The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 593: The Overturned Currency

On the south bank of the Blackwater Rush, in a primeval forest belonging to the royal domain – the Kingswood – Jaime led the welcoming party for Queen Mother Cersei.

Cersei lifted the curtain, but didn't see the one person she most wanted to see: the Mountain.

“Where is the Mountain?” Cersei asked, displeased, not using the Mountain's proper title: Ser Gregor Clegane.

“The Mountain led the army to coerce the Vale, using force to help Littlefinger subdue the Vale and make Lord Robert Arryn submit to King Tommen,” Jaime said respectfully.

Cersei was disdainful, her eyes scornful: “It seems we overestimated Littlefinger’s ability to sweet-talk. When he left King’s Landing, he assured us he would conquer the Vale.”

“Your Grace, the Vale nobles are strongly opposed to Littlefinger and Lysa Tully’s marriage and refuse to allow Littlefinger to be the legal guardian of Robert Arryn. The proud nobles of the Vale need a little force to knock them into line. The Mountain is the best blade for the job; it’s most suitable for him.” Jaime was extremely respectful.

“Who are the two white cloaks behind you?” Cersei looked at the two new Kingsguard – Gormond Qoherys and Gylan Qoherys. She didn't recognize them. Those qualified to be Kingsguard were all from great noble backgrounds. Cersei knew the great nobles very well.

“The Mountain recommended these two knights; they are from House Qoherys of Hammerhorn on the Iron Islands. The white cloak on the left is Gormond Qoherys, and the one on the right is Gylan Qoherys.” Jaime gestured, and the two Qoherys stepped forward to greet Queen Mother Cersei.

Cersei glanced at the two brothers, her surprise not obvious. However, the three Kingsguard and the royal courtiers beside her were all ‘shocked’. Noble sons from the Iron Islands becoming Kingsguard – how could this be possible?!

Kingsguard Arys Oakheart looked at the two new brothers with condescending scrutiny, feeling resistant and disgusted. Kingsguard Balon Swann directly showed a hint of contempt on his face, and Kingsguard Osmund Kettleblack, known as Little Mountain, even snorted heavily.

Gormond and Gylan, on the other hand, did not show the barbarity and fierceness of the Ironborn. The two brothers showed the manners and humility that nobles should have. After greeting Queen Mother Cersei, they also paid respects to Princess Myrcella, who curiously showed her face after hearing the name ‘Hammerhorn of the Iron Islands’, and Rosamund Lannister, who looked exactly like Myrcella.

The two brothers behaved impeccably, beyond reproach, making it hard to associate them with the fierceness and barbarity of the Ironborn.

“Is the Mountain in such a hurry to deal with the Vale?” Cersei felt resentful.

“The Northmen are marching south, and the Vale has not yet submitted. The Mountain is also acting for the sake of the kingdom.” Jaime said against his will. It was Jaime and Lord Mace who wanted the Mountain to leave King’s Landing as soon as possible.

Gormond and Gylan remained expressionless, but were greatly relieved in their hearts. When the Mountain parted ways with them, he had asked them to observe Queen Mother Cersei’s reaction. If Queen Mother Cersei cared about Kevan’s death, the two brothers should be more careful and keep their distance from Queen Mother Cersei; if Queen Mother Cersei did not ask about Kevan first, but asked about the Mountain, then they should get closer to Queen Mother Cersei and eventually gain the Queen Mother’s complete trust.

From beginning to end, after the welcoming party met the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother never mentioned Kevan, as if such a person did not exist in the royal family.

This could only mean that Cersei deeply hated Kevan.

Kevan’s deception in coaxing Cersei to go south, and his conspiracy to confine Cersei in the Tyrell family’s Highgarden, had completely stimulated Cersei, and the Mountain was the only vassal who had devised a plan to help Cersei out of her predicament. If it hadn’t been for the Mountain’s letter pointing the way, Cersei would now be trapped in Highgarden, a confined and useless person, and forced to marry the lame Willas Tyrell.

Marrying Willas Tyrell was the root of Cersei’s hatred for Kevan!

When the Mountain led his troops to attack the Red Keep and fight Kevan, Cersei’s heart was not on Kevan’s side. Cersei was actually happy and relieved about Kevan’s death, as if it was a long-awaited liberation. It was only out of respect for Kevan that Jaime controlled his emotions.

The first person Cersei wanted to see upon returning to King’s Landing was the Mountain.

The Mountain was very loyal and useful; he was the best blade, and this blade had saved her twice, his loyalty beyond doubt. The first time was when the Mountain designed the death of the High Sparrow, rescuing Cersei from the High Sparrow’s confinement; the second time was the Highgarden predicament. Cersei had many things she wanted to ask the Mountain; she had many doubts in her heart. The Mountain seemed to be omniscient about many things. Was he truly a chosen one? Or had he become a skinchanger like Bloodraven? However, the Mountain had left King’s Landing first to attack Gulltown in the Vale.

This made Cersei feel quite uncomfortable.

Cersei waved for everyone to stay far away. She had her handmaidens take Princess Myrcella and Lady Rosamund to the other two carriages, and then her palanquin rode alongside Jaime’s warhorse.

“Jaime, the position of Hand of the King is currently vacant. I will have the Mountain support you to be the Hand. You must be prepared.”

Jaime turned his head on horseback to look at Cersei: “Your Grace, Lord Mace Tyrell has already been selected as the acting Hand, and I have been recommended by everyone in the Small Council to be the Captain of the Kingsguard. Master of Ships Lucan Codd has resigned and followed the Mountain to attack Gulltown. Ser Bronn of the Blackwater is temporarily serving as the commander of the Royal Navy. Ser Bronn of the Blackwater has been appointed by His Majesty the King and the Hand of the King as the captain of the Maegor’s Holdfast royal guard. He is recruiting knights in the Crownlands, training the royal guard day and night.”

Cersei’s pupils gradually dilated, her voice gradually rose, and her aura gradually became cold: “Jaime, the personnel changes in the Red Keep – you couldn’t wait for me to return? I am the Queen Mother, I am Tommen’s mother, I am the King’s only legal guardian, I am the Protector of the Realm. You, the heir of House Lannister, are the most qualified to be Hand of the King, and certainly not Mace Tyrell.”

“Cersei!” Jaime lowered his voice; he didn’t want their conversation to be heard by anyone else. “Only Lord Mace can secure the Tyrell family’s loyalty to Tommen by being the Hand. King’s Landing and the Lannisters cannot do without the full support of the Tyrell family. Once King’s Landing’s food, supplies, trade, and military leave the Tyrell family’s support, the Red Keep will be breached by King’s Landing’s starving mobs, and you and I will be in mortal danger. Tommen’s Iron Throne cannot be protected.”

“We have the Mountain!” Cersei said coldly.

“The Mountain only has brute force!”

“Brute force is enough. We must learn from our father’s strengths in managing the Mountain. If our father hadn’t had the plan to ‘send the Mountain’s head to the Martell family of Dorne’, he wouldn’t have provoked the Mountain to protect himself, and all the unfortunate things that followed wouldn’t have happened. We must not repeat Uncle Kevan’s mistakes.”

Jaime looked at Cersei’s eyes, which were flashing with cold light. He realized that Cersei believed in the Mountain as if a believer believed in the Seven Gods, and the current Mountain would definitely not be a dog that only bit people for its master.

Jaime submitted in a low voice: “Yes!”

His submission made Cersei even more heroic and confident!

“As long as Margaery and Mace are in the Red Keep, Highgarden will not dare not send food and supplies into King’s Landing.” Cersei snorted coldly, looking at Jaime as if he were an idiot. “Jaime, if you and the Mountain join forces, the Tyrell family will be a piece of fat meat on our chopping board. You as the Hand, the Mountain as the Master of War, a perfect and invincible alliance. If the Dornish don’t submit, we will conquer Dorne; if the Northmen don’t submit, we will conquer the North; if the Vale doesn’t submit, we will blockade the Vale.”

Jaime was speechless and could only say: “Yes, Cersei.”

“When the Mountain defeats Gulltown, summon him back. I want to convene the Small Council, and everyone will vote to elect the real Hand. I will nominate you to be the Hand, and the Mountain is our blade, so he will naturally declare his support for you.”

“I am not the person to be the Hand, Cersei. Only as the Captain of the Kingsguard can I best protect you, Tommen, and Myrcella. With Mace as the Hand, we will have no worries about food, which is the foundation of King’s Landing’s stability. Don’t fight with the Tyrell family for power. We are married, we are one family. What the Lannisters and Tyrells need is unity, not infighting.”

Cersei’s gaze at Jaime turned cold. She slowly lowered the curtain, giving Jaime an extremely disappointed look.

Cersei decided to have the accompanying court scholar release a raven to the Mountain.

*

At the same time, in the Westerlands, Clegane’s Keep.

Lady Jeyne Westerling received three ravens in one day.

The first raven was from the Mountain. His hundred-odd warships were sailing mightily towards Gulltown. Gulltown was the largest port city of the Arryn family in the Vale. The Vale’s external and internal trade was all completed in Gulltown.

The Mountain told Jeyne in the letter that he had ordered the Westerlands army, the Iron Islands surrendered army, and the Clegane main infantry to return to the Westerlands. All of Clegane’s commercial activities in the Westerlands would proceed according to the original plan. At the same time, the Mountain told Jeyne that the hundreds of beautiful Westerlands youths sent to the Free City of Myr in the Narrow Sea would all return to the Westerlands within the month.

The second raven was from the Clegane main infantry. They were already on their way back to the Westerlands and would soon enter the Westerlands border and enter the territory of House Swyft.

The third raven was from Lord Qoherys of the Iron Islands. He and the Clegane Legion had joined forces to conquer the seven major islands of the Iron Islands, captured the Crow’s Eye’s acting governor, and the Clegane army and House Qoherys were redistributing the power of the major islands, re-selecting the new heirs of the major islands.

The Iron Islands had been conquered. This was a great achievement, another great gift from the Mountain to King Tommen.

After reading the letter, Jeyne Westerling shared the letter with Sansa Stark and Mrs. Dalt. After this period of getting along, Jeyne, Sansa, and Mrs. Dalt had established a friendship of mutual appreciation. Sansa and Mrs. Dalt had become Jeyne’s trusted advisors.

“Gregor wants me to do things according to the plan,” Lady Jeyne said. “But I have never done such a thing before, and I have no confidence in my heart.”

“I suggest calling a meeting of the major nobles first and explaining the benefits and security guarantees of paper money transactions to them first,” Sansa said.

“No, no need!” Mrs. Dalt said. “Start with the Westerlands Bank first and test everyone’s reaction.” Mrs. Dalt said, “We have the strength of the Clegane army, and we will enforce it when necessary.”

Jeyne thought for a long time and said: “Sansa, if Gregor was here, what would he do?”

“I think Gregor would enforce it,” Sansa said.

The three women looked at each other and finally smiled knowingly.

*

In the Westerlands, Lannisport, after the war, a brand-new bank.

In the early morning, as soon as the bank opened its doors, a long line quickly formed outside the bank’s gate.

Most of these people were commoners.

When the news of the Mountain’s interest-free loans spread throughout the Westerlands, the number of commoners coming to the bank for loans increased day by day.

The process from people initially thinking it was a rumor, to suspicion, to testing, to trying, to getting the money, was not long. When several people successfully borrowed money through the bank’s review, the news completely spread, and more and more people came to borrow money to buy seeds, flour, grain, agricultural ironware… Every day, as soon as the bank opened, a long line quickly formed. But this did not cause any trouble for the bank, because there were many people borrowing, but the amount of each loan was very small, several copper stars, a silver stag, or several silver stags. Being able to borrow a gold dragon was already a large loan, requiring a guarantor and the bank to send soldiers to record and inquire about the commoner’s detailed use of funds.

On both sides of the bank’s gate stood four soldiers with swords, and inside the bank, there were also four soldiers on both sides of the counter.

Inside the counter was the bank manager – Mrs. Eddie, the wife of Weapons Master Tobho Mott.

The Mountain’s former standard-bearer Black Stone’s son – now the Mountain and Jeyne’s adopted son – Dan, who was already thirteen years old, was the teenage captain of the bank soldiers. He managed a total of twelve swords.

Dan was wearing a chainmail that fit the lines of his body, with a long sword hanging from his waist. With a cold and serious face, he looked down at the situation in the bank lobby from the corridor on the second floor.

“Laurel!” a female staff member shouted loudly in the counter.

An old barefoot man at the front of the line walked into the bank gate, nodded and smiled at the soldiers on both sides, his expression humble.

He was guided by a staff member to the counter, where a staff member read out the terms and regulations of the loan to him in a singing tone. Then, after he indicated that he understood, he was guided by a staff member to the manager’s window. Mrs. Eddie looked at Laurel’s information, expressionless: “Laurel, you want to borrow three silver stags to buy a bag of flour, half a pack of coarse salt, and a pound of wheat seeds?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Laurel’s tone of voice was very foul, and his fingernails were full of dirt.

“You are illiterate. Do you need me to read the information you filled out to you again?”

“No need, thank you, ma’am.”

“Okay, here are three pieces of money equal in value to three silver stags. Take these three pieces of money and go to the market to buy your things.”