King's Landing, River Gate (Dung Gate).
Ser Jacelyn Bywater, Captain of the Gold Cloaks at the River Gate, greeted Prime Minister Tyrion Lannister as he came to inspect the defenses: "Prime Minister."
Tyrion looked Ser Jacelyn up and down and said with a smile, "I like your simple and direct greeting."
Ser Jacelyn came from a minor branch of the Bywater family in the The Crownlands. He participated in the siege of Pyke during the suppression of Balon Greyjoy's rebellion, losing his right hand in the battle. After the war, he was knighted by Robert I for his merits and subsequently became an officer of the Gold Cloaks.
Ser Jacelyn seemed not to have heard Tyrion's friendly jest. He merely turned aside and gestured forward.
Ser Jacelyn was very tall. Tyrion reached out and patted his thigh: "I like you even more, Ser."
On the city wall, Tyrion, with his hands clasped behind his back, gazed at Blackwater Bay for a while, then turned to Ser Jacelyn and said, "Ser Jacelyn, if the enemy comes from the sea, they will attack from here, right?"
Ser Jacelyn had slightly grizzled brown hair, deep-set eyes, prominent brow bones, and a wide jaw that looked like a pumpkin.
He paused, then answered seriously, "Prime Minister, every part of King's Landing could be a target for enemy attack. The direction of the Dung Gate is just a bit more likely than other places."
Tyrion's eyes moved, looking at his small squire, Pod, who stood stiffly beside him.
"Pod, I need to speak with Ser Jacelyn alone."
"Yes, Prime Minister."
Tyrion leaned against the merlon, glancing at Ser Jacelyn's iron prosthetic right hand, and said slowly, "As far as I know, you have been the Captain of the Dung Gate guard for three years?"
"Yes, Prime Minister."
Tyrion said seriously, "Ser Jacelyn, can you be the Commander of the Gold Cloaks?"
Ser Jacelyn stared at Tyrion for a moment, then shook his head slightly: "Prime Minister, no one can replace Greene. He is deeply loved by the Gold Cloaks soldiers."
Tyrion grinned: "Standing before you is Prime Minister Lannister. No one dislikes golden dragons."
Ser Jacelyn shook his head again: "Greene is fair, and the soldiers trust him."
Tyrion nodded slightly… The person in front of him meant that true affection could not be gained by golden dragons alone.
"Does a warrior understand a warrior?"
Tyrion first sighed with emotion, then continued, "Ser Jacelyn, Greene and I are good friends. He recommended you to me… Hmm, this is a secret, but I trust your honor."
A look of confusion appeared in Ser Jacelyn's eyes.
Tyrion shrugged his small shoulders and said, "The new Prime Minister needs a Gold Cloaks Commander he can trust. Unfortunately, your Greene is burdened with Robert I's dying wish, and I have no reason to keep him."
Ser Jacelyn seemed somewhat incredulous: "Prime Minister, why would Greene leave King's Landing?"
Tyrion said with a smile, "Hey, don't misunderstand, this is not an expulsion, this is the highest honor. The next time we meet, Earl Greene will most likely be sitting in a chair on the Small Council."
Ser Jacelyn lowered his gaze to his iron prosthetic right hand: "That is indeed good news, Prime Minister."
Tyrion's smile faded, and he said solemnly, "Then… new Gold Cloaks Commander, are you willing to give your highest loyalty to the new Prime Minister?"
The next day, Throne Room.
Around the long table of the Small Council sat Cersei Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, Pycelle, Varys, Greene Kleber, and Lancel Lannister.
Maester Pycelle's reports on state affairs were dull and tedious. Greene silently admired the wood grain on the table. Lancel subtly observed him, then followed suit.
Queen Regent Cersei raised her hand, interrupting impatiently, "Enough! Today is not for discussing trifles."
She paused, then said angrily, "Have you also received Stannis's letter? I will punish his vile, despicable acts!"
After Cersei's words fell, Pycelle and Varys both pulled letters from their pockets and placed them on the table.
Tyrion leaned almost entirely over the table, pulling a letter towards him and reading it with interest.
As he read, he said, "Ha, the content is the same as the ones I saw yesterday. Besides the name, I didn't expect him to be quite clever."
Pycelle's sleepy eyes opened slightly: "Your Majesty, all the ministers in the Red Keep have a copy."
Tyrion rubbed his chin and said, "Could it be that every noble family in the kingdom has one?"
Varys glanced at Queen Regent Cersei and said respectfully, "Queen Regent Cersei, my little birds tell me that Prime Minister Tyrion's guess is very likely true."
Queen Regent Cersei's body trembled slightly with anger: "I will burn all these letters, not a single one shall remain. No whisper must reach my son's or my father's ears."
Tyrion sighed, "Sister Queen Regent, I think Stannis has already sent birds to Casterly Rock… As for burning the letters… what's the point? Spilled water cannot be recovered, and I think those letters that have been sent out cannot be taken back."
He spread his hands, then added, "Besides, to be honest, what's written in the letter isn't that bad."
Lioness turned around, her emerald eyes wide with fury, glaring at Tyrion, and snapped, "Tyrion, do you have a brain? Did you even read what Stannis wrote? He called my son a boy and dared to accuse me of incest and fornication!"
Tyrion almost blurted out: He's telling the truth!
At the crucial moment, for the sake of his own life, Tyrion tightly shut his mouth… His mouth must always follow his brain.
Cersei, knowing full well that Stannis's accusations were entirely true, still acted with such fury, which greatly astonished Tyrion. He saw a glimmer of wisdom in his sister's beautiful golden hair… Well, at least she wasn't completely stupid.
Tyrion looked at Greene: Was she always this formidable?
Greene looked back: Lioness roars.
Boss Cersei had a great talent for acting, and Greene had plenty of firsthand experience, so he wasn't surprised at all.
Lancel felt it was his time to shine. He said loudly, "Your Majesty, how do you wish to deal with…"
Under Queen Regent Cersei's cold gaze, Lancel's excited voice gradually faded, and his straightened posture shrunk back.
Tyrion pursed his lips, then paused, and let out a light cough.
He said seriously, "Queen Regent Cersei, Stannis needs an excuse to accuse Joffrey's claim to the Iron Throne as illegitimate. We've known what he's planning all along… Did we really expect him to write something that would make us feel comfortable?"
Queen Regent Cersei said resentfully, "I will never allow anyone to call me a whore!"
Good sister, Stannis didn't say Jaime paid you… Tyrion pursed his lips tightly, enduring a great struggle.
Tyrion wanted to slap himself… Be honest, I haven't even sorted out the Gold Cloaks yet!
Tyrion lowered his head, pretending to read the letter. His eyes suddenly trembled slightly, and he murmured, "By the grace of the Lord of Light…"
He looked up and scanned everyone, saying, "What strange and unfamiliar phrasing."
Varys smiled faintly and explained, "Prime Minister Tyrion, this phrase often appears in letters and documents from the Free Trade Cities. Its meaning is similar to our common phrase 'by the gods' witness.' The Lord of Light here refers to the god worshipped by the Red Priests, also known as the Sacred Flame, the God of Shadow and Flame."
He paused for a moment, then said with a smile, "As far as I know, several years ago, Duke Stannis's wife, Lady Selyse Florent, seemed to have fallen under the influence of the Red Priests."
"Ha ha…"
Tyrion laughed, flicking the letter, and said, "Lord Varys, I'm starting to like your little birds… Hmm, it seems her husband has followed suit. We can use this to deal with him. Let the Archbishop publicly expose Stannis's terrible betrayal of the Seven Gods…"
Queen Regent Cersei impatiently interrupted, "Enough! We must first stop this filthy thing from spreading further."
Lancel's morale immediately soared: "Queen Regent, please issue a decree: whoever dares to spread rumors shall have their tongue pulled out."
Maester Pycelle stroked his white beard and said, "If we act quickly, the rumors can be stifled very soon."
Greene's brown eyes moved slightly, looking at Maester Pycelle… Is he forcing me to cut things again?
According to the number of letters Stannis sent out, the whole city would soon be full of rumors. How many tongues would he have to pull out before leaving King's Landing?
Greene was about to speak when Tyrion spoke first.
"Sister Queen Regent, pulling out tongues will at most stop them from speaking, but it won't change their thoughts, and it will make everyone think how afraid you are of those absurd rumors."
Queen Regent Cersei said scornfully, "Then I'd like to hear your good idea."
Tyrion's face was wreathed in smiles: "Anyone with a bit of common sense will treat this as a clumsy excuse fabricated by Stannis to seize power and usurp the throne."
He added, "Do nothing, let them talk. It will naturally fade away before long."
Queen Regent Cersei said coldly, "Coward, you're just sitting there waiting to die!"
Tyrion gave his sister what he thought was a sweet smile: "Sister Queen Regent, does Stannis have any evidence? It's clearly baseless, where would he find evidence?"
Queen Regent Cersei frowned.
Greene turned to Queen Regent Cersei, who seemed to be pondering, and said, "Queen Regent Cersei, your concern is wise. Most people will not choose to discern the truthfulness of rumors, no matter how absurd the rumors may be."
After hearing Greene's words, Queen Regent Cersei's expression improved considerably: "My Earl Greene, continue."
Greene nodded slightly and said slowly, "Duke Stannis only fabricated a story, but what if we release a more interesting true story?"
He scanned those present and continued, "The truth behind Prime Minister Jon Arryn's death, why a gentle wife would poison her Prime Minister husband, that the heir to the Eyrie is an illegitimate child born of fornication, and that the Prime Minister husband who discovered the truth died at the hands of his wife to silence him."
He paused, then added, "This matter was personally investigated by former Prime Minister Eddard Stark, and there is also an important witness, the former Master of Coin, Petyr Baelish, who escaped from the dungeon."
Greene spread his hands and said with a smile, "I think this is what the public truly enjoys, and besides, it's a true story."
Lancel excitedly grabbed one of Greene's arms and said, "Greene, I remember when we dealt with the Queens Quarter rumors last year, we used this method! You're so smart!"
Greene's expression was gentle: "It's a bit different from last time. This time, the news we release is a truly interesting story."
Varys said with a smile, "Queen Regent Cersei, I must say Earl Greene's story is too appealing. At least I'm genuinely curious now."
Pycelle nodded, his Maester's chain jingling softly as he moved: "Everyone loved Prime Minister Jon… Alas, the truth is always cruel, how pitiful."
Tyrion chuckled: "Sister Cersei, how about we make up another story about Stannis and give him a green hat?"
Queen Regent Cersei gave Tyrion a rare slight smile, making him feel somewhat flattered.
Greene raised an objection: "Prime Minister Tyrion, the Arryn Family story is enough to suppress these rumors. Stannis's story can wait a little longer."
The smile on Tyrion's face gradually faded: "Earl Greene, are you saying…"
Greene nodded and said, "When Duke Stannis claims the throne."
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