Chapter 182: Queen Margaery's Repayment of Kindness

King's Landing, South Wharf.

Two months have passed since the death of Queen Regent Cersei, and the war seems to have moved away from King's Landing; the fish market near the River Gate and the wharves at the mouth of the Blackwater River have begun to gradually regain their vitality.

Over the past two weeks, influenced by the upcoming royal wedding, order within the city has returned to pre-war levels, and merchants from all over have swarmed upon this massive city like flies smelling a scent.

Among them, the Jius, trade princes, and wealthy merchants from the Free Cities arrived the fastest, bringing large quantities of grain, linen, silk, spices, and fine wine to fill the void in this city.

Consequently, the wharves at the mouth of the Blackwater River have become the most prosperous place in the capital, where thousands of commoners in brown clothes unload and transport goods; although they only earn a few dozen copper coins for a day's work, at least there is money to be made to scrape by for a meal.

Braving the crisp late-autumn sea breeze, two Knights, Arthur and Velo Quy, each led ten soldiers and waited in a corner of the wharf.

With the rowers working hard, a longship flying the flag of a Lysene courtesan slowly docked at the pier, and then a group of Pentoshi sailors escorted a middle-aged man in wide robes down.

Arthur, who was in charge of the reception, asked in confusion: "Why is it the flag of Lys? Wasn't it said our guest was coming from Pentos?"

He is a Landed Knight from the Crab's Claw Peninsula who once led 2,800 indigenous First Men from the Crab's Claw Peninsula to participate in the defense of Maidenpool, and later led the army south under the orders of King Arthur I.

Since the King decided to incorporate this army of First Men into the King's Landing City Watch, Arthur's status has risen with the tide, and he is now the deputy commander of the City Watch.

Velo Quy, who was following beside him, replied: "If you were slightly more familiar with the situation on the Narrow Sea, you would know that this is the authentic Pentoshi merchant ship. To avoid punishment from Braavos, quite a few Pentoshi merchant ships fly the flags of Lys and Tyrosh."

Since the arrival of the people from the Crab's Claw Peninsula and the Riverlands nobles, Velo Quy quickly lost his dominant position in the Red Keep; now, he can only accompany Sir Arthur to welcome a special guest.

This guest is indeed very special, so much so that the King dared not let anyone else come into contact with him, fearing he would be hacked to pieces by the angry Reachmen.

There is no helping it, who told his elder sister Cersei to perform so consistently, causing the Lannister soldiers to hack to death over a hundred Reach nobles and Landed Knights during the incident in the Throne Room?

The target, Tyrion Lannister, had not yet appeared, so Arthur shouted and asked: "Are you really a ship from Pentos? Who are the previous and current Jius?"

Although his Task was only to let a Lannister dwarf reach the King's sphere of influence, Arthur could not control his curious mouth.

The middle-aged man in wide robes took a handkerchief out of his sleeve and covered his nose and mouth before replying in a muffled voice: "This is of course a Pentoshi merchant ship; its previous owner was Jiu Odello, and the current owner is Jiu Jaskis, who is my employer."

He had long heard that King's Landing was incredibly foul-smelling, but he did not expect it to be like this even at the well-ventilated wharf; if it weren't for an important Task at hand, he would not have wanted to disembark.

Arthur was even more curious, "Then why do you have to fly the flag of Lys? Could it be that it is just as my colleague here said, to avoid punishment from Braavos?"

The middle-aged man in wide robes had an even worse impression of King's Landing; could it be that the officers of the capital of the Western Continent did not know the rules of the Narrow Sea?

But as a professional in the Free Cities, he maintained superficial politeness and explained the reasoning to Arthur.

For most of its history, Pentos practiced Jiu Nulvzhi, but this caused wars between the city-state and Braavos.

For about two hundred years, the two cities have fought at least six wars, and the reasons for the wars, besides Jiu Nulvzhi, included control over the fertile lands and waters between the two cities. Braavos won four times; the last time occurred ninety-one years ago, when Pentos sacrificed four princes within a year, until after a rare victory, the fifth prince persuaded the Jius to sue for peace. In the peace agreement, Pentos had to make concessions, abolish Jiu Nulvzhi, and ban the slave trade.

But the Jius, who came from merchant backgrounds, did not want to give up the big market of the slave trade, so they often sailed the Narrow Sea flying the flags of Lys and Tyrosh to avoid punishment from the maritime hegemon, Braavos.

In other words, this is a standard slave ship.

But Arthur could not figure out the ins and outs of it, and the other party's people had already brought Tyrion Lannister out, so Sir Arthur prepared to slip away.

Tyrion, with his gray-gold curly hair, was wearing the pale yellow, loose-fitting robes typical of Pentos, and even his beard had been dyed yellow, oiled, and split into two forks.

Coupled with the wisdom revealed in his heterochromatic eyes, if one did not know the background of this Lannister, it would be easy to mistake him for a small merchant from Pentos.

"Good, this dwarf is mine. The ransom was paid to Jaskis's merchant ship two weeks ago; you should be clear about this."

After Arthur said a few words casually, he ordered people to put Tyrion Lannister into a large sack, and then carry him away immediately.

Tyrion, who had been drifting on the ship for nearly a month, became anxious and called out repeatedly: "Wait, I have legs myself; although they are a bit short, I can walk, there is no need to put me in a sack."

He knew that the Dragonrider Arthur had paid a ransom of 50,000 old Gold Dragons for him, and he had thought he would be properly arranged; he did not expect that as soon as he got off the ship and shed his semi-slave status, he would become a dwarf in a sack again.

Velo Quy on the side mocked: "Lord Lannister, we are doing this for your own good; most of the soldiers in the city are Reachmen, and they would love to tear a Westerlander into dozens of pieces and throw them into the Blackwater River to feed the fish."

Tyrion looked at the crest on Quy's body and the Redwyne soldiers behind him with a terrified expression, "But I believe you and these gentlemen would not be so barbaric, right?"

Arthur waved his hand and said boldly: "Rest assured, I am in charge here. Since you want to walk yourself, then walk, but you should still cover your head a bit."

Just as this group of soldiers was about to leave, the Pentoshi had other matters.

The middle-aged man in wide robes said repeatedly: "You are too careless; my employer also sent a gift to the Dragon King of House Targaryen. I heard that it is not convenient to travel in the city now, so you must take me and the gift to the Red Keep."

Just in the gap of their idle chatter, nearly a hundred crew members had already moved down a large iron cage covered with a black cloth.

The huge volume attracted the attention of the surrounding sailors and porters, and everyone speculated about what was inside.

Arthur waved his hand impatiently, "What kind of small gift is it that requires me to accompany you on a trip? If it's a small item, I can pass it on for you..."

Before Sir Arthur could finish his sentence, the middle-aged man in wide robes had already lifted the black cloth on the iron cage.

Inside was a rhinoceros that was terrifyingly sturdy.

A large rhinoceros with a body length of over ten feet, a shoulder height of five feet, weighing at least five or six thousand pounds, with a hard horn on its head, colored brownish-yellow.

Arthur was so shocked that his lips parted, "You sent this thing to the King? That is too intense, isn't it?"

The middle-aged man in wide robes proudly touched his oiled beard, "In terms of value, this gift may not be the most expensive, but in terms of fitting the King's heart, I believe that in all of Westeros, nothing can surpass this rhinoceros."

It is no secret that the new master of the Iron Throne likes to ride giant mounts, so someone sent him a large rhinoceros.

Red Keep, Throne Room.

Originally, according to the customs of southern Westeros, the groom and bride should swear their sacred marriage vows in a Sept, and the groom should drape a cloak of protection over the bride. And this part of the royal ceremony usually takes place in the huge heptagonal hall of the Great Sept of Baelor.

But considering that the Great Sept of Baelor is on Visenya Hill, and one must pass through the King's Road or Iron Street to get there from the Red Keep, and now the western wall of King's Landing is destroyed and the situation in the city is complex, Arthur I canceled the coronation of his wife Margaery at the Great Sept and moved it to the Throne Room.

Not only that, to ensure the wedding went off without a hitch, the entire Red Keep was filled with loyal First Men of House Targaryen from the Crab's Claw Peninsula, as well as the New Army soldiers under Arthur.

Even every small inner courtyard, vaulted hall, gallery bridge, granary, cellar, and barracks in the Red Keep had at least ten armored soldiers on guard, and on the streets west of Aegon's High Hill, 3,000 soldiers from the Tarly and Mariweisi Jiazu were patrolling in formation, striving to ensure not a single mistake occurred.

Arthur I, who is extremely sensitive to Game of Thrones weddings, in order to ensure that nothing went wrong today, also ordered that no bands were allowed to enter the Red Keep, only individual musicians with noble status were allowed to participate in the performance, and it was explicitly forbidden to play "The Rains of Castamere," not even a soft hum.

In such an atmosphere, hundreds of nobles from the Riverlands, the Reach, the northern Stormlands, and Dorne, as well as several special guests from The North and The Vale, witnessed together in the Throne Room the entire process of Lady Margaery Tyrell becoming Queen.

After all the nobles had found their positions according to their status, the ceremony officially began.

A bright red velvet off-the-shoulder form-fitting gown displayed Margaery's perfect figure to the fullest, and her brown curly hair was coiled behind her head, revealing her fair and upright neck.

To make the ceremony formal enough, the Little Rose also specially wore heavy makeup; the lipstick, as red as her dress, made her look incredibly charming, and coupled with her already outstanding features, it directly caused the noblewomen in the Throne Room and the corridors to gasp in low voices with envy.

"By the Seven! This is too beautiful."

"Envious, I want to have it!"

"What is Queen Margaery stepping on? Why does it feel like her figure is much taller?"

"I remember it was a custom-made pair of expensive shoes! It's been spreading for the last few days that the King commissioned a special pair of shoes for his wife."

What made the many noblewomen envious was not just Margaery's own superior qualities; the custom-made High Heels on her feet immediately became the focus of discussion among the gossiping women.

"A good husband who designs shoes for his own wife, tsk tsk tsk, why doesn't my man do that?"

"Don't say that, these shoes are actually quite pretty. Queen Margaery's fair, tender toes are even peeking out; looking at them makes even me, a woman, want to lick them."

The noblewomen were discussing the Queen's attire and shoes, while the men were inquiring with familiar nobles about the King's handling of the nobles from the Westerlands, the Vale, the North, and other regions.

As for King Arthur I, he was currently placing the pure gold circular crown from the tray onto the head of his second wife.

On the dais of the throne, Mace Tyrell nearby stared eagerly at the three-headed dragon relief on the crown, almost unable to stop himself from groaning aloud.

This was, after all, a Queen of House Targaryen!

Although a considerable number of Reach Jiaodu were still in the hands of the Westerlanders, these families had sent people to participate in the King's wedding, so Duke Mace was fairly satisfied with the wedding.

The son-in-law was still draping the cloak over his daughter, yet Lord Tyrell was already impatiently searching for looks of envy and jealousy on the faces of the guests standing in the hall and corridors.

What made him comfortable was that the vast majority of noblewomen were clearly discussing his daughter with their companions.

But the men were much more indifferent, and Duke Mace felt a trace of annoyance.

Arthur did not know his father-in-law's petty thoughts; after draping the cloak over his wife, he whispered into Margaery's fair neck:

"Remember to save your strength today; I want you to repay me with a gushing spring."

At a King's wedding, few people dared to go and disturb the bridal chamber, so after finishing the wedding banquet and receiving the gifts, his great battle with the Little Rose began.

Today, the butterfly will not fray its edges; the bellicose Arthur I will never cease the war.

Margaery looked at her husband with lingering fear and replied shyly: "Let's talk about tonight's business tonight; let's hold the wedding banquet first, don't keep the lords waiting too long."

The King kissed his second wife lightly, then announced in a loud voice:

"From this moment on, Margaery Targaryen is the lawful wife of me, Arthur Targaryen I, and is also the Queen of the First Men, the Andals, and the Rhoynar. Our marriage is blessed by the gods in heaven, and this relationship shall be maintained until one party passes away..."

According to the customs of the Western Continent, a wife can take her husband's surname or keep her maiden name, but under Duke Mace's strong insistence, Arthur bestowed the Targaryen surname upon the Little Rose during the oath.

After the basic proceedings were completed, most of the guests left the Throne Room and headed to the Huayuan to prepare for the wedding banquet, but a few key nobles remained to go to the adjacent Small Council Chamber to meet with the King.

After Arthur I gave Margaery a deep kiss, he ordered her to go and accompany her grandmother, the Queen of Thorns, while he himself discussed military and political affairs with the special guests.

After more than half a year, he met with the big fatty Wylis Manderly again.

In the Small Council Chamber, Wylis, wearing the merman sigil, first nodded to the great nobles before stating the demands of his father, Lord Wyman Manderly.

"Your Grace, my father asks that you, for the sake of Queen Sansa, pardon all the crimes committed by the families of the North during the time of the Usurper, and drive out House Bolton, the Warden of the North appointed by the false king, from Winterfell, allowing House Stark to return to their ancestral castle."

After a period of cultivation, Arthur also gradually understood the speaking techniques of the nobles.

What Wylis said on the surface was for the King to pardon such-and-such crimes for the sake of Queen Sansa, but the actual meaning was that they, the Northmen, had decided to support Arthur as King for Sansa's sake.

"That is no problem at all; the Iron Throne never refuses vassals loyal to it. Furthermore, should we discuss the matter of sending troops, as well as the tariffs White Harbor pays to the royal family?" Arthur I asked.

One of the royal family's few stable sources of income was the tariffs from the five great cities.

And after Robb declared himself King, these tariffs from White Harbor were paid to Winterfell, not to the Red Keep.

Wylis answered formally: "According to my father's wishes, from the day the Iron Throne sends troops to help House Stark retake Winterfell, we of House Manderly will pay tariffs to the Red Keep. All previous tariffs will be used as funds for the Winter Town."

"As for the military aspect, my father has already sent people to scout the situation. A fleet of barges loaded with warhorses, soldiers, and provisions can come and go freely on the main stream of the White Knife. We can choose any landing point, and the Bolton army will absolutely not be able to defend against it."

The North has the benefits of being large; at the very least, with the help of House Manderly, the landing site was no longer a concern for Arthur and Randyll Tarly, who was leading the army.

"That is good. You are the local hosts, so naturally, you must make the geographical preparations. Next, let us talk with Ser Andar Royce about the matter of the Vale sending troops."

He looked at the first heir of Runestone, the eldest son of Bronze Yohn, Andar Royce.

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(End of this chapter)