Game of Thrones: I Created the Magic Web

Chapter 54: Privy Council Meeting

Varys sat alone in his small chamber.

Perhaps for secrecy, or perhaps to be less of an eyesore to the nobles, this isolated little house leaning against the Red Keep's walls had become the exclusive domain of successive spymasters.

But Varys knew its secrets, knew the Red Keep's secrets.

The vast underground tunnels, the "little birds" listening in the wall cavities of the nobles' rooms, the secret passages connecting the various rooms of the Hand's Tower to the outside, the climbing paths leading from the Red Keep to the cliffs by the sea…

As long as he pulled the lever in his bedroom and walked down the stairs beneath the flagstones, all of these would become the Spider's most powerful weapons.

He only considered Petyr a difficult opponent.

The hasty demise of the Targaryen dynasty had buried these secrets of the Red Keep along with it, leaving only the spymaster himself as the informed party.

But Petyr was different. This cunning fellow didn't value honor and face as much as other noble courtiers. As soon as he arrived in King's Landing, he courted minor nobles, small merchants, and even the Red Keep's servants everywhere, desperately gathering all kinds of information.

Using his position as Master of Coin, he established brothels and taverns throughout King's Landing, and bestowed favors upon the lowly in the Red Keep, eventually becoming the second beneficiary of the Red Keep's secrets.

Varys often felt uneasy about this.

Petyr, who only cared about himself, Petyr, for whom power was paramount, what if this guy discovered his true secrets, would he choose to make them public?

Varys didn't know the answer, but he once thought it was an impossible hypothesis.

Who could know his true identity?

But three days ago, he received news: Khal Drogo was dead, Illyrio was dead, the scimitars had destroyed Pentos, and the Dragon siblings were missing.

The Dothraki broke the contract?! Who did it?

The message mentioned the squire Ellyn and Jorah Mormont, but were these two the masterminds behind it?

Joffrey?

Varys didn't believe it. All intelligence showed that Joffrey was still arrogant, willful, and ignorant.

Exchanging the lives of elite soldiers for a giant lion, forcing singers to write songs, openly conducting the so-called "King's Game" before even becoming king, taking the Stark children deep into the tombs without permission, and insisting on leaving the team to go north to the Wall.

Only the sudden enlightenment to learn swordsmanship with the Kingslayer could be considered wise, no, it could only be said to be normal.

How could such a person be the culprit behind the destruction of Pentos?

Varys quickly thought of the envoy who went to Pentos with Ellyn to buy dragon eggs, Petyr's subordinate.

Did Petyr know something!?

What good would destroying Pentos do for him?

Varys asked himself for two whole days.

Until now, the hazy mist had finally cleared a little.

Repeating it countless times, Varys read the note in his hand word by word, as if he was seeing it for the first time.

This was the latest intelligence delivered this morning: Jester, Beauty, with squire, Bear Paw on ship sailing west.

Jester referred to Viserys.

Beauty was Daenerys, she should have married Khal Drogo, and at the appropriate time, led tens of thousands of cavalry to trample the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, making the lords and people yearn for the salvation of the true dragon again.

Squire was a new code name, but Varys knew it referred to Ellyn.

Bear Paw was Jorah Mormont, a former important informant, but Varys had now removed him from the list and put him on the assassination list.

The content was only this sentence, but Varys understood a lot.

Viserys and Daenerys, these two were the real targets of the mastermind, and the disaster in Pentos was just an additional price.

Varys knew that Petyr had always been concerned about his lineage.

Petyr's territory was a rocky wasteland on the smallest Littlefinger of the Fingers peninsula in the Vale, almost uninhabited, hence his name "Littlefinger."

Because of his humble birth, the Tully sisters he loved or loved him had married others and become duchesses;

Because of the decline of his family, his path to promotion was not smooth, and he was often ridiculed. Only after he demonstrated his ability and became the Master of Coin did those cold words barely move into the shadows.

Could he be the murderer? Because he wanted a Targaryen wife with a noble background? Create chaos? To curry favor with the king?

Varys sorted out the logic, but always felt that something was wrong.

In any case, he had finally found the whereabouts of the Targaryen siblings, and even if he guessed wrong, he could get the correct answer by looking at their final destination.

It was time.

Varys destroyed the note, tucked his sleeves in, and walked out of the dark little house.

…

A privy council meeting was being held in the small hall behind the Iron Throne, although there was neither a king nor a prime minister.

Several ministers with different expressions looked at Varys, who had just entered.

"The Spider's news isn't very well-informed. I knew about this the day before yesterday," Petyr teased.

Renly's face was displeased, "Varys, you've been a little negligent. The matter of Pentos is so big, but you only informed everyone today."

Varys slowly sat in his dark seat.

"My lords, forgive me, the bloody massacre of Pentos is not a secret, I just didn't want to waste the precious energy of the lords. Today, what I want to say is not just these."

Everyone's eyes flickered for a moment.

Grand Maester Pycelle coughed a few times, "Varys, cough, Earl, it's too hot, be considerate, cough, I'm an old man, hurry up and say it."

Varys and his three colleagues looked at each other one after another, and smiled sweetly at Petyr.

"There is good news, the Targaryen siblings are not dead and have not escaped."

He handed out a handwritten detailed report.

"Sir Jorah Mormont, who is looking forward to returning home, and Ellyn, the former squire of the Crown Prince, have obtained them and are sailing towards us."

Renly and Pycelle read it one after another, and the parchment finally fell into Petyr's hands.

Varys's gaze moved with the paper, "I don't know which lord's work it is, please tell us, everyone will congratulate you."

Petyr's expression was well maintained.

"Lord Varys, are you serious?" Renly couldn't help but sigh, "My good brother will probably be happy for a whole year because of this."

Grand Maester Pycelle stroked his long white beard.

"If this is true, it is a great joy for the entire Seven Kingdoms, and the people will no longer have to worry about the Targaryen's revenge."

Varys clapped his hands gently, "That's right. According to the itinerary, maybe we can see the remnants of the evil dragon within a week, congratulations. At that time, the king will definitely reward the meritorious people heavily."

Petyr smiled without saying a word.

Varys proposed, "My lords, why don't we send a fleet to meet them in advance, so as to avoid regrettable accidents."

Petyr called for a glass of red wine, "I couldn't agree more, what do you think, my lords?"

Varys's proposal was unanimously approved.

A fat man who looked very docile presented Grand Maester with iced honey milk.

"Thank you, good apprentice." Pycelle took a small sip, "My lords, if there are no other matters, today's meeting will end here."

Varys silently watched Petyr's departing back.

With a fleet to meet them, it will be difficult for the Targaryens to get away from the court's sight, what else can Petyr do? What else can he get?

Could it really not be him?

The Crown Prince, Joffrey Baratheon.

Varys stayed alone in the small hall for a long time, motionless.

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