully for the sake of Riverlands's future?
What you have done is a great deed, and what I have done is also an imitation of your great deed.
After a long time, Jon. Arryn spoke slowly, with a calm voice. "The canonization ceremony will be in three days."
He did not mention Lymond. Lychester, nor Riverlands.
"Don't be late."
Suleiman bowed and saluted. "Yes, sir."
He turned around and exited the study step by step.
The moment the door closed behind him, Jon. Arryn picked up the paper on the table and held it tightly in his hand.
His expression remained calm and unchanged, but the light in his eyes was as cold as ice.