Highgarden, terrace garden.
"Duke of the North?"
Lady Olenna said, as if to herself, and placed the letter on the nearby tea table.
Although more than a decade had passed, the deeds of King Robert and Duke Eddard were still fresh in memory.
Duke Mace Tyrell, noticing his mother's silence, casually asked, "Mother, what's wrong?"
Upon seeing her foolish son, Lady Olenna could barely suppress her anger.
Anyone with a bit of sense should have realized that things were not simple.
Although Duke Mace was trying to hide it, how could she not know that he was already immersed in the joy of becoming Prime Minister, unable to extricate himself?
Fortunately, Mace was born into the Golden Rose Family; if he had been born into... never mind, he had already climbed out of her belly and couldn't be put back. Such idle assumptions only added to her troubles and were utterly useless!
Seeing her grandmother sitting there huffing and not speaking, Margaery took the initiative to explain, "Father, among the candidates for King's Hand, besides Renly and Stannis whom we anticipated, there's also an unexpected addition: Duke Eddard of Winterfell."
Duke Mace said in surprise, "How is that possible?"
But after thinking for a moment, he relaxed, waved his hand dismissively, and reassured Margaery, "Margaery, don't worry. Northerners don't understand how to govern, and Northerners won't easily come south of the Neck. Besides, no one will like a Northerner serving as King's Hand..."
The more Duke Mace spoke, the more he felt he was right, and a hint of smugness appeared on his face.
Feeling his mother's intense gaze, Duke Mace, who had been speaking eloquently, looked over in confusion.
He was very familiar with Lady Olenna's gaze; she was looking at an idiot.
During this period, Duke Mace had gained much prominence among the Riverlands nobles with his war theory of 'contending by not contending,' which made him unconsciously float with pride.
Duke Mace couldn't help but show off a bit in front of his mother, and incidentally, subtly prove that his wisdom was actually misunderstood.
Although he didn't know what was wrong with his words, Duke Mace still chose to trust his mother.
Such matters temporarily didn't require his military talents, so it was better to listen more!
As Duke Mace stopped speaking, he also reined in the smugness on his face and looked at his mother with great humility.
Olenna watched the changes in Duke Mace's expression, took a deep breath, paused for a moment, and then spoke, "Think with your big head, if it's impossible, then why did he suddenly appear on the King's Hand's shortlist?!"
Duke Mace was stunned for a moment, opened his mouth... Right, why?
Duke Mace highly trusted his mother's wisdom, suppressed the joy in his heart, and furrowed his brows.
King Robert and Duke Eddard's private friendship... King?
At this thought, Duke Mace's heart immediately panicked. Could this be King Robert's intention?
Duke Mace forced himself to calm down and looked at his serene mother.
Duke Mace, with a face full of smiles, said, "Mother, what do you think?"
Lady Olenna secretly rolled her eyes; her foolish son's only virtue was knowing how to leverage others' wisdom.
"No one can stop the Golden Rose from blooming in King's Landing."
Olenna had always been the backbone of the Golden Rose Family, and hearing her words, Duke Mace immediately stopped panicking.
Olenna looked at Margaery beside her, showing a hint of affection, "Margaery, tell me again about your agreement with that little fellow."
Duke Mace stroked his beard; he was proud of his daughter. His mother's attitude towards Margaery already said it all.
Just being well-behaved wouldn't earn his mother's special regard. Margaery's usual display of intelligence also justified her mother's high opinion.
Margaery glanced at her father, who looked pleased, and a faint smile appeared in her eyes.
Margaery's voice was calm and gentle: "Grandmother, Count Glynn revealed to us that Duke Renly and Duke Stannis will also compete for the position of King's Hand, and Count Glynn promised that their side would resolve this issue."
Although this was Margaery's second time recounting it in front of Lady Olenna, she spoke with great seriousness.
Her grandmother wasn't old and suffering from memory loss; her grandmother was teaching her through various real-life situations.
After listening, Olenna was silent for a moment, then raised her hand and patted the armrest of her chair: "What a cunning little fox. King Robert is not foolish. Whether it's Stannis or Renly, no matter who among these two becomes King's Hand, King Robert will ultimately be the one with a headache!
Renly is superficially glamorous, Stannis is stubborn. He knows his own brothers best. If one of these two becomes King's Hand, can the King continue to enjoy himself without worrying about state affairs?"
Superficially glamorous? Margaery heard such a comment from her grandmother for the first time. Her grandmother had always appeared to greatly admire Duke Renly in front of others... Margaery's pupils constricted slightly. Her grandmother was doing it on purpose!
Margaery's deer-like brown eyes looked at her grandmother.
Lady Olenna understood the meaning in Margaery's gaze and nodded gently with an amiable expression, confirming her guess.
Margaery was not surprised; she only felt that her grandmother had taught her another important lesson.
...
Duke Mace couldn't hold back and spoke, "So... what do we do now?"
Olenna scoffed, "Didn't you wish that little fellow was your own child? Why don't you ask him?"
"How is that the same? I merely appreciate that young man more..."
Duke Mace first chuckled in explanation, then continued, "I just remembered, Glynn and I discussed this possibility privately, and he also offered some suggestions, but I can't think of how to solve it for now."
Margaery glanced at her grandmother and asked, "Father, what was said at the time?"
Mace pondered for a moment and said, "Glynn's suggestion was that if a competitor other than the Baratheon brothers appeared, we should find a way to make that person withdraw voluntarily. That's roughly it."
Olenna sneered, her tone laced with sarcasm: "Indeed, he's thorough, with the potential to become a favored courtier of the queen! This little fellow reminds me of some old men. Whenever you ask them, it's always a lengthy discourse.
I was very young back then, wholeheartedly assisting my husband, and I relied heavily on those old men. Later, I discovered that I was doing all the specific work myself, while they reaped the benefits!
Seemingly thorough, but on closer inspection, it's all useless nonsense. To learn this skill at such a young age is also a kind of talent. The barbaric Crab Claw Peninsula indeed produced an anomaly."
Duke Mace felt that his mother seemed to have misunderstood Glynn. He thought Glynn was very practical; whenever it was about his matters, he was always more proactive than him.
Duke Mace smiled and stroked his beard, not feeling the need to explain. Being scolded by the Queen of Thorns was a good thing, a great honor. I grew up being pricked by her.
Margaery glanced at her father's expression and raised an eyebrow.
"Grandmother, Prime Minister Jon's health has not improved. I think we need to depart as soon as possible."
Olenna cast a sidelong glance at her foolish son, nodded, and said, "Margaery, I will go with you."