The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 247: Investigation

(First bonus chapter for the reward from Jin Xiao Ya Nei, special thanks to Ya Nei's reward! The first master of this book.)

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Eddard had no choice.

Robert had been so assertive since childhood.

His decisions were not to be questioned.

Eddard was unwilling to be Hand of the King again, but even more unwilling for Jaime to be Hand.

Jaime was already Warden of the East.

King Robert felt that Robert Arryn of the Vale was weak and sickly, only six years old, and his mother Lysa Tully was obese and neurotic, so he gave the position of Warden of the East to Jaime.

This made Eddard uneasy, and he had tried to persuade the King to change his mind, because in this way, the power of the West and the East would fall into the hands of the Lannisters, which was an unstable factor for the country's security.

But King Robert refused Eddard's proposal.

Jaime was both a Kingsguard and already Warden of the East.

It was just that Jaime, as Warden of the East, did not have the support of the Vale people. Lysa Tully privately announced to her vassals that the Warden of the East was her son Robert Arryn, and declared him the 'true Warden of the East'. This was already the beginning of a national rift, because in one country, there were two Wardens of the East, one appointed by the King and one appointed by the Lord of the Vale himself.

King Robert also had no time to pay attention to this matter. Jaime himself was a Kingsguard in the royal palace, and there were no foreign wars now, so he did not need to fight for the title of Warden of the East.

A regional warden is mainly responsible for military strategy.

Between a sickly, ignorant six-year-old boy and a strong, skilled knight in his thirties, it was hard to say that King Robert was wrong to choose a knight in his thirties as warden for the safety of the east!

With Jaime as Warden of the East, Eddard could no longer accept Jaime also being Hand of the King.

Eddard picked up the Hand of the King badge, but at the same time, he heard the Mountain's warning: Winter is coming, Lord Eddard, I warned you; pay attention to the North, the White Walkers are coming, stop investigating Jon Arryn's death, otherwise your guards, stewards, servants, and septas will die, a miserable death!

Eddard watched the King stagger away, his heart heavy.

His people had already begun to die, three of them: his best captain, Jory Cassel, and his best men, Will and Hugh. And the Mountain warned that winter was coming and all his people would die unless he left King's Landing and paid attention to the North. The Mountain had hinted that this was a wizard's prophecy.

Vayon Poole entered, holding a steaming glass of fresh milk.

Northerners liked to drink steaming fresh milk because of the cold weather. But in fact, in addition to fresh milk needing to be steaming, Northerners valued the steaming quality of all their food.

Eddard felt strange in his heart. Vayon Poole was a cautious and meticulous steward, and he couldn't possibly not know that the incidence of milk-borne diseases was extremely high in July and August every year, and drinking milk was like drinking poison. In seasons when diseases were prevalent, nobles would wait and see if the poor people who drank it got sick or died. If not, then the milk that year was still safe. If there were cases of illness or death, the nobles would not drink milk. This was a tacit understanding, known to everyone.

"It's not safe to drink milk lately," Eddard reminded Vayon Poole.

"My lord, this is 'Jeyne's Milk', specially sent by Grand Maester Pycelle on the King's orders. It has been disinfected with special technology, and diseased milk has been turned into healthy milk. The King and Queen are both drinking 'Jeyne's Milk'."

"Jeyne's Milk?"

"Yes, my lord. Jeyne Westerling and the family's Archmaester Ebrose worked together to find a scientific method to turn diseased milk into healthy milk. She is in King's Landing, buying the diseased milk that the milk farmers were going to pour into the sewers, sending it to the Flea Bottom orphanages, disinfecting and processing it, and making cheese, cakes, and various pastries for the children to eat, and no one has gotten sick or died."

"Lord Petyr and Lord Varys both recommended Jeyne's milk technology to the King. The King summoned Jeyne and the Mountain to the palace. Jeyne taught the kingdom's chefs and Grand Maester Pycelle in the palace. The King ordered that this milk be called Jeyne's Milk."

Eddard remembered that Edmure Tully had boasted in the Tower of the Hand that he had found a scientific method to turn diseased milk into healthy milk, and that after he had promoted it in the Riverlands and thoroughly explored the various technologies, he would pass this scientific technology on to the North and the Vale. Eddard had just smiled at the time and didn't take it to heart.

Eddard knew that Edmure was superficial in his work, exaggerated in his words, and liked to take credit, and didn't believe that what Edmure said was true.

Eddard didn't know if Edmure's method of changing diseased milk was the same as Jeyne's, or if Edmure's method was Jeyne's. That kid always liked to be mysterious when he spoke, saying half and hiding half. Eddard hated Edmure's personality the most, he liked to show off, but he couldn't put it into practice, and many of his words were unbelievable and untrustworthy. It was too different from the straightforward way Northerners spoke.

Eddard slowly drank the warm milk to the last drop.

"My lord, because Jeyne Westerling invented the mercury thermometer and researched a scientific method for disinfecting milk, the people of the Seven Kingdoms will benefit from it. To commend Lady Jeyne's contribution, in addition to naming the milk Jeyne's Milk, the King also granted the Mountain the title of Earl and gave him Castamere and Tarbeck Hall in the Westerlands."

Eddard's heart stirred. In the heavy rain on the streets a few days ago, the Mountain's soldiers blocked their way, and Jaime ordered the Mountain to kill Eddard's three guards. At that time, Jaime called the Mountain "Earl".

Castamere was famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms because of the song 'The Rains of Castamere'. The song was adapted from the story of Tywin Lannister wiping out the two most powerful families in the Westerlands when he was nineteen years old. It was said that Tywin abandoned Castamere and Tarbeck Hall in order to deter the major nobles of the Westerlands from having any disloyalty, and no one dared to reclaim or occupy them.

King Robert's actions clearly didn't care whether the Mountain could really get these two pieces of land. He was deliberately disgusting Duke Tywin. Regardless of whether Duke Tywin agreed or not, in name and in law, the Mountain already had private ownership of those two pieces of land, and Tywin had lost control. Soon, the Duke would receive a government order signed by the King and issued by Grand Maester Pycelle. (ps: The King has the power to deprive anyone in the kingdom of their titles and land at any time. I will not accept anyone's rebuttal about private ownership. If the King does not have this power, then who does?)

The Mountain was no longer the Mountain of legends, as Eddard had already seen on the Ruby Ford in the Riverlands. Behind him was a wizard who could make great prophecies, and he had married a beautiful and intelligent wife who had invented the thermometer and researched the science of changing diseased milk. Eddard didn't know what to make of it.

On the Ruby Ford, the Mountain saved the butcher's son, Mycah, and Eddard thanked him for his kindness; in King's Landing, the Mountain warned him not to investigate Jon Arryn's death, so as not to bring about a bloody disaster, and Eddard was threatened, but now it seemed like a reminder; at the crossroads, the Mountain killed his three guards, forming a bloody feud, but he didn't break his bones or injure his internal organs when attacking him...

The Mountain's actions towards the Stark family had both good and bad aspects. Eddard found it difficult to fathom the Mountain's intentions.

Eddard decided to discuss countermeasures with Varys. Varys had said that they were the only two in an alliance, and this alliance was to save the King and resist the Lannisters.

The Mountain was a dog of the Lannister family, and it was better to hit the master than the dog. The Mountain wanted him to stop investigating Jon Arryn's death, and Eddard felt that he had found the point, so it was even more necessary to investigate quickly. Varys must still know something, but that guy was too smooth. He should be the person in the royal palace who knew the most secrets.

Eddard said to Vayon Poole, "Vayon, send for Alyn."

Alyn soon entered.

"Go and invite Lord Varys here. I have something to discuss with him."

"My lord, Lord Varys has not attended court for the past two days. The King is furious, but he still won't see anyone. I'm afraid we won't be able to find him."

Eddard's heart skipped a beat. Varys was gone? Did the Lannisters find out about our alliance and make a move on Varys first?

"Find him even if you can't find him," Eddard said anxiously.

"Yes, my lord!"

Thank you: [Jin Xiao Ya Nei]'s reward, congratulating Ya Nei on becoming the first master of this book, thank you, handshake!