"Scheming" doesn't sound like a good thing; saying it's "astute" immediately changes the feeling. Everyone has a desire for something or to achieve a goal, but there's no need to treat this desire like a monster. It's the source of people's subjective initiative in doing things and the driving force for social development. "Altruism" is indeed a noble and excellent quality beneficial for the continuation of the species, but a purely altruistic creature cannot exist—creatures that don't understand selfishness and how to fight for resources for themselves were long ago eliminated by nature.
People inevitably have desires and goals, but even with scheming, there are levels of skill. The difference lies in whether you clearly understand: what you want, why you want it, and whether you have the corresponding ability and strength?
Cersei Lannister is the best negative example. She is scheming, but her scheming is utterly meaningless: she wants everything, but doesn't know what she wants these things for, and is completely ignorant of how to obtain them correctly. As for the benefits and drawbacks to herself after taking a certain action... this woman probably can't even think that far. She's a fool, yet not a pure idiot... this kind of person is the most terrifying. You can't be her ally—she's best at turning against her allies; nor is it good to be her opponent—people who play completely outside the rules can often defeat a Master with wild punches, even if they themselves fall into crisis.
Aegon has always kept his distance from people in this chaotic alignment, and by extension, he doesn't dare get too close even to gentlemen like Jaime. But the Margaery Tyrell before him is simply a perfect model of a "scheming girl"—her goal is clear: she wants to rely on her marriage to pull the Tyrell family, which has been excluded from the core of power in the Seven Kingdoms because they sided with the wrong party in the War of the Usurper, back onto the noble game table; and her intelligence and scheming are completely sufficient to achieve this goal.
This girl, if you are blinded by her "gentleness and politeness" and "kindness," she can completely drain you. But as long as you clearly know that she is a scheming and calculating person, and then tell her clearly with your actions: that you are not a fool and won't be led by the nose. She will instantly become harmless—Miss Margaery's birth as the daughter of the Lord of Highgarden determines that she doesn't need to take Littlefinger's path to achieve her ambition. As a high-ranking noble, she is already a vested interest and won't inexplicably want to cause trouble or disrupt things.
To put it simply: this is a Game of Thrones player with ambition, but who eats much more gracefully. As long as you are not a mortal enemy, she is willing to share the cake. As long as you have a certain strength and capital, you can cooperate with her with confidence and happily use each other, without worrying about her suddenly losing her mind and biting you back.
***
"Lord Aegon," the girl asked softly, her voice gentle and sweet, very pleasant to listen to, "I heard that this story is based on you. Are all the adventures in it really your personal experiences?"
"That's right, but it's a novel, so it's definitely undergone some artistic processing." Margaery's eyes sparkled with curiosity, looking like a complete adventure enthusiast. Her acting was truly astonishing, making Aegon's scalp tingle. He carefully organized his words, not daring to speak too definitively: "Generally speaking, they are real experiences, but the dangers I encountered have been magnified a lot... If I had truly survived dangers of that level, I would definitely stay put at home and not go anywhere, and naturally, it would be impossible for me to come to Westeros again."
"That makes sense," the girl let out a clear, bell-like laugh, her face innocent and naive. "Um... Aegon, can I call you Aegon? Is that 'China' you came from really west of the Sunset Sea? Where is it roughly, and how many leagues is the voyage?"
What is she trying to do? Does the Tyrell family have an idea of trading with "China"?
Aegon was puzzled and didn't dare to be careless: "On this round-the-world voyage, I was just a guest on the ship and didn't grasp much knowledge of navigation. Let alone the specific location, I can't even be sure if the ship consistently maintained a heading due east throughout the journey. As for the distance, I only remember the ship sailed for over a month. Considering the ocean-going vessel I was on was much more advanced than the best ships in Westeros, and the voyage was mostly downwind... I can only say that China should be somewhere west of the Sunset Sea. As for the distance from Westeros, it's probably about two or three thousand leagues."
"That far? What a pity, I wanted to see that magical country."
"I'm afraid I can only disappoint Miss Margaery." Just giving a distance and location that a Westeros ship can't possibly reach, and the rest is all up to him, isn't it? Aegon chuckled inwardly, but put on a sorrowful expression: "Actually, even if some kind Lord immediately gave me a ship fully crewed now, I wouldn't be able to find my home, let alone take guests back... Alas, who knows when I will see my parents and family at home again?"
"No need to be sad. Since you have come to Westeros, it means this land has a destiny with you. And with Lord Aegon's experiences and abilities, I believe you can succeed anywhere."
...
The girl comforted the man with a face full of concern, and the man sincerely expressed his gratitude. Being the daughter of a Lord, yet calling a Night's Watch man who has no and cannot possibly obtain a title "Lord" repeatedly, it's truly sickening. Aegon had a premonition: acting opposite this Little Rose would greatly increase his thick skin, reaction speed, and poison resistance, but the feeling of getting goosebumps was really uncomfortable.
After that, the two walked and talked in the military camp. Margaery asked Aegon many questions related to the adventure stories in the book. The man, who had already prepared his answers, was not flustered at all. He met every question as it came, describing countless adventures he had never experienced in a way that was watertight, making it impossible for an outsider to tell truth from fiction.
Lord Buckwell followed behind the two young people the entire time, listening to their conversation without saying a word—as an Lord and Lord of a region, he was just like an accompaniment... If it weren't for Margaery's indeed higher status, Aegon would have been a little flustered.
...
"Oh, by the way, Lord Aegon, I heard that not only is the story in this book based on you, but the book itself was also produced by the factory you started." After circling around for a long time, the topic finally returned to reality: "I see that the material of this book doesn't seem to be parchment, and the content doesn't look like it was handwritten. How was this done?"
Here it comes. After beating around the bush for so long, we've finally reached the main point!
If it were a man who didn't know the other party's background, being subtly and skillfully complimented by such a young, beautiful, and distinguished noble girl, and then being forced to brag for a long time, he would probably blurt out everything he knew. Fortunately, Aegon had been waiting for the other party to reveal her true intentions for a long time. As soon as the girl said this, he felt greatly relieved.
So, she was interested in paper-making and printing techniques. Now that he knew the other party's purpose, it was much easier to handle.
"Well, yes, the books are produced by the factory under the Night's Watch Industry... But I only manage the operating funds, direct the general direction, and provide supplies and provisions for the Night's Watch after making money—as for the specific details, they are all managed by the technical personnel below. If you ask me how it's done, I really can't say," Aegon said, shaking his head apologetically. "However, coincidentally, the Night's Watch Industry is preparing to expand and needs capital investment. If Miss Margaery is interested, I can personally take you to visit when we return to King's Landing."
—