Quarrel Before the Fight

The atmosphere at the Small Council was far from enthusiastic; Little Stannis, standing at the door as a squire, had a noticeably swollen face.

Many of the Hand of the King present were even more worried, such as Axell, who had been placed under house arrest in Florent, Casterly Rock, before they received news that Jon had revealed his identity.

Now, Florent is the only one left who retains his freedom.

Shireen, who was originally supposed to be serving wine, was not invited in; instead, she was sent away by Stannis.

In fact, people were gradually growing to like this shy but clever girl, and they were slowly getting used to her wearing a veil.

As for Ser Adrian, he continued his disheartening ramblings about how he shouldn't have taken the child away from his father, making Stannis want to punch him out.

Then, Stannis looked at Pycelle and said, "Mr. Pycelle."

"Your Majesty." Pycelle stood up shakily, the pale flesh on his neck hanging loosely, a strand of it still tucked inside his clothes, but he felt nothing.

"I want you to convey the Iron Throne's order to the Citadel, saying that the silver-haired, purple-eyed child of Casterly Rock is the offspring of Margaery and another man, that Jon has absolutely no Targaryen blood, and that all his claims are nothing but delusions."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Pycelle.

Pycelle, of course, understood that this was nothing more than a war of words.

Stannis insulted Margaery by calling her a slut and Jon a cuckold; when Jon needs to criticize Stannis, the Citadel can easily act as his mouthpiece.

Next up was Varys, Varys was tasked by Stannis with investigating the origin of the Dragon Egg in Jon's possession.

He remembered that Euron's Dragon Egg as a gift was clearly blue, so why did the news from Casterly Rock say that the Dragon Egg was white?

This made him very wary.

Varys readily accepted the order, and he himself was also very curious to know what was going on!

Jon's claim that he was Rhaegar's son completely disrupted his plans.

They also had a plan regarding Stannis's order for Jon to go to King's Landing: to send Jon to Pentos first at the crucial moment. As long as Jon was out of Stannis's sight, whether he went north to White Harbor of House Manderly in the North or south through Dorne, Jon would eventually be able to return to the Westerlands to lead his army.

Varys believed this was an excellent opportunity to bring Jon to their side, especially now that Illyrio was in King's Landing.

In Varys and Illyrio's plan, Young Griff. and Daenerys were supposed to land directly from Dorne with the Dorne, and then, at the dragons' call, the Reach would join the battle.

Because of the relationship he had built with Jon over the years, and the fact that he could help Jon Snow escape Stannis's surveillance, the Westerlands would naturally join Young Griff's ranks.

The restoration, carried out in the name of the Targaryen but in reality by Blackfyre, should have been a natural progression. But Jon's defection disrupted all their plans.

Originally, in his and Illyrio's eyes, Jon was a nouveau riche with absolutely no real background.

While he may be a formidable fighter and possess considerable strength, his influence and appeal are far less than those of Young Griff, who possesses Targaryen traits and is about to arrive with a dragon.

But Jon and Margaery had a silver-haired, purple-eyed baby.

He believed that Jon's best course of action now was to buy time, convert the Iron Islands, which he had just conquered, into real power, and avoid a direct conflict with Stannis until then.

However, Jon chose to boldly "reveal his true identity" and openly challenge Stannis.

This means he is very likely to be true!

No one could do something like this unless they were his biological son.

This silver-haired, purple-eyed baby was definitely beyond Jon's expectations; otherwise, Jon would never have gone to the North to deal with the Free Folk after annexing the Iron Islands.

They would not allow the four thousand troops Stannis sent to leave.

He definitely doesn't know my true identity and purpose yet, and he might even keep in touch with me. I should continue to hide myself!" Realizing this, Varys became extremely vigilant.

After all, he originally thought that Young Griff's only opponent might be a weak and exhausted Stannis.

However, Jon's arrival introduced some unpleasant variables into the course of events.

After arranging a series of actions, Stannis announced the dissolution of the meeting. As king, he was naturally the first to leave.

Just as the others were about to breathe a sigh of relief and start talking about Jon, Stannis came back.

"Pycelle."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

Didn't Jon say he didn't want to go to war with me because Winter Is Coming?

Everyone looked at Stannis, wondering what new idea he had.

"Then send his son to King's Landing, and I will believe in his sincerity."

Everyone immediately understood that Stannis was retaliating against Jon and had no intention of negotiating whatsoever.

In fact, everyone could understand that the Riverlands and the Reach, as the granaries of the Seven Kingdoms, were practically entirely under Jon's control.

Jon's invitation and agreement to Stannis not to wage war before winter was seen by everyone as a ridiculous wishful thinking.

If winter comes and Stannis's territory lacks food, won't he be completely at the mercy of others?

However, Pycelle naturally agreed to Stannis's request. He was old, and besides, he was just a mouthpiece. Who would hold a grudge against a mouthpiece?

After the Small Council, Varys went to the place where he had secretly met with Illyrio.

This is still a secret room located below the Red Keep. A thick layer of wax has been flowing on the table in the room. The two have plotted here countless times over the past ten years.

"I was planning to tell Jon what our ultimate goal was as soon as he arrived, but I never expected this—" Illyrio shook his head and sighed after learning Jon's identity, never expecting things to take such a turn.

He looked at Varys, stroking his beard, and asked, "Do you think Jon's words are credible?"

After all, the two knew perfectly well that the Young Griff they had been supporting was an imposter, and now suddenly a competitor had appeared—

It's inevitable to feel insecure when competing with rivals.

"The possibility is not low," Varys said. "Even if Jon is truly a bastard, what kind of simple or impulsive character could have risen from bastard to become the master of the Westerlands? Do you remember what he did after Stannis granted him Harrenhal?"

Illyrio nodded at the round head with the thick yellow beard. Of course he remembered Jon's move of feigning retreat to advance was a stroke of genius, and even the upper-class nobles of the Free Cities had taken an interest in Jon.

Stannis initially intended to test Jon's true nature by bestowing upon him the title of Lord of Harrenhal, but Jon abandoned everything and decided to return to the Wall.

If Stannis had actually allowed Jon to return to the Wall, he would have been branded with a shrewish reputation, which would have severely impacted his future rule.

At the time, Casterly Rock that could best match Jon's achievements, and sure enough, Stannis eventually entrusted Casterly Rock to him.

So this one incident alone shows that Jon is definitely not a brainless brute; on the contrary, he has a sharp eye and knows when to advance and retreat.

Given the circumstances, there was simply no way to conceal it; the best option was to decisively and frankly reveal one's identity.

If Jon conceals the origins of his child and uses lies to cover it up, Stannis will only gain the upper hand, and Stannis may even lose Tyrell, his most powerful and closest ally.

Instead, they should openly and publicly admit it to gain a foothold, since Stannis's rule was inherently unpopular.

House Tyrell was a staunch King's faction at the time, and only by preserving their core support base could they remain invincible.

"So what should we do next?" Illyrio asked, looking into Varys's shimmering purple eyes.

Varys relayed Oberyn's words from the Small Council to Illyrio: "I'll summon Oberyn and have a talk. We must at Dorne retain Connington as an ally. We also need to urge Clinton to act faster. Even if Jon is truly Rhaegar's son, he possesses Dragon Egg, not real dragons. However, our army will need some time to assemble. Perhaps we should let Jon and Stannis fight first, the more brutal the better. Then Young Griff. can lead the Golden Company and Dorne's army to clean up the mess!"

After hearing Varys's plan, Illyrio slowly sat back down on the stone bench. Looking at the flickering candlelight, he said, "This is also our greatest advantage. No one knows we exist. We only need to act at the crucial moment."

However, Varys shook his head, rejecting Illyrio's suggestion. "But this advantage won't last long. There are plenty of clever people in the Seven Kingdoms." As he spoke, the face and words of Petyr Baelish flashed through his mind. "If my lord ever needs my help, I will certainly serve you." It was Varys who decided to take advantage of Aemon's situation to damage Stannis's credibility as king.

It did achieve the effect he wanted afterward, the only drawback being that his Littlefinger was also involved.

This Littlefinger "shrewdly realized that Varys possessed not only an intelligence network, but also a vast force hidden in the shadows."

Littlefinger only loves himself and could not possibly be loyal to Stannis, who had twice subjected him to corporal punishment. He believed that Varys might be the opportunity for his revenge, which is why he said those words.

Jon, on the other hand, suspected earlier that Varys had a powerful backer because of his reluctance to leave King's Landing.

Varys believed their advantage couldn't last long and that the situation needed to escalate further.