"The Foolish Bastard"

Jon's voice wasn't loud, but it carried to every corner of the Throne Room, surprising everyone and causing them to look at Jon as if he were a monster.

To refuse a royal reward in public?

Your Majesty, he's slapping you in the face!

Sure enough, Stannis's mood, which had just been pleasant, immediately plummeted, and his blue eyes stared at Jon like sharp arrows.

"Jon! This is a gift from the King! How dare you refuse! This is disobedience!" The Hand of the King, Alester, jumped in to rebuke him; he now had to appear more loyal than anyone else.

This is outrageous!

"Jon! Quickly apologize to His Majesty!"

At this Queen's faction and King's faction seemed to have found a united front, jumping out to criticize Jon. Beric Dondarrion and Thoros looked at Jon with concern, wondering what he was going to do. In their view, Jon was definitely not the kind of fool who didn't know when to advance or retreat.

But in an instant, the Throne Room was filled with accusations and insults, and those who cared about Jon were worried for him.

Both Beric Dondarrion and Thoros recalled what Jon had said when he launched the coup at Harrenhal.

Especially when faced with Roose Bolton's threats, his stoic attitude is that if things get really bad, he'll just go back to the Wall, and if all else fails, he'll have Robb kill me.

Both of them thought that Jon might forget his previous words after witnessing the splendor of King's Landing; after all, he was a young man, which was perfectly normal and even understandable.

Who hasn't said a few silly things when they were young?

But Jon's direct refusal of the King was an extremely irrational move. Beric Dondarrion steeled himself and approached Jon, saying, "Jon! Quickly apologize to His Majesty!"

However, Jon remained unmoved, looking directly into Stannis's eyes.

Seeing this, Pycelle sighed, feeling sorry for Jon. While Harrenhal was indeed not a good place, Jon's way of refusing was rather crude. After all, he was still too young.

Only Varys stared intently at Jon, believing that Jon shouldn't be so reckless.

"Quiet!" Stannis interrupted everyone's emotional outburst, his tone revealing impatience and even annoyance, which made him subconsciously want to grind his teeth again.

Once everyone fell silent, the king, who had just sat on the Iron Throne, spoke up and asked, "Speak, what do you want?"

All eyes turned to Jon again, who said, "Your Majesty, I wish to send my two sisters back to the North. They are trapped in enemy hands and have been separated from Mother for too long."

Excuse!"

This is the first reaction many people have when they hear Jon's request.

Idiot!"

This is the second reaction.

The pretext was that they believed Jon was using the pretext of sending Sansa and Arya back to the North, and that he didn't want to serve Stannis.

The fools thought that since Jon had already opposed Robb's claim to the throne, why would Robb allow him to become a duke?

"Jon, what kind of time is this to be trying to curry favor with the House Stark?! Apologize to His Majesty immediately!" Rhaegar Frey said anxiously.

Old Walder gave them two tasks: one was to secure political status for the House Frey in the new regime, and the other was to win over Jon.

The second task can only be completed once Jon's reward and status are confirmed. If Jon really leaves, they might incur Stannis's wrath.

But Jon ignored him and remained standing there like a sculpture in the wind and rain.

The others were speechless, but one insightful person explained the reason.

"The Stark must have treated Jon very badly. Since every generation of Stark has the tradition of sending their offspring to the Wall, why pick Jon, this bastard? I think Catelyn must have done this because she couldn't bear to part with her own son."

"If Stark treated him badly, why did he continue to go back and serve Stark?"

That's just how people are; some people become more loyal the more they are bullied.

"Ugh—that Jon."

"No, that's not it! No, that's not it!" Arya cried anxiously, Tears, as she grabbed Selyse's sleeve and pleaded, "Your Majesty, it's not like that, Jon isn't like that."

Selyse didn't know what to say at this moment. Looking at the tomboyish Arya, her first reaction was to push Arya's hand away to avoid tearing her lace cuffs.

Listening to the crowd's discussion, Sansa instinctively shook her head. She wanted to tell everyone that her mother, Catelyn, wasn't that kind of person. Going to the Wall was Jon's own decision.

But upon closer reflection, those people's guesses seem to be correct. When Eddard took him and Arya to King's Landing, Arya, the only one close to Jon, left. No one in Winterfell liked Jon, which is probably why he decided to become Night's Watch.

Sansa suddenly remembered that whenever there was an important occasion, Jon would sit with the stable boys and servants, or simply huddle in a corner.

Sansa felt a lump in her throat and a pang of self-reproach when she thought about how she had deliberately distanced herself from Jon in the past.

What's even more disheartening is that Stannis seems to feel the same way. He's already given Jon his sword—what a great favor—yet Jon still wants to leave him, which has once again stirred up his unpleasant memories.

Stannis coldly replied, "Anything else? Just say it all at once."

Jon paused for a moment before speaking, "Also, Your Majesty, the Wall sent a plea for help a few days ago, saying that the army of Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, has been assembled, and the number of Wildlings Beyond the Wall the Wall is as high as one hundred thousand, while the Wall garrison has only one thousand. Castle Black is at risk of falling. They hope that Your Majesty can send troops to support the Wall. I also want to continue to fulfill my duty as a Night's Watch and guard the gateway to the Seven Kingdoms."

Huh?! To the Wall!!!

Everyone thought Jon was heading back to Winterfell, but they never expected him to be so far north!

Seriously, is this guy stupid? Why would he go to the Wall, that godforsaken place?

Upon hearing Jon's words, Stannis also wore a strange expression. Could there really be such a strange person in the world?

The Duke doesn't want to be the Duke anymore, he wants to be Night's Watch?!

The Wall? Isn't that just a place for exiling criminals?

Stannis would absolutely not allow Jon to go to such a place, nor would the King's faction and Queen's faction. Once Jon went to the Wall, they would be too embarrassed to mention or even ask for any reward.

In Alester's view, if things got even worse, if the lords of the Seven Kingdoms knew that this was how Stannis treated his meritorious generals who had made tremendous contributions, it would inevitably cause suspicion and alienation.

Rewarding Jon was not only a matter of course, but also a political necessity for Stannis himself.

Varys was also quite taken aback— Jon! You're serious!

Before anyone else could speak, Melisandre was the first to say, "Jon, you were personally chosen by the Lord of Light to assist His Majesty. The Wall is not a place for you, especially since you haven't taken the formal oath of the Night's Watch's Watch."

Upon hearing Melisandre's words, the previous insults and accusations turned into earnest advice and guidance.

Alester, speaking in the name of the Hand of the King, was the first to speak, "Yes, Jon, so what if Mance Rayder leads a hundred thousand Wildlings? The Wall is eighty feet high! Besides, how many of those hundred thousand Wildlings are actually capable of fighting?"

If all else fails, Your Majesty can send all the prisoners in the dungeon to the Wall.

"Jon, it would be such a waste to put your talents on the Wall. It's no different from paving a road with pearls!" Axell had always looked down on Jon, actually spoke up to dissuade him.

"Jon!"

"Jon ----"

"Jon, oh Jon!"

Everyone chimed in, trying to dissuade him from this absurd idea.

Seeing that Jon still wouldn't budge, Stannis finally spoke up, "Jon, tell me, what is my title as king?"

Jon looked at Stannis and said, "Stannis Baratheon I, King of the Andals, King of the Rhoynar and the First Men, Protector of the Realm the Seven Kingdoms and the entire Territory."

"Yes, I am the Protector of the Realm. How to protect the nation is my decision. This nation faces danger and challenges not only at the Wall, but in many other places where your talents are needed. The matter of going to the Wall is no longer to be mentioned, understand?! Even if you were Night's Watch Night's Watch, I have the right to sever your oath!"

"Understood, Your Majesty."

After all, he is the king now, Jon knows he cannot disobey the king too many times in one day, otherwise it will only backfire.

However, Jon also knew that this one refusal was not enough to make Stannis make up his mind; he wanted to do something bigger!