The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 681: Cersei Helps Qyburn Count the Money After Being Sold Out by Him

Westeros has Seven Kingdoms and Four Wardens.

Before the year 298 of Aegon's Conquest, when the dynasty had not yet split, the Four Wardens were Lord Eddard Stark, Warden of the North; Lord Tywin Lannister, Warden of the West; Lord Mace Tyrell, Warden of the South; and Lord Jon Arryn, Warden of the East.

Before the late King Robert Baratheon—that is, the husband of Queen Regent Cersei Lannister—was killed by a boar, Robert planned to appoint Jaime Lannister as Warden of the East, which was opposed by Eddard Stark of the North. At that time, Warden of the East Jon Arryn had already been poisoned by Lysa Tully, instigated by Littlefinger, killing her own husband, Jon Arryn, leaving the position of Warden of the East vacant.

Eddard opposed Robert's appointment of Jaime as Warden of the East, believing that the Lannister family's power was already too great. However, Robert felt he owed the Lannister family too many gold dragons, and granting Jaime a position could alleviate his inner pressure and better maintain the good relationship between him and the Lannister family.

Robert rejected Eddard's argument, saying that a sickly Lord Robert Arryn, the only six-year-old heir to the Vale, was incapable of fulfilling the duties of Warden of the East, while Kingsguard Jaime Lannister was the most suitable candidate.

Robert Arryn was the only son and heir of the deceased Jon Arryn. To show respect for the king, the Hand of the King used the king's name for his son.

Later, the war broke out quickly, and the kingdom split. Jaime Lannister's position as Warden of the East naturally did not materialize. Today, the position of Warden of the East is nominally held by Robert Arryn, but the kingdom has not issued a true royal decree. The North has already declared independence, established the Kingdom of the North, and no longer listens to Cersei's orders. However, as far as the Iron Throne is concerned, the North is still part of the kingdom's territory, only currently occupied by the rebel Stark family.

Currently, the Mountain is already the Warden of the West, that is, the highest military, political, and economic leader of the West, while Lord Eddard Stark's position as Warden of the North has been stripped by the Iron Throne, and the position of Warden of the North is currently vacant.

In the royal power structure, the kingdom still retains three wardens: Lord Gregor Clegane, Warden of the West; the de facto Warden of the East, Lord Robert Arryn; and Lord Mace Tyrell, Warden of the South.

Grand Maester Qyburn suggested that Queen Regent Cersei pretend not to know that the Mountain had tamed a dragon in the Mountains of the Moon. To win over the Mountain and gain his loyalty, he believed that the Mountain should be promoted in terms of official position. The Mountain is already the Master of War of the Seven Kingdoms, one of the important ministers before the throne. If he goes further, he can only be the Hand of the King.

Currently, the Hand of the King is Lord Mace Tyrell, who is responsible for the security of the east of the kingdom, and whose family power is currently the strongest in the Seven Kingdoms. Moreover, the Duke's daughter, Margaery Tyrell, and King Tommen Baratheon have only been married for a short time, so it is not appropriate to move him now. Therefore, Grand Maester Qyburn suggested granting the Mountain the position of Warden of the North, which would have no practical effect, or Warden of the East.

As soon as the Grand Maester brought up this idea, Cersei thought it was great!

She now deeply felt that she could no longer control the Mountain's power, and once the news of the Mountain having a dragon spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms, the Seven Kingdoms would inevitably be shocked and in an uproar. It was inevitable that those cowards would take the initiative to rely on the Mountain.

The Mountain must not be allowed to become so powerful, as this would threaten the safety of the royal family's Iron Throne.

In a situation where military confrontation with the Mountain was impossible, creating conflicts between the Mountain and other great nobles, and making him make more enemies, was indeed the best strategy.

Cersei looked at the Grand Maester, feeling quite fortunate to have a scholar like Qyburn working for her. Even with Jaime betraying her, the Grand Maester's loyalty remained as always. Moreover, he was well-informed, and the suggestions he made were obviously well-thought-out and practical.

The Warden of the North was just a nominal position, which would bring nothing but trouble for the Mountain by angering the Stark family in the North; the Warden of the East was even more so. The people of the Vale were loyal to the Arryn family for generations, and suddenly parachuting in a Mountain as Warden of the East, with the Mountain having the right to interfere in all matters large and small in the Vale, would arouse the hostility of the Vale nobles.

Cersei's purity helped her quickly sort out her thoughts!

"Grand Maester Qyburn, I accept your proposal," Cersei quickly decided.

"Your Grace, are you going to promote the Mountain to Hand of the King, or grant him the title of Warden of the East or Warden of the North?"

"The Warden of the North is just a nominal position, granting it to the Mountain might displease him, but if I grant both the Warden of the East and the Warden of the North to the Mountain, it would be different. He will definitely feel the royal family's sincere and unprecedented glory bestowed upon him, but we have to find a way to get the Mountain to send his wife, Jeyne Westerling, to the palace. The royal family can grant Jeyne a great position. As long as she is willing to enter the palace, she will become our hostage."

Grand Maester Qyburn nodded frequently: "Your Grace is wise. I have also heard that Lady Jeyne seems to be pregnant. As long as Lady Jeyne is in our hands, even if the Mountain wants to disobey orders, he will probably be very afraid."

"Jeyne is pregnant?" Cersei's heart stirred, and she felt as if she had grasped something.

"Perhaps so," Qyburn looked up at his beloved Queen Regent.

"...Grand Maester Qyburn...the Mountain has tamed that sheep stealer? He can indeed fly on the dragon's back?"

"The news about the Mountain and the dragon is accurate, Your Grace," Grand Maester Qyburn said humbly and respectfully.

"...Perhaps we should find a way to marry with the Mountain...Lady Jeyne's child and King Tommen's child..." Cersei suppressed her resentment towards the Mountain's betrayal. The Mountain did not kill Tyrion Lannister, which shattered Cersei's previous vows of allegiance from the Mountain.

She hated Tyrion, the Imp!

"This is a good idea. If King Tommen can get Margaery Tyrell pregnant as soon as possible, and the Mountain's child is born smoothly, if they are a boy and a girl, then we can arrange a marriage first. If they are both boys or girls, then we can adopt each other's children as adopted children," the Grand Maester said with a smile.

"Why can't we arrange the marriage now and then slowly have children?" Cersei looked at the Grand Maester with bright eyes. Her meaning was obvious: she wanted the Grand Maester to handle this matter well: arrange the marriage first before either side has children.

Qyburn lowered his head and pondered for a while, then raised his head and said: "Your Grace, we need the help of the High Septon of the Great Sept of Baelor for this engagement. The Mountain and the High Septon jointly run the Iron Bank of Braavos; their relationship is very close."

Cersei's eyes lit up. Qyburn's words were like a magical key, opening Cersei's locked heart—Grand Maester Qyburn could always perfectly solve the problems she thought were quite tricky.

"Then let's do it?" Cersei made a decision. The shock brought by the Mountain's possession of the dragon made her feel a lot more at ease because of this decision.

"Your Grace, does the royal decree to grant the Mountain a position require a meeting of the Small Council?"

"What do you think?"

"I believe that we need to secretly let the important ministers of the Small Council know that the Mountain has a dragon. We must win over the Mountain first. The apparent way is to grant the Mountain the positions of Warden of the East and Warden of the North. Secretly, the royal family secretly initiates a marriage with the Mountain. The two methods are carried out together, but they must be done quietly and without publicity first."

Cersei nodded frequently as she listened.

Qyburn's words were always pleasing to her ears and heart, and this time was no exception.

"Qyburn, pour yourself a drink too," the Queen Regent's tone became cordial, calling him by his name, just like family.

"I dare not," Qyburn pretended to decline.

"Have a drink with me," Cersei deliberately put on a stern face.

"As you wish, Your Grace."

So, the monarch and her minister drank to each other.

Before he knew it, Qyburn's second glass of wine was also down, and he suddenly hesitated, as if he wanted to say something to the Queen Regent but was wary in his heart.

"Qyburn, if you want to say something to me, just say it."

"Your Grace, my news comes from the Master of Whisperers, Ser Bronn Clegane, but he is also temporarily unable to confirm it. When Ser Bronn confirms it, Your Grace should still listen to Lord Bronn's report."

"Stop being so long-winded, tell me," Cersei frowned slightly.

"Yes, Your Grace. Bronn Clegane was drinking with me last night, and after drinking, he said to me that across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys Targaryen, the remnant of the Mad King, has unified the grasslands, leading more than 100,000 grassland cavalry and tens of thousands of infantry and more than 10,000 naval forces to Westeros, and among the tens of thousands of infantry, there are 8,000 of the most elite Unsullied. Daenerys's goal is to seize the Iron Throne. In addition to her huge army, she also has three dragons."

Cersei's hand holding the wine glass froze in the air, her originally gentle gaze became as sharp as a sword, and Cersei stared at Qyburn: "My Grand Maester, is Bronn Clegane's news accurate?"

"Lord Bronn is still verifying it and will confirm it soon."

"More than 100,000 cavalry? Three dragons? Eight thousand Unsullied? They are coming to seize the Iron Throne?!"

"...Your Grace...I can't believe the news Lord Bronn said either..."

"It's mostly true," Cersei stood up all of a sudden, "I've long heard that the slut is ambitious and has gathered a group of desperadoes by selling her beauty, and my own brother is helping her as her Hand of the King. The rumors that she has three dragons are also circulating in the streets of King's Landing, but I don't believe it."

"...Your Grace...what if the rumors are true..." Qyburn said cautiously.

Cersei's face stiffened, and then she forced a smile: "If it's true, then we have no way? The Targaryen's glorious days in Westeros are gone forever. I want you to come up with a way to deal with that little slut and her three dragons. Does the Citadel have no secret methods to deal with dragons?!"

Qyburn noticed that Cersei's hand holding the wine glass was trembling slightly.

"Your Grace, if Bronn's news is proven to be accurate, I feel that we need the Mountain now more than ever. That ambitious little slut has three small dragons, and the Mountain not only has a giant dragon, but he has also designed and manufactured hundreds of dragon-hunting crossbows that can move flexibly."

Cersei remembered that the eyes and ears in the West did tell her that the Mountain had designed huge crossbows in Clegane's Keep. Lady Donella Hornwood, Kevan's wife, had also written to her, telling her that the Mountain had built hundreds of giant crossbows in Clegane's Keep: "Dragon-hunting crossbows?" she said subconsciously.

"Yes, crossbows specially used to shoot and kill dragons. The arrows are two meters long and are made of iron spears, launched by mechanical power."

"The Mountain made dragon-hunting crossbows?"

"Yes, this is already an open secret in the West. I thought Your Grace must have known it long ago, but I just never reported it to Your Grace."

"...I have indeed heard of it..."

"Your Grace, perhaps the Seven Gods are blessing us. When that little slut leads a large army to compete for the Iron Throne, our Master of War, the Mountain, has also secretly tamed a giant dragon, and that little slut's three dragons are just a few years old, while the Mountain's tamed sheep stealer is a real adult dragon," Qyburn said while stealing glances at Cersei's unpredictable face, "We can just drive the Mountain to fight that little slut, and they will inevitably be both defeated and their forces will be crippled," Qyburn said cautiously, "At that time, no matter who wins or loses, it may be a good result for us."

"Grand Maester, unless we secretly accumulate our own strength."

"Yes, Your Grace, this is also what I wanted to say. I think Jaime Lannister's strategy is very appropriate. We should establish the closest and most solid alliance with the Tyrell family. The Tyrell family's forces are what we need. The forces of the Crownlands must also be strengthened, and the Royal Navy fleet also needs to further strengthen its strength. When that little slut leads the army, the Mountain is the Master of War... We and our soldiers can hide behind the Mountain and watch the battle..."

*

The next day, the Red Keep of King's Landing, the Throne Room.

The Small Council Chamber.

Queen Regent Cersei sat in the middle position, with the elegant King Tommen sitting on her right, the most honorable position. Tommen was next to his newlywed queen, Margaery Tyrell. The young queen nodded to the Queen Regent as a greeting, with a humble expression. Today's meeting was convened in the name of the Queen Regent and had a very special invitation for Queen Margaery Tyrell.

Margaery was very wary in her heart. The Queen Regent was displeased with her, and her words were sharp and wounding every time. The Queen Regent did not like her very much, Margaery knew very well. The Queen Regent suddenly allowed her to do something that she had worked very hard to achieve—participate in the Small Council meeting—what was the Queen Regent's intention in calling her here today, and how would the Queen Regent deal with her? Margaery Tyrell had a charming and elegant smile on her face, but she was really worried in her heart.

Sitting on the left side of the long table were the important ministers of the Small Council, headed by the Hand of the King, Mace Tyrell, followed by Lord Rosby, the Master of Coin, who coughed before speaking and often contained a mouthful of thick phlegm; Bronn Clegane, the Master of Whisperers, who was not much taller than a dwarf; Ser Bronn Clegane, the Commander of the City Watch of King's Landing, who also served as the Master of Ships of King's Landing; Ser Jaime Lannister, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, whose face was covered with a beard and looked more masculine and weathered; and finally, Grand Maester Qyburn.

A total of nine people participated in the Small Council meeting. When everyone came in and saw Queen Margaery Tyrell, they were secretly surprised. The most surprised was Ser Jaime Lannister, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

Jaime knew that Cersei was determined to put Margaery to death, because Margaery had taken Cersei's precious son Tommen away from her. Tommen constantly mentioned what Queen Margaery had said, which made Cersei feel extremely frustrated.

When the ministers arrived, they took their seats one by one. The Prime Minister, Mace Tyrell, was also surprised that his daughter was participating in the Small Council meeting. He had not received any prior notice that his daughter would be attending.

Cersei took out an exquisite brocade box and gently pushed it across the table to Margaery. "A small gift for you, my Queen."

"Thank you, Your Grace," Margaery said quickly, but her heart sank. She didn't dare open the box, fearing it might be poisoned.

"Open it at home. It's one of my favorite things. I believe you will like it too," Cersei said with perfect courtesy.

Little Tommen was very happy. He longed to see his mother and Margaery's relationship become harmonious. They were family and should love each other, not fight!

Jaime was equally wary. He decided to remind Margaery to be careful of the contents of the box after the meeting.

Cersei coughed softly and said, "Your Majesty, Queen Margaery, esteemed lords, I have received absolutely reliable information that the Mountain, deep in the Mountains of the Moon, with the help of the barbarian tribes he has subdued, has secretly tamed a two-hundred-and-fifty-year-old dragon." Her gaze swept over everyone who was stunned with surprise, including the Master of Whisperers, Varys, who was dumbfounded. "The dragon is called Sheepstealer and was the mount of the dragonrider Nettles during the reign of Queen Rhaenyra."