The first royal council meeting was marred by a quarrel, something Stannis was unwilling to see.
The Loyalists and The Queens Party were arguing heatedly, with spittle flying everywhere. Yassel, representing the Queens Party, accused the Loyalists of believing in a false god.
The Loyalists, led by Davos, believed that this was blasphemy.
"When I was still at Flea Bottom, sailors like me went to the sanctuary at least once a week, and my wife went three times a week. She also prayed at home every day. Your Majesty, the Seven Gods are so important to the people. Burning their images is absolutely unacceptable!" Davos tried to dissuade them with some emotion, but he was quickly met with criticism from The Queens Party.
Where were the Seven Gods when Your Majesty besieged the city? Where were the Seven Gods when Lord Eddard Stark was falsely accused and beheaded?
It is precisely because the Seven Gods are false gods that the Lord of Light sent Duke Stark south to help Your Majesty; otherwise, neither you nor I could even be trapped in Dragonstone!
" The people of King's Landing, and indeed the people of the Seven Kingdoms, will eventually have to accept the fact that the Lord of Light is the only True God!" Yassel said, his words flowing freely, and his points were more relevant to reality. Of course, Duke Stark here refers to Jon.
As the conversation progressed, the topic turned to Jon, whose attitude was very important. Even Stannis looked at the youngest among them.
Jon knew he couldn't avoid it, so he stood up and said, "My lords, I have indeed witnessed the greatness of the Lord of Light and the power of the Divine along the way. Putting aside everything else, without the wildfire created by those Pyromancers, I probably wouldn't have been able to defend the city."
"That's right—" Yassel was about to agree when Stannis glared at him, because Wildfire had also burned down his fleet.
"But we must also acknowledge that the Cultivators representing the Seven Gods have long been integrated into the daily lives of the common people. This deeply ingrained influence, built up over thousands of years, cannot be eradicated in a short time. Forcing it will only backfire. The population of King's Landing is larger and more complex. Your Majesty is the king of all Westeros, not just the king of the followers of the Lord of Light." Jon looked at Stannis halfway through his sentence. " Your Majesty, you are in your prime, with a long future ahead of you. You can slowly advance the Lord of Light's influence among the common people. As for the coronation ceremony, I think we can fuse the coronation of the Seven Gods with the coronation of the Lord of Light. Moreover, autumn is here, and winter is not far off. When the common people discover that the Seven Gods cannot bring warmth and hope, they will naturally know which one is the True God."
Jon's suggestion was a bit of a compromise, but it also provided a mutually acceptable solution for both sides with differing opinions.
Although I'm not entirely satisfied with any of them, they're not unacceptable either.
But Melisandre objected: "We can hold off on burning the statues of false gods for now, but the True God must never associate with false gods! Your Majesty cannot accept the coronation of a false god before the True God; this is an unforgivable blasphemy."
Melisandre's statement undoubtedly disrupted the balance once again, leaving Jon speechless at this cunning and shrewd woman who was impossible to understand.
Sure enough, the charlatan's language was incomprehensible.
"Then let Your Majesty be crowned by the Lord of Light inside the sanctuary, and by the Seven Gods outside the sanctuary, " Davos said.
Receiving the coronation of the seven gods outside the sanctuary would satisfy as many commoners as possible and better express a preference to Westeros.
The Onion Knight played a little trick.
But this time it was Stannis who voiced his opposition. He said, " Dao: The Lord of Light will be crowned outside the Sanctuary, while the Seven Gods will be inside. That's settled."
Since he had said so, the others naturally had nothing more to say. Jon didn't care at all; once he reached the Western Regions, he would still prioritize the Seven Gods, and the Lord of Light and such could be easily dismissed.
The order of monarchical power above and divine power below should never be overturned.
I need to quickly conquer the western border, then gather manpower, money, and food. Other things like faith and other such nonsense are not things I should be worrying about right now.
Jon was concerned about what task Stannis was assigning him.
With the coronation ceremony issue finally settled, signifying the end of the agenda for this royal council meeting, all that remained was for Stannis to announce Jon's mission.
" Jon, cough cough," Stannis cleared his throat and began, "I want you to marry Margaery, but—"
"Me?" Jon's response was filled with surprise and disbelief.
Although he knew in his heart that he had Targaryen blood, no one believed him, so it was wise for him to be realistic and treat himself as a bastard to negotiate with all parties.
Although Jon had already learned from Varys that Stannis was inclined to use him to marry Tyrell, he believed that Stannis would eventually give up the idea.
The idea of getting together with Margaery is really unrealistic.
Seeing Jon's surprised expression, Stannis seemed unsure how to continue, and Davos, seeing this, decided to take on the role of the villain himself.
Davos instinctively wanted to pull the chair closer to Jon, but then realized that it might not be appropriate, so he simply leaned his body over.
" Jon, it's like this. Actually, House Tyrell's condition is that they marry you off to a woman from a collateral branch of the family. She'll also have the surname Tyrell, and she'll definitely be good-looking. But they haven't agreed to let you marry Margaery because, because—"
"Because they think I'm not good enough." Jon finished Davos's sentence for him.
Seeing Jon so openly facing his identity, Davos felt uneasy.
"It's alright, Ser Davos. Please continue with your Majesty's arrangements. Prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain, I understand." Jon said calmly to Davos, patting him on the arm as he did so.
"Prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain."
Everyone pondered Jon's words, finding them quite philosophical.
Davos sighed and continued, " Jon, although Tyrell's condition is to marry you a woman from a collateral branch, Your Majesty still hopes you can try to win Margaery over. This time, Duke Mace and Lady Olenna will be bringing Margaery to King's Landing, and we will create opportunities for you to spend time alone with her."
"Yes, you can do anything to Rose of Highgarden during that time— " Yassel's face broke into a lewd smile, but Jon's expression suddenly turned cold.
" Your Majesty, if you want me to do such a thing, I cannot accept it!" Jon stood up and said solemnly and seriously to Dao.
Stannis frowned and looked at Yassel before speaking, "Get out!"
Yassel realized he had done something foolish, apologized profusely, and left the meeting. Davos, standing nearby, quickly tried to smooth things over: "That's not how it works, Jon. Your Majesty absolutely didn't mean that. Your Majesty just wanted to give you and Margaery a chance to get to know each other. If you two are willing to be together, Your Majesty can then arrange a marriage. That way, Highgarden won't say anything. After all, the help you get from marrying a collateral branch of the family is completely different from marrying a legitimate daughter!"
Davos calmed Jon down and made him sit down.
Seeing Jon's still dark expression, Stannis said to Dao with some displeasure, " Dao, do you really think I would let you do that kind of thing?"
"No, no, Your Majesty, I got too excited. You know Dao, I'm a bastard. I don't want to get a girl pregnant before I'm married. I don't want my bloodline to learn to blame its father before it has a chance to learn anything else—" Who doesn't know that it's good for Dao to marry a rich wife? But Yassel's despicable suggestion must be strongly countered.
"Alright, alright, I don't blame you." Seeing Jon's sincere attitude, Stannis waved his hand, signaling Davos to continue.
"Actually, this is roughly what I wanted to say. One of the women from Tyrell's side was named Airo Tyrell, and the other was named Lil Tyrell. "
"Lia Tyrell," Stannis personally reminded Dao.
"Yes, Lydia Tyrell." Davos apologized and continued, "Both Tyrells are about your age. They are both Margaery's handmaids now. After Your Majesty's coronation, there will be a ball. We will try to create opportunities for you at the ball. It would be best if you and Margaery could like each other. If not, we will not force you, and we will certainly not make you do that kind of thing."
"Oh, right," Davos suddenly seemed to remember something. He clapped his hands, and a servant came in from outside, carrying a portrait that clearly had the style of Myr. As soon as the portrait was revealed, many people's eyes were drawn to it.
The portrait depicts a beautiful and elegant young girl, around fourteen years old, with long, waist-length brown hair like expensive silk. Her bright brown eyes seem to be speaking to someone. She is wearing a green dress and sits there serenely, like a quietly blooming flower. The lace on her cuffs and collar is a perfect finishing touch.
It can only be said that this world is somewhat backward in terms of productivity, but its aesthetic sense is still quite good.
" Jon, look, this is Margaery, but it must be a portrait from a year or two ago. She's definitely more beautiful now. Margaery should be the same age as you, what a coincidence, don't you think?" Davos seemed to have returned to his old ways as a smuggler, starting to use some persuasive language to recommend her.
"Indeed, she is indeed a beautiful girl." Jon nodded as he looked at the painting, giving a very objective assessment. However, he still asked Dao, "I just don't know what kind of person Dao is."
Seeing that Jon wasn't swayed by her beauty, Davos nodded in satisfaction and said, "She is the Queen of Thorns, Olenna's most beloved granddaughter. Olenna is the de facto leader of House Tyrell. When Rhaegar Targaryen was defeated at Ruby Beach, she didn't immediately choose to pledge allegiance to King Robert. Instead, she had Tyrell's army fight Lord Eddard before withdrawing to protect the Loyalists, preserving the family's dignity. After you defeated Tywin, she immediately ordered Mace to pursue Tywin. After all, at this point, House Tyrell could use being deceived as an excuse. In short, she always makes the right decisions. Since Margaery is her favorite granddaughter, she shouldn't be any less impressive."
"Moreover, Margaery is very popular in Highgarden, not just because she is beautiful. She often gets off her carriage and has troubadours sing and play music for her, and chats enthusiastically with street vendors. Such a way of managing her image is something that ordinary noble young ladies cannot do." Listening to Davos's analysis, Jon had a general impression of this Margaery.
"Okay, I understand. I will definitely find a way to contact Margaery." Jon nodded, expressing his attitude.
Seeing that Jon had accepted his mission, Stannis gave his final order.
" Jon, starting today I will have someone teach you aristocratic etiquette. I think that shouldn't be too difficult. Even if you didn't learn it in Winterfell, you've at least seen it. Also, you should learn about social dances and the like."