chapter 186 part 2
At the critical moment, for the sake of his own skin, Tyrion clamped his mouth shut... His mouth must always follow behind his brain.
Cersei knew full well that Stannis's accusations were entirely true, yet she acted so infuriated, which was an eye-opener for Tyrion. From his sister's beautiful golden hair, he saw a flickering glint of wisdom... hmm, at least she wasn't a complete fool.
Tyrion looked at Glyn: *Was she always this formidable?*
Glyn's eyes met his: *The roar of a she-lion.*
Cersei had a great talent for acting. Glyn had experienced it firsthand on many occasions, so he was not the least bit surprised.
Lancel felt it was his time to shine. He said loudly, "Your Grace, how do you wish to handle—"
Under the Queen Regent's cold gaze, Lancel's enthusiastic voice gradually weakened, and his upright posture slumped back down.
Tyrion pursed his lips. After a moment, he cleared his throat.
He said seriously, "Queen Regent Cersei, Stannis needs a pretext to declare Joffrey's claim to the Iron Throne illegitimate. We've known what he was planning for a long time... Did we really expect him to write something that would be pleasant for us to read?"
The Queen Regent said hatefully, "I will not have people calling me a whore!"
*My dear sister, Stannis never said Jaime paid you...* Tyrion pursed his lips tightly. He was having a very hard time holding it in.
Tyrion wanted to slap his own mouth... *Behave, I haven't even sorted out the Goldcloaks yet!*
Tyrion lowered his head, pretending to read the letter. His eyes suddenly quivered slightly, and he muttered, "By the shining grace of the Lord of Light..."
He lifted his head and swept his gaze across the others. "What a strange and unfamiliar turn of phrase."
Varys smiled faintly and offered an explanation. "Lord Hand, this phrase often appears in letters and documents in the Free Cities. Its meaning is similar to our common 'As the gods are my witness.' The Lord of Light here refers to the god worshiped by the Red Priests, also known as the Heart of Fire, the God of Shadow and Flame."
After a brief pause, he added with a smile, "As I recall, several years ago, Lord Stannis's wife, Lady Selyse Florent, seems to have fallen in with the Red Priests."
"Haha..."
Tyrion laughed. He flicked the letter and said, "Lord Varys, I'm beginning to like your little birds... Hmm, it seems her husband has followed suit. We can use this against him. Have the High Septon publicly expose Stannis's terrifying abandonment of the Seven..."
The Queen Regent cut him off impatiently. "Enough! We must first stop this filth from spreading further."
Lancel's spirits immediately soared. "Queen Regent, please issue a decree. Anyone who dares spread these rumors will have their tongue torn out."
Grand Maester Pycelle stroked his white beard and said, "If we act quickly, we can stamp out the rumors quite soon."
Glyn's brown eyes shifted to look at Grand Maester Pycelle... *Are you forcing me to cut things again?*
Given the number of letters Stannis had sent, the entire city would soon be filled with rumors. How many tongues would he have to pull out before he left King's Landing?
Just as Glyn was about to speak, Tyrion beat him to it.
"Sister, tearing out tongues will, at most, stop them from speaking. It cannot change what they think. Moreover, it will make everyone believe you are terrified of those absurd rumors."
The Queen Regent said contemptuously, "Then I would love to hear your brilliant idea."
Tyrion's face was wreathed in smiles. "Anyone with a bit of sense will see this for what it is: a clumsy excuse fabricated by Stannis to seize the throne."
He added, "Do nothing. Let them talk. Before long, it will all naturally blow over."
The Queen Regent said coldly, "Fool, that's just sitting by and waiting for ruin!"
Tyrion gave his sister what he believed to be a sweet smile. "Sister, does Stannis have any proof? It's obviously baseless. Where would he find proof?"
The Queen Regent knitted her brows.
Glyn turned to the seemingly contemplative Queen Regent and said, "Queen Regent Cersei, your concerns show your wisdom. Most people will not choose to discern the truth of a rumor. This holds true even for the most absurd of lies."
Hearing Glyn's words, the Queen Regent's expression improved considerably. "My Lord Glyn, continue."
Glyn nodded slightly and said slowly, "Lord Stannis has merely fabricated a story. But what if we release a more interesting, *true* story?"
His gaze swept over everyone present as he continued, "The truth of Hand of the King Jon Arryn's death. Why would a gentle wife poison her husband, the Hand of the King? The heir to the Eyrie is actually a bastard born of adultery, and the Hand, her husband, was silenced by his wife after discovering the truth."
After a pause, he added, "This matter was the result of an investigation personally conducted by the former Hand of the King, Eddard Stark. And there is an important witness: the former Master of Coin who escaped the dungeons, Petyr Baelish."
Glyn spread his hands and said with a smile, "I think this is the sort of amusement the common folk truly enjoy. What's more, it is a true story."
Lancel excitedly grabbed one of Glyn's arms. "Glyn, I remember last year when we dealt with the rumors in the Queen's Quarter, we used this very method! You're still the clever one!"
Glyn's expression was gentle. "It's not quite the same as last time. The information we're releasing this time is a truly interesting story."
Varys said with a simper, "Queen Regent Cersei, I must say, the story Lord Glyn speaks of is most captivating. At least, I am truly quite curious now."
Pycelle nodded, his maester's chain jingling softly as he moved. "Everyone loved Lord Jon... Alas, the truth is always so cruel. How pitiful."
Tyrion gave a wicked smile. "Sister, should we make up a story about Stannis, too? Put a pair of antlers on his head."
The Queen Regent gave Tyrion a rare, faint smile. He was almost overwhelmed by the favor.
Glyn raised an objection. "Lord Hand, the story of House Arryn is enough to suppress these current rumors. The story about Stannis can wait a while."
The smile on Tyrion's face gradually faded. "Lord Glyn, are you saying..."
Glyn nodded. "Until Lord Stannis crowns himself king."
(end of chapter)