There was a brief silence in the hall.
Tyrion seemed to be nailed to the spot by the torture that pierced his soul. His lips trembled slightly, but he could not make any sound.
He found that the sharp words and negotiation skills he had always been proud of suddenly became so pale in front of this man.
However, Corleone did not intend to let him go, but instead took a step forward again and continued to attack with words.
"You keep saying that you are no different from an illegitimate son in the eyes of your father, Tyrion Lannister. Yes, it is indeed painful and unwilling. I feel the same way."
"But..." He changed the topic. "You have never truly understood what it means to have nothing."
"You were born in Casterly Rock and have been wrapped in gold since birth. Every sip of wine you drink, every piece of silk you wear, and every air you breathe are filled with the smell of power. You may not want to admit it, but people respect and fear you. From beginning to end, you have carried the surname Lannister."
"In your subconscious mind, you still think that you are nobler than me and everyone in this Flea Bottom, which makes you feel that you can trample on my sincerity and treat me as a beggar who can be sent away with a few Copper Penny."
"I didn't!"
"You just don't want to admit it."
Corleone interrupted him and spread his hands, as if to demonstrate an obvious fact.
"Look, how natural."
"My father is Farmer, so I must be Farmer. If I want to establish order, I am audacious. The Fair Trade I desire has become a transgression. Even the saying "Lannister must pay its debts" that resounds throughout the seven the Seven Kingdomss, you are not willing to fulfill."
"You are too narrow-minded, Lord Tyrion. From this point of view, you are not even as good as your father."
"At least he has been practicing it all his life, what is Fair Trade" and what is Exchange of Interests"."
These words hit Tyrion's heart like a whip, hitting exactly where he least wanted to admit.
Yes, he is a Tyrion, born into it.
But because of this, he is more eager to be proud and more sensitive than any normal person.
He made fun of himself countless times in front of others without caring, and even hung out in brothels all day long and got himself drunk, but this was just to cover up his fragile and sensitive inferiority complex.
Therefore, when having sex with Shae, Tyrion could not resist when the other party said "my lion".
"I'm not in the mood to listen to your nonsense right now, Corleone!"
He was completely seen through, but became even more angry and asked in a low voice, "Tell me, the owner of this necklace, where is she?"
He clutched the pearl necklace tightly, as if it was the only piece of driftwood that a drowning man could hold on to in the sea.
Looking at his distorted face, Corleone raised the corner of his mouth with an arc that was almost pity, and slowly sat back in his chair, still looking down at Tyrion.
"Look, you are still habitually questioning my character after all, and you still think that people like me will always be despicable."
As he spoke, he raised his head slightly and his tone became majestic. "We are all hypocrites, wallowing in the quagmire of power."
"But unlike you, and unlike most of the people in King's Landing, I will not rely on humiliating women as a bargaining chip."
As soon as he finished speaking, there happened to be a burst of footsteps downstairs.
Immediately afterwards, Bronn's figure appeared at the top of the stairs, his leather armor still stained with morning dew, panting slightly.
His eyes first glanced at Corleone, and then he walked a few steps in front of little Tyrion, bent down and whispered, "Stoke Worth, I have gone back."
"I watched her walk in with my own eyes, safe and sound, not a single part missing from her body."
Hearing this, Tyrion instantly breathed a sigh of relief. The huge release of pressure made him almost unsteady, and he took a step back to stabilize his body.
He loosened his grip on the necklace and saw that the pearls were covered with cold sweat from his palms.
In the conversation with Corleone, every sentence consumed a lot of energy. This feeling was something I had never experienced even in front of Tywin.
This man...
After calming down, although his feet did not leave the ground, his reason still occupied the IQ high ground again.
He raised his head and really looked at Corleone in front of him for the first time.
He waved his hand and asked Bronn to step aside and wait. When he spoke again, his tone was no longer frivolous, but instead sounded a little more tired and alert.
"What do you want, Corleone?"
... fair."
Corleone's answer was simple but powerful, "And, Gold Dragon belongs to me."
However, looking at his calm and calm appearance, as if he was always in control of everything, Tyrion only felt an inexplicable anger rising in his heart.
He didn't know that it was an emotion called "jealousy".
But fortunately, Tyrion was still calm at this time. He did not continue to provoke, but suppressed his displeasure and tried to negotiate. "Emissary from the Iron Bank is urging me to pay back the money every day. The treasury is like an oyster that has been eaten out."
"I need time."
He did not refuse directly, but hoped to buy some time.
"Time?"
Corleone leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. Then, he shook his head gently. "No, you don't have time."
"Before the sun sets tomorrow, I want to see ten thousand Gold Dragon placed in front of me."
"Ten thousand!!!"
This number made Tyrion unable to calm down again. He jumped up and retorted, "We clearly agreed that it was half."
"That was yesterday's price."
Corleone did not give in as before, but insisted as it should. "To my friends, I am happy to show my generosity, but for those who break into my house with soldiers and try to shackle me, the price is naturally different."
Then, seeing that Tyrion still wanted to defend himself, he took a deep breath and said coldly, "Think carefully, Lord Tyrion."
"If the king's hands were to learn that his son actually turned the red envelope into his own private brothel...
"I can't guarantee what will happen next."
"After all, not long ago, you were the Hand of the King, and now you have become the Minister of Finance. The next step...
.Night's Watch?" he joked.
This naked threat made Tyrion almost hear the sound of his teeth chattering.
He knew that he had no room for bargaining. After all, before coming to King's Landing, Tywin had warned him not to bring any prostitute, let alone hide her in the Red Keep for so long.
He hasn't forgotten Tessa's lesson!
... Good!"
Tyrion clenched his fists, and had no choice but to accept this dumb loss, but he still did not forget to remind him, "Ten thousand Gold Dragon, but you have to guarantee that this matter will end here."
"Xue Yi will not be disturbed anymore, this secret will rot in your stomach, otherwise...
"Of course."
Corleone finally showed a sincere smile and replied calmly, "You have my promise."
After that, he picked up the knife and ordered the guests to be kicked out, "Now, please excuse me, I haven't finished my breakfast yet."
Seeing this, Tyrion and Tyrion turned around and walked out, but they heard Corleone's voice coming from behind. "Oh, that's right."
They turned their heads and saw Corleone pointing at Bronn with a table knife. "This friend of yours has caused me some trouble before. I can give him a chance to change his ways this time, but I don't want to see him in Flea Bottom again."
Hearing what he said, Bronn covered his nose in an exaggerated manner. "Just right! This place absolutely stinks. I would rather go to Silk Street to smell the seafood than stay here for an extra quarter of an hour!"
Stoke Worthburg.
In a small underground chamber, when Varys slid open a hidden stone slab, the short Tyrion immediately squeezed in eagerly.
"Shae!"
Under the dim light of the oil lamp, he saw the black-haired woman standing anxiously in the corner, and hurriedly stepped forward with her short legs.
He grabbed her slender shoulders with both hands, his eyes full of fear. "Look at me!"
"That Vito·Corleone, did he hurt you? Tell me, where did he touch you?"
"Hurt me? Who? Lord Corleone?"
Xue Yi was stunned for a moment, a trace of confusion flashed across her face, and then she shook her head. "He didn't hurt me, we... we just had dinner together."
"Dinner!"
As soon as these words came out, Tyrion's voice suddenly rose. He knew very well what it meant for men and women to eat alone.
"He didn't do anything to you... you and him...
He wanted to ask but didn't dare to ask directly, so he could only mutter vaguely.
This skeptical attitude immediately caused Xue Yi's face to change, and her big eyes were instantly covered with a layer of mist in a very professional manner.
"Do you think I will? Tyrion!"
He suddenly shook off Tyrion's hand, took a half step back, and his voice trembled with a cry, "Do you think I am willing to be alone with a strange man in a place like that?"
"It's you! It's you who let me stay here as a humble maid!"
"What's the difference between a maid and a prostitute? In the eyes of big shots like you, we don't have the right to refuse!"
She sobbed hard and shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I'm so stupid, really, I shouldn't have seen you from the beginning. If I didn't see you, I wouldn't come to King's Landing. If I didn't come to King's Landing, I wouldn't become a plaything that can never be truly trusted..."
She kept crying and accusing, and Tyrion felt that his heart was about to break.
He suddenly panicked, and his usual calm judgment suddenly disappeared, as if he had become a clumsy man trapped in a love trap.
"No, Shae, that's not the case!"
He hurriedly stepped forward and tried to put her into his arms again to comfort her, "I'm just too worried about you, that Corleone, he is a very dangerous person, I'm afraid of him...
However, the moment Tyrion put his arms around her, his eyes inadvertently glanced at her white neck, only to find a necklace inlaid with black gemstones hanging there!
His movements froze for a moment, and a trace of doubt came to his mind again, and he couldn't help but ask, "This necklace...
Xue Yi's heart jumped suddenly, but she reacted very quickly and immediately covered it with her hands. "This... this was given to me by Mrs. Falyse. She saw that I worked very hard in serving Miss Lollys, so she rewarded me...
"You're still doubting me!"
Then, she angrily pointed at Tyrion and slapped him. "I knew it... I knew it... In your heart, I am still the prostitute in Military Camp!"
"I will leave King's Landing right now and never appear in front of you again!"
As he said that, he actually tried to break away from Tyrion's hand and left angrily.
"No! Shae, I love you!"
Seeing her like this, Tyrion quickly hugged her tightly and refused to let go no matter how hard she struggled.
"Remember, I am yours and you are mine!"
Feeling the warm body in his arms, Tyrion couldn't help but comfort him with loving words between the two, and told himself in his heart, "She loves me, she is just frightened."
"She will not betray me. I am her lion. I can protect her and I can give her everything!"
Fortunately, Shae didn't go too far. She just pretended to struggle for a while and then calmed down. The two of them were affectionate for a while. Tyrion turned his head and saw Cheng Guangwa's bright head coming in from the entrance to the secret room.
All along, it was this eight-clawed spider who was able to arrange for them to meet from time to time, relying on his intimate knowledge of all the secret passages and secret doors in the Red Keep and even King's Landing.
"You should have told me earlier, Lord Varys."
But the encounter during the day still made Tyrion couldn't help complaining. "That guy has a certificate of appointment signed by my father himself, Chief Intelligence Officer of the Small Council!"
Hearing this, Varys folded his chubby fingers in front of him, his face showing just the right amount of helplessness and grievance. "Dear Lord Tyrion, I reminded you."
"Just last night, I told you that the evidence in our hands alone was not enough for the Golden Robe to arrest Vito·Corleone."
"But you were just angry at that time, and I'm afraid you didn't fully listen to my nagging."
Hearing what he said, Tyrion was stunned, and then recalled in his mind that this guy seemed to have really mentioned it last night.
But at that time, he was only thinking about Xue Yi's safety and ignored those words.
Shaking his head in annoyance, Tyrion did not pursue Varys any further. Instead, he said "I'm sorry" and hugged Shae and continued to enjoy the hard-won tenderness.
However, he didn't notice that when he mentioned the title "Chief Intelligence Officer of the Small Council", Xue Yi, who was lying in his arms, suddenly lit up with excitement in her eyes.
Soon, Tyrion hugged Shae and disappeared into the deeper shadows of the secret room. Needless to say, he knew what was going to happen.
Only Varys was left at the empty entrance.
Seeing the two of them walking away, he lowered his head and looked at his crotch, curled his lips, then gently twirled his fingers, whispering softly like a sigh, "The fingers haven't left yet, but King's Landing has welcomed another pair of Hands in the Dark."
"House of Order...
"Will you make this place more chaotic like him, or will you bring order to the seven the Seven Kingdoms."
"Vito·Corleone..
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