The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Duke Tywin stared at Cersei, who tried her best to maintain her elegant manners, holding Joffrey's hand, and forcing a smile, "Your Majesty, let's go. Sansa—"

"Yes, Your Grace the Queen Mother." Sansa, in a velvet dress and a black sable shawl, trotted out from among the ladies-in-waiting.

"Let's accompany the King together."

"Yes, Your Grace the Queen Mother."

Cersei and Sansa helped Joffrey leave, followed immediately by the Kingsguard, maids, and red-cloaked guards.

The Mountain said, "Ivory, gold, emeralds, and rubies are valuable things, Timea. Do you want to take them to exchange for wine?"

"Thank you, Lord Mountain." Timea was overjoyed, stepping forward to pick up the chopsticks broken into several pieces, her one eye shining.

Duke Tywin said expressionlessly, "All members of the Small Council stay behind. The rest of the courtiers and generals are dismissed for today."

So, lords, knights, generals, centurions, noblewomen, and ladies-in-waiting began to rise and leave the Throne Room.

Janei stood beside the Mountain, like a small bird nestled against a raptor, or like a white rabbit leaning against a forest wolf.

"I came all the way from the Westerlands," Janei whispered.

"I know."

"I see the danger you're in."

The Mountain also knew his danger, but he didn't know if the danger Janei spoke of was the same as the danger he knew!

"Where does the danger come from?"

"It's here." Janei lowered her voice even more, like the buzz of a mosquito, "Father Tywin and Uncle Kevan, our enemies."

"We'll talk about it later."

"Okay!"

"Where's Griselda (the Bull)?" The Mountain needed her to protect Janei.

"As soon as she arrived in King's Landing, she went to Flea Bottom to see her husband."

"Hmph!"

The Mountain sighed inwardly.

Bernie was thriving in King's Landing, daring to do anything except good deeds. He was a regular in brothels and casinos, the leader of the rogues in King's Landing, managing the Mountain's 'little birds' in King's Landing and responsible for maintaining contact with Varys and Illyrio across the Narrow Sea.

The Mountain guessed that Bernie probably rarely thought of Griselda. However, as soon as the Bull arrived in King's Landing, the first thing she did was to see him. Although Bernie wasn't good to Griselda, Griselda was loyal and devoted to Bernie.

The Mountain lowered his head, looking at Janei tenderly. Janei smiled slightly, infinitely charming, and the Mountain's heart was about to melt.

"You've had a hard journey!"

"No, not at all."

Janei looked at the Mountain, her eyes full of affection for him. The Mountain could read the words in Janei's eyes: We are family, we must face difficulties together. You are in trouble, so I came from thousands of miles away to bear it with you.

A warm current flowed through the Mountain's heart: someone cares, someone is concerned, someone loves, someone foresees hardship and rushes over from thousands of miles away to help you bear it—this feeling is really good!

"If others don't give us a good life, we won't give them a good life, no matter who they are!" The Mountain whispered in Janei's ear.

"We won't let go of those who don't let us go," Janei responded.

Thus, it seems that the essence of beasts and beauties is no different.

Gavin Westerling walked over, standing beside his son-in-law and daughter, and coughed. The Mountain and Janei turned their heads together and saw Lord Gavin.

Lord Gavin nodded at the Mountain and smiled, as a greeting between men: "Janei, Ser Gregor is already the Duke of Dragonstone. It seems you'll be moving soon."

Janei nodded, without an unexpected expression.

The Mountain guessed that Janei had studied under a witch—or rather, he had secretly dragged her into learning blood magic—since she had foreseen his trouble, she had probably also foreseen his glory in becoming a duke from a lord.

"Father, you've worked hard in marching and fighting."

Father and daughter hugged each other tightly! Janei buried her small face in her father's arms and closed her eyes.

After a while, Gavin said, "Janei, let's go first. Ser Gregor is the Master of Ships, a member of the Small Council. He still has to attend a meeting with the Hand of the King."

"Okay, Father." Janei obediently said.

The Mountain stood in the hall, watching Janei, Lord Gavin, Anguy, Brienne, Erren, Dunsen, Polliver, Julie and others walk out of the Throne Room, feeling—very at ease!

*

Several chairs were placed beside the long table of the Small Council.

Duke Tywin walked over and sat in the Hand's seat.

Littlefinger Petyr Baelish walked over and sat in his old seat.

Qyburn chose a chair on the outermost side, sitting on it with only half of his buttocks. He was also very humble. This kind of humility was welcomed. No one liked a scholar who had neither humility nor a scholar's chain. Qyburn placed his position very low, but everyone knew that he had superb medical skills, rich knowledge, and unique real skills.

The Mountain sat to Littlefinger's right, close to the Hand's seat.

To the left of the Hand, a new seat was added, occupied by the Hand's brother, Kevan Lannister.

Duke Tywin opened his mouth: "I propose, no explanations, no discussions, just voting. Raise your hand if you agree. Three votes or more are considered passed." His gaze swept over everyone. "Anyone have any objections? Raise your hand!"

No one raised their hand!

"First proposal, I propose that the position of Master of Laws be held by Duke Mace Tyrell. Raise your hand if you agree."

The Mountain and Adam Marbrand raised their hands together! Duke Tywin didn't raise his hand. He could raise his hand at any time, which would make it three votes. Whether Qyburn and Littlefinger raised their hands or not wouldn't affect the Duke's decision.

Mace Tyrell was not yet the Master of Laws, and didn't have the right to raise his hand, but he sat in the Small Council. What did this mean? Duke Tywin was already reckless, tearing off his mask and forcibly pushing forward government affairs. Perhaps Joffrey's outstanding performance today had stimulated this most patient Duke.

Littlefinger Petyr Baelish and Qyburn raised their hands.

A total of five people had the right to vote, and four had already raised their hands. The Duke's own proposal would naturally be raised, which meant it was passed unanimously.

The Small Council had great power. As long as three or more courtiers agreed, the resolution would be passed. It seemed that Duke Tywin didn't intend to go through Joffrey anymore. That child would abruptly disrupt his plans, and then let his imagination run wild, which was equivalent to putting the Duke on a charcoal fire to roast. The Duke himself liked to eat barbecue very much, and also liked to treat others as barbecue, but he didn't like himself becoming barbecue.

"Congratulations, Duke Mace Tyrell, on becoming the Master of Laws. From now on, you will have to work hard," Duke Tywin said dryly.

The Master of Laws was a candy that controlled great power, very sweet, and Mace Tyrell obviously liked to eat candy very much.

"Serving the country and the people, I will do my best." The pufferfish spouted out.

The Mountain was silent. If Tyrion was here, he would probably laugh at Mace for doing his best for the country and the people on Shae's prostitutes. Without Tyrion, the Mountain felt like something was missing. Tyrion's venomous tongue was like a knife, but the Mountain found that he liked to listen to his venomous tongue, which showed that the Mountain himself was also evolving towards 'cheap'.

"Second proposal, I propose that Kevan Lannister serve as the Master of Whisperers. We need to rebuild our intelligence system. Raise your hand if you agree."

Unanimously passed!

At this point, there was only one person missing from the Small Council: the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. The remaining positions were all filled: Hand of the King Tywin; Master of Laws Mace; Master of Ships Mountain; Master of Coin Littlefinger; Master of Whisperers Kevan; Acting Grand Maester Qyburn; Commander of the City Watch Adam Marbrand; Missing: Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

"Third proposal, I propose that former Kingsguard member Ser Boros Blount return to the Red Keep to serve in the Kingsguard."

Qyburn, the Mountain, and Littlefinger were all stunned.

They knew very well what kind of ghost Boros Blount was. Cowardice was his greatest quality, and bullying the weak was the most interesting thing he insisted on doing, and, that guy was getting fatter and fatter, and his bowlegs made people think of crabs. Speaking of martial arts, that guy's swordsmanship was very ordinary.

"I know Boros Blount is not the best choice, but he is the most suitable now. He is very loyal when serving in the Kingsguard."

Tywin, who had said he wouldn't explain, reluctantly explained the reason.

Adam Marbrand, Kevan Lannister, and Mace Tyrell raised their hands. With three votes, Boros Blount's return to the Kingsguard was a foregone conclusion.

Littlefinger raised his hand, Qyburn also raised his hand, and the Mountain raised his hand.

Unanimously passed!

With such high efficiency in handling government affairs, it was estimated that Duke Tywin was the first person in history. Compared with the previous Small Council, a small matter, an appointment, the time spent arguing, ridiculing, digging, and satirizing each other was several times that of today.

The Duke wanted everyone to recommend a suitable Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, but no one answered. Since Duke Tywin hadn't found a suitable candidate, then surely no one could find one.

*

Littlefinger smiled, looking at Mace Tyrell with ill intentions, his thin lips spitting out clear words: "Congratulations, Lord Mace, on serving as the Master of Laws. You are knowledgeable, proficient in the kingdom's government affairs, experienced, of noble character, concerned about the people, love the King, and are loyal and devoted. You truly deserve it."

Mace Tyrell hurriedly humbled himself.

Littlefinger's flattery skills were superb.

But the Mountain already understood that the more beautiful this liar's words were, the more miserable he would harm you. This was the law.

Littlefinger continued: "Lord Mace, after the Battle of King's Landing, thousands of soldiers were sacrificed, mainly the Royal Navy was completely destroyed; thousands of soldiers were injured, mainly the Royal Guard, Her Grace the Queen Mother's Red Cloaks, the Clegane army, and the Crownlands army. This requires a large amount of military pay for appeasement, and our treasury was already empty in the time of the late King Robert."

Mace pretended to listen carefully, with a sad expression on his face to show that he was concerned about the country and the people.

Littlefinger spoke unhurriedly, without panic: "Lord Mace, the families of the dead and wounded soldiers urgently need food assistance, but our maritime trade has been completely interrupted; the captains of various countries living on Silk Street are waiting for us to compensate them for the losses of the merchant ships that were forcibly requisitioned. Those merchant ships have all been burned down, and the corpses have sunk on the banks of the Blackwater Rush to prevent Stannis's warships from landing. The Reach is rich and food is piled up like mountains. Please advance one million gold dragons to the national treasury for emergency relief. When we recover, we will repay you as soon as possible, and we also ask you to transport food into the city as soon as possible."

Mace's buttocks hadn't warmed up yet, and Littlefinger's knife was already very sharp. The people who could sit here all had the dual excellent qualities of scum and human essence. In comparison, Lord Mace was a simple and pure person.

Mace stared at Duke Tywin. He came to be the Master of Laws, and the deal was to bear the food for King's Landing, but there was no one million gold dragons. It hadn't been a few heartbeats since he sat on the stool, and suddenly he was asked to take out one million gold dragons. This serving the country and the people was unacceptable to Lord Mace.

However, on the first day of becoming the Master of Laws, he had a disagreement with the members of the Small Council, and then tied a knot in his heart, which didn't seem appropriate.

"Food will be transported into the city as soon as possible. As for the gold dragons, I..." The honest pufferfish glanced at everyone present again, feeling that everyone's eyes had the magic power to devour people. He calmed his mind, it seemed that it was impossible not to bleed. "Our family has spent a lot, and taxes have been unable to be collected. This mobilization of troops has already cost a lot, and the burden is very heavy, but when the country is in difficulty, although we are very difficult, let's grit our teeth and persevere. One million gold dragons is really impossible to take out, let's make it fifty thousand gold dragons, this is the limit I can currently take out, let's help solve some of the consolation money for the dead and wounded soldiers first."

"Lord, fifty thousand gold dragons..." Littlefinger smiled mischievously, "Let's make it eight hundred thousand gold dragons, no less."

"Let's make it one hundred thousand gold dragons, Lord. There are four thousand Reach troops living in the King's Tournament grounds, and the military pay for a month is really a big expense."

"In any case, seven hundred thousand gold dragons." Littlefinger smiled elegantly, with no smile in his eyes, "In return, your family will have the right to participate in the trade of the Blackwater Rush port: food, silk, cloth, porcelain, ironware, crafts... If you are happy, you can open a brothel in King's Landing."

Participating in the trade of King's Landing's port is an absolute goldmine. Once you get involved and establish a foundation... wealth will pour in... Littlefinger's talent for deceiving people is second to none, not even Tywin Lannister... This is a very sweet deal...

"Three hundred thousand gold dragons, my lord."

"These are extraordinary times, and besides, this is a loan, my lord, it will be returned to you. Lord Tywin has taken up residence in King's Landing, fully implementing government affairs, revitalizing the economy, and developing trade. Are you still worried about not being repaid? The foreign trade of King's Landing's port will begin to fully recover. Now is the best time to get involved," Littlefinger Petyr said with a friendly smile. Of course, he certainly wouldn't return it; it was borrowed by the state, not by Littlefinger himself. Littlefinger knew exactly whose money had to be repaid, such as the Iron Bank's across the Narrow Sea.

Littlefinger's goal was to temporarily 'borrow' five hundred thousand gold dragons.

"Uh, alright! I will try my best to scrape it together, but I can't guarantee I can raise seven hundred thousand, perhaps fifty thousand." Tyrell was deeply moved. He still had to go back and report to his mother. However, those targeted by Littlefinger found it difficult to escape, just like fishing; no matter what kind of fish you are, there's always a bait that suits you. Even for the Queen of Thorns, Littlefinger had prepared the bait.

*

This was the first time the Mountain had attended a meeting with so many ‘scheming bastards’. He had witnessed Littlefinger's 'money-finding' skills. In just a few words, he dug a hole and buried some dirt, and fifty thousand gold dragons were in hand. This was a large sum of money that could solve the post-war expenses in the Red Keep. And once the food problem was resolved, King's Landing would be worry-free!

This guy could serve as Master of Coin, frame Tyrion, almost costing Tyrion his life. Yet, Tyrion, such an absolute master of people, still couldn't move him. The two even 'coexisted peacefully.' That's skill.

The Mountain watched coldly: Tywin, Kevan, Mace, Mace's mother, the Queen of Thorns, who was an absolutely formidable and ruthless character, Qyburn, Littlefinger... Joffrey, Cersei... and... uh... himself, the Mountain – a collection of schemers gathered in the Red Keep, the show has just begun!

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