Chapter 86

Zhan Mu led two hundred gold-robed and close to one hundred Red Fort Guard personnel rushing toward the Great Cathedral.

Interpretation: Zhan Mu led two hundred gold-robed and nearly a hundred Red Fort Guard personnel rushing toward the Great Cathedral.

But we must not add explanatory words. However we need to convey meaning: "Zhan Mu led two hundred gold-robed and nearly a hundred Red Fort Guard personnel rushing toward the Great Cathedral."

We need to decide how to translate "gold robes". It's "gold robes". So "gold-robed". Could be "gold robes". We'll translate as "gold robes". "Red Fort Guard personnel" = "Red Fort Guard personnel". "rushed toward" = "rushed toward". So:

"Zhan Mu led two hundred gold-robed and nearly a hundred Red Fort Guard personnel rushing toward the Great Cathedral."

But we need to keep numbers exactly: "two hundred" = 200, "close to one hundred" = close to one hundred. We'll keep as "two hundred" and "close to one hundred". Or "nearly one hundred". We'll use "close to one hundred". The source says "close to one hundred". So "close to one hundred". We'll output: "Zhan Mu led two hundred gold-robed and close to one hundred Red Fort Guard personnel rushing toward the Great Cathedral."

Check if we need to add "the" before Great Cathedral? It's a proper name; we can say "the Great Cathedral". But source didn't have article. Adding "the" might be considered adding explanatory word? It's a function word; likely acceptable. We'll include "the Great Cathedral". Similarly "Red Fort Guard" maybe we need article? We'll see.

We'll produce: "Zhan Mu led two hundred gold-robed and close to one hundred Red Fort Guard personnel rushing toward the Great Cathedral."

Now 【2】 Looking at these two hundred gold robes, Zhan Mu felt they were even inferior to the patrol militia of Lan Ni Si Gang. But this time he did not bring people to fight; instead, he relied on momentum. In fact he could bring more people, but three hundred people had almost filled the square, and bringing more soldiers would not have much effect.

Translate: "Looking at these two hundred gold robes, Zhan Mu felt they were even inferior to the patrol militia of Lan Ni Si Gang. But this time he didn't bring people to fight; he relied on momentum. In fact he could bring more people, but three hundred people had almost filled the square, and bringing more soldiers wouldn't have much effect."

We need to keep numbers: "two hundred" = two hundred, "three hundred" = three hundred.

We'll produce: "Looking at these two hundred gold robes, Zhan Mu felt they were even inferior to the patrol militia of Lan Ni Si Gang. But this time he didn't bring people to fight; he relied on momentum. In fact he could bring more people over, but three hundred people had almost filled the square, and bringing more soldiers wouldn't have much effect."

Check grammar: "Looking at these two hundred gold robes, Zhan Mu felt they were even inferior to the patrol militia of Lan Ni Si Gang." Might need "the". We'll add "the". "the patrol militia of Lan Ni Si Gang". Good.

Now 【3】 "As I walk up to the steps of the Great Cathedral, any sparrow daring to approach me will be killed on the spot!" Zhan Mu said to the attendants beside him.

Translate: "\"As I walk up to the steps of the Great Cathedral, any sparrow daring to approach me will be killed on the spot! \" Zhan Mu said to the attendants beside him."

Check numbers: none.

Now 【4】 Before arriving at the cathedral, he had already taken off his white robe and put on the gold-red cloak belonging to the Lan Ni Si Te family, and put on the gilded armor belonging to the Lan Ni Si Te. Today, he does not represent the Imperial Forest Iron Guard, but represents the Regent of the King of the Seven Kingdoms.

Translate: "Before arriving at the cathedral, he had taken off his white robe and put on the gold-red cloak belonging to the Lan Ni Si Te family, and put on the gilded armor belonging to the Lan Ni Si Te. Today he does not represent the Imperial Forest Iron Guard, but represents the Regent of the King of the Seven Kingdoms."

Check: "gold-red cloak belonging to the Lan Ni Si Te family" = "gold-red cloak belonging to the Lan Ni Si Te family". Good.

Now 【5】 Zhan Mu and his guards pressed toward the Great Cathedral's square like a cloud, the silent guards silently released their power.

Translate: "Zhan Mu and his guards pressed toward the Great Cathedral's square like a cloud, the silent guards silently releasing their power."

Now 【6】 What is power? This is self-evident power.

Translate: "What is power? This is obvious power."

We'll produce: "What is power? This is obvious power."

Now 【7】 "The Regent is coming!" the guards announced loudly; before coming, he had made them practice many times, "Retreat!"

"The Regent is coming!" the guards announced loudly; before coming, he had made them practice many times, "Retreat!"

Now 【8】 "The Regent is coming, retreat! retreat!" the soldiers shouted.

Translate: "\"The Regent is coming, retreat! retreat! \" the soldiers shouted loudly."

We'll produce: "\"The Regent is coming, retreat! retreat! \" the soldiers shouted loudly."

Now 【9】 "The Regent is coming! Those who block the way will die!" the soldiers shouted, "Those who block the way will die!"

Translate: "\"The Regent is coming! Those who block the road will die! \" the soldiers shouted, \"Those who block the road will die! \"" We'll produce: "\"The Regent is coming! Those who block the road will die! \" the soldiers shouted, \"Those who block the road will die! \"" Note: we need to keep the quotes.

Now 【10】 Before the white marble square, the civilians who were struggling to sit up turned their heads at the sound, looking at the Regent they had never heard of before.

Translate: "Before the white marble square, the civilians who were struggling to sit up turned their heads at the sound, looking at the Regent they had never heard of before."

Now 【11】 They could certainly see the Regent clearly, because Zhan Mu was sitting on a tall horse, braving the light snow, looking toward the pulpit in front of the Ba Le Great Cathedral. If the rumors are true, Eddard Stark was beheaded there by his own kin's sword.

Translate: "They could certainly see the Regent clearly, because Zhan Mu was sitting on a tall horse, looking toward the lectern in front of Bei Le's Great Cathedral amidst the light snow. If the rumors are true, Eddard Stark was beheaded there by his own family's sword."

Looking at these two hundred gold cloaks, Jaime felt they were even worse than the city watch of Lannisport. But this time he wasn't bringing people to fight; he was relying on show of force. In reality he could bring more, but three hundred already filled the square, adding more soldiers would achieve nothing.

"Anyone who dares come near me as I approach the cathedral steps will be killed on the spot—those sparrows!" Jaime said to those beside him.

Before arriving at the cathedral, he had taken off his white robe and put on the gold-and-red cloak of House Lannister, as well as the gilded armor of the Lannisters. Today he did not represent the City Watch of the King, but the King's Regent of the Seven Kingdoms.

Jaime and his guard pressed toward the cathedral square like a cloud, the silent guard unleashing their power without a sound.

What is power? This is blatant power.

"The Regent approaches!" the guards proclaimed loudly; beforehand he had made them practice many times, "Stand back!"

"The Regent approaches, stand back! Stand back!" the soldiers shouted.

"The Regent approaches! Anyone who blocks the way dies!" the soldiers shouted, "Anyone who blocks the way dies!"

Before the white marble square, the struggling civilians craned their necks at the sound, gazing at the Regent they had never heard of.

They could certainly see the Regent, for Jaime sat on a tall horse, gazing through the light snow at the pulpit before the Great Sept of Baelor. If the rumors were true, Eddard Stark had been beheaded there with his own house's sword.

Could that sword win him back Dragonstone? Damn it!

Approaching the pulpit, the gold cloaks surged forward, shoving aside the curious crowd—this was what they did best.

At that moment, seven or eight church members from the poor people's gathering, wielding axes and longswords, quickly descended the steps, blocking their advance ahead. Their expressions were grave; Jaime could tell they each believed they were doing holy work, and such enemies were the most troublesome.

Each wore a faded gray robe and straw sandals that exposed their toes; in this rainy, snowy weather they clearly didn't care about their toes.

"The cathedral is a sacred precinct—no disturbance!"

"The Regent approaches—make way quickly, do not obstruct!" Merlon shouted angrily, riding beside Jaime on horseback.

Several church members formed a line, aiming their weapons at Jaime and his guard behind him, silently answering Merlon's words with action.

Tytos rode on the other side, looking at Jaime; Jaime gave a slight nod, and Tytos waved his hand downward.

The spearmen behind Jaime suddenly surged forward, thrusting their spears at the church members.

They had no armor; the spears easily pierced their bodies, and those struck collapsed instantly. At that moment their expressions changed from the solemn look Jaime couldn't read to utter disbelief. The watching poor cried out and began to flee.

"Throw the heads into the sept!" Jaime ordered.

"Ser?" Merlon confirmed; Jaime nodded.

"Cut off their heads and throw them into the sept!" Merlon commanded.

The guards behind him drew their steel swords and rushed forward, grabbing hair and slicing off the church members' heads one by one, then holding the hair aloft as they ran up the steps, spilling blood all the way, tossing the heads into the sept behind the platform. Some heads lost direction, bouncing down the steps; a few rolled onto the road outside the sept, and one leapt into the fountain pool, where bright red blood instantly dispersed in the water.

Jaime noticed a few church members peek outside, then withdraw back into the Great Sept.

He did not lead his guard up to the second-level platform, but waited quietly in the open space below. Jaime could not believe that the High Septon would not come out to meet him under these circumstances.

Drifting snowflakes melted on his face; when he felt his face go numb from the cold, the two in front pushed open the cathedral doors, and the worshippers emerged armed.

Amid their supporters, a man in simple wool robes, tall and thin like a scholar, appeared. The armed worshippers tightly guarded his sides as he slowly walked toward the platform.

He had gray hair, wrinkles covering his face, a stern expression, and he regarded Jaime with a scrutinizing gaze.

This was their first meeting.

"Ser Jaime," he began, "I don't know why you've come here."

"Are you the High Septon?" Jaime ignored his question, "Tell me, in the election among sixty-nine septons, how did you get the majority of votes? Before this, I hadn't even seen or heard of you."

"I am not the High Septon; I am appointed by the faithful." He wore a calm expression. "As you asked, it was the mountain folk who chose me, the suffering people who chose me, the destitute poor who chose me, the righteous knights dissatisfied with the Seven Kingdoms..."

"I don't care about any of that," Jaime snapped. "The High Septon has his own election process—did you threaten them with axes or lure them with magic?" "Damn it, how many of the voting septons who participated are still alive?"

"If you, ser, have come to ask about these, perhaps you should come inside and let me explain slowly?" the High Septon said with a cold, solemn face, "Or perhaps you have another purpose for being here?"

"I am no mere ser; I am the Regent of King Tommen," Jaime said, seated on his horse, looking down at the High Septon, feeling that a simple forward ride would surely trample him on the steps. "Do you need me to show you my appointment? Everyone says you're the High Septon—where is the king's appointment and your seal?"

The worshippers around him bearing weapons, though solemn, were all untrained soldiers; some looked frail and sickly.

Such people could never be his match. They had no armor, no shields; relying on them alone could not threaten the soldiers of noble lords. No matter how many of these sparrows there are, they are merely a rabble; the only question is how deep their fighting conviction runs, and how much time and combat will be needed to continually strengthen and train them.

"The people pay homage to their lords, lords to the king, and the king and queen must honor the Faith of the Seven. Why does the High Septon need recognition or appointment from the king, queen, or Regent?" he replied.

If he were willing to answer the question, at least the questioning would have had some effect. As for this answer itself, Jaime thought it was the worst of all replies. He plainly possessed a signed document from the king, yet he arrogantly chose another response.

"Very well," Jaime said with a feigned grin, "I'll assume you have no royal appointment. In that case, I declare your investiture illegal, and I will inform the High Septon of Oldtown to reorganize the election of the High Septon of the Faith. Moreover, I believe the Faith's seat has no need to be in King's Landing."

"The High Septon is ordained by the Seven; why would the king need to appoint him? On the contrary, the king's succession requires the church's blessing. The seat is irrelevant—the High Septon's location is the seat." He said offhandedly.

Jaime was pleased; in these exchanges, the High Septon merely reacted passively. If he remained so passive, Jaime could be more proactive.

"Hmph, you'd better remember this," Jaime thought that if Tywin were here he wouldn't speak in person; he would send his words by parchment, and only written threats could last. "The sept is the property of the Iron Throne—you'd better drive out these mud-legs, or don't blame me for clearing the place."

"The sept has long belonged to the Faith," the High Septon mused, also somewhat surprised, "After the blessed Baelor built the sept, he gave it to the Faith." The High Septon gazed back at the towering, splendid sept.

"A gift? How would I not know he gave the sept to the Faith?" Jaime snapped, "Do you have any proof of the gift? As I see it, it has always been the property of the Iron Throne." After giving him a moment to think, Jaime continued, "After Robert Baratheon seized the Iron Throne, the rights to this sept fell to the present king—should I tell you his name?"

"No need to tell me," he replied, still standing there with unchanged expression, "The present king's name is Tommen Baratheon."

"Very well, as Regent of King Tommen, I order the church to vacate the sept by tomorrow." Jaime looked at the dissatisfied worshippers behind the High Septon, "Damn it, there are still so many freezing, starving people in the city—for you lot of pus-filled parasites to occupy this place is a waste of the realm's resources. Tomorrow I will throw open the sept as a home for the poor!"

"It seems the Regent didn't come today just to vent his anger by killing a few poor faithful." He sighed, his eyes flicking to the fountain pool. The water had been turned red by the blood of heads, the faces of the heads slanted toward Jaime.

"I came for what reason—you know it full well," Jaime said, no longer hiding, his voice low, "If you don't want to see more heads, don't want to be expelled from the sept, and… well, I have many more questions; you'd better wise up."

"The queen mother is accused of grave crimes," the High Septon finally raised the issue. This was good. "She is accused of sleeping with the three brothers Lansae and Kettleblack, of ordering Ser Osney Kettleblack to murder the former High Septon, ha, of plotting to kill King Robert."

Jaime gritted his teeth, imagining running the High Septon through with a sword.

Has the little demon already been spreading those rumors outside?

"According to Ser Osney's confession, Queen Regent Cersei also had Osney frame Queen Margaery for adultery, and to carry out the scheme she didn't hesitate to sleep with Osney, uh, have an affair." The High Septon gave him a meaningful look, "There are also other rumors."

"Don't you know this is just a rumor Stannis put out? Or are you now recognizing Stannis as king?" Jaime flung filth.

"Stannis has turned to the evil gods; he is no longer a legitimate king." He said.

"Then what does it mean that you previously refused to grant Tommen your blessing?" Jaime continued to accuse.

"I have already explained it to Queen Regent Cersei." the High Septon replied.

"She is now imprisoned by you!"

She is awaiting judgment.

"Did I just say that?" Jamie suppressed his anger, "When did the Church acquire judicial authority? When did it gain the right to try cases involving the royal family?"

Jamie urged his warhorse forward two steps, approaching the archbishop; the followers behind him, as if facing a great enemy, rushed forward to press in, but the archbishop did not move a step, standing firm like steel.

Jamie, as if not seeing the followers' actions, sneered at the archbishop, "I warn you, old man, the Church has no judicial authority—damn it, if the Church had this authority, why would the Iron Throne still have judges?"

"The Queen Regent Cersei has restored the smallfolk assemblies and the Sons of the Warrior, in order to give the Church the ability to defend itself and uphold the holy power of the Seven." He said to Jamie, "This grants all judicial and executive authority over matters concerning the Church."

"I am the Prince Regent of the Iron Throne; let me tell you what power the Church has," Jamie would not argue with him about who holds judicial authority. "The Church should teach people kindness and goodness; the Church should preach charity; if others ask you to bless a lawful marriage before intercourse, you have the right to say a few words of blessing; if a child is born, you bless the child to a lifetime of happiness and fulfillment—damn it, aside from that, you have no other power! Did you understand what I said?"

"Your Highness Prince Regent, the rights already promised by the Iron Throne cannot be taken back. This is a covenant made with God, and God's covenant cannot be revoked." The High Sparrow replied thus; hearing this, Jamie only wanted to laugh.

"I suggest you still prepare well for the archbishop's re-election," Jamie turned his horse's head, "reconsider the new station."

Jamie halted his horse and looked back at him, "Tomorrow I will bring more people here; by that time, I hope you will have a different view on judicial authority."

Jamie gazed at the tall statue on the other side and said loudly, "The Iron Throne is now so impoverished, yet the Church spends money building these useless things—damn it, on what grounds do we still let the Church be tax-exempt?"

The watch soldiers laughed shrilly, then made way. Their Prince Regent rode down the passage and departed.