Chapter 142 Greetings
Samwell put on a white fine linen shirt and a gray velvet baronial dress, and put the great sword [Dawn] on his back before going out to the residence of Duke Renly.
Along the way, you can see heavily armed gold-robed guards everywhere. They keep their eyes on each other and look alert.
There was a chilling atmosphere in the entire Red Castle.
"Sorry, Lord Caesar, the Duke is seeing guests, please wait a moment." The guard recognized Samwell and said politely.
"good."
Samwell was not in a hurry, he just stood in the corridor and looked at the scenery in the courtyard.
The yard is paved with fine blue stones, and there is a plum tree in the northwest corner, and a lazy old cat napping in the sun is lying on the tree.
There are many mice in the Red Castle, so there are also many cats, some are raised by servants, and some are wild cats.
Looking at the smooth hair and fat body of the cat on the tree, it must be raised by someone.
Samwell was staring at the cat in a daze, when he suddenly saw a black cat jumping out from nowhere.
It has only one ear, its whole body is pitch black, and its figure is strong and alert.
However, at this moment, there was a thin and small figure quietly following behind it, as if trying to catch the cat.
Samwell couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth, because he recognized that the person behind the black cat was actually Arya Stark, the second daughter of the King's Hand.
This mischievous ghost has bare feet and a dirty body. The leather vest on his chest is full of cat scratches. It seems that he has been fighting the black cat for a long time.
Arya's attention was on the black cat at this time, and she didn't notice anyone else. When she approached the black cat lightly and was only three steps away, the black cat seemed to have noticed something and rushed away. go out.
The little girl yelled and jumped on her swiftly. The black cat hissed and tried to slip between her feet.
But Arya saw through its attempt, reached out and hugged the black cat to her chest, laughing happily.
The black cat barked even louder, its claws tore at her blouse, but left only scratches on the leather vest.
Arya gave the black cat a quick kiss between the eyes, and pulled back a moment before it could claw her face.
The black cat purred angrily and spat at her.
"Good job." Samwell applauded.
Arya was taken aback, let go of her hand, and let the black cat slip out. When she came back to her senses, the black cat had disappeared.
"Master Caesar!" Arya was not angry. Samwell scared away her cat, and ran over happily, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm waiting to meet Duke Renly." Samwell smiled and helped her comb her hair, but it didn't work. Sweat, dirt, and even spider webs were all tangled together, "What are you doing? Do you have to be so embarrassed?"
"Catch the cat!" Arya put her hands on her hips proudly, "My dance teacher Syrio taught me this. He is the chief swordsman of Braavos, and he is amazing!"
"Water Dancer" Syrio Forel.
Samwell's heart moved. Unexpectedly, this legendary swordsman also came to King's Landing, and became Arya's teacher according to the original fate.
"I've heard of his name, he is a powerful swordsman." It's a pity that this kind of fancy swordsmanship may not have much chance of winning against armored knights, Samwell added in his heart.
"Yes! He told me to be as quiet as a shadow and as light as a feather, so that I can catch cats! I have caught all the cats in the Red Castle, and only the one-eared black cat is left. It is the most cunning cat. I've heard people say that the cat is the daughter of Rhaegar Targaryen, Princess Rhaenys's pet. It's called Balerion! It's the same name as Aegon the Conqueror's dragon! I Be sure to grab it!"
"Good luck."
"Thank you!" Arya chuckled, and then ran away in a hurry.
What a carefree girl.
Samwell sighed, wondering if this coming storm will affect the fate of this little wolf girl.
Just then, the door suddenly opened.
Samwell turned his head and saw Margaery Tyrell walking out lively.
She was wearing a dark green tunic dress with lace woven into a huge rose shape at the back, looking majestic and dignified. The girl smiled when she saw Samwell:
"Sam! I heard your voice just now, are you also here to see Lord Renly?"
"Yes, Miss Margery." Samwell bowed slightly in greeting.
"Then come in, there are no outsiders here."
"good."
Samwell entered the door, and saw that the two brothers of the Tyrell family, Garland and Loras, were also there.
He immediately realized that Duke Renly should be trying to win the support of the Tyrell family.
However, the Tyrell family doesn't have much power in King's Landing, so a few dozen guards are of no use. What's more, those guards are still outside the Red Castle.
Duke Renly smiled and waved to Samwell: "Sit down, Sam, oh, sorry, can I call you Sam?"
"Of course, Your Excellency the Duke."
"Don't be so formal, Sam, just call me Renly."
Actually, in peacetime, Renly would indeed be a good king.
But unfortunately, Renly Baratheon is even more of a summer knight, to borrow the words of the king beyond the wall, Mance Rayder.
In a sunny environment, he will be extraordinarily radiant.
But when the storm hits, he will wither like a delicate flower.
So Samwell never regarded Renly as his real opponent, the Duke of Storm's End was destined to be unable to defeat those tougher and more sinister guys.
Samwell greeted Garland and Loras again, and then sat down on the chair.
There were no servants in the room, yet Margaery actually poured Samwell a cup of scented tea herself.
"Sam, what do you want from me?"
Holding the teacup, Samwell seemed to be considering his words: "Lord Renly, please forgive my presumptuousness, but I want to know when will the trial regarding the death of Lord Jon be held? As you know, I am already in King's Landing I have been lingering for nearly a month, and I am really worried about the situation in the territory."
"I understand your concerns, Sam. In fact, I really want to hold a trial as soon as possible and convict the 'Red Viper' as soon as possible, so that Robert can leave with more peace of mind. Unfortunately, Lord Eddard thinks it is not a good time. "
"But you are the Minister of Justice, and you should be in charge of this. Is Mr. Ed a bit lenient..."
What Samwell said was actually a bit presumptuous, but Duke Renly laughed out loud after hearing this:
"Lord Ed is, after all, the Hand of the King, in charge of the government affairs of the King's Landing, so it's not easy for me to confront him."
That's what he said, but Duke Renly hated Eddard Stark more and more, and he couldn't wait to get the regent power.
However, for Samwell, Duke Renly looked more and more pleasing to his eyes: "Sam, in fact, you don't have to worry, I won't have to look at Eddard Stark's face soon."
Hearing this, Samwell became more and more convinced that Duke Renly had tampered with the king's will.
The "Knight of Hundred Flowers" Loras said directly: "Sam, Lord Renly told us just now that His Majesty appointed him as regent and guardian of the whole territory in his will."
Samwell was surprised when he heard this.
But he knows that in the original book, the Regent appointed by Robert and the Guardian of the Realm is Eddard Stark. Is Renly directly tampering with the will?
How did you do it? Could it be that Robert has lost his mind?
"Congratulations, Lord Renly." Samwell smiled and congratulated.
The Duke of Renly smiled and waved his hands, and said: "I must do my best to maintain the stability of the Red Castle and even the Seven Kingdoms due to my brother's trust. This is also the purpose of my consultation with you."
This is a hint that the Tyrell family has to express their views.
Loras immediately said: "Lord Renly, please rest assured that the Tyrell family will stand firmly behind you and work with you to maintain the stability of the Seven Kingdoms."
Garland glanced at his younger brother, and had no choice but to follow suit: "Yes, Lord Renly, the Tyrell family will provide you with the necessary help."
"The support of the Tyrell family, I will always remember it in my heart!" Duke Renly expressed his gratitude sincerely, and then turned his attention to Samwell.
Samwell cursed secretly in his heart, but he could only bite the bullet and say:
"As a vassal of the Duke of Mace, of course I will follow in the footsteps of the Tyrell family."
"Very good!" Duke Renly stood up excitedly, and said, "Please also inform the nobles of the Riverbend in the Red Castle about this matter. I believe that with your support, I will be able to stabilize the situation after my brother's death. , do not give some conspirators a chance to usurp it!"
Loras immediately said: "Master Renly, please rest assured, we will ensure that all the nobles of the river bend stand firmly behind you."
Fools!
Samwell cursed inwardly again.
Garland and Loras are idiots, before you expressed your support for Renly, did you ask Lady Olenna, the "Queen of Thorns" for her opinion?
And Renly, an idiot, actually wants to tell all the nobles of the River Bend about such a confidential matter!
As long as there is a traitor among them, or someone who is not tight enough to let the secret of the will leak out, Renly will immediately become the target of public criticism!
All the careerists in the Red Castle will immediately put aside their conflicts and kill him first.
Besides, Renly couldn't grasp the point at all. How many riverbend nobles are there in the Red Castle? How many swords are there? What can be done?
As for the accompanying guards, it is estimated that the guards of the River Bend nobles who came to King’s Landing this time can make up hundreds or even thousands of people, but these people are all outside the Red Castle. When the bronze gate is closed, these people can only Staring blankly outside the castle.
It’s really going to be a shame. In the Red Castle, the outcome can be decided by two armed forces—the Royal Guard and the Capital City Defense Army.
Although there are only seven members of the Kingsguard, each of them is a top knight with extraordinary combat power, and has a very high reputation in the Seven Kingdoms army system, and is a symbol of the royal family's authority. As long as the white knights stop there, most of them Soldiers did not even dare to step forward to fight against them.
However, the White Knights of the Kingsguard are not easy to win over.
But the capital defense army is much easier. This is the focus of Renly's efforts to win over, instead of looking for the nobles of the River Bend here to support him.
Samwell felt more and more that he was on a thief ship. The key point was that he, as a vassal of the Tyrell family, could not jump off the ship.
While feeling depressed, Samwell suddenly saw Margaery Tyrell who had been keeping silent.
And this "High Court Rose" also looked at Samwell with a tacit understanding.
The two people's eyes met, and they seemed to understand each other's thoughts for an instant.
(end of this chapter)