Rorge stepped forward and took Booklet with both hands. He was obviously curious about the contents inside, but he did not dare to open it without Corleone's permission.
"I will personally deliver it to the prince, making sure that only he sees it, Ser."
Hearing this, Corleone nodded slightly and said nothing more.
The things in Booklet are not secrets. It's just that when Corleone fought against the Magic Mountain before, Insight only learned the opponent's weaknesses and corresponding countermeasures. It's okay to let him see it.
And Rorge is now absolutely obedient to him, and he is very satisfied with this reaction.
"Go ahead."
"Yes."
This time Rorge did not pause again, turned around and left neatly, carefully put the seemingly ordinary but heavy Booklet into his arms, and gently closed the door.
After Rorge left, the room was quiet for a while.
Oliver Chested was still sitting there, his back straighter than before. After all, the strength and confidence shown by Corleone had exceeded his imagination.
If he really has the energy to make Prince Oberyn Martell obedient, maybe... he can really solve my troubles!
With this thought in mind, he quietly put the uneaten piece of bread in his hand back on the wooden plate, waiting for the other party to take the initiative to speak.
As time passed, the light outside the window seemed to slant a little more, and the gold began to seep into the orange-red. Balerion stretched out on the window sill, and his arched black back was like a cracked abyss.
After a while, Corleone seemed to come back from his thoughts and looked at him.
"It looks like you won't be able to eat your lunch."
Corleone's voice sounded, as gentle as ever. "Why don't we talk about your affairs now?"
Hearing this, Oliver breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately cheered up. "I...
"My name is Oliver·Chested, Ser."
"Chelsted Castle, not far to the east of Yulin, is my family's territory."
When he spoke the family name and territory, his voice unconsciously contained a hint of humility. Over the years, the decline of House Chelsted has caused this originally famous family to gradually lose its previous pride and glory.
"Oliver·Chested."
Corleone repeated his name, then nodded slightly and said bluntly, "I remember that your family's castle is on the northeast edge of the Royal Forest. A small tributary of the Blackwater River passes there. The land is not fertile, but the forest resources are rich."
"You... you have been to Chelsted Castle!"
Oliver's eyes widened, and the shock almost diluted the tension. After all, Chelsted Castle has long lost its former glory. The roof is leaking and the city walls are covered with vines. It has become almost synonymous with dilapidated settlements in the aristocratic circles of King's Landing. Few people will remember its specific appearance.
As an outsider in King's Landing, Corleone was actually able to tell many details about the castle territory.
Hearing this, the corner of Corleone's mouth raised a slight arc. "Learning is very important, Chezde Ser. A person who wants to survive in a strange world must first understand its terrain and rules."
"So I read every book, record, map, genealogy, tax roll I could get my hands on."
He paused and looked up at Oliver, a glimmer of understanding flashed in his black eyes. "Furthermore, Jaime Lannister Ser once mentioned your grandfather, his name was Colton Chessed Earl, right?"
"James Ser mentioned my grandfather?"
Sure enough, as soon as these words came out, Oliver not only did not deny it, but there was a hint of excitement in his tone.
Colton Chested, House Chelsted's final glory, has not been mentioned by the big shots for too long.
"Yes."
Corleone nodded. "James Ser once said that your grandfather was the finance minister appointed by King Aerys II. Later, after Jon Currington Earl was exiled, he was promoted to Hand of the King. His reign was not long, about... one year and three months?"
"One year and four months." Oliver corrected subconsciously, then realized his rudeness and his face turned slightly red.
However, Corleone didn't care and curved his mouth. "Sorry, one year and four months."
"James Ser had an interesting comment about him. He called him Hammer and Dagger Prime Minister. He told me some very secret things. I think your grandfather... was a pretty tough guy."
"Hammer and Dagger?" Oliver murmured and repeated, and then couldn't help but look down at the family crest on his chest, which was almost washed away.
Corleone's words "tough Prime Minister" were like a small warm fire, which briefly dispelled the chill and humiliation in his heart.
Over the years, he has heard too many comments about his grandfather, such as "coward", "speculator", "Aerys's yes-man", and even worse comments such as "the mad king's shoeshine cloth".
The nobles almost always sneered at Colton Chested when they mentioned him, with a mocking tone, as if the name that briefly held the power of the Seven Kingdoms was already like the peeling dust on the Chelsted Castle wall, only worthy of slowly turning into dust in the wind and rain.
He didn't expect that from this upstart in King's Landing who was known for his strong tactics, he would hear such an... almost pertinent comment, even with a hint of implicit respect.
"Thank you, Ser." Oliver's voice was a little dry. The gratitude was real, but more importantly, it was an urgency to find a life-saving straw. "You are a real knight."
"No need for excessive pleasantries and flattery."
However, Corleone did not respond to this gratitude. He just raised his chin slightly and motioned for him to continue, "If you have any difficulties, just tell me."
At this time, Balerion also changed his posture, coiling himself into a dark ball of fur.
Seeing this, Oliver quickly took a deep breath, knowing that the moment to show weakness had come, but he had no choice. He no longer tried to maintain his poor noble dignity, and spoke faster, "As you know, Chelsted Castle's land... is not fertile."
"The tributary of the Blackwater River has a small amount of water and is easy to dry up in summer. Our ancestors chose it there because of the timber and hunting grounds on the edge of the royal forest."
"But that was a long time ago. Royal laws are becoming more and more strict. The royal forest is the property of the royal family, and poaching is punishable...
As he said that, he smiled bitterly, and that smile was even uglier than crying.
And Corleone also knew what he was helpless about. After all, with House Chelsted's original power, it was not a problem to start some side businesses around the royal forest, and the Targaryen family almost turned a blind eye.
You know, firewood and wild animals are both hard currency and quite valuable.
But now...
It can only be said that there is an emperor and a courtier, not to mention that the previous King Robert was a very fond of hunting and attached great importance to his sovereignty over the royal forest. If House Chelsted dared to mess around under his nose, I am afraid that Oliver would not be able to inherit it here.
Seemingly seeing the understanding in Corleone's eyes, Oliver also blushed in embarrassment for a moment, but immediately continued to speak shamelessly.
After all, there is almost nothing left to eat, so face and other things are not that important.
"Of course we don't dare to challenge the majesty of the royal family, so in order to survive, we just choose to hunt around the castle, beyond the borders of the Royal Forest, and in some hills and sparse woods. It is regarded as a no-nonsense zone that does not belong to any clear lord."
"My people... actually there are not many of them anymore. They mainly set traps in those places to catch rabbits, foxes and the like. Occasionally they are lucky enough to find a lost deer and barely survive."
"Coupled with the barren fields at the foot of the mountain and the fact that we exchange timber for some coarse wheat from Duskendale or Rosby every year, we can live on."
Corleone listened quietly, tapping his fingers gently on the smooth oak table with a steady rhythm.
He has indeed heard something about the current situation of House Chelsted.
Sometimes in casinos and taverns, knights and Mercenary would chat when they were drunk. Occasionally they mentioned that there was a "Rabbit Earl" in the northeast corner of the Royal Forest. The family crest was Hammer and Dagger, but they were so poor that they could only hunt rabbits.
"But starting last month, things started to look a little different."
Speaking of this, Oliver's voice lowered, with a little fear and helplessness. "People who entered the mountain began to disappear. At first, there were one or two people. We thought they encountered wild animals or lost their feet and fell into the mountain stream. But then it became more and more frequent. There are already more than a dozen people missing, including men and women."
"Until a week ago, a hunter came back crawling. He was covered in blood and had a broken arm. He said that a group of bandits came from the mountains. They occupied several caves deep in the hills, set up ambushes and traps, took away all the hunter's prey and tools, and killed his companions. Only he escaped by chance."
"As a lord, why don't you organize the manpower to clean up?" Corleone asked, his tone was flat, and it was hard to tell whether it was a question or a reproach.
Hearing this, Oliver's face instantly turned red, mixed with shame and weakness. "I... what should I use to suppress it, Ser?"
"Now in Chelsted Castle, including me and my attendants, there are no more than fifteen men who can hold weapons, and half of them are older than my father."
"The weapons and equipment are also... only a set of rusty old plate armor passed down from my grandfather. Apart from a few wood-cutting axes and rusty pitchforks, there are only three Longsword."
"Moreover, I only have twenty Gold Dragon left in my body now. This is already the entire property of Chelsted Castle!"
The more he spoke, the more miserable he became, and he shook his head in despair. "Nearly all the properties that can be sold have been sold off over the years, and I can't even afford to hire even ten Mercenary for a month."
"You know, the prices of Mercenary near King's Landing are ridiculously high these days."
Swallowing his saliva, Oliver almost called himself crying, but he still raised his head, his eyes were red, and he tried not to lose his composure. He just tried his best to look at Corleone: "Winter is coming, Ser."
"This year's wars in the Riverlands and Vale have affected trade routes. The price of food in King's Landing varies day by day. With the little money we have saved, we can't even afford half of the food we used in previous years."
"The prey in the mountains was our last hope for surviving the winter, but now... bandits have blocked this road."
"If I don't think of anything else, there are nearly a hundred people in Chelsted Castle. I may really not be able to survive this winter. I... I really have no other choice, so I shamelessly come to King's Landing to see if any old friends from the past can show my affection or any hope."
As he spoke, a glimmer of hope flashed in Oliver's eyes, and he choked with sobs. "Later I heard that you established order in Flea Bottom and helped those who were desperate."
"I dare not ask for free help, but any price, as long as House Chelsted can afford it, as long as you can help us get through this difficulty, I... Oliver Chested swears in the name of my grandfather that I will repay it!"
Oliver finished speaking in one breath, and the room fell into a brief silence.
There was only Balerion's slight snoring and the faint noise of the market coming from Flea Bottom in the distance.
Corleone leaned back into the high-backed chair, his eyes fell on Oliver's haggard face after being repeatedly torn by life, and he knew that what this guy said was not a lie.
But he did sigh a little bit.
House Chelsted, that was a great nobleman who once stood up to the king and had a seat at the table of the royal council. Now he was reduced to a desperate situation by a group of bandits, and almost had to sell his last dignity just for a mouthful of food for the winter.
The ups and downs of Westeros are sometimes steeper and more ruthless than the gold price chart.
"Why don't you go to the Prime Minister?"
After thinking for a moment, Corleone suddenly asked, with a hint of inquiry in his voice. "Lord Tywin Lannister sits in the Red Keep. It is his duty to maintain order in the Seven Kingdoms and eliminate banditry."
"Although your territory is remote, it belongs to the king after all. He has the obligation and should send troops to deal with it."
As soon as these words came out, Oliver's face instantly became extremely embarrassed, even a little panicked.
He lowered his head and stared at the worn toes of his boots, his voice as thin as a gnat. "You don't know, Ser.
"My grandfather... Colton Earl, in order to gain the Mad King's trust when he was the Chancellor of the Exchequer, he had many times in the royal council... echoed other ministers, and addressed Lord Tywin who was the Prime Minister at the time... Well.
"Although later my grandfather also...
"But Lannister debts must be paid, and everyone knows that."
So that's it.
Oliver's words were quite cryptic, but Corleone still understood what he meant.
It was originally said that the relationship between Mad King Aerys Targaryen and Prime Minister Tywin was not on good terms, and no matter what Tywin decided, the king was interested in going against him.
At the tourney celebrating the 10th anniversary of Aerys' reign, he publicly humiliated Tywin's wife Joanna, who was teasing him.
This incident caused Joanna to lose face. Tywin even submitted his resignation, but it was not approved. Aerys still retained Tywin and took every opportunity to ridicule him.
Then.
The smart nobles discovered that whoever humiliated Tywin would attract the king's attention. The atmosphere in the entire royal council at that time could not be said to be chaotic, but it could also be said to be tense.
Moreover, it is said that when he was the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Colton not only slandered Tywin, but even made slanderous accusations against Aerys's eldest son, Rhaegar, saying that he went around trying to win over people's hearts and plotting to rebel!
There is no lower limit. Yes.