The royalists and queen's men, who had been mocking Petyr just moments ago, now all looked constipated, as if they couldn't quite digest this crazy idea.
Some, who dared not even conceive of such a thing, instinctively wanted to object, but their mouths opened and closed, unable to utter a word.
Because, logically speaking, it made sense.
Davos was also shocked by Petyr's suggestion. He was certainly happy to see Jon become Stannis's capable right-hand man, but now he worried if such a reward was too extravagant.
To be granted a dukedom for a battle that turned the tide was not impossible, and he believed Jon deserved such a reward.
But the problem was, what kind of place was the Westerlands? That was a place the Lannister Family had managed for over a thousand years; the Lannister Family was to the Westerlands what the Stark Family was to the North.
The Lannister Family's ancestor, Lann the Clever, had already founded the Lannister Family there during the Age of Heroes.
Since then, whether it was the Andal invasion or Aegon the Conqueror sweeping across the Seven Kingdoms, the Lannister Family had stood firm.
Let Jon become lord of casterly rock?
Davos believed Robb could march into the Westerlands, and so could Jon, but what about Casterly Rock?
The eighty-foot-high Wall had already deterred countless people; Casterly Rock was a fortress carved into a two-hundred-foot stone mountain! It was one with the entire stone mountain.
Steep and impregnable.
No matter how he used his imagination, he could not imagine how Jon would conquer Casterly Rock.
Though the title of duke was grand, the risk of acquiring it was simply too great; Jon might well lose his life in the Westerlands.
Davos looked nervously at Stannis, not hoping he would accept Petyr's suggestion.
Meanwhile, Petyr, cradling his severed wrist, was sucking in cold air while carefully observing everyone's reactions.
Stannis still maintained his unperturbed, expressionless demeanor. Selyse next to him seemed restless, and it was said that Alliser, who had been imprisoned earlier, was also pondering Petyr's proposal.
At this moment, Petyr saw Melisandre, his grey-green eyes lingering for two more seconds on her beautiful, painting-like face.
This woman was indeed beautiful and possessed a very special aura, but Petyr, after all, was in the flesh trade and had decent self-control, so he quickly moved his eyes away.
Then, while everyone was still deep in thought, he spoke again: "Your Majesty, back when Aegon the Conqueror defeated the combined forces of the Gardener King and the King of the Rock in the Battle of the Field of Fire, the Gardener King died on the battlefield. Aegon the Conqueror bestowed Highgarden, the Gardener Family's castle, upon the House Tyrell. From then on, the House Tyrell became the rulers of The Reach, but the House Tyrell was merely the Gardener Family's steward Family, and other families with closer blood ties to the Gardener Family were unwilling to submit. The House Tyrell could only pledge more loyalty to the Dragon King, and even during King Robert's Rebellion, they were staunch royalists. How similar is Jon's situation now to that of the House Tyrell? He likewise has no Foundation in the Westerlands; all his legitimacy and power come from you. As long as Jon takes the Westerlands, you will gain a powerful and wealthy vassal."
Petyr cited historical examples, trying to persuade Stannis to make a decision.
At this point, Alliser, who had not spoken much, was also preparing to offer his advice.
The day he was thrown into the dungeon, he heard that King's Landing had been retaken, and for a moment he thought he was dreaming.
At the same time, Alliser regretted his actions; if only he had waited two more days to write to the Lannister Family? He wouldn't have ended up like this, and he wouldn't have dragged his Family down.
So now, like Petyr, he needed to improve his image in Stannis's eyes.
By the way, he, a member of the House Florent, was precisely one of the families Petyr mentioned as having closer blood ties to the Gardener Family.
"Your Majesty," Alliser said, approaching Stannis, "I believe Ser Petyr's proposal is good. Granting the Westerlands and Casterly Rock to Jon, first, is fully commensurate with his achievements, and second, whether Jon ultimately succeeds in conquering the Westerlands or not, it benefits us."
Alliser stated that if Jon succeeded, the West would be peaceful, Jon could suppress the Riverlands to the east, and contain The Reach to the south, meaning the iron throne would gain a powerful vassal. If he failed, then with Jon's military talent, he could still weaken the Westerlands as much as possible, which was a no-lose situation.
As for Jon possibly cooperating with the North, he had publicly prevented Robb from being crowned King, so there was no possibility of cooperation. If Jon showed even a hint of such a tendency, Stannis could immediately revoke his legitimacy, and opponents in the Westerlands would rise up en masse.
However, his proposal was met with dissatisfaction from Davos: "Lord Hand, Jon has just rendered such great service to Your Majesty, can he not be given a reward commensurate with his loyalty? He is still just a newly adult boy."
"Since he is Your Majesty's subject, he should always offer loyalty to Your Majesty, and moreover, he is just a bastard; it was Your Majesty who bestowed the Stark name upon him!" Alliser said shamelessly.
Davos almost laughed in anger; how dare you say such a thing.
At the mention of "newly adult," Davos's voice trembled slightly. Two of his four sons, Matthos and Marcus, were not much older than Jon, and Stannis, standing nearby, was also somewhat moved.
Davos was also responsible for the deaths of his four sons; he shouldn't have trusted that fool Imry so much.
Moreover, Davos also had a point; doing this was indeed somewhat inhumane.
Finally, His Majesty the King spoke: "Ser Petyr's suggestion is very thoughtful, and Ser Davos's concerns are also very valid. This matter is of great importance; once we reach King's Landing, I will speak with Jon personally."
Stannis had made his decision, so there was no need for others to argue.
He looked at Littlefinger, who was bowing his head in silence, thinking that if this fellow's mind was indeed sharp, and if he could be as loyal as Davos in the future, he could relax much more.
But Stannis also knew this was impossible.
He had no fondness for such fickle individuals.
He had once suggested closing all brothels in King's Landing, and Petyr operated the second-largest brothel in King's Landing; they were simply not on the same path.
He planned to slightly expand Petyr's fiefdom and then exclude him from the center of politics.
He had another candidate for the position of Master of Coin.
At the end of the meeting, Stannis once again dispatched Davos to act as his "diplomat."
He sent Davos and Petyr together to meet Mace, who still had his army stationed near Bitterbridge, to inform him that he agreed to their peace terms.
And most importantly, it was to "propose a marriage for Jon."
Whether or not to grant Jon the title of lord of casterly rock was debatable, but uniting Jon and Margaery was indeed the best choice.
"Brynden! You bastard!"
Rickard watched Tywin's remaining Soldiers ride away from Stony Sept, roaring at the sky, his white beard bristling, signifying his rage.
His original agreed-upon plan was for Rickard to pursue Tywin from behind, while Brynden would intercept him in front of Stony Sept. But Brynden had only ordered his Soldiers to fire a few scattered arrows.
For fast-galloping cavalry, this amount of damage was nothing, and they easily broke through the encirclement.
A furious Rickard abandoned his army, rode towards Brynden's formation, and angrily shouted in a gruff voice: "Brynden! Why did you let Tywin go!"
Brynden turned to look at Rickard, whose eyes were bloodshot, and calmly said: "For Robb's crown, for the independence of the Riverlands and the North!"
Although Brynden spoke very practically, Rickard simply could not accept it morally, not to mention that his two sons had died at Jaime's hands.
He had wanted to use Tywin's blood to commemorate his sons, but Brynden had let him go just like that.
Rickard gasped, striding towards Brynden, grabbing his breastplate, and angrily questioning: "Independence, independence, independence! Is independence all that's in your head? Family, Honor, Duty, isn't that the Tully Family motto? Honor! Where is the honor! How can you face Jon like this!"
Brynden still calmly watched Rickard roaring at him, seeing the old lord's saliva stringing from his mouth, then spraying onto his face with the airflow from his throat.
The Riverlands Soldiers Brynden had brought forward tried hard to pull the two apart, but he waved them off.
"Family, Honor, Duty, Lord Rickard, for me, Family comes first!" Brynden looked at Rickard's bloodshot eyes, as if remembering his own elder brother, Lord Hoster Tully, from years ago.
Back then, he had refused to marry into the Frey Family and had been severely reprimanded, even choosing to leave his Family and go to the Vale to become the Knight of the Bloody Gate, calling himself the Blackfish to declare his aspirations.
However, Hoster's death made him understand some things. In a place like Westeros, there is no individual without a Family. He was able to become the Knight of the Bloody Gate in the Vale not because of his martial prowess or strategy, but because he was a Tully.
It was because of the Tully name that he earned Jon Arryn's trust.
Now, he had to prioritize the interests of the Tully Family.
Although Brynden knew his actions were despicable, he still decided to let Tywin go.
As long as Tywin was alive, the Westerlands, though broken, could unite, and thus Stannis would not move against them.
And Rickard, seeing no remorse in Brynden, only felt his angry roars were meaningless.
He flung his powerful arm, shaking off the Riverlands Soldiers who were pulling at him.
The North and the Riverlands, which had only recently united, now showed cracks.
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