In the study in the Hand's Tower, the fire burned brightly in the fireplace, but Tywin Lannister felt no warmth.
He sat behind the desk, his green eyes staring at Adam Malbrand Ser in front of him, his face was ashen, as if someone had stabbed him in the chest in front of everyone.
"That's how it happened, my lord."
Adam's back was straight, but his voice was at least one tone lower than usual.
"So you came here just to tell me...
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"My daughter, Queen Mother of the Seven Kingdoms, reported a false report to let you go to Stoke Worth with a golden robe, but in fact it was so that you could watch her have an affair with someone else...?"
When the last two words came out of Tywin's mouth, Adam felt the temperature in the room drop by ten degrees.
He didn't answer.
It's not that he doesn't want to answer, but he knows that no matter what he answers at this time, it will be wrong.
Although this matter is indeed absurd and quite ridiculous, based on Adam's understanding of Cersei, the other party does seem to be someone who can do such an outrageous thing.
After all, as James's playmate since childhood, what is going on between Cersei and the two of them? If others don't know about him Adam Malbrand, how can it be unclear?
The firewood in the fireplace made a crackling sound, like an invisible hammer hitting Adam's heart time and time again.
"I have strictly prohibited the people below from talking about this matter privately,"
After swallowing, Adam replied cautiously, "Anyone who dares to leak even a single sentence will be punished with treason."
This sentence is the best answer that Adam can think of. After all, it means that he knows the seriousness of this matter and is already doing his best to remedy it.
But this was far from enough for Tywin.
"You should have killed all witnesses right then and there!"
Hearing this, Adam was stunned for a moment, then looked at the unconcealed murderous intent in Tywin's eyes, and quickly explained, "The scene was very chaotic. In addition to my men, there were also servants of Stoke Worth and nearby civilians, sir!"
"Although I immediately arranged for all the golden robes to disperse when I arrived at the scene, I can't guarantee whether anyone else saw it before we arrived...
"If we had taken action at that time, we would have killed not only the fifty golden robes, but also at least twenty civilians...
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"With so many people, it's impossible to silence them all."
After hearing this explanation, Tywin said nothing.
He knew what Adam said was right. There were fifty golden robes and more than twenty civilians. With so many people, even if Adam was the reincarnation of the Dawn Sword, it would be impossible to kill them all on the spot.
But that doesn't mean he isn't angry.
"You are Commander of the City Watch."
Tywin stared directly at Adam's face and said accusingly, "Guarding the Red Keep, checking the city gates, and patrolling the streets are all your responsibilities."
"Queen Mother went out of the city in the middle of the night and had an affair with someone in a castle dozens of miles away, but no one knew about you or your golden robe. Adam Malbrand Ser, can you give me a reasonable explanation."
Listening to the Prime Minister's naked rebuke, Adam showed no intention of defending himself and just knelt down on one knee.
"It's my fault, my lord!"
"I betrayed your trust."
Seeing that he was kneeling decisively, Tywin did not continue to scold him.
After all, Adam is the knight he single-handedly brought up. Appointing him as Commander of the City Watch already represents Tywin's trust.
Tywin knew very well that if he was too harsh on his own people at this time, it would only make the enemy more unscrupulous.
"She's always been like this."
I don't know how long it took, but Tywin suddenly seemed to be talking to himself.
Adam raised his head in confusion, only to see Tywin with his eyes closed and a strange expression on his face.
It seems to have a "I knew this would happen" mood.
But Tywin ignored him and just continued to murmur, "It has been like this since she was a child. She can do whatever she wants and no one can stop her.
"I thought that after she got married and had children, she would learn to exercise restraint... ha."
As he spoke, a sneer appeared on the corner of Tywin's mouth, but there was no warmth in that smile.
But in the end he didn't continue talking.
Adam, who didn't know how to answer the call, seemed a little at a loss. After all, although he was Tywin's most trusted confidant, the topic obviously involved Lannister's family affairs.
"Who was the Kingsguard who was on duty at Maegor's Tower at that time?" At this moment, Tywin suddenly asked, his voice regaining its usual calmness.
I know this question!
Adam immediately raised his head and answered loudly, "It's Osmun Kettleblack·Kettleblack Ser, he was the night guard that night."
The room was quiet for a moment.
Then, Tywin smiled.
"My brother was responsible for the night watch and deliberately let Queen Mother go... to let her have an affair with his brother."
"The three Kettleblack brothers, the whole family is really serving my daughter."
Listening to Tywin's teasing tone, Adam still knelt down and didn't dare to express his anger.
But soon, the Prime Minister made an immediate decision.
"Osmun Kettleblack·Kettleblack Ser has served the royal family well. In the name of the Iron Throne, I order him to lead troops to the North from now on to wipe out the remaining troops of Stannis Baratheon!"
As soon as these words came out, Adam's pupils shrank suddenly because he understood the meaning of Tywin's words.
Tywin only said "lead troops", but did not say where to mobilize troops from, the golden robes, the Lannister garrison... or even any castle in the king's territory.
That means...Osmun Kettleblack can only raise people from his own family.
And House Kettleblack is just a small royal family. Their clan emblem is a black water jar, because it is said that the ancestor of House Kettleblack became a noble after giving a jar of water to the lord who was on an expedition and was about to die of thirst.
They were able to gather two to three hundred people, even if they were blessed by the Seven Gods, and among the two or three hundred people, no more than one-third were able to wear armor and carry iron weapons, and they probably couldn't even gather ten war horses.
Such a ragtag group of people went to the North to wipe out the remnants of Stannis Baratheon's army?
Stannis was defeated, but the remnants of his army returned to Dragonstone and were not injured in the previous landing battle of Redwyne's fleet.
A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. No matter how small Stannis's army is, it cannot be dealt with by two to three hundred people. What's more, there seems to be some rumors recently that the Iron Bank has sent Emissary to prepare to provide financial support to Stannis and help him seize the Iron Throne.
As long as Osmun Kettleblack accepts this order, of course... he has no right to refuse.
Adam knows exactly what this means.
Osmun Kettleblack·Kettleblack will not come back. This so-called "army" will never be able to return to its homeland.
"Yes, sir."
However, Adam just lowered his head and did not say a single good word for Osmun Kettleblack.
Because he knew that Tywin didn't need his opinion, he only needed him to carry out his orders.
Moreover...Osmun Kettleblack·Kettleblack, that guy deserves what he deserves.
House Kettleblack The three brothers have long had a bad reputation in King's Landing. One of them became the Kingsguard by flattering others, and their swordsmanship is mediocre. Battle of the Blackwater Rush has never even been on the battlefield.
Osfryd Kettleblack dominates in the golden robe, collects protection fees, oppresses the people, and does all kinds of dirty things.
Osney is even more useless. Apart from having a pretty handsome face, he has no abilities whatsoever.
For such people, it would be an advantage for them to die in the North.
After all, he finally gained a reputation of being loyal to the Iron Throne.
Oh... Osfryd Kettleblack and Osney are already dead. One died in the fire at Stoke Worth, and the other died suddenly on Queen Mother while Adam watched.
According to the bachelor's professional explanation, the guy may have taken too many recreational drugs...
In short, it is not too bad to die on the body of the former most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms.
As Adam left, Tywin was left alone in the study sitting at the desk.
From the beginning to the end, he never asked even a single question about the fire of Stokeworth. After all, in Tywin's view, even if all the Stokeworth family died, it was not important at all. What was important was how to deal with the possible impact of the Queen Mother affair.
Even if Tywin knew that this matter was probably a conspiracy set up by a certain person or a certain force, he had no time to investigate the consequences.
The top priority is how to make everyone forget what happened last night...
Moreover, he needs time to figure out what the other party wants to do.
But he didn't have time.
Because someone will not give him time to think slowly.
"My lord."
Captain of the Guard Tybert Ser's voice came from outside the door, interrupting the Prime Minister's thoughts.
"What's the matter?" Tywin raised his eyelids slightly.
I saw Tybert standing there and hesitating to speak, as if he didn't know how to organize his words.
"Lady Olenna Redwine sent with a message."
"She requested... a council meeting."
Tywin's brows wrinkled slightly, but his eyes revealed an "I've guessed it a long time ago" look.
Sure enough.
It seems that this matter has absolutely nothing to do with the Tyrell family, but if it was really them who did it, it would be very troublesome.
Although Olenna Redwin, that old woman, seemed to be amiable, her thoughts were more vicious than snakes and scorpions. If the other party planned to hold a royal meeting, she must have prepared a knife, just waiting for Tywin to walk into the trap.
"Let everyone come to the Prime Minister's Tower."
Tywin thought for a while, and then ordered in a tone that left no room for doubt, "As usual, convene a royal meeting."
However, in the face of such a clear order, Tybert did not move at all.
Seeing this, Tywin's green eyes flashed with a hint of impatience. "Is there anything else?"
And Tybert's Adam's apple rolled for a moment, and then he cautiously said, "Everyone in the imperial meeting has arrived, my lord."
He paused, as if to confirm whether what he said next would kill him.
"But the location is...
"Throne Room!"
Throne Room Empty.
Sunlight poured in from the stained-glass windows above, which depicted the exploits of the Targaryen kings.
"The Conqueror" Aegon soared on a dragon, Maegor the Cruel knelt down to be anointed, and Daeron the Young Dragon King held his sword on an expedition.
The sunlight passes through these pictures, breaking the shadows of the kings into countless pieces, and shining on everyone who walks in.
Two rows of huge stone pillars support the towering vault. The pillars are carved with patterns of dragons and swords, and have been blackened by candle smoke over thousands of years.
The Iron Throne stands on seven steps and was cast under the order of "the Conqueror" Aegon. He used the flames of the dragon "Black Death" Balerion to melt a thousand swords discarded by the surrendering kings, twisting, deforming, and melting them together to create this ugly and ferocious chair that is intimidating to everyone.
However, at this moment, the Iron Throne is empty.
Under the steps, the long table for the imperial meeting was moved to center of the Throne Room.
Olenna Redwin chose a position where she could see the Iron Throne and the entrance at the same time, and carelessly fiddled with the gold Rose brooch on her collar.
Opposite her, Kevan Lannister Ser sat upright, staring at the empty Iron Throne expressionlessly, as if waiting for something.
What.
Grand Maester Pycelle leaned back in his chair with his eyes half closed, as if he was about to die at any moment, but everyone knew that he would not miss a word.
A man with a shiny forehead sat next to Pycelle, listening to the old maester's snoring, with no trace of impatience on his face.
Only a certain Farmer was sitting at the other end of the long table, farthest from the Iron Throne. His dark eyes occasionally glanced at the people present, as calmly as if he was observing whether the apples in the orchard were ripe.
The silence lasted for a long time, and the Prime Minister had not yet arrived.
"It's been a long time since we discussed matters in front of the Iron Throne."
At this time, Varys raised his head and looked at the Iron Throne and spoke softly thoughtfully.
His voice was soft and round, without the slightest hint of an exotic accent, and his emotion was helpful, as if he was remembering Old Times: "I think that when King Robert was still alive, Lord Jon Arryn often sat here."
As he spoke, he moved his eyes away from the Iron Throne and fell on the people at the long table, with the corners of his mouth raised slightly.
"Master Corleone, please forgive me for talking too much."
"You are new to the Imperial Council. You may not be familiar with some of the rules. Convening meetings has always been the responsibility of the Prime Minister."
"Of course I don't mean to blame you, it's just...
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His tone was gentle and sincere, as if he was really apologizing for his presumption, and he spread his hands out in a gesture of "I'm just thinking about you."
"If the people below see the Chancellor of the Exchequer summoning ministers to discuss matters in front of the Iron Throne, they will say some unpleasant things."
"You are a smart person and you should know that reputation sometimes takes years to build, but it often only takes... a day to destroy it."
As soon as these words came out, everyone present turned their attention to Varys.
The people sitting here are all human beings, how can you not hear the meaning behind the words of this big head? He said it as if he was worried about Corleone, as if to remind the other party not to overstep too much.
But in fact, he is accusing Corleone of not knowing the rules.
What's wrong with this kid?
Looking at Wallis' harmless eyes, Corleone was a little confused as to why the other party was always having trouble with him in the imperial meetings recently, but he was not the one who suffered the loss.
He knocked on the table, stared straight at Wallis' head and said solemnly, "I really don't understand the rules of the Royal Council."
"But when I was in the Riverlands, I saw Farmer people building barns. Everyone knew what they had to do. Some cut down trees, some sawed boards, and some hammered nails."
"No one told them where to stand, and no one asked who allowed them to stand here. They just finished the work, built the barn and put the grain in, so that fewer people would starve to death in the winter."
"These are the rules I know well, Lord Varys."
After he finished speaking, his eyes scanned everyone present.
"I never force a meeting on anyone."
"I'm just sending out an invitation and placing it on your table. Those who want to come can come. Those who don't want to come don't have to come."
As he spoke, he stared at Varys again and slightly opened his hand. "So, Lord Varys, if you feel that this meeting is not worth your time."
Corleone raised his chin towards the door of Throne Room: "... The door is open."
As soon as these words came out, Wallis's smile suddenly froze. After all, he really didn't expect that his obscure words would actually lead to such tough revenge from Corleone.
Even as thick-skinned as he is, he can't help but feel a little embarrassed at this moment.
Fortunately, this embarrassment did not last long.
Just when Wallis was about to explain something, a calm, cold voice came from the entrance of Throne Room.
"Lord Varys is the intelligence chief of the Seven Kingdoms."
Hearing this, everyone turned their heads.
The Prime Minister was seen standing at the door wearing a dark red coat, with the Lannister lion emblem embroidered in gold thread on his shawl, fluttering slightly in the morning breeze.
Behind him were at least twenty Lannister guards in bright red armor.
Under the gaze of everyone, Tywin walked in slowly. The sunlight fell from the high window, plating his body with a layer of gold, and his shadow extended to the bottom of the steps of the Iron Throne.
He walked to the long table but did not sit down. Instead, he glanced at everyone present and continued to speak in an unquestionable tone, "No one can drive Lord Varys away from the Imperial Council."
"Unless there is a Prime Minister, that is, I order it."
As soon as these words came out, Wallis quickly stood up and bowed slightly to express his gratitude.
However, Tywin did not respond immediately, but looked at the other person, as if revealing a feeling of "I know what you are doing, but I am not going to expose you yet."
Immediately afterwards, the Prime Minister put his hands on the table and faced everyone.
"I heard that a royal council was called."
"Now, I'm here."
"The meeting begins."