Varys Sees Through Everything

"If you ask me, this bastard's brain must have been frozen solid at Winterfell or the Wall. He's a duke, after all!"

In the taverns of King's Landing, Jon's abandonment King's Landing his dukedom to avoid fratricide had become a hot topic. Not only in the taverns, but also among the common people, the streets and alleys, and the gatherings of the court nobles and upper class, almost everyone was talking about Jon.

The speaker was a thin man of about thirty years old, who was loudly proclaiming that Jon was a complete idiot.

It would be much more suitable for me to be the duke.

"How can someone who doesn't even dare to dream of doing anything do well? If you were to entrust Harrenhal to me—"

"How about I hand it over to you?" A deep voice sounded behind the man. "If it were me, I could definitely govern Harrenhal well for His Majesty Stannis. First, we'd form a marriage alliance with the House Frey, then we'd fight against Riverrun. After that, what face would Robb have left to call himself Lord of the Trident River? And then—" The man continued to ramble on about his daydreams, completely oblivious to the fact that the people around him who were watching the spectacle had fallen silent.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, he suddenly felt his body lifted into the air, and he was lifted up by the back of his neck.

"Hey hey hey hey hey-" The slightly drunk man waved his arms and legs, struggling like a worm being pinched.

"Put me down! You brute! Do you know who I am?! Put me down!" The skinny man only needed to turn his head to look at me, and he sobered up considerably.

A man with half his face covered in burn scars stared coldly at him. The scarred side of his face was missing an ear, leaving only a black hole, and the skin around his eyes was like hardened scabs.

If the other party was merely terrifying in appearance, then their bulging muscles and armor undoubtedly revealed their identity.

"My lord, I... I... I... I... I..." The man realized he had said something he shouldn't have, and his first reaction was to beg for forgiveness.

Being pulled along by Sandor, whose muscles were bulging all over, he was so nervous that he couldn't speak.

Sandor snorted coldly, grabbed him by the collar, walked to the tavern entrance, and then threw him violently into the middle of the main road.

The skinny man fell face-down, landing flat on his face, but he didn't dare utter a sound, tucked his tail between his legs, and scurried into the alley.

Seeing the man's disheveled figure, Sandor sneered, then looked towards the Red Keep.

He figured Jon wouldn't want to go back to the Wall now, and he could stay by his side and serve him.

The discussion about Jon in King's Landing was extremely heated, which surprised many people.

The mastermind behind it all is Varys.

Varys has learned that Stannis has prepared two options for Jon.

One option is to become the Lord of Harrenhal, and the other is to become the Lord of Casterly Rock.

The latter is better than the former, but Jon has to take it himself, making it a hot potato.

Furthermore, he knew that Stannis planned to marry Margaery to Jon, a move that would both punish and restrain Tyrell and reward Jon —a win-win situation.

From Varys ' perspective, it would be best for Margaery to marry Young Griff, but many conditions for Young Griff's marriage are not yet ripe, and this is only the optimal choice before Daenerys hatches the dragons.

But now that Daenerys has hatched a dragon, he and his allies plan to unite Young Griff and Daenerys, bring the dragon and army back to Westeros, and seize the Iron Throne in one fell swoop.

However, their army was simply too limited, and Stannis and Tywin were unlikely to negotiate.

Ideally, Jon would lead the Tyrell army to conquer the Westerlands and Casterly Rock. The Tyrell actually favor the Targaryen, which would effectively tie Jon to Young Griff's cause.

Therefore, Varys was also secretly pushing Jon to become the Lord of Casterly Rock through his own efforts.

Meanwhile, Jon, who had just been captured and brought back, was doing nothing. He was instructing Arya on Swordsmanship in the courtyard, while Sansa watched intently, looking eager to try it herself.

Just then, Robert Frey suddenly ran to Jon and reported, "My lord, someone wants to see you."

Who is it?

He only said one word, "secret passage," and said that you would naturally go to see him after hearing it.

Varys Jon immediately thought of the Minister of Intelligence.

Just as he was about to leave, Arya and Sansa exclaimed in unison, "Jon, where are you going?" Although they didn't usually show anything, once Jon was out of their sight, the two sisters felt like young animals abandoned in the jungle, completely insecure.

"I'm just meeting someone at the door, I won't go far, I'll be right back."

By the moonlight, Jon saw Varys dressed in plain black clothes. He was no longer the fragrant man he usually was; instead, he reeked of sweat, and his clothes were even stained with dirt. It seemed he had gone to great lengths to see Jon.

"I must congratulate you, Your Grace, Duke of Lord of Casterly Rock." Varys smiled, his tone even carrying a hint of respect.

Jon looked at Varys but didn't say anything.

Varys looked Jon directly in the eye and said, "Lord Jon, I may be frank, you have always acted like a saint, but from what I've observed, you are a true master of manipulating people. I would very much like to work with someone like you."

Jon thought for a moment and immediately understood how Varys had figured it out.

"Because I didn't tell His Majesty Stannis what you told me?"

"No one is wiser than you, sir," Varys said with a smile. "Your tactic of feigning retreat to advance is the greatest maneuver I have ever witnessed."

"Then I thank you for your praise. Since you've seen through my true colors and have even taken the initiative to ask me for cooperation, why don't you tell me what you want?" Although Jon already knew Varys's trump card, he still wanted to see if he would reveal it on his own.

Of course, it doesn't matter whether you say it or not. Asking him proactively is actually a way to avoid his suspicion and conceal the fact that you know his true purpose.

Varys shrugged and said, "What can someone like me aspire to? Just staying by the king's side, making a few friends, and maintaining a respectable life—"

"You're not telling the truth," Jon interrupted him abruptly. "With the wealth you've accumulated over the years, you could easily become a wealthy man in the Free Cities or Braavos. I think that would be respectable enough, and you wouldn't have to get caught up in the vortex of power."

"Heh, Your Grace is right. I do indeed have higher ambitions. If I were to continue making up something on the spot, it would be disrespectful to you. But if you can accept it, please allow me to keep it a secret for now. Of course, if you stay in King's Landing, I can also provide you with the information you want. In the future, you only need to help me as a friend." Varys believed he had seen through the true nature of this cunning and ambitious man, so he spoke with considerable confidence.

"Deal. Perhaps our goals will actually align in the future," Jon joked, making a lighthearted but not overt joke.

He thought of the Dragon Egg he had found. What would Varys, with his Blackfyre bloodline, think if one day Varys painstakingly brought Young Griff to Westeros, only to find himself already raising dragons on the other side of the continent?

Varys let out a soft, unmanly chuckle, "Perhaps."

In the shadows under the moonlight, the two temporarily reached an agreement.

"Your Grace, I didn't come empty-handed this time; I brought you a small gift."

"Please speak," Jon said, acknowledging that Varys had provided him with intelligence.

"Tywin is mobilizing the entire Westerlands to fortify the passes and establish his own independent regime. As you know, His Majesty Stannis's current strength is probably insufficient to suppress the Westerlands, so the possibility of peace talks is not small. However, you also know His Majesty's character; he will never let Tywin off so easily. The Tyrell army, combined with your martial prowess and strategy, is the perfect weapon to suppress the Westerlands. If you can conquer the Westerlands and capture Casterly Rock, then Casterly Rock will be yours, and you will not be subject to any suspicion or obstruction. In terms of power, you will be the next Rock King!" Varys's voice carried a hint of seduction; he was indeed a master persuader.

"But Jon noticed a blind spot," he said. "You seem very confident that I can conquer the Westerlands? Perhaps conquering the Westerlands is within my capabilities, but Casterly Rock —forgive me for speaking frankly, I haven't thought of a good way to take it yet."

In fact, Jon had a nascent idea, but of course he couldn't voice it now.

"His Majesty has already considered this for you; Melisandre may be able to help you."

Without Varys needing to explain, Jon knew that Stannis had already developed a path dependency.

He used Melisandre's magic and the Shadow Assassin to deal with Renly and take Storm's End. Could it be that he plans to use the Shadow Assassin to help him?

When they reached the walls of Casterly Rock, Melisandre gave birth to "a Shadow Assassin who darted into Casterly Rock and killed Tywin with a single blow."

If that's the case, then Stannis is someone I can get along with!

The problem is that Jon remembers Tywin isn't the only Lannister in Casterly Rock, and even if Tywin dies, the other Lannister might not necessarily surrender.

But there's no need to think that far ahead now; Jon expressed his gratitude for Varys's intelligence.

"Well, Lord Jon, we've talked long enough, and I've enjoyed the conversation." Varys read the glint in Jon's eyes, knowing he had guessed the truth, and said with satisfaction.

Moreover, his tone revealed a sense of pleasure at having encountered a clever person, especially since he had run into someone as stubborn as Eddard last time.

If only I had been careful with Littlefinger and acted sooner, I wouldn't have ended up with my head separated from my body.

After seeing Varys off, Jon returned to the courtyard.

At this moment, Sansa also picked up a wooden sword and tried to swing it, seemingly indicating that the King's Landing Coup had left her with considerable psychological trauma.

The only difference is that instead of learning power politics from Littlefinger, he now emulates Arya and learns martial arts.

Sansa.

"Ah!" Sansa exclaimed, hurriedly hiding the wooden sword behind her back, as if she were a little embarrassed.

"Learning some martial arts is a good choice; at least it can improve your health. But the most rational approach when facing danger is not to fight it, but to anticipate it and avoid it. Using a sword is a last resort. Do you understand?"