The night is already deep.
The wind blowing from Blackwater Bay, wrapped in the chill of late autumn, penetrated through the cracks in the windows high up in the Prime Minister's Tower, blowing the flames in the fireplace flickering.
But Tywin Lannister couldn't feel the cold.
He sat on Golden Toilet and had been sitting for nearly two quarters of an hour.
There is no mirror in front of him, but a huge King's Landing defense map hanging on it, with red ink marking each city gate,
Main streets and high points.
His eyes fell on the south side of the city defense map, where the flea nest was located.
He has circled it with a red pen, and marked a few characters next to it... Black Hand Mafia.
"Damn."
Tywin cursed in a low voice, and his voice echoed in the empty alliance bathroom. He didn't know whether it was because of constipation or because he remembered the name of a certain Farmer.
He reached out and picked up a report placed on the low table next to him, which was submitted by Adam Malbrand three days ago.
The report was very thick, with more than twenty pages of parchment, and on it was a dense list of all the officers of the Golden Robe Capital Guard.
Name, place of origin, length of service, salary records, rewards and punishments, everything is detailed.
But that's not what Tywin values.
His eyes glanced at the last few pages, the string of names marked in red ink, which were the results of Adam's secret investigation these days, almost all the golden-robed officers who had conclusive evidence that they had financial dealings with Black Hand Mafia.
Tywin's finger traced down from the first name, one by one, and one by one.
There are seven centurions, nineteen Squad Leader, and more than a thousand ordinary soldiers... These are just the ones with conclusive evidence, there will only be more others that have not been discovered!
At least one-third of the four thousand people in golden robes are receiving money from Corleone and openly doing things for Black Hand Mafia.
According to Adam's report, last month, Corleone's "Wheel of Order" casino was robbed by a group of unknown people. The Golden Robe Patrol happened to "pass by" and captured all the robbers in less than a quarter of an hour.
The robber was imprisoned in the Gold Cloaks Headquarters dungeon and "died accidentally" the next day. It can be seen that the golden robe has become extremely corrupt and has almost become Corleone's private guard!
"Genos·Slynt..
Thinking of this, Tywin couldn't help but murmur a quite ancient name, and the corners of his mouth curled up in a cold arc.
When that damn fat man was Commander of the City Watch, he took bribes, took empty pay, and collected protection fees.
Shielding criminals...
.. doing all kinds of dirty things.
Under his leadership, the Golden Robes went from the Seven Kingdoms's shield to the greatest scourge in King's Landing.
If Janos Slynt hadn't corrupted the Golden Robe into that state, how could Corleone have infiltrated the Capital Guard to this extent in just a few months?
Although Janos Slynt had long since been stripped of all his powers and sent to be Night's Watch, the poison he sowed now bore fruit, and Tywin had to clean up the mess for the fat man.
Suddenly, the Prime Minister opened his eyes suddenly, and his green eyes shone coldly under the candlelight, like Lion that haunted the night, looking for traces of its prey.
Can't wait any longer.
Tywin stood up and walked to the sink in the alliance bathroom. He took some water and poured it on his face. The cold touch made him sober for a few minutes.
After drying his hands, he walked back to the desk, sat down, picked up the quill and started writing.
"To the Commander of the Garrison at Casterly Rock, Adam Malbrand Ser..
Tywin's handwriting is very neat, and every character is sharp and angular, just like the person he is, rigorous and cold."
... In view of the recent complicated security situation in King's Landing, in order to ensure the smooth progress of Regent Coronation Ceremony, you are hereby ordered to deploy two thousand elite troops to King's Landing in batches from now on to strengthen the security of the Red Keep and surrounding areas."
He paused and then added, "All troops entering the city will be under your personal command and report directly to the Prime Minister."
The meaning of this sentence is very clear. The two thousand Lannister soldiers obey the orders of the Prime Minister directly and are not under the jurisdiction of anyone.
After finishing writing, Tywin read it again to make sure there were no omissions, then took out the prime minister's seal from the drawer, dipped it in red ink pad, and pressed it heavily on the lower right corner of the parchment.
The lion coat of arms is particularly eye-catching in the candlelight.
He rolled up the parchment, tied it with a crimson ribbon, and then shook the silver bell on the table.
Ding bell..
The crisp ringtone echoed in the quiet room.
After a while, there were steady footsteps outside the door, followed by a knock on the door.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open and a tall figure walked in.
Tybert·Hesban Ser.
Captain of the Guard was wearing a dark red woolen coat and no armor, but the sword on his waist was not removed.
"Sir." He bowed slightly and put his right hand on his chest.
"Tybert Ser." Tywin handed the roll of parchment to Tybert and said seriously, "You should leave the Red Keep now and go to the Capital Guard in person to find Adam Malbrand Ser and give him this letter."
"Understood." Tybert took the parchment and tightened his fingers slightly.
"Wait."
But just when Tybert was about to turn around and leave, Tywin stopped him again.
"My lord?"
"Your daughter...Meera Ya."
Tywin's tone was much gentler than before, and he even asked thoughtfully, "If she is still alive, she should be thirty years old now, right?"
Hearing this, Tybert's body stiffened slightly.
"Thirty-six years old, my lord." He answered honestly, but a little lower than usual. "She is one year older than Queen Mother."
"Thirty-six..." Tywin repeated, as if he was remembering the deceased. "If she is still alive, she should be married, maybe already have children."
"Yes, my lord."
Tywin was silent for a moment, looking at Tybert's weathered face with his green eyes, as if with some emotion. "Since your wife passed away, you have not remarried in these years."
Hearing this, Tybert's Adam's apple rolled. "My duty is to protect your safety, sir. I don't have time to consider personal matters."
"You are a loyal man, Tybert."
Tywin stood up, walked around the desk and walked to Tybert and patted him on the shoulder. "More loyal than many people."
"After Regent's Coronation Ceremony is over, I will find you a good wife, a noble from the royal family, with a clean family background, young and fertile."
"You will have a new family and child, and he/she will become your new heir."
Listening to the Prime Minister's promise, Tybert lowered his head and couldn't see his expression clearly.
"Don't you want it?" Tywin asked.
"Sir...--." Tybert's voice was a little dry. "I am not worthy of such a gift."
"You deserve it." Tywin's tone left no room for doubt, "You have spent decades working for Lannister, and you deserve it all.
He paused and then said, "I remember that Meera Ya was very beautiful when she was a child and looked like her mother. If she were still alive, I would definitely officiate her wedding in person."
After the words fell, Tybert's shoulders trembled slightly, but he didn't say anything, he just lowered his head deeply.
Tywin didn't notice and waved his hand. "Go ahead. I want to see the first batch of troops entering the city before dawn."
"Yes, sir." Tybert bowed, turned and walked towards the door.
But when he reached the door, he stopped and looked back at Tywin.
"My lord."
"Huh?"
"Queen Mother Your Majesty There seems to be something a little... normal these days."
Tywin frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
Tybert immediately lowered his head. "Nothing, I just heard that she has been in Sept recently and often meets some people who don't know where they come from."
Tywin's brows furrowed even more tightly. "Who?"
"I don't know, sir, I just heard." Tybert paused. "Maybe I'm overly worried.
, Tywin stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "I understand, go ahead."
Tybert said no more and pushed the door open.
The footsteps gradually faded away and disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Tywin stood in front of the desk, staring at the closed door with his green eyes, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.
Cersei.
What is she doing again?
Tywin took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Never mind.
When Coronation Ceremony is over, everything will be settled.
He will be Regent, the true ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.
No one can change this.
At the same moment, Corleone was sitting in the office on the third floor, with Balerion on his knees.
Black Cat, who was missing half of his ear, was snoring with his eyes squinted, and a contented purr came from his throat.
Corleone's hands were stroking its back all the time. The fur was very soft and had an oily sheen under the candlelight.
Outside the window, the streets of Flea Bottom looked particularly quiet in the moonlight.
The street lights extend into the distance one by one, like a sleeping dragon.
In the distance, the lights of Ring of Order are brightly lit, and the cheers of gamblers can be vaguely heard. It is the sound of money flowing and desire burning.
Further away, the towers of the Red Fort looked like an island floating in the darkness in the night.
Corleone looked at the tower and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
"Sir!" Rorge's voice came from the door, with a hint of urgency.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open, and Rorge walked in quickly, with a trace of solemnity on his noseless face.
"What's the matter?" Corleone did not raise his head and continued to caress Balerion.
"There is movement outside the city." Rorge walked to the desk and lowered his voice. "The Lannister army has begun to gather."
Corleone's hand paused for a moment, then continued to stroke, "How many people?"
"It's not clear yet, but there are at least thousands of them, under the personal command of Adam Malbrand, who are forming their team at the camp outside the city."
"Our people received news from Gold Cloaks Headquarters that the Prime Minister ordered the deployment of troops into the city, saying that it was to strengthen the security of the Red Fort and prepare Regent Coronation Ceremony".
"Strengthen the security of the Red Fort, haha." Corleone laughed.
"Facing the temptation of becoming Regent, even Tywin Lannister began to lose his composure. It's a pity.
The office was quiet for a moment, with only Balerion's snoring and faint cheers coming from the distance.
"How many people can we use?" Corleone suddenly asked.
Rorge was stunned for a moment, then took out a small book from his arms and flipped through a few pages.
"There are about eight hundred people who are well-trained and able to wear armor and go into battle."
"Eight hundred." Corleone repeated, a glimmer of light flashing in his black eyes.
What a lucky number.
He thought of the historical stories he had read in his previous life. Huo Qubing led eight hundred cavalry deep into the desert, Langjuxu, Li Shimin eight hundred men Xuanwu Gate fought against Li Jiancheng, Yue Fei eight hundred Beiwei Army swept across the golden soldiers...
Eight hundred people, more or less.
But sometimes, eight hundred people are enough to change everything.
"That's enough." Corleone murmured, his voice soft as if he was talking to himself.
Rorge didn't hear clearly. "Sir?"
"Nothing." Corleone raised his head and looked at Rorge with his black eyes. "Where are the eight hundred people deployed?"
"Most of them are in Flea Bottom." Rorge said, "There are also some in the dock and Steel Street. According to your instructions, we did not put too many of our own people in the golden robe, just,,,,,,,"
"I just want them to owe me a favor." Corleone took over. "That's enough."
As he spoke, he stood up and walked to the window. The moonlight shone in from the window, casting a silvery white outline on him.
"The prime minister wants to mobilize troops into the city. This is his right. We cannot stop it and we don't need to stop it."
Corleone's voice was calm, as if he was analyzing a chess game. "But we want him to know that King's Landing is not his King's Landing alone."
Rorge frowned. "You mean...
"Where are the hunting dogs?" Corleone did not answer, but asked instead.
"At Fighting Arena. He has a game tonight."
"Where is Yego?"
"Downstairs, I just finished dinner and said I was planning to go to Silk Street for fun. Just now I was asked if I wanted to go together."
"Where's Bronn?"
Rorge's expression was a little subtle. "At Stoke Worth... directing the repair work."
"But I heard that he spends most of his time drinking, and he selects the workers himself. Although the materials are all good, if there is no supervision, some people will inevitably be lazy. In this case, the quality after completion may be worrying.
"My lord, after all, you personally agreed to help repair Stoke Worth Castle. If the castle falls down, will it affect our reputation...
Corleone's mouth twitched slightly. "Let him go, anyway, the castle is his, and it is his own business to build it."
"Notify the Hound and Yego to start intensifying patrols of Flea Bottom tomorrow, but do not take the initiative to provoke the Lannister army."
"Let the paid golden robes keep a low profile for me during this period, and don't give Tywin any chance to get angry."
"Understood." Rorge nodded.
"Also." Corleone paused. "Is Barristan Selmy still in King's Landing?"
Rorge was stunned for a moment. "Yes, our people saw him settling in a small hotel near the pier yesterday."
"Very good." Corleone raised the corner of his mouth slightly. "Send someone to keep an eye on him, but there is no need to contact him proactively. If he comes to see me, just bring him here."
"Yes, sir."
Rorge turned around to leave, stopped when he reached the door, and looked back at Corleone.
"My lord, do you think Tywin... will take this opportunity to attack us?"
Corleone was silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because he is Tywin Lannister." Corleone turned around and looked out the window at the deep night again. "He never fights uncertain battles and moves troops into the city. It is just preparation for his coronation, not war with us."
"But sooner or later he will.
"Sooner or later." Corleone nodded. "But not now."
He paused, and a glimmer of light flashed in his black eyes. "For Tywin, nothing is more important now than being crowned Regent."
Hearing this, Rorge didn't say any more nonsense, just nodded and pushed out the door.
The door closed behind him and the office became quiet again.
Balerion jumped off Corleone's knees, walked to the windowsill, curled up in a ball, and continued to sleep.
Corleone also walked to the window and looked at the towers of the Red Fort in the distance.
The moon just emerged from behind the clouds, and its silver-white moonlight shone on the tower, giving the ancient castle a cold light.
Regent.
Tywin Lannister has waited so many years to finally sit in that position.
But is this seat really that easy to sit in?
You know, the last person to become Regent was Ed Stark.
He stretched out his hand and gently stroked Balerion's back on the window sill. Black Cat turned over comfortably, revealing his furry belly.
Corleone The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, and the moonlight was reflected in his black eyes.
Lion... It's finally going to be caged.