Varys's shiny bald head was now covered in cold sweat. The giggling little king was much harder to deal with than the arrogant brat who used to wear everything on his face.
"Varys, let's not discuss Aegon Targaryen for now, I don't care. I imagine your intelligence work requires funding, and surely Magister Illyrio across the Narrow Sea has provided you with ample funds, hasn't he?" As he said this, Joffrey reloaded the crossbow.
This time, however, he aimed it directly at Varys's forehead. "My lord, let me guess, will your smooth head make the bolt slip?""Joffrey asked with a grin.
Varys, a top player in King's Landing, had never been so flustered in his decade-plus in the game of thrones. He didn't know that Joffrey had been analyzed inside and out by countless netizens in short videos, with all sorts of versions.
At this moment, he didn't know what to say, deny it or make excuses?
"How many gold coins does the Prince of Pentos give you each year, Lord Varys?"
"Your Grace, 400,000 gold dragons."
Well, that's almost half the tax revenue of the Seven Kingdoms. Joffrey couldn't help but marvel at the generosity.""Alright, give me 360,000 gold dragons every year, you keep 40,000. Focus on maintaining intelligence in King's Landing, and have Littlefinger's brothels handle gathering information from other places. We'll talk about other things when there's more money."
Varys breathed a sigh of relief. 40,000 gold dragons to maintain the "little birds" in King's Landing was manageable. Most importantly, this little mad king didn't intend to kill him. As long as he was alive, there was still a chance to assist a king who truly cared for the people."Gather your little birds, 200 sharp-witted boys aged 14-16, and establish a Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard), with the Hound in charge. They will only answer to me. When the time comes, the other little birds will fall under the Jinyiwei's command, and you will be responsible for intelligence."
"As you command, Your Grace." Varys knew this was a power grab, but he had no way to refuse.
The Hound's eyelids twitched, his heart jumped. Such a good thing?
Jinyiwei, from Joffrey's few words, the Hound knew the meaning of this organization's existence: to act as the King's vicious dog!Sandor Clegane didn't mind going from hound to mad dog, it made no difference to him, but it gave him immense power, even the chance to kill his brother, Gregor Clegane, the Mountain.
Then Joffrey waved his hand, "Call a Small Council meeting for tomorrow, and remember to notify my uncle to attend, I have something to announce."
Then he took Zhu Yan to the seaside platform. King's Landing is located at the southernmost point of King's Landing, close to Blackwater Bay. As the royal castle of King's Landing, the Red Keep is naturally built by the sea.
Varys and Baelish passed through the Red Keep's hall, and Baelish paused to look at the Iron Throne in the center."Imagine, what would it feel like to sit on it? Would those nobles who look down on you grovel before you with false humility? The king is only 14, and power rests with Queen Cersei and Hand Tyrion, yet a few words from him can decide our fate, simply because he wears a crown," Varys said slowly.
Having gone through the initial panic, he calmed down, being alive meant everything.
"Without a head, they wouldn't be able to grovel before me," Baelish replied.
"Ambitious and morally bankrupt, I wouldn't dare be your enemy."Varys said meaningfully, as if encouraging something.
Littlefinger smiled, "We won't be enemies, because I am a subject of King Joffrey, and so are you."
"But I'm curious, when you were castrated, were the eggs and the chicken killed together?"
Varys turned and walked towards the outside, "Thank you for still thinking about my nether regions, but I have to go and complete the work the King gave me, and then offer my 360,000 gold dragons."
"Also, Lord Baelish, I must remind you that all 1.66 million gold dragons must be offered, otherwise I will pledge my loyalty to His Majesty.""Baelish raised an eyebrow. "You're mistaken, Lord Varys. It's 1.8 million gold dragons. I just received this year's revenue."
"Lord Baelish, it must be painful to hand over so much... war funds after painstakingly saving them up. I apologize for that."
Amidst the sarcastic exchange between the two, the Hound was already eager to start assembling the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
/////////////////////
The next day, when Joffrey arrived, the meeting table was already full.Following Joffrey was a fully equipped Lu Bu, thankfully summoned with his signature halberd and Red Hare steed.He swaggered to the head of the table. The Small Council usually consisted of seven members:
The Hand of the King
The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard
The Master of Coin - in charge of the treasury and national finances
The Master of Laws - overseeing the country's judicial system
The Master of Whisperers - in charge of the intelligence system
The Master of Ships - in charge of the navy
The Grand Maester - the chief advisor on matters of knowledge and wisdom
But the Master of Laws, Renly, and the Master of Ships, Stannis, had just rebelled, so there were only six present, due to the addition of the Queen Regent, Cersei Lannister.One of the most hated characters among Game of Thrones fans, Cersei Lannister is undoubtedly an unscrupulous woman with no political vision, with almost nothing to recommend her except her love for her children.
Joffrey immediately spotted the little dwarf sitting on the first seat to his right. Tyrion Lannister is a very complex character, but without a doubt, although he doesn't have a healthy body, God gave him a brilliant mind.
"I felt there were some things that needed to be discussed, so I called this Small Council meeting."Cersei then said indulgently, "Let the servants do those things. You are the king. You don't need to worry about Stannis attacking King's Landing. Your uncle, the Hand, will help you defend it." Cersei thought her son was worried about Stannis's rebels.
Tyrion grimaced. He really didn't get along with this willful nephew. His sister Cersei and his father Tywin looked down on him, the dwarf, which naturally led Joffrey to look down on Tyrion as well. But even if he didn't like him, he was still a Lannister, so he had to defend King's Landing."No, Mother, that's not what I meant. Stannis is nothing but a rabble, a bunch of straw men ripe for the taking."
Everyone couldn't help but twitch their lips. Stannis's attack this time involved at least twenty thousand men, five thousand through Blackwater Bay, and at least twenty thousand along the Kingsroad, while King's Landing had less than three thousand Gold Cloaks and some militia, adding up to less than five thousand.
But this arrogant, foolish demeanor was very much in line with Joffrey.
"The first thing to do is to revoke the Queen Mother's regency and restore power to the King."
Hearing this, Cersei, who had been wearing a doting expression, was immediately stunned. What did that mean? Stab me in the back first?While Cersei did feel that Joffrey was becoming increasingly uncontrollable, she wasn't worried about losing her power as Queen Regent because he never bothered with state affairs, and she continued to engage in a battle of wits with Tyrion.
Tyrion, on the other hand, was completely surprised. Why was his great-nephew suddenly interested in power? Joffrey clearly wasn't the type to govern, but this was good. Without Cersei causing trouble, he could focus on the current situation.
Cersei then said, "You're still too young and need to learn more, otherwise you'll cause trouble for many ministers."Cersei's regency during this time allowed her to taste the benefits of power. Although she loved Joffrey dearly, she was reluctant to relinquish the regency.
Just then, the master of whisperers, Varys, spoke, "I believe His Majesty is ready to rule. His Majesty's wisdom is unmatched, and the Seven Kingdoms will surely become better in his hands."
Littlefinger also stated, "Lord Varys is not wrong. I agree that His Majesty should rule in person."
The entire room fell into an eerie atmosphere for a moment...