"If you ask me, Bastard's head must have been frozen solid during the Winterfell or the Great Wall. He's a duke, after all!"
In King's Landing taverns, Jon's story of abandoning his dukedom and fleeing King's Landing to avoid fratricide had already become a hot topic. Not only in taverns, but also among peddlers, street vendors, and high-society gatherings, Jon's story was being discussed everywhere.
The speaker was a thin man around thirty years old, who was loudly proclaiming that Jon was a complete idiot.
It would be much more suitable for me to be the duke.
"How can someone who doesn't even dare to think about it do a good job? If Harrenhal were handed over to me—"
"How about I hand it over to you?" a deep voice sounded behind the man. "If it were me, I could definitely govern Harrenhal for His Majesty Stannis, first by marrying into the Frey Family, then by fighting against the Riverrun. After that, what face would Robb have to call himself the Lord of the Trident River? And then—" The man continued to ramble on about his daydreams, completely oblivious to the silence that had fallen from the crowd of onlookers.
Just as he was about to continue speaking, he suddenly felt his body lifted into the air, and he was lifted up by the back of his neck.
"Hey hey hey hey hey—" The slightly drunk man waved his hands and feet, struggling like a worm being pinched.
"Put me down! You barbarian! Do you know who I am?! Put me down!" The skinny man only had to turn his head to look at me before he sobered up considerably.
A man with half his face covered in burn scars stared coldly at him. The scarred side of his face was missing an ear, leaving only a black hole, and the skin around his eyes was like hardened scabs.
If the other party's only distinguishing feature was their terrifying appearance, then their bulging muscles and armor undoubtedly revealed their identity.
"My lord, I...I...I...I...I..." The man realized he had said something he shouldn't have, and his first reaction was to beg for forgiveness.
Being pulled along by Sandor, whose muscles were bulging, made him so nervous that he couldn't speak.
Sandor snorted, grabbed him by the collar, walked to the tavern entrance, and then threw him hard into the middle of the dry bar.
The skinny man fell face-down, landing flat on his face, but he didn't dare utter a sound. He tucked his tail between his legs and scurried into the alley.
Seeing the man's disheveled figure, Sandor sneered, then looked in the direction of Red Keep.
He figured Jon wouldn't want to go back to the Great Wall now, and he could stay by Jon's side and serve him.
The discussion about Jon on King's Landing was very heated, which surprised many people.
The mastermind behind it all is Varys.
Varys already knew that Stannis had prepared two options for Jon.
One became the Lord of Harrenhal, and the other became the Lord of Casterly Rock.
The latter is better than the former, but Jon has to take it himself, making it a hot potato.
Moreover, he also knew Dao Stannis planned to marry Margaery to Jon, a move that would both punish and restrain Tyrell and reward Jon —a win-win situation.
From Varys ' perspective, it would be best if Margaery could marry Aegon, but many conditions for Aegon are not yet in place, and this is only the optimal choice before Daenerys hatches the giant dragon.
But now that Daenerys has hatched the giant dragon, he and his allies plan to unite Aegon with Daenerys, take the giant dragon and army back to Westeros, and seize the iron throne.
However, their army was simply too limited, and they were unwilling to see Stannis and Tywin make peace.
Ideally, Jon should lead Tyrell's army to conquer the Westerlands and Casterly Rock. Tyrell actually prefers Targaryen, which would effectively tie Jon to Aegon's chariot.
Therefore, Varys is also secretly pushing Jon to become the lord of casterly rock through his own efforts.
At this moment, Jon, who had just been captured and brought back, was doing nothing and was instructing Arya on swordsmanship in the courtyard. Sansa, who was watching from the side, was engrossed and looked eager to try it herself.
Just then, Robb Frey suddenly ran to Jon and reported, "Sir, someone wants to see you."
Who is it?
He only said one word, "Mi Dao," and said that after you heard it, you would naturally go to see him.
" Varys." Jon immediately thought of the intelligence minister.
Just as he was about to leave, Arya and Sansa asked in unison, " Jon, where are you going?" Although they didn't usually show anything, once Jon was out of their sight, the two sisters felt like young animals abandoned in the jungle, with no sense of security whatsoever.
"I'm just meeting someone at the door, I won't go far, I'll be right back."
—By the moonlight, Jon saw Varys dressed in black civilian clothes. He was no longer the fragrant man he usually was; instead, he reeked of sweat, and his clothes were even stained with dirt. It seemed that he had gone to great lengths to see Jon.
"I must congratulate you here, Lord of Casterly Rock." Varys smiled, his tone even carrying respect.
Jon looked at Varys but didn't say anything.
Varys looked Jon straight in the eye and said, " Lord Jon, let me be frank, you've always acted like a Saint, but from what I've observed, you're truly a Great Master at manipulating people's hearts. I really hope to be able to work with someone like you."
After a moment's thought, Jon immediately understood how Varys had figured it out.
"Because I didn't tell His Majesty Stannis what you told me?"
"No one is wiser than you, sir." Varys said to Dao with a smile, "Your move of retreating to advance is the greatest maneuver I have ever seen in my life."
"Then thank you for your praise. Since you've seen through my true colors and have even taken the initiative to seek cooperation with me, why don't you tell me what you want?" Although Jon already knew Dao... Varys's trump card remains to be seen, but it depends on whether he will reveal it voluntarily.
Of course, it doesn't matter whether you say it or not. Asking him proactively is actually a way to avoid his suspicion and conceal the fact that you know his true purpose.
Varys shrugged and said, "What can someone like me aspire to? Just staying by the king's side, making a few friends, and maintaining a respectable life—"
"You're not telling the truth," Jon interrupted him directly. "With the wealth you've accumulated over the years, you could easily become a rich man in the Free Cities or Braavos. I think that would be respectable enough, and you wouldn't have to get caught up in the vortex of power."
"Hehe, Your Grace is right. I do indeed have higher ambitions. If I were to continue making up something on the spot, it would be disrespectful to you. But if you can accept it, please allow me to keep it a secret for now. Of course, if you stay in King's Landing, I can also provide you with the information you want. In the future, you only need to help me as a friend." Varys believed he had seen through the true nature of this cunning and ambitious man, so he spoke with considerable confidence.
"It's a deal. Maybe our goals will actually align in the future," Jon joked, making a lighthearted joke.
He thought of the dragon eggs he had found. What would Varys, the "Blackfire Bloodline," think if one day he painstakingly brought Aegon to Westeros, only to find himself raising giant dragons on the other side of the continent?
Varys let out a soft, unmanly chuckle: "Maybe."
In the shadows under the moonlight, the two temporarily reached an agreement.
"Your Grace, I didn't come empty-handed this time. I brought you a small gift."
"Please speak," Jon said, acknowledging that what Varys had brought him was intelligence.
" Tywin is mobilizing the entire Westerlands to fortify his strongholds and establish a separatist regime. As you know, His Majesty Stannis's current strength is probably insufficient to suppress the Westerlands, so the possibility of peace talks is not small. However, you also know the character of King Your Majesty. He will never let Tywin off so easily. Tyrell's army, combined with your martial arts and strategy, is the perfect sharp weapon to suppress the Westerlands. If you can conquer the Westerlands and capture Casterly Rock, then Casterly Rock will be yours, and you will not be subject to any suspicion or obstruction. In terms of power, you will be the next King of Casterly Rock!" Varys's voice was somewhat seductive; he was indeed a master persuader.
However, Jon noticed a blind spot. He said to Dao, "You seem very confident that I can conquer the West? Perhaps conquering the West is within my capabilities, but Casterly Rock —forgive me for being frank, but I haven't thought of a good way to take it down yet."
In fact, Jon has an immature idea, but of course he can't say it now.
" Your Majesty has already thought of this for you, and Melisandre might be able to help you."
Without Varys needing to explain, Jon already knew Dao Stannis already has path dependencies.
He used Melisandre's magic and Shadow Assassin to deal with Renly and take Storms End. Is Dao saying he plans to use Shadow Assassin to help him?
When he reached Casterly Rock, Melisandre spawned a Shadow Assassin who dove into Casterly Rock and killed Tywin with a single blow.
If that's the case, then Stannis is someone I can get along with!
The problem is that Jon remembers Tywin isn't the only Lannister in Casterly Rock. Even if Tywin dies, the other Lannisters might not surrender.
However, there's no need to think that far ahead right now; Jon expressed his gratitude for Varys ' intelligence.
"Alright, Lord Jon, we've talked long enough, and I've enjoyed the process." Varys saw the light in Jon's eyes and knew that Dao had guessed the truth, so he said with satisfaction, "Dao. "
Moreover, his words revealed a sense of pleasure at having encountered a smart person, especially since he had previously run into someone as stubborn as Eddard.
If we had been more careful with Littlefinger and acted sooner, we wouldn't have ended up with our heads separated from our bodies.
After seeing Varys off, Jon returned to the courtyard.
At this moment, Sansa actually picked up a wooden sword and tried to wield it, it seems that the "King's Landing coup" left her with considerable psychological trauma.
The only difference is that instead of learning political maneuvering from Littlefinger, he now emulates Arya to learn martial arts.
" Sansa ".
"Ah!" Sansa exclaimed, hurriedly hiding the wooden sword behind her back, as if she were a little embarrassed.
"Learning some martial arts is a good choice, at least it can make your body healthier. But the most rational thing to do when facing danger is not to fight it, but to anticipate it and avoid it. Using a sword is the last resort. Do you understand?"