Seeing the Usurper's interest piqued, Jon naturally wasn't going to let the opportunity slip. He took a small sip of Dornish Red, then dropped a bombshell.
"I don't know much about other things, but surely the Khal wouldn't marry a barren woman, right?"
"Enough, Jon! Have you gone mad?"
Interrupting Jon's words, Lord Eddard stood up, the anger on his face almost bright enough to ignite the night sky.
But looking at the King and Jon standing together, aside from dropping his goblet and taking his leave, he made no other move.
After the Warden of the North stormed off, the Usurper seemed to lose interest. He rocked in his chair, preparing to stand up.
But embarrassingly, the obese Boar King seemed to be stuck. After several attempts, he fell back into the seat each time.
Seeing this, Jon immediately took a step forward and stepped on one leg of the metal chair.
Then, the metal cage that imprisoned the Usurper stayed in place, releasing Robert from its grasp.
As the Protector of the Realm stood up, his massive, bear-like silhouette immediately blocked Jon's view.
"Good. Very good. You are completely different from your prickly father. I really don't know whose seed you are."
Robert judged and sized up Snow as he spoke, then made a decision.
"But I must say, in terms of governing the realm, you still need to learn more from Ned. Even if he mercifully let that Targaryen whore go, he doesn't plan to be as naive as you, thinking you can profit from two bastards..."
"No, Your Grace. Securing that Targaryen girl will definitely give you more than your money's worth."
This time, Jon didn't wait for the King's permission; he voiced his objection first.
And this radical behavior, after a series of setups, finally piqued the Usurper's interest.
After that, Robert stopped walking, then turned to look at Snow. He wanted to see what brilliant idea this bastard had. Even if it just made him laugh, it would be worth the trip.
Seeing the King stop, Jon sensed the opportunity to spy on the dragons.
That's right—it was precisely because he considered this that the transmigrator decided to take the risk.
If he did nothing, then the one who would ultimately hatch the dragons would definitely be Daenerys, driven into desperation.
But right now, he had a half-baked idea.
In a flash of inspiration, Snow once again chose to shock rather than stay silent. He immediately thought of a vicious proposal fitting for A Song of Ice and Fire.
"Just as I said, the reason the Dothraki are marrying a beggar princess is naturally not for the secrets between her legs, but to covet the Targaryen bloodline."
As he said this, Jon was prepared to face Robert's wrath, but he didn't shrink back. Instead, he downed the rest of his Dornish Red and continued.
"But similarly, just as Your Grace worried earlier, as long as the Khal can get ships, god knows if they will use the excuse of restoring their wife's kingdom to brazenly cross the Narrow Sea."
"So unless you act now, even if that little girl dies, countless people will claim to support the descendants of the Targaryen and the Khal, and swear sovereignty over the Iron Throne."
"By then, you will be plunged into endless trouble..."
After going around in circles and saying so much, even Jon started to find it hard to continue his pitch.
But Robert, whose brain had been fried by alcohol, didn't seem to refute him. Instead, he looked at Jon, lost in thought.
Just as Snow had exaggeratedly described, a rebellion only needed a claim, and the banner of House Targaryen was the existence that annoyed Robert the most.
This made him detest any remaining dragon blood, wishing he could eradicate them completely.
But the transmigrator's words alerted him.
He could indeed kill all these people, but god knows if some bastard would pop up claiming their father was Rhaegar, or Viserys, or Daenerys, or whoever.
And he couldn't send assassins across the Narrow Sea to do the same thing every single time.
If that were the case, perhaps the Small Council would have to establish a special agency, like the "Westeros Office for Hunting Targaryens in Essos."
Thinking of this, a flash of realization suddenly appeared on Robert's greasy face. Then, he threw the problem back to the bastard in front of him.
Who happened to be exactly the kind of bastard he was worried about!
"Enough. I'm tired of guessing. Since you can raise the problem, go discuss the solution with Ned. Don't let our Hand of the King be too idle."
Clearly, after realizing he was still the King, Robert quickly dumped the problem on someone else.
As for himself, he stretched lazily and ducked into his tent. There, several plump peasant women had already been scrubbed clean, waiting for the King's favor.
Through the gap as the tent flap opened, Jon caught a glimpse of the scene inside, and a wave of nausea washed over him for no reason.
He truly couldn't imagine what kind of mood Robert must be in to face these "beauties" while casting aside his stunningly beautiful Queen.
But judging from later events, the Boar King clearly didn't know he was wearing a green hat that covered him from head to toe; otherwise, he wouldn't have let Joffrey inherit the throne on his deathbed.
Hearing His Majesty order him to discuss this with Lord Eddard, Jon felt a sudden headache.
According to his original plan, he just needed to use his brain a little to goad the stupid bear into action, and then he would get what he wanted.
But who would have thought that the bear's shrewdness far exceeded his imagination? Robert quickly threw this thorny problem back at him.
The transmigrator could understand the Boar King's behavior; Robert actually diligently governing the country would be the truly terrifying thing.
But having said that, even though he had offended Lord Eddard earlier, now he had to reach a consensus with him.
The reason was simple: Robert's actions, from any angle, did not make him a qualified King.
His indulgence in pleasure and laziness in governance were unmatched. If not for the fact that four of the seven kingdoms were related to him by marriage or life-and-death bonds, he would have been kicked off the Iron Throne just like the Mad King.
That being said, Jon didn't have a better solution. He could only take his leave and wait until tomorrow.
Early the next morning, before Jon could wake from his sleep, a tall soldier barged into his tent.
Only when he saw who it was did Jon put down the longsword by his pillow.
The guy in front of him was Lord Eddard's captain of the guards—Jory Cassel. He was an annoying fellow who had basically watched Jon grow up.
Unlike a flexible squire like Jon, this guy was a carbon copy of Eddard. No matter what he did, he pursued strict adherence to rules and never smiled.
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