King's Landing, morning.
In the spacious carriage, after listening to the attendant's report, Olenna·Redwyne looked at Mace·Tyrell and Margaery·Tyrell.
Lord Mace was shocked at first, then a little happy.
Margaery frowned slightly, and after noticing her grandmother's gaze, she looked over.
Lady Olenna said kindly, "Margaery, what did you think of?"
Margaery flexed his fingers and replied, "Grandma, I think this is too coincidental. As far as I know, although Lord Jon's health has not improved, his condition is not that serious. At least he should not have died suddenly."
Lord Mace touched his beard and interjected. "After all, he has been seriously ill, so it's not surprising. It can also be said to be the Gods's kindness."
Among Usurper's War, House Golden Rose was the last to choose to surrender. After that, they were excluded from Red Keep by Small Council headed by Lord Jon.
Lord Mace, as the leader of Golden Rose, naturally cannot like Hand Jon Arryn.
This time he came to King's Landing as a candidate for Hand of the King, and will first serve as Advisor to the Hand.
Advisor to the Hand is only responsible to Hand of the King himself. If he cannot participate in Small Council, Lord Mace will certainly not be satisfied.
Now, just after entering King's Landing, I heard the news of Jon's death. It is possible that he will directly take over the kingdom Hand of the King.
Lord Jon is a nuisance and a hindrance to him.
Lord Mace felt that the Gods was blessing him, and what he felt now was double pleasure.
Lady Olenna Looking at his stupid son who thinks he is smart, he wants to crack open his fat head with a wooden spoon.
Lady Olenna took a breath and calmed down before speaking, "Lord Boar, this is not good news for you. King Robert is very close to Hand Jon Arryn. He is one of the few people who can directly influence the king's decision.
The heir of Lord Jon is still a young son. He definitely needs more allies to ensure that the heir can successfully inherit Vale and protect the family. Old lady, I also want to use this as a basis to facilitate the transaction between Golden Rose and Vale of Arryn, so that he can directly recommend you to the king to succeed Hand of the King.
Originally this was the simplest and most direct way, but Lord Jon passed away suddenly, and now I have to find someone to trade with so that this wild boar can sit directly on Hand of the King's chair."
After listening to his mother's analysis, Lord Mace's good mood was immediately dissipated.
Margaery patted Lord Mace's big hand and comforted, "Father, don't worry, your chance of winning is still the best."
Lord Mace patted Margaery's little hand and said worriedly, "Mother, what should we do next?"
After a pause, Olenna said, "When we get to the place, Margaery and I will get off the carriage first and you can go directly to Sept to express your condolences and show up in front of everyone. You have to let everyone know that you are here."
Margaery said to Olenna, "Grandma, do you need me to accompany your father?"
Olenna waved his hand and said, "Why do you pretend to be in front of everyone? Our Lord Mace is the best at it."
Although her words were sarcastic, her mother rarely praised her, and Lord Mace laughed.
The father looked proud there, and when he saw Olenna's disgusted look, Margaery couldn't help but laugh.
Olenna was finally made angry and laughing by the shamelessness of his stupid son.
King's Landing, Tyrell Mansion.
In the afternoon, Margaery was called to the garden by Mrs. Olenna.
Seeing Margaery approaching with her skirt in hand, Olenna showed a touch of kindness. Seeing Margaery always reminded her of herself when she was young.
"Grandma.", Margaery sat opposite Olenna.
Olenna looked at the flowers and said, "The roses of the same variety, at the same time, were already in full bloom at Highgarden, but only in buds at King's Landing."
Margaery's brown eyes moved slightly, and she heard the meaning of Elena's words.
"Margaery, the people you face in the Reach are either family members or vassals. For King's Landing, this place is completely different from the Highgarden you are familiar with. This city is full of all kinds of conspiracies, and there are many bad guys like that little guy."
Margaery nodded slightly, she would listen carefully every time her grandmother taught her.
"Only a steady stream of new nutrients can keep Golden Rose alive. This is why your father values King's Landing.
As long as Iron Throne is still placed here, King's Landing is the center of Seven Kingdoms, and Small Council is the place that the family cannot avoid.
Red Keep has his own rules of the game, and the power game here is even more cruel. What you have to do is to master the rules of power here as soon as possible, which is very important for your future."
"Grandma, I understand."
Olenna smiled kindly and said, "Don't be too nervous. Behind you is Golden Rose. No one dares to challenge us head-on. Don't be too vigilant. Just treat it as an old woman and I'm bringing my granddaughter to play. Your mission is to see more."
Margaery nodded and said, "Grandma, Loras brother..."
Olenna shook his head slightly and said, "Don't bother him, he is Renly's attendant, but he is also a member of House Tyrell. I am temporarily fulfilling his friendship.
Only Renly would dare to treat House Tyrell as his vassal because he gained Loras's friendship. Calling him innocent is just a compliment.
To get the support of House Tyrell, our request is very simple. Send my granddaughter a Queen tiara. At that time, the old woman can even lead her horse herself."
Margaery listened very seriously at first, but in the end he couldn't help but cover his mouth and laugh.
"Grandma, don't worry, I believe in my brother, he will always be our family."
Olenna nodded slightly. "So, whatever he wants to do now, let's not disturb him. That friendship is also the connection between the two families. Golden Rose will not give up any initiative."
Margaery's brown eyes flashed with light. "Grandma, I understand!"
"Our Lord Mace is still busy for the time being and does not need our help. Some things would be better handled by us women. We need to see Cersei Queen as soon as possible."
Winterfell, Lord's bedroom.
Boom, knock on the door interrupted Eddard·Stark's meditation.
"Sir, Maester Luwin is outside and wants to see you for something urgent."
[Luwin is a bachelor who serves Winterfell House Stark. He delivered every child of Lord Eddard. In addition, he also trained all the children of House Stark as a teacher.]
Lord Eddard glanced at his wife who was woken up, frowned, and said in a low tone, "I didn't tell anyone not to disturb her."
Today they received the letter that Hand Jon Arryn passed away. His wife finally fell asleep very late.
The waiter outside the door cautiously replied, "Sir, I'm sorry, Maester Luwin insists on seeing you and is very anxious."
Lord Eddard casually put on a heavy robe. "Let him come in."
Catelyn covered his mouth and blew, sat up on the bed, and pulled the blanket up to his chin. "Ned (Eddard's nickname), haven't you been sleeping?"
Eddard walked to the window, looked at the night sky outside, and said, "When I close my eyes, I always think of the past."
Catelyn noticed her husband's sadness and comforted him, "Pycelle Grand Maester gave him Milk of the Poppy to drink. He left in a hurry, so Jon didn't suffer too much."
"I guess this is a last bit of mercy."
Lord Eddard sighed in a low voice, suppressing the grief in his heart.
He cannot be selfish and only care about his own joys and sorrows. Catelyn also needs care and comfort.
"Is there any news about your sister and her children?"
The North Men are not good at expressing love through words, and his husband is even more typical.
Catelyn felt the concern from the man in front of him, smiled and said, "The letter only said that they were safe and sound and had been returned to Eyrie.
I really hope they return to Riverrun. Eyrie is towering and lonely. It has always been her husband's family castle, not her final destination.
Seeing things and thinking about people, the memories of Duke Arryn will definitely haunt every brick and stone in Eyrie... I know my sister very well, Lysa needs the support and company of family and friends most now."
"Catelyn, your uncle is Knight of the Bloody Gate appointed by Jon, Brandon Tully will do his best to take good care of them."
[Brandon Tully, full name Brandon Tully·Tully, Catelyn's father's younger brother, also known as Ser Blackfish]
After saying that, after a pause, Eddard added, "You can go and stay with her, and bring the children with you, so that her residence will be filled with laughter and noise. That child needs the company of other companions, and your sister should not mourn alone."
"If possible, of course I would like to go there, but... have you thought about it? If things suddenly change, will you go to King's Landing?"
Lord Eddard was silent for a while and said, "I'm still thinking about it."
Direwolf's intuition told him that this is Stark's home, so don't leave the North easily.
The alpha wolf was grieving, and Catelyn also knew that it was not the right time to discuss this, so he did not continue to ask questions.
After a while, the door was pushed open and Maester Luwin entered the room.
The thin Maester Luwin is wearing a robe made of gray wool and trimmed with white velvet, which is the color of House Stark.
Maester Luwin waited until the door behind him was closed before he spoke, then nodded and said, "Sorry for disturbing your rest. Someone left a letter on my desk while I was napping."
As he spoke, Maester Luwin took out a tightly rolled letter from his sleeve.
"It clearly says that it can only be opened by Lady Catelyn. I'm worried that it is a very important matter, so I don't dare to delay it for a moment."
Catelyn saw Moon and Falcon Sigil printed with House Arryn on the letter.
She reached out to take the letter, regardless of the fact that she had no clothes on her body, and let the blanket slip down, exclaiming. "It must be a letter from Lysa, I'm afraid it won't be good news. Ned, this letter contains endless sadness, I can feel it."
Lord Eddard frowned and said, "Catelyn, don't panic, just open it and take a look first."
Catelyn opened the letter, glanced at the content and said, "This is... Lysa and I invented a secret language when we were young. Only she and I understand it."
Catelyn opened the fur, turned over and got out of bed.
Eddard was stunned by his wife's sudden move. "Catelyn, Maester Luwin is still here."
Maester Luwin, who had already turned his head in the direction of the door, said, "Sir, I think I'd better take my leave first."
Catelyn picked up a nightgown and put it on, then walked to the candle. The words on the letter were very small, so she needed the candlelight.
"Ned, every one of my children was delivered by Master Luwin. Now is not the time to pay attention to hypocritical etiquette..."
Before he finished speaking, Catelyn's body suddenly froze there.
Eddard noticed his wife's abnormality and walked over to support Catelyn: "Are you afraid? Tell me, what exactly was written in the letter?"
Catelyn looked at Eddard who looked anxious, and his voice trembled. "Lysa said that Jon·Arryn was murdered."
"Did she say who the murderer was?"
"House Lannister."
Lord Eddard instinctively felt that this was impossible. "Your sister is too sad. She doesn't even know what she is talking about."
Catelyn denied. "Lysa herself is very impulsive, but she will not joke about this kind of thing. She even wrote a secret letter to tell me that Lysa must be extremely scared, so she took her son and hid in Eyrie."
Catelyn stared at her husband, who remained silent, and said, "Now we really have no choice. You have to go south to find out the truth yourself."
Lord Eddard sighed, "The south is a place full of Viper beasts, Direwolf it is best to avoid it."
At this time, Maester Luwin added, "Sir, it can be seen from the last letter that King Robert intends for you to take over Hand of the King.
Hand of the King holds great power, enough to allow you to find out the true cause of Duke Arryn's death. If you find out that the cause of Lord Arryn's death is really murder, the murderer can be brought to justice.
Even if the situation is not good, you have more than enough to protect Lady Arryn and her young son, and you can escape unscathed at any time."
Catelyn added, "Eddard, King Robert also mentioned in the last letter that he asked you to bring Sansa with him. Don't you understand what Robert means? He intends for his eldest son to marry Sansa."
[Sansa·Stark is the eldest daughter of Eddard and Catelyn, and their second child.]
Eddard finally spoke out, "Catelyn, Sansa is only eleven years old (now Westerosi Calendar 298AC)... and I don't want my daughter to marry in the south!"
Eddard's father, brother, and sister all died in the south. This is a pain that he can never erase.
Catelyn, as the wife of Eddard, naturally knows these things very well, but no matter how sad it is, it is in the past, and she does not want Sansa to be affected.
Catelyn's voice was a bit high. "Eddard, this is the king's kindness. You can't always regard him as your former good brother. The king's self-esteem is everything to him.
Sansa may one day become Queen, and her children will rule the vast land from the Wall of the End in the north to the Dornish Mountains in the south. Isn't this good?"
Hehe, Iron Throne!
Eddard's expression was tired and sentimental, but Catelyn knew that she couldn't hold him in her arms at this moment... For the sake of her children, she had to convince her stubborn husband first.
Catelyn added, "You said you love Robert more than your biological brother. If what Lysa told the truth, do you think Robert will be safe? You know very well how vicious Lannister is. Do you have the heart to see Robert in danger?"
Eddard moved his lips, turned around with a heavy expression, and faced the narrow window.
Catelyn didn't speak again, and Maester Luwin didn't say a word either. They were waiting silently... Eddard quietly said goodbye to his beloved the North.
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