Chapter 26: The Royal Meeting
King's Landing, The Red Keep, Throne Room
"Clatter... Thud..."
With a surge of terrifying force, a precious silver wine cup from Myr rolled across the floor several times, while the golden wine, as precious as gold, spilled from the iron throne all the way to the center of the hall.
The sound of the cup breaking and the wine splashing echoed through the hall, a terrifying commotion that made everyone present instinctively shrink back.
King Robert was now a picture of fury, his voice thick with authority and rage as he turned to glare at a tall, bald, fat man standing on the right side of the hall, questioning him with a shout:
"Varys! Tell me, why are there secret passages in Maegors Holdfast? Did you know about this or not?"
Varys, dressed in ornate silk robes, was pale-faced, completely devoid of his usual calm and composure. He knew very well that if he didn't answer properly, he might suffer the King's punishment.
However, as a Master of Whisperers who had already served two kings, he naturally knew exactly how to preserve his own life, even though he wasn't quite sure how this particular trump card of his had suddenly been discovered.
But the current situation left him no room to ponder that question further. He took a deep breath, struggled to maintain his composure, and spoke in an extremely humble tone:
"Your Majesty, in truth, this is a secret I only recently discovered myself."
After hearing the fat Master of Whisperers' report, King Robert's brow furrowed slightly.
"Why did you not report this to me?"
Noticing that King Robert's mood had softened somewhat, Varys quickly struck while the iron was hot to explain:
"Your Majesty, I only learned of this recently. I found it by chance when I accidentally touched a mechanism that caused a passage entrance to appear in my room."
Varys spoke with a very gentle tone, as if he really had just discovered the matter recently.
Unfortunately, no one present was a fool. Quite a few people even made a mental note of this incident, preparing to return and reflect on what secrets they might have spoken in their bedrooms in Maegors Holdfast or The Red Keep that should never have been known by outsiders.
"I immediately realized the importance of this secret passage and decided to investigate it thoroughly before reporting to you. Respected King, I have always been loyal to the kingdom. This time, my consideration was not thorough enough. Please forgive me!"
Upon hearing the response, King Robert's face returned to normal, though a flicker of suspicion crossed it. He stared distrustfully at Varys, as if trying to discern a hint of deception on his face.
Unfortunately, after staring for a long while, Varys still wore a look of fear and trepidation, as if he truly hadn't known about it.
Robert Baratheon was well aware of Varys's wisdom and cunning, but he also understood that Varys did indeed hide things sometimes. However, considering the fellow still had some use...
Therefore, Robert decided to give Varys a chance to resolve the matter completely.
"Then I command you to find all the secret passages for me. Seal those that should be sealed. I will have Barristan assist you in this."
"Your will is the beacon for my actions. Please rest assured, I will certainly complete this task."
Hearing this command, Varys breathed a secret sigh of relief, but the increasingly unfriendly gazes around him made him groan inwardly.
Varys knew very well that from this day forward, his every word and action would be watched by many. Unless something even bigger happened in The Red Keep, those with secrets would certainly keep a death grip on him.
Moreover, what Varys feared most was the gaze of a certain blonde woman, and behind that gaze, another even more terrifying gaze was also completely locked onto him.
Clearly, the fraternal twins of House Lannister had him fully in their sights, which was the most terrifying thing for Varys.
"Very well, let us put this matter to rest for now! Is there anything else?"
"Ahem, Your Majesty!"
Just as King Robert finished arranging the matter of the secret passages in The Red Keep, he habitually asked that question. He had intended for the matter to end there, but hearing his youngest brother speak, his heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
Renly Baratheon was the kingdom's Master of Laws. Because of his broad knowledge and good reputation for being kind to others, Robert felt comfortable leaving all judicial work to him.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have anything to report, but if he did, it meant he had encountered something very troublesome.
"Renly, do you have something?"
With a buzz cut and a perfectly groomed, smooth beard, Renly looked very charming. Every time he saw Renly, Robert always had the feeling he was looking at his younger self.
Although most people in the kingdom didn't quite agree with that sentiment, King Robert had always firmly believed it.
"Your Majesty, I have recently received a report of accusation!"
Renly's voice wasn't particularly loud, but because everyone's attention was focused on him, many hearts skipped a beat when the word "accusation" appeared.
As high and mighty nobles, most people here had done some unsavory things. In particular, some nobles who had risen through improper means were turned green with fright upon hearing the word.
"Oh! That's interesting. Tell me, I'd like to know which of my lords has done something remarkable behind my back?"
"Well?"
Renly's hesitant expression made several fellow ministers of the Small Council feel their hearts sink. It seemed this matter was likely directed at them.
A certain hunched old man with a grey beard and countless chain links hanging around his neck had his expression change repeatedly. He seemed to be wondering if his frequenting of brothels had been reported.
Varys, who had just felt he'd escaped a disaster, fell into terror once again. He wondered if one of his spying operations had been discovered and reported to the King.
"Littlefinger" Petyr Baelish, however, wore a smile, as he didn't think anyone would report him. He saw this as Renly kicking Varys while he was down.
"In the name of the King, I permit you to speak that person's name, whoever it may be!"
Robert's words echoed through the hall, leaving those with guilty consciences looking pale as death.
After a moment of silence, Renly chose his words carefully and said:
"Someone has reported that the smugglers of King's Landing have secretly formed a guild, and this guild appears to have the protection of a certain Minister of the Crown. They operate independently of the Merchants' Guild and are not subject to the kingdom's jurisdiction."
The smiling "Littlefinger" instantly turned pale with alarm upon hearing these words, and soon, several sharp gazes were fixed upon him.
"I need an explanation, my dear Master of Coin. For the sake of those bosom girls, don't tell me you didn't know about this?"
Faced with the King's reproach, "Littlefinger"'s mind raced. He naturally knew about the Smugglers' Guild; in fact, he was the true backer behind the scenes.
But such a thing could naturally not be told to King Robert. So, he shifted his thinking and explained to King Robert:
"Your Majesty, I have truly never heard of this guild. I have been busy studying the tax issues of Oldtown recently. If handled well, I will create another 'Seagull Town Miracle'!"
The so-called "Seagull Town Miracle" referred to when "Littlefinger" Petyr Baelish served as a tax collector in Seagull Town and discovered the illicit dealings between some local officials and merchants.
It was precisely because of his discovery that the tax revenue of Seagull Town increased tenfold, an incident that led to many merchants and officials either losing their heads or being sent to the North.
However, the Crown and the earl of Seagull Town, as the beneficiaries, credited all the merit to "Littlefinger." Thus, when "Littlefinger" mentioned Oldtown...
King Robert's heart pounded. Clearly, being desperately short of money, he was quite impatient for "Littlefinger" to finish this work.
"Since you have more important things to do, this matter will be handed over to Renly to handle. This organization must be completely uprooted. No one can enjoy the stable environment of King's Landing without paying taxes—no one!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
After Renly's report finished, the morning's royal meeting soon came to an end. Watching the King leave in a hurry, everyone shook their heads helplessly.
"Lord Eddard, regarding today's issues, I think we should discuss solutions together."
After seeing the King off, Renly walked straight up to Eddard.
"Very well, let's go to my quarters first!"
Upon hearing Renly's suggestion, Eddard instinctively checked his surroundings. Noticing that no one was paying attention, he directly extended an invitation to Renly.
As they walked, Renly continued to discuss the solutions to those two matters with Eddard, while the royal servants on the way quickly departed after greeting them.
"Lord Eddard, it seems your plan was very successful. We have completely entangled Varys and Petyr with these matters. So, what should we do next?"
After sitting down around Eddard's the Hand's council table, Renly Baratheon spoke those words with immediate eagerness.
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