By the time they finished their inspection, it was already evening.
Although Cersei did not like Tyrion, he was, in name at least, still a Lannister, so she held a small banquet for him; however, the atmosphere was suffocating.
After the banquet concluded, Tyrion took the opportunity to keep the members of the small council behind for a brief meeting.
Joffrey, having heard that Tyrion had brought troops to reinforce King's Landing, rushed over in high spirits.
He was still wearing his ornate armor, looking as if he were ready to head to the battlefield at any moment, his face flushed with excitement.
"Uncle." Joffrey's eyes lit up when he saw Tyrion. "You're finally here. How many troops did you bring? When do we attack?"
Tyrion looked at him and gave a slight bow. "Your Grace, I have only brought five hundred cavalry this time. The main force of the West is still in the The Riverlands; Father needs time to deal with the Northmen."
Upon hearing this, Joffrey's expression darkened instantly. "Five hundred men? What can five hundred men do? Are you mocking me?"
"Of course not." Tyrion straightened up and said in a calm tone, "These five hundred men were only to ensure my safe arrival in King's Landing; we need to raise the actual force here in King's Landing ourselves. Furthermore, Father sent me to serve as acting hand of the king and to oversee the defense of King's Landing."
Tyrion pulled a roll of parchment from his tunic. "This is a letter from my father, Tywin Lannister. According to his orders, from now on, I am in charge of all defenses in King's Landing, and all personnel are under my command."
Cersei narrowed her eyes. "And what of the King and me?"
"The Queen Regent will, of course, assist His Grace in managing state affairs." Tyrion smiled. "After all, I am not very familiar with such matters."
Cersei looked at him, complex emotions flashing in her green eyes.
She knew how clever her brother was, and she understood what he meant—he did not want to vie for power with her, but only wanted to focus on dealing with the Targaryens.
However, Joffrey, standing to the side, spoke up in a shrill voice. "Grandfather sent you to take command? Has he gone senile? You can barely hold a sword, so how can you command an army? I thought he would at least send a true Lannister, not a Half-man."
Tyrion walked over to his side before speaking slowly. "Your Grace, my father sent me because you and my dear sister need someone to clean up your mess. As for whether I am a true Lannister..."
He pointed to himself. "My appearance certainly doesn't show it. But as for your 'pure' Lannister looks, I must say, the Baratheon family has no such tradition."
The hall went instantly silent. The members of the small council exchanged glances, faces expressionless, but their eyes betrayed amusement they could not hide.
Furious, Joffrey drew his sword and pointed it at Tyrion, his face turning bright red. "You, The Imp..."
Tyrion stepped forward, cutting him off. "Your Grace, do you wish to take my head? Very well. But when the Targaryens attack, you will have to deal with their dragons yourself."
Cersei spoke up just in time, addressing Joffrey. "That is enough, Your Grace."
Although she wished nothing more than for Tyrion to die right then and there, he had been sent by her father, Tywin Lannister, and she did not quite dare to let her son kill him outright.
In truth, her hatred for Tyrion did not stem solely from the fact that their mother died giving birth to him, as she did not have such deep feelings for her mother.
Nor was it just because he was a dwarf and a stain on the Lannister name, for she was not particularly loyal to the family herself; she was a rather selfish person.
The biggest reason was that when she was a child in Lannisport in the West, a witch had prophesied to her, and several of those prophecies had already been verified, proving to be extremely accurate.
But two others remained unverified. One was that in the future, a woman would overthrow her rule.
She now suspected that this person was likely one of the Targaryens; the Targaryens now had two women, and one of them might become queen, as the Targaryens had always had such traditions.
The other was that she would ultimately die at the hands of her brother.
But Jaime and she were deeply attached, and he would even die for her, so how could he kill her?
Therefore, she had always believed that person was Tyrion, and consequently, she had never given him a kind look since they were children.
Once, she had even nearly drowned Tyrion, though he was saved in the end by Jaime, who had rushed to the scene.
At this moment, she looked at Tyrion, her eyes cold. "You have already inspected the defenses of King's Landing today. What is your plan now?"
Tyrion composed his expression and said seriously, "First, continue conscription. Gather every man capable of holding a weapon, arm them, and assign more men to guard the walls."
"Second, take stock of the food supplies, centralize them, and implement rationing. There are five hundred thousand people in King's Landing; our food will not last long. If the Targaryens lay siege, we need to hold out until Father returns with reinforcements."
"Third..." He paused and continued, "Send someone to negotiate with the Targaryens."
"Negotiate?" Cersei's voice rose. "Have you lost your mind?"
"It is only to buy time." Tyrion explained. "Even buying a single day is worth it. Tell him we are willing to negotiate, willing to discuss terms, and willing to consider surrender, as long as it slows his advance."
Joffrey scoffed. "Would a Targaryen believe such nonsense?"
"I do not know," Tyrion said. "But they might be curious and want to hear what terms we can offer. Even if he only sends an envoy, it buys us a day."
Cersei stared at him, saying nothing.
Varys, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke. "The Imp is right. Viserys Targaryen is a smart man, and smart men always like to listen and observe more. Besides, sending an envoy costs us nothing."
Littlefinger Petyr also nodded and said, "I agree as well."
Cersei looked at them and finally nodded. "Then you may try. I will arrange for Jaime to assist you."
She needed Jaime to be by his side to watch him, so that he would not secretly scheme against her; she believed in that prophecy quite firmly.
Tyrion looked at Jaime, his heart stirred, but he remained outwardly calm. "That would be excellent. With the greatest knight in the Seven Kingdoms present, morale will certainly be boosted."
Jaime opened his mouth to say something to Cersei, but ultimately remained silent. He had not yet told Cersei about the orders his father had given him.
Halfway through the council meeting, a guard walked in and handed a letter to Cersei.
Her expression changed after reading it, and she turned to look at Jaime.
"Father has written again," she said, emphasizing the word "again."
Jaime's body stiffened upon hearing Cersei's words.
Cersei handed the letter to him. Jaime took it, unfolded it, and turned pale after reading it.
The letter was short, containing only a few sentences: "Jaime, I do not wish to repeat myself; return to the West immediately. Tyrion is to be in full charge of King's Landing."
Jaime clutched the letter and looked at Cersei.
But Cersei did not look at him; a flash of malice flickered in her lowered eyes.
She felt that Jaime had betrayed her; he had not told her about such an important matter beforehand.
Jaime wanted to say something more, but seeing that Cersei ignored him completely, he could only turn and leave silently, though his gaze held a hint of pleading as he looked at Tyrion.
Tyrion understood and nodded at him, signaling that he knew.
At the same time that Tyrion arrived in King's Landing, a naval battle that would influence the situation in Westeros broke out in the waters off Cape Massey.
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