You Marry Margaery

The first Small Council ended in a quarrel, which was something Stannis did not want to see.

The King's faction and the Queen's faction were arguing heatedly, their faces flushed Queen's faction, represented by Axell, accused the King's faction of believing in a false god.

The King's faction, led by Davos, believed that they were blaspheming.

"Back when I was still in the Flea Bottom, sailors like me went to the Great Sept at least once a week, and my wife went three times a week. She also prayed at home every day. Your Majesty, the Seven Seven are of such great importance to the people that burning their images is absolutely unacceptable!" Davos urged, somewhat agitatedly, but was quickly met with criticism from the Queen's faction.

Where were the Seven when His Majesty besieged the city? Where were Seven when Lord Eddard Stark was falsely accused and beheaded?

It was precisely because the Seven were false gods that the Lord of Light sent Duke Stark south to help His Majesty; otherwise, we wouldn't even be able to hold out on Dragonstone!

"The people of King's King's Landing, and indeed the people of the Seven Kingdoms, will eventually have to accept the fact that the Lord of Light is the only true God!" Axell spoke with great enthusiasm, and his words carried a strong sense of reality. Of course, the Duke of Stark here was referring to Jon.

As the conversation progressed, the topic turned to Jon, whose attitude was of great importance. Even Stannis looked at the youngest among them.

Jon knew he couldn't avoid it, so he stood up and said, "My lords, I have indeed witnessed the greatness and divine power of the Lord of Light along the way. Putting aside everything else, without the Wildfire created by those Pyromancer, I probably wouldn't have been able to defend the city."

"That's right—" Axell was about to agree when Stannis glared at him, because the Wildfire had also destroyed his fleet.

"But we must also acknowledge that the monks representing the Seven have long been integrated into the daily lives of the common people. This deeply ingrained influence, built up over thousands of years, cannot be eradicated in a short time. Forcing it will only backfire. King's Landing has a larger and more complex population. Your Majesty is the king of all Westeros, not just the king of the followers of the Lord of Light." Jon looked at Stannis halfway through his sentence. "Your Majesty, you are in your prime, with plenty of time ahead of you. You can slowly cultivate the Lord of Light's influence among the common people. As for the coronation ceremony, I believe we can combine the coronation of the Seven with the coronation of the Lord of Light. Moreover, autumn is here, and winter is not far off. When the common people discover that the Seven cannot bring warmth and hope, they will naturally know which one is the true god."

Jon's suggestion was somewhat of a compromise, but it provided a mutually acceptable solution for both sides who held differing opinions.

Although I'm not entirely satisfied with any of them, they're not unacceptable either.

Melisandre objected. "We may not burn the statues of the false gods for now, but the true god must never associate with false gods! Your Majesty cannot accept the coronation of a false god before the true god; this is an unforgivable blasphemy."

Melisandre's statement undoubtedly disrupted the balance once again, leaving Jon speechless at this cunning and unpredictable woman.

Sure enough, the charlatan's language was incomprehensible.

"Then let His Majesty receive the coronation of the Lord of Light inside the Great Sept, and the coronation of the Seven outside the Great Sept," Davos said.

Receiving the coronation of the Seven outside the Great Sept would satisfy as many commoners as possible and also better convey a sense of inclination towards Westeros.

The Onion Knight played a little trick.

But this time it was Stannis who voiced his opposition, saying, "The coronation of the Lord of Light will take place outside the Great Sept, while Great Sept Seven will be inside. It's settled then."

Since he had said so, the others naturally had nothing more to say. Jon was even more indifferent; after all, once he reached the Westerlands, he would still prioritize the Seven, and the Lord of Light and such could be dealt with casually.

The order of monarchical power above and divine power below should never be overturned.

I need to quickly conquer the Westerlands, then gather manpower, money, and food. Other things like faith and other such nonsense are not things I should be worrying about right now.

Jon was concerned with what task Stannis had assigned him.

With the coronation ceremony finally settled, signifying the end of the agenda for this Small Council, all that remained was for Stannis to announce Jon's mission.

"Jon, cough cough," Stannis cleared his throat and began, "I wanted you to come and marry Margaery, but—"

"Me?" Jon's response was tinged with surprise and disbelief.

Although he knew in his heart that he had Targaryen blood, no one believed him, so it was wise for him to be realistic and treat himself as a bastard in his dealings with all parties.

Although Jon had already learned from Varys that Stannis was inclined to use him to marry Tyrell, he believed that Stannis would eventually give up the idea.

The idea of getting together with Margaery is really unrealistic.

Seeing Jon's surprised expression, Stannis seemed unsure how to continue his sentence. Davos, seeing this, decided to take on the villain himself.

Davos instinctively wanted to pull the chair closer to Jon, but then realized that wouldn't be appropriate, so he simply leaned his body over.

"Jon, it's like this. Actually, the House Tyrell's condition is that you marry a woman from a collateral branch of the family. She'll also bear the Tyrell name, and she'll be quite beautiful. But they haven't agreed to let you marry Margaery because, because—"

"Because they think I'm not good enough." Jon finished Davos's sentence for him.

Davos felt uneasy seeing Jon so calmly facing his identity.

"It's alright, Ser Davos. Please continue with His Majesty's arrangements. Prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain, I understand," Jon said calmly, patting Davos's arm as he did so.

Prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain.

Everyone pondered Jon's words, finding them quite philosophical.

Davos sighed and continued, "It's like this, Jon Tyrell. Although Tyrell's condition is that you marry a collateral daughter, His Majesty still hopes you can try to win Margaery. This time, Lord Mace and Lady Olenna will be bringing Margaery to King's King's Landing, and we will create opportunities for you to spend time alone with her."

"Yes, you can do whatever you want to the Highgarden Rose during that time—" A lewd smile spread across Axell's face, but then Jon's expression suddenly turned cold.

"Your Majesty, if you ask me to do such a thing, I cannot accept it!" Jon said solemnly and seriously as he stood up.

Stannis frowned and looked at Axell before saying, "Get out!"

Realizing his mistake, Axell apologized and left the meeting. Davos quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "No, Jon, His Majesty didn't mean that at all. He just wanted to give you and Margaery a chance to get to know each other. If you two are willing to be together, His Majesty can then bestow a marriage upon you. That way, Highgarden won't say anything. After all, the benefits you get from marrying a collateral daughter are completely different from marrying a legitimate daughter!"

Davos calmed Jon down and made him sit down.

Seeing that Jon's face remained dark, Stannis said with some displeasure, "Do you really think I would let you do such a thing?"

"No, no, Your Majesty, I was too agitated. As you know, I am an illegitimate child. I don't want to get a girl pregnant before I marry her. I don't want my bloodline to learn to blame their father before they've even learned anything else—" Who doesn't know it's good to marry a rich wife? But Axell's despicable suggestion must be strongly countered.

"Alright, alright, I don't blame you." Seeing Jon's sincere attitude, Stannis waved his hand, signaling Davos to continue.

"Actually, that's roughly what I wanted to say. One of the women from Tyrell's side was named Ayrho Tyrell, and the other was named Lil Tyrell."

"Lia Tyrell," Stannis reminded her personally.

"Yes, Lia Tyrell." Davos apologized and continued, "These two Tyrell are about your age. They are both Margaery's ladies-in-waiting. After His Majesty's coronation, there will be a ball. We will try to create opportunities for you at the ball. It would be best if you and Margaery liked each other, but if not, we will not force you, and we will certainly not make you do anything like that."

"Oh, right," Davos suddenly seemed to remember something. He clapped his hands, and a servant came in from outside, carrying a portrait that was clearly in the style of Myr. As soon as the portrait was displayed, many people's eyes were drawn to it.

The portrait depicts a beautiful and elegant Maiden, around fourteen years old, with long, waist-length brown hair like expensive silk. Her bright brown eyes seem to be speaking to someone. She is wearing a green dress and sits there serenely, like a quietly blooming flower. The lace on her cuffs and collar is a perfect finishing touch.

It can only be said that this world is somewhat backward in terms of productivity, but its aesthetic sense is still quite good.

"Jon, look, this is Margaery, but it must be a portrait from a year or two ago. She's definitely more beautiful now. Margaery should be the same age as you, what a coincidence, don't you think?" Davos seemed to have returned to his old ways as a smuggler, starting to use some persuasive language to recommend her.

"Indeed, she is indeed a beautiful girl." Jon nodded, looking at the painting, offering a very objective assessment. However, he still asked, "I just don't know what kind of person she is."

Seeing that Jon wasn't swayed by beauty, Davos nodded in satisfaction and said, "She is the most beloved granddaughter of Olenna, the Queen of Thorns. Olenna is the de facto head of House Tyrell. When Rhaegar Targaryen was defeated at Ruby Ford, she didn't immediately pledge allegiance to King Robert. Instead, she had the Tyrell army fight Lord Eddard before withdrawing from the King's faction, preserving the family's dignity. After you defeated Tywin, she immediately ordered Mace to pursue Tywin. After all, at this point, House Tyrell could use being deceived as an excuse. In short, she always makes the right decisions. Since Margaery is her favorite granddaughter, she shouldn't be any less impressive."

"Moreover, Margaery is very popular in Highgarden, not just because she is beautiful. She often gets off her carriage and has bards sing and play music for her, and chats enthusiastically with the street vendors. Such a way of cultivating her image is something that ordinary noble ladies cannot do." Listening to Davos's analysis, Jon had a general impression of this Margaery.

"Okay, I understand. I will definitely find a way to contact Margaery." Jon nodded, expressing his attitude.

Seeing that Jon had accepted his mission, Stannis gave his final order.

"Jon, from today onwards I will have someone teach you aristocratic etiquette. I think that shouldn't be too difficult. Even if you didn't learn it in Winterfell, you've at least seen it. Also, you'll need to learn things like ballroom dances."