This woman really has a venomous tongue.
Corleone secretly thought in his mind, he had just turned Petyr·Baelish against each other for a while, and now he turned the gun and pointed it at himself. It was a completely indiscriminate attack like a map cannon.
But he can understand it.
After all, this is also considered a negotiation technique in Game of Thrones. First, you deliberately provoke the other party, and then respond through other people's reactions.
Just like when a hunter throws his first spear, he does not expect to kill him with one hit, but just to see which direction the prey will flee and what flaws it will reveal.
It's an old routine.
Moreover, not long ago, I conspired with Cersei to abduct her grandson Loras to the other side of the Narrow Sea.
This old woman is angry and always wants to find a place to vent her anger.
But... then again, does Olenna really care about this marriage?
Not necessarily.
What House Tyrell needs is a marriage with the royal family, so that the future queen will give birth to a king with Tyrell blood flowing through her.
And Cersei... a Queen Mother who has given birth to three children, is nearly forty years old and has a crazy personality?
That is by no means the ideal marriage partner in Olenna's mind.
"Thank you for your kindness, ma'am."
Under the gaze of Olenna, Corleone bowed slightly, respectfully but not humblely, without the slightest hint of being offended. "It is an honor for me to be noticed by the prestigious "Queen of Thorns"."
This was a clever statement, but Olenna had no intention of letting him go, and continued to say, "But generally speaking, knights born from civilian backgrounds don't live very long."
"They were either cut down in the first real battle, or they were sent on missions by their loyal lords and died on the way. I even heard that some missed their footing while climbing the stairs and fell to pieces."
Her words were very merciless, implying that Corleone was born as a commoner and might fall down in the process of climbing to power if he was not careful.
Hearing this, Corleone smiled.
It's not a forced smile, nor a mocking smile, but a calm smile that comes from the heart.
"At least, I am still alive and living a good life."
"And... I like House Tyrell's ethnic language very much - endless life, madam."
Olenna was stunned for a moment.
In her mind, Corleone might argue, fight back, or try to prove her worth.
But this guy praised House Tyrell's ethnic language for no reason?
What on earth was he thinking?
Olenna narrowed his eyes, as if mocking himself: "Eternal life" is not so good."
"It's not as powerful as Lannister's Hear Me Roar", nor is it as... weighty as Baila's Theon's Field of Fire"."
She is luring the enemy deeper.
She wanted to see what tricks this knight from Farmer could say to this seemingly plain ethnic language.
Hearing this, Corleone folded his hands in front of him and praised calmly and sincerely, "But it is... tough."
"Madam, growth cannot be completely stopped."
"You can cut down a rose, burn its branches and raze its roots."
"But as long as there is still a seed falling in the soil, even the most barren and hard soil, as long as there is a rain and a ray of sunshine, it will sprout again."
Olenna didn't speak, just stared at him.
Margaery beside her was very curious by this novel statement. He blinked his big eyes and focused almost entirely on Corleone.
"Highgarden's rose does not occupy the Reach garden with its roar, nor is it cruel to burn other flowers with its anger."
Corleone turned his head and looked into Margaery's eyes. His voice was very soft but full of power. "They just... keep growing."
"Grow in the spring, Summer grow, set seeds in the fall, sleep in the winter, and then continue to grow the next year, ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years."
"Finally, when people look up, they will find that the whole land is covered with roses."
"Not because it beats anyone, but because other flowers come and go, only the rose is always there."
After the words fell, there was silence in the hall.
Even the sound of a waiter pouring wine in the distance could be heard clearly.
Olenna looked at Corleone, with a hint of surprise in his eyes from the initial inspection.
Such wise words, coming from a person born in Farmer, are indeed unbelievable.
After a while, she smiled.
Dangdang Queen of Thorns laughed so hard that her shoulders shook slightly and wrinkles piled up, like an ordinary old woman who heard a great joke.
"Haha... hahahaha...
Laughter echoed in the hall, and everyone looked over.
When she had laughed enough, she took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"You are indeed an interesting person, Sir Corleone."
She took a step forward, approached Corleone, and held his palm, as if an elder was expressing concern for the younger generation.
But he whispered in Corleone's ear, his voice was extremely low. "I don't care what you did, or who you conspired with, I only care about the results."
"I know it was you and that crazy woman Cersei. Although you took Loras to the other side of the Narrow Sea, luckily he didn't marry her."
She sneered and said shockingly, "That woman is poison. Whoever marries her, his family will begin to rot from the inside."
"The old lion wants to use her to trap Tyrell, haha...
95
"He doesn't understand his daughter too well, and he doesn't understand me too well, or... he understands but doesn't care.
After finishing his words calmly, Olenna took a half step back to distance himself again.
"But it's you, Sir Corleone, who is obsessed with a crazy woman. The future will not be easy."
Upon hearing this, Corleone's face showed no expression change, and his eyes were very calm.
"When I do something, I only ask whether it should be done, not whether it is easy."
Olenna stared at him for three seconds, then nodded slowly.
"Okay."
Immediately afterwards, she used crutches to open her legs and walked towards the main seat, but when she passed by Corleone, she whispered, "But remember, kid."
"When you provoke a den of venomous snakes, the best thing to do is not to kill them one by one, because then you will be bitten by each one before you die."
"Throw a rat in there, a fat, bleeding rat."
"Then retreat to a safe place and watch them fight for prey, bite, entangle, and pierce each other's fangs into each other's bodies, and wait quietly for the last snake to die."
After saying that, she took a deep look at Corleone and walked away.
Oh, this old woman.
Looking at Olenna's staggering back, Corleone laughed secretly in his heart.
Although the two families are allies on the same front, she really never forgets to make things difficult for Lannister.
But it's normal, after all, the current situation has almost stabilized. If the Lannister family is allowed to dominate, then Tyrell will inevitably become a vassal.
Even if her granddaughter is so clever that she can keep the king firmly under control, she still cannot reach out to Small Council under the rule of Tywin.
But...
Roses are indeed tough and have thorns, but they always require a pair of hands to pick them off.
Especially a pair of hands in the dark.
"Oh haha~ Please forgive me, Lord Hand!" Olenna came to sit on the right side of Tywin and deliberately hit his waist.
"You know, generally speaking, when people get older, their legs and feet become less convenient and they walk more slowly."
Hearing this, Tywin did not express any dissatisfaction, but nodded slightly. "I didn't expect you to be there in person.
Madam.
"It seems that you have a good relationship with Sir Corleone. I noticed that you just chatted for a long time."
Seeing Tywin's questioning look at him, Olenna did not answer directly, but turned to the attendant and yelled at him, "Don't pour me juice, idiot, do you think that an old man of my age can't drink?"
"I want a drink! It's the "cocktail" created by Sir Corleone, right?"
She deliberately shouted loudly to ensure that many people could hear her, like an unreasonable old woman. "It needs to be stronger!"
"Don't think about adding water to it. I have tasted more wine on my tongue than you have ever seen Gold Dragon. I will know which year of the Mander River has more grapes, which year has more rain, and which year has less sunshine!"
The attendant hurriedly went to prepare.
After a while, a glass of amber liquid was brought, with lemon slices and mint leaves floating in it.
Olenna took a sip, closed his eyes, and his throat rolled.
Then she opened her eyes, as if surprised. "Oh, not bad!"
"Although the quality of the wine is not high-end, the sweetness covers the acidity, and the fruity aroma dilutes the astringency."
After thinking about himself for a long time, Olenna seemed to suddenly remember something and turned his head to look at Tywin.
"Oh, sir, what did you ask me just now?"
She patted her wrinkled forehead and pretended to be an old fool. "I'm so sorry, I'm just too old. Sometimes I forget everything about what happened just now when I turn around."
"Let's just talk about the day before yesterday. I originally wanted to pay the final payment of the king's wedding to Master of Coin... that cute little guy who is not taller than me."
"But after taking a nap, I forgot all about it, alas."
She rambled on, telling the author about the hardships of life as an old man, and completely shied away the responsibility for not paying in time.
Seeing this, Tywin picked up the wine glass and did not intend to continue questioning.
After all, it is a woman's exclusive right to be reckless. As Hand of the King, he naturally cannot be the same as Olenna.
But it seems that Queen of Thorns was completely confused today. Not only did he not shut up, but he looked Tywin up and down, with the kind of kindness in his eyes that is unique to the elderly and towards "young people".
"How old are you this year, Lord Hand, sixty?"
This is obviously asking questions knowingly.
As one of the only digital dukes of Seven Kingdoms, the age of Tywin·Lannister is an open secret.
"Fifty-four."
Tywin didn't show any expression. He picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and then put it down.
His voice was calm, as if he was stating a fact that had nothing to do with him, and he was also expressing his confidence.
After all, for a person in power, being in his fifties is the age when experience and energy are at their peak.
"Fifty-four, what a good age...
Olenna repeated exaggeratedly, leaned back on the chair, and let out a long "", as if he heard something unbelievable.
She squinted her eyes and looked away, as if recalling. "When I was your age, my husband had been dead for ten years."
"At that time, Mace had just inherited the position of Duke. He was so stupid. He only knew how to play with flowers and plants all day long, write some nonsense poems, run away when he could during knight training, and dozed off after turning two pages of his account book."
"I always regretted that when he was young, I didn't hit him on the head with a wooden spoon to force all kinds of thoughts into that fat head."
"But fortunately, after inheriting the family, he has been taking care of the territory very well, well... it's getting better and better."
She talked nonchalantly, like an ordinary talkative old woman, recalling old things.
But Tywin could totally hear what she was hinting at.
She's showing off.
I am old, but I run the family well.
The prosperity of a family does not depend on the talents of one or two people, but on the careful cultivation and management of generations.
And you, Tywin·Lannister.
Your family seems to be powerful, but where is the foundation? What about the future?
These words are really poisonous. It seems... she is still bitter about Tywin forcibly marrying Cersei to Loras.
However, as Hand of the King, Tywin would not be angry with her.
He just rubbed his fingertips gently on the rim of the cup and replied coldly, "My health is very good, very good."
"Pycelle Grand Maester said it wouldn't be a problem for me to be Hand of the King for at least another twenty years."
As soon as these words came out, the smile on Olenna's face froze for a moment.
She heard the counterattack in this sentence. You show off your success in raising offspring, but the person sitting on the throne now has the blood of Lannister flowing through it.
As long as this fact remains true, then the power of Small Council will be firmly in the hands of Tywin.
After a moment of silence, Olenna chuckled, raised his head and took a big sip of the cocktail, his Adam's apple rolling, and then he put the cup down hard with a muffled "dong" sound.
"That's really great."
She wiped the corners of her mouth and narrowed her eyes with laughter.
The two old foxes secretly clashed. On Corleone's side, Margaery did not accompany her grandmother, but gave him a perfect smile.
I have to say that as a young generation carefully cultivated by House Tyrell, she is indeed very good at it.
The angle of the raised corners of the mouth, the slightly curved arc of the eyes, and even the shadow of the drooping eyelashes are all just right, taking advantage of her own advantages and beauty to the extreme.
"Grandma speaks more directly, please forgive me, Sir Corleone."
Her voice was gentle and sweet, like a spring breeze blowing through a wind chime. "She is old, and sometimes... she doesn't care much about the complicated etiquette, but please believe that her heart is good."
Hearing this, Corleone just nodded slightly and replied politely, "Lady Olenna is very wise, and it was very pleasant to talk to her."
"Sometimes, I also envy having such a caring grandmother."
This is half true and half false.
In the original world, he had never met his grandmother, and it was the same here.
More importantly, these words can make the other person feel comfortable.
When people hear others envying what they have, they will unconsciously relax their vigilance.
"Haha."
However, Little Rose pursed her lips and smiled, seemingly relaxed, but her eyes always showed a little vigilance. "... You are really good at talking, Sir."
"I still remember that when Loras was here, he always said that every time he stood in front of his grandmother, he had the urge to jump off the cliff."
"He even suspected that his grandfather jumped off the cliff and fell to his death because he couldn't stand her vicious verbal attacks."
This is a little joke and a test.
To test Corleone's attitude towards Loras's "disappearance", I brought up a sensitive topic in a relaxed tone to see the other party's reaction.
Corleone smiled in cooperation, with a gentle and natural smile, "I think that's because Madam can always hit the mark on the true appearance of things."
"And most people... don't dare to face their true selves, especially the less glorious parts."
His answer was almost perfect. He neither denied nor admitted Loras. He also raised the topic to a human level.
Everyone is afraid of being seen through. This is not just the feeling of Loras, it is the feeling of everyone.
Therefore, Loras can bravely pursue love, which can be regarded as his courage.
Looking at Corleone, a hint of appreciation flashed in Margaery's eyes.
This man's response was impeccable. He not only gave her a chance to step down, but also maintained his position. It's a pity that he came from a lower background.
She was silent for a moment, as if considering her words.
Then he took a deep breath, as if the mask was taken off, revealing his true self, even with a bit of a reckless girlish air.
"Sir Corleone!"
"I want to ask you a question, please... please answer me honestly."
She chose her words very carefully.
"Answer honestly" rather than "tell me the truth".
The former is a request, representing one's trust, while the latter is a request, with a sense of alienation like an interrogation.
It is indeed Highgarden's little rose.
Corleone sighed secretly in his heart, but still nodded and his expression became serious. "Please tell me."
Then, Margaery raised his head, stared at Corleone with his big, pitiful brown eyes, and lightly opened his moist lips. "Did you arrange the attack the day before yesterday?"
No foreshadowing, no detours, just get to the core.
This is Margaery Tyrell's style. On the surface, he is gentle and considerate, but in fact he is sharp.
Their eyes met in the air.
She may have already known the answer, but she still decided to ask Corleone for confirmation.
This attitude is not for revenge or threat, but to test whether the person is worthy of cooperation.
Smart.
Corleone thought in his heart.
Get the most critical information in the most direct way.
She doesn't play those tricks of hypocrisy, because she knows that in front of people who really understand the rules of the game, those tricks will only waste time.
"Miss Margaery.
Corleone looked directly at her, there was no panic in his eyes, but he was extremely calm.
It was as if he had expected that she would ask this question. To him, this question was as common as asking whether it would rain tomorrow.
"In this city, there are answers to some questions...
", he didn't finish his words.
At this moment, a fierce quarrel came from the door of the hall.
It was very noisy, and you could vaguely hear greetings to your family, but the accent was a bit unique, not like Crownlands□, but it still showed the charm of beautiful language.
Corleone frowned, then bowed slightly to Margaery: "Sorry, miss, excuse me.