Inside the white Prime Minister's Tower, Stannis and Alliser are listening to Pycelle's report on the true state of the country over the years.
Although he already knew Dao Robert neglected his duties and squandered his wealth, yet the true state of the country was worse than he had anticipated.
Take finances for example, the royal family owes more than six million dollars! Three million of that is owed to Lannister and another three million to Free Cities.
When Stannis learned the total amount owed, his mind went blank for a moment; he simply didn't know... How Robert spent all that money.
As far as he knew, even when Jaeheris I laid the Kingsroad connecting the entire country, it didn't cost this much money.
" Your Majesty, but because of the Lannister rebellion, I think our total debt can be cut in half." Pycelle began, trying to soothe Stannis.
He knew that Dao had encountered such a meticulous king, and that his future days would be difficult to fool. But Stannis still frowned. Even if Lannister's money did not need to be repaid, he still owed three million, and could not even come up with the reward money for his subjects.
Not to mention he also needed to rebuild his fleet. In addition, he had hired Salado's ships to join his fleet, but in the Battle of Blackwater Rush, not only his ships but also Salado's ships suffered heavy losses.
In addition to the commission for subduing Salado, Stannis also needs to compensate Salado for his ship.
This is when he suddenly realized that even if he possessed the Iron Throne, he was still just a penniless king.
At that moment, a maid entered. Alliser tried to stop her, but upon learning that it was Queen Selyse's order, he had no choice but to let her in.
"What is it?" Stannis asked Dao without looking up.
"The Queen asked me to inquire whether the decor in Maegors Holdfast needs to be changed—"
The maid had barely finished speaking when Alliser's face showed a helpless expression, and Stannis was instantly enraged—he abruptly looked up at the maid: "If that woman wants to be replaced, then let him find a way to get the money himself!"
The maid was startled by his gaze and words and hurriedly left the room.
Stannis slammed the ledger documents on the table in frustration, put his hands on his hips, and looked out at the night view, only to see a bleak future for the kingdom.
He is currently short of money and his military strength is insufficient. His most prized fleet suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Blackwater Rush, and rebuilding it will take at least three to five years or even longer.
To make matters worse, it is already autumn, and soon the Seven Kingdoms will face a large-scale reduction in food production and a slowdown in population growth, which will in turn lead to a significant decrease in tax revenue.
Without money and without an army, he, as king, had no power or influence.
The thought of Robb, Tywin in the western region, and Balon in the Iron Islands gave him a headache.
However, even more alarming news soon followed. Just as Stannis decided to sleep in the Prime Minister's Tower that night, bad news arrived—the duke he had just bestowed upon had run away!
Meanwhile, in the brightly lit Maegors Holdfast, Sansa and Arya were immediately taken to Red Keep for tight protection, where they sat with Selyse.
"Tell me, when did Jon leave?" Selyse was not a gentle woman; on the contrary, her voice was often sharp and accusatory.
"We don't know about Queen Dao, Your Majesty," Sansa shook her head. " Arya couldn't sleep in the middle of the night and got up to look for Jon, only to find that he was missing. He left this behind."
Sansa hands a letter to Selyse, who is about to take it and read it when Stannis suddenly appears.
Selyse quickly stood up and bowed to her husband, but Stannis didn't care at all and snatched the letter away.
In the letter, Jon stated that Stannis is a king who upholds justice and the law, and that he would not do anything like holding the two of them hostage, reassuring Sansa and Arya.
Then Jon knows Dao Stannis will definitely see this letter. He apologizes to Stannis and says that he is really tempted by the title of Lord of Harrenhal and the surname Stark, but he does not want to be enemies with Robb. However, if Stannis encounters other enemies in the future, he is still willing to answer the call.
Upon seeing Jon's letter, Stannis unconsciously ground his teeth again, his face turning ashen.
Sansa kept wringing her handkerchief, and Selyse barely dared to breathe. Only Arya touched the hilt of her sword, looking at it from left to right.
"Chase him! Send men to chase him! Bring this Jon back to me!" As soon as Stannis gave the order, Melisandre walked in.
" Your Majesty, Jon, I've found him. He's heading in the direction of the sow's horn."
Stannis knew that Dao was Melisandre's prophecy of fire, so he looked at Yassel. Yassel understood and quickly led his men toward the direction of the sow's horn.
Yassel and Penny were in charge of leading the team.
Leading a search operation late at night was hardly a pleasant experience. They had initially thought Jon was greedy and wanted more rewards, but it turned out he was serious.
" Jon!"
" Lord Jon!"
"Your Majesty the Duke!"
"Come back with us, Your Grace! This is treason!" Penny, who had come to King's Landing with Davos, shouted at the vast fields.
He knew in his heart that if he couldn't find Jon, his life would be over.
But Yassel stopped him, saying, "Don't shout like that. Jon isn't stupid. He's determined to leave. Do you think saying that will make a difference?"
Yassel knew that from this day forward, the bards and singers of King's Landing and even the Seven Kingdoms would sing of Jon's deeds.
His good name will spread throughout Westeros, and even the Free Cities will know that Dao has such a stubborn but noble bastard.
No, from now on no one will dare to call him a bastard. This kind of spirit of giving up the title of duke and wanting to dedicate himself to humanity, even if you don't agree with his actions in your heart, you still have to call him "Sir Jon " or "Sir Stark " in public.
Around noon, Melisandre sent someone again to tell them Jon's exact location, and Yassel and Penny cornered Jon by a riverbank.
Jon, riding his horse with Ghost baring his teeth and growling beside him, stood by the surging river, watching the crowd that had come to capture him.
Although Stannis sent far more men this time than he had when he left the Great Wall, and Melisandre provided the exact location.
But if Jon wants to leave, no one can stop him.
But the show was about over by now. Jon sat on horseback, watching the Gold Cloaks approach him.
" Lord Jon, come back with us, this is Your Majesty's order!" Yassel said loudly, his posture exceptionally respectful, even jumping off his horse to avoid appearing too arrogant.
" Sir Florents, please let me go." Jon pleaded, as if he were deeply worried about the Great Wall, or as he said, he simply did not want to fight Robb's brother.
However, he knew in his heart that regardless of Mance Neither the Rayder nor the wildlings pose a real threat; the real threat comes from the White Walkers.
If Robb can be brought back to the Wall, the Wildling problem won't be difficult to solve. And for the next year or two, the White Walkers won't affect humanity.
Winter, Long Night, White Walkers—of these, winter will be the biggest problem Westeros will face in the future.
We need to find a way to get Stannis to grant us control of the West. If we can control the West, we can mobilize more resources to stockpile supplies such as winter clothing and fuel.
Yassel spoke again, saying, " Lord Jon, what will happen to Robb if you go to the Wall? Your Majesty might send men to attack the North. What will happen to Tywin if you go to the Wall? Will he continue to seek revenge? What will happen to Balon if you go to the Wall? After plundering the West, will they continue to plunder the North? Lord Jon, only you, only you can stop all of this!"
When personal interests are involved, the human brain works at high speed.
Especially Yassel, who was capable of "sacrificing family for the greater good," knew perfectly well that only if Jon accepted the reward would House Florent not end up with nothing.
Jon hadn't originally planned to leave, but seeing how sincere he was, he went back with him.
On the way, Yassel and Penny practically clung to Jon's waist, afraid he would run away.
It wasn't until the afternoon that the group returned to Red Keep and met Stannis.
The king, who had just ascended the throne and was already facing numerous problems, was irritable and exhausted. Jon even noticed that he had dark circles under his eyes and the remaining hair at his temples was in dire need of care.
"Does working for me really make you this uncomfortable?" Stannis's voice was like icy rain, but to Jon it sounded somewhat aggrieved.
"That's not it, Your Majesty, I just—"
"I don't want to be enemies with Robb!" Stannis interrupted Jon's explanation. He had previously suspected that Jon might be dissatisfied with the reward, but now he had no doubts at all.
He has already decided that Jon is someone even more Eddard than Eddard.
" Jon, considering the merits you've made, I won't punish you," Stannis said. In fact, it wasn't just that Stannis felt a little reluctant; more importantly, there was no law that allowed a subject to be punished for refusing a reward. Jon hadn't violated any laws, except for making Stannis feel uncomfortable.
"But from this moment on, you will stay in King's Landing and are not to leave without my order! Otherwise, you will be disobeying the king's command and I will punish you! Do you understand?"