Chapter 155: Cersei's Wisdom

After settling the details, Arthur did not waste time; he took a squad of fifty soldiers, boarded a large merchant ship, and headed east along Crab Bay.

Arianne had originally intended to bring two cousins and her Dornish guards, but the Riverlands King only agreed to let her go alone, so she joined this strange party along with Duke Mace and the others.

……

In the bay not far from the shore, a large ship was sailing east at full speed; in the hold, dozens of rowers were rowing desperately back and forth to ensure they reached their destination within the time limit set by their employer.

At the bow of the deck.

"I think you should emulate your ancestors and establish your own Kingsguard."

Duke Mace, leaning against the ship's railing, suggested.

Arthur pointed to Alduin, who was soaring in the sky, "This is my Kingsguard."

There were six more Dragon Eggs hidden at Harrenhal; once Alduin was large enough to breathe Dragonfire continuously, Arthur would hatch dragons again.

"But dragons cannot live by your side, nor can they protect the royal family, whereas noble-minded Knights do not have this problem."

Arianne had stood behind the Riverlands King at some point, and she also supported the establishment of a Kingsguard.

"And I see you haven't established a royal guard yet, which is very bad for your family; they do not have your astonishing combat prowess."

Duke Mace nagged for a long time, trying to persuade the Riverlands King to establish a complete protection system like the Targaryen kings.

Arianne also shared the middle-aged Duke's view.

By convention, the royal family living in the Red Keep had three layers of standing guards: the Kingsguard, the Royal Guard, and the King's Landing City Watch (Gold Cloaks).

Because the House Targaryen had top-tier weapons of mass destruction like Dragons in their hands during the early days of the Targaryen Dynasty, they did not establish a massive standing royal army.

During the Dance of the Dragons, most of the dragons died out, but the rule of House Targaryen remained stable, so they continued the elegant governance of the previous dynasty without reform.

After entering the reign of Robert I, the three territories directly under House Baratheon were divided by the King to his two brothers, so the practice remained the same as the previous dynasty.

Even the number of the Royal Guard was greatly reduced, kept at only about five hundred, which was barely enough to stand guard at key locations for the massive Red Keep.

And by convention, the Hand of the King also had his own guard, which was why Renly said that finding one hundred men would be enough to take Cersei and her son during the King's Landing coup.

The premise for all of this was that the Crownlands were small, and the King's direct territories could not provide enough tax revenue.

After careful consideration, Arthur gave his own explanation:

"Regarding the Royal Guard and the Kingsguard, I will keep them consistent with the previous dynasty, but on the point of the King's direct army, I will carry out a major reform."

In this regard, his view was the same as Qiaodadi's.

It was necessary to expand the royal family's direct territories and simultaneously create a super-large Crownlands, allowing more count-level nobles to skip their liege lords and pledge loyalty directly to the King.

As for the money to raise an army, in addition to the Coinage Tax, taxes from the royal family's direct territories, and tariffs from the five major cities, Arthur also prepared to start royal industries, learning from the Free Cities across the Narrow Sea, and using business to earn money to support the standing army.

He told the two of them his thoughts, but only received Arianne's support.

This was no surprise; although Duke Mace was mediocre, he could still grasp certain things.

The matter of a large Crownlands already harmed the interests of the seven great liege lords; if the King were to establish a massive royal army, the status of the liege lord families would drop another level.

"With all due respect, your approach does not conform to the ancestral laws of the Targaryens..." Duke Mace persisted.

"Ancestral laws are meant to be reformed." Arthur interrupted the blowfish, "Before you have officially pledged your loyalty to me, you had better not point fingers at my ideas."

After the Blood Magic ritual, Daenerys Targaryen had lost her fertility. And Jon Snow, following the plot, would be killed by his brothers of the Night's Watch, then resurrected by the Lord of Light.

After Snow became a "fire wight," he would also be unable to get close to women and sire offspring. Coupled with the fact that a certain Bastard of the Mad King also had no heirs, the Targaryen bloodline was extinct.

This meant that dragons could only be tamed by humans in this generation, and there would be no dragons fighting for humans afterward.

Therefore, for Arthur's dynasty to enjoy long-term peace and stability, the forces directly under the Iron Throne and the Crownlands must have the strength to suppress the other seven kingdoms.

The conversation between the few did not go smoothly, so it ended hastily.

Afterward, Arthur and the Princess of Dorne returned to the cabin and began their "closeness" enterprise.

During the time they had known each other, Arthur had gained a profound understanding of the true meaning of the four names: Cao Cao, Cao Pi, Cao Zhen, and Cao Shuang.

……

King's Landing, Tyrell residence.

The Queen of Thorns had already arrived in King's Landing and was currently exchanging her views on the situation with her grandchildren.

The steward hurried into the hall and reported: "Her Majesty the Queen Regent Cersei has come in person and will be at the door momentarily."

Lady Olenna muttered "What is she here for" under her breath, then asked the steward: "How many people did she bring? Are the King or any nobles following along?"

The steward replied honestly: "Just one sedan chair, a few dozen Lannister soldiers, and one Kingsguard; no one else has come."

Margaery exchanged a look with her grandmother, "How strange..."

The Queen of Thorns waved her hand lightly, "Not strange. Since I have arrived in King's Landing, I must cross swords with her. Garlan, Loras, and you, go to the door to welcome her. I will sit here and wait."

The three followed their grandmother's instructions, followed the steward, and went to the door with most of the servants.

The Queen of Thorns sat calmly on a rattan chair, carefully considering how to deal with the situation ahead.

"... As soon as I heard that Lady Olenna had arrived in King's Landing, I ordered a sedan chair to be prepared and left the Red Keep to see her. The journey was bumpy; is your health well, my lady?"

Although Cersei had not yet walked into the hall, her voice had already reached the ears of the Queen of Thorns.

Margaery did not have time to answer before the Queen Regent had already walked in quickly.

Olenna, citing her old age, did not rise to salute the Queen Regent.

Cersei chuckled and said: "Empty formalities, my lady, no need to observe them."

Garlan and Loras, who had followed her in, exchanged a look, both surprised at how polite Cersei was today.

After a round of pleasantries, they finally took their seats.

"Was the journey here smooth? Did you encounter any bandits or Stannis's rebel army?"

Cersei took the initiative to start the conversation.

The Queen of Thorns did not know what this Queen Regent was up to, so she spoke roughly according to the actual situation.

"We took the western road, heading north from Bitterbridge along the Mander River, then east down the Blackwater River; we didn't really run into any soldiers from the Stormlands."

Cersei smiled: "That is good. The old lady is getting on in years, and I have been worried about your journey for a long time. Sometimes when I go to the Sept, I also pray for you."

The Queen of Thorns remained composed, "In the current Great Sept of Baelor, there are no High Septons or Most Devout to hear your prayers, are there?"

Although she was in Highgarden, she was exceptionally familiar with the situation across the entire continent.

To ensure the uniqueness of his kingship, Stannis took away the newly appointed High Septon and all the Most Devout, which left the Great Sept of Baelor empty.

"There are still plenty of Septons; a bunch of Septons calling themselves Sparrows are currently presiding over church affairs in the Great Sept of Baelor. As Queen Regent, I have reluctantly agreed to let them, despite them not yet being bishops, use that largest sept in the Seven Kingdoms."

Today, she was uncharacteristically elegant and gentle, and as she conversed with the members of House Tyrell, her face beamed as brightly as a flower.

Although Margaery, the Knight of Flowers, and the others were unaccustomed to this situation, they thought that perhaps someone had advised the Queen to help the Lannisters and the Tyrells build a good relationship, so the young people slowly accepted the scene.

After the Queen of Thorns and Cersei had exchanged pleasantries back and forth for a long time, they finally reached the main topic.

"Since House Tyrell is the most loyal ally of the Iron Throne, the relationship between our two houses should be even closer. I propose that Lady Olenna and Margaery move into Maegor's Holdfast in the Red Keep, and Garlan, as a member of the Master of Coin's family, shall also reside in the Red Keep."

All members of the Small Council have their own residences in the Red Keep; the largest is the Tower of the Hand, which sometimes becomes a place for discussing military affairs.

She smiled again and looked at the Knight of Flowers, "As for Ser Loras, a room large enough has been cleared for you in the White Sword Tower of the Kingsguard; I imagine it should be able to hold your flowers."

Moving into the Red Keep is a symbol of noble status.

All nobles who can enter the Small Council and live in the Red Keep hold at least the title of a Count.

For example, the Master of Whisperers, Varys; although he is a eunuch, he also has a Count's title. Grand Maester Pycelle is an exception; his status as a Maester precludes him from having a noble title.

Little Rose Margaery heard this and was just about to agree and thank the Queen Regent, but she saw her grandmother wave her hand gently at her.

"There is no rush for this matter; we have not yet become in-laws, and lack the status to move into Maegor's Holdfast."

The Queen of Thorns told her grandchildren to remain calm.

A trace of apology appeared on Cersei's bright and beautiful face, "Could it be that my care for you is not thoughtful enough, and that is why Lady Olenna is unhappy?"

Before the Queen of Thorns could reply, Cersei explained again:

"Blame me for not making it clear. The reason I didn't let Garlan and the others move in a few days ago was because I was worried that Stannis had left behind some assassins, which would put our honored guests in danger. You see, my dear brother Tyrion, as well as the kingdom's Master of Whisperers, Lord Varys, were taken away by hateful assassins to who knows where. I sent many people to search the entire King's Landing, but could not find these two. But now it is different; I have sent loyal soldiers to clear the entire Red Keep, and even the Chunvju, the stables, and the Huayuan have been thoroughly cleaned. My Lady can rest assured and move in."

The Queen of Thorns picked up a small pastry stamped with a rose pattern, took a bite, and said:

"That is not what I meant. King Tommen has not yet accepted the allegiance of the loyal subjects of the Reach, my son Mace Tyrell is still in the hands of the Dragonrider, and I hear your brother is also there. Furthermore, the marriage contract between Margaery and Tommen Baratheon has not been concluded in the presence of all the Jiaodu. Should we not do these things first?"

The Red Keep was full of Lannister red cloaks; the Queen of Thorns dared not move in at this time.

Although Cersei was inwardly annoyed that the people of House Tyrell were not taking the bait, on the surface she remained as gentle and considerate as ever.

"My Lady is absolutely right." She pondered for a moment, "After a period of recuperation, my son is now able to see his loyal subjects. I think we can set a date for my son Tommen to formally meet with the Jiaodu of the Reach in the Throne Room and conclude the marriage contract at the same time."

Speaking of this, she smiled faintly at Margaery, "My relationship with you will become very close."

"As for Mace Tyrell and my good-for-nothing brother, I have already discussed it with the kingdom's loyal subject, Lord Petyr Baelish. The army of The Vale will enter the Riverlands, and together with the army of Lord Randyll Tarly, it will be enough to force the false king Arthur to reach a new agreement with us. We will first exchange the kingdom's Master of Coin back, and then discuss how to suppress the rebellion. King Tommen has always put the lives of his loyal subjects first; please rest assured of this."

While biting into her pastry, the Queen of Thorns pondered what Cersei had said.

Since the King is willing to see people and formally conclude the alliance in the Throne Room, Tommen's identity should be beyond doubt.

And since her brother Jaime is also in the hands of the Dragonrider, Mace Tyrell's safety is not a concern.

After her mind turned over the matter, Olenna, the helm of House Tyrell, already had a plan.

"That will do. You set the location, and we Reachmen will set the time, how about that? Also, since King Tommen is accepting the allegiance of our Knights, the Reachmen must be fully armed when entering the Throne Room, carrying their swords, so that they may draw them to perform the ritual of allegiance."

Cersei remained just as considerate, "No problem, everything shall be as my Lady says."

The Queen of Thorns added another insurance, "My legs are not very convenient, so when Tommen and Margaery conclude their marriage contract, I must go by carriage. At that time, from here all the way to the Throne Room, there must be our Tyrell soldiers along the way."

Cersei hesitated for a moment but agreed, "House Tyrell is the closest ally of the Iron Throne, so our relationship can go even further. To show my sincerity, on the day Tommen and Margaery set their marriage contract, everything will be up to you. As many Reach soldiers as you want to bring in, you may bring in. Once we have established the Sacred Oath, everything will be easy to handle."

The Queen of Thorns was very satisfied with this statement.

The two sides chatted for a long time, and then the Queen Regent took her guards and took her leave.

After Cersei had gone far away, the Queen of Thorns complained to her grandchildren.

"It is all your fault, spreading rumors about a fake Tommen, making me mistakenly think..."

Margaery immediately leaned close to her grandmother and said affectionately, "This is all Stannis's conspiracy. He can even say the rumor that his own nephew was born of incest; it is not impossible for him to spread such a lie again."

Garlan and Loras were also very satisfied with Cersei's performance today; the Lannisters finally gave their allies the respect befitting their status.

Red Keep, Maegor's Holdfast.

Having played the part for a long time, Cersei finally dropped her disguise and ordered the Kingsguard Meryn Trant:

"Go call Ser Adam Marbrand; I have important matters to discuss with him."

The tall and sturdy Meryn Trant nodded, saluted, and turned to leave.

Soon, Adam, wearing the black ringmail of House Lannister, walked into the Queen Regent's room.

"Underneath the Throne Room, there is a cellar containing dragon skulls; it can hide many people. You go familiarize yourself with it first, and then from the main Lannister soldiers, select five of the most elite two-hundred-man squads..."

Since Kevan left, the main force of House Lannister has been temporarily under the command of Ser Adam.

Although he was loyal to House Lannister, the more he heard, the more wrong it felt.

"Your Grace, is this not too crazy?"

Cersei glared at him and said coldly, "Only the Reach soldiers are useful to us; the rest are just rice buckets wasting food. This matter will be done this way."

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(End of chapter)