King's Landing, the Red Keep, the Tower of the Hand
Inside a study in the Tower of the Hand, the three pillars of House Lannister—Tywin Lannister, Kevan Lannister, and Jaime Lannister—stood in a triangular formation around Duke Tywin's desk.
"We must make a choice now; this is our last chance. If we seize it, there is still hope. If we fail, death will descend!"
Seated behind the desk, Duke Tywin's expression was grim; the fall of King's Landing was something he had completely failed to anticipate.
For some reason, Duke Tywin suddenly thought of his old friend, the "Mad King" Aerys II—that old friend who had trusted him, only to have the city gates tricked open by his own hand.
Thinking of what he was about to do, Duke Tywin felt a strange sense of destiny. After glancing at his son, he finally spoke those words.
"We must now initiate the Wildfire Project. This is our last chance. The wildfire in the secret passages beneath the Red Keep has already been cleared."
"I object! How is what we are doing now any different from what that Mad King did?"
Jaime Lannister, who had always been selfish, spoke up in opposition once again. The current state of King's Landing was just as it had been back then, but with even more people. If a wildfire crisis truly erupted, no one in this city would be spared.
"Everything for Lannister!"
Kevan, who had been silent, suddenly uttered those words. The world said that Ser Kevan was Duke Tywin's shadow.
But only Kevan himself knew how much his brother had sacrificed for the family.
Due to their incompetent father, House Lannister had once become the laughingstock of the Seven Kingdoms. From the founding of the Seven Kingdoms until Duke Tywin's generation, the Westerlands had only just truly reached the pinnacle of power.
Although Kevan felt a flicker of reluctance in his heart regarding the plan to burn King's Landing, once the plan succeeded, they would achieve the greatest victory and an advantage in public opinion.
The interests of the nobles in the Vale, the Riverlands, and the Reach had all been damaged. These people were natural allies of House Lannister. As long as Aegon Targaryen's strength was diminished, their family still had a chance.
"This is simply not feasible. Since the other side has given us a chance to negotiate, we should cherish it. That Aegon Targaryen is rumored to be a being protected by the gods. Are we really going to move against such a person?"
Duke Tywin naturally knew exactly what his son was talking about. Everyone in King's Landing could testify to the terrifying dragon that had rescued Eddard Stark.
A year ago, House Lannister's spies in the Kingdom of the Three Daughters had also sent back intelligence. Although it sounded incredibly bizarre, many people there swore it was true.
Aegon Targaryen had once captured a castle single-handedly without sustaining a single injury. In Essos, some even directly claimed that Aegon Targaryen was a god descended to earth.
"When I was in Essos, I saw those who possessed strange abilities, but you must believe, Jaime!"
After Duke Tywin said this, he looked at his eldest son, the heir he had once been most proud of.
"Anyone who uses supernatural power must pay a price. If he truly is a god, then let me be the first god-slayer!"
As Duke Tywin spoke, his voice carried a hint of finality. He had worked so hard to bring his family to the summit; if given a few more years, he could have even connected the Crownlands, the Riverlands, and the Westerlands into one territory.
But now, with the rise of that Bastard of the North, that goal was drifting further and further away from Duke Tywin. He was furious; no matter what, he was determined to make the opponent taste the roar of House Lannister.
"Only the three of us know what happened today. All right, Kevan, go and issue the orders!"
This morning, a messenger from Jeyne Arryn had arrived at the Red Keep. Although Jeyne was more inclined to storm the Red Keep, she had already established a plan with Jon.
Therefore, Jeyne could only do her best to ensure a smooth transition for King's Landing.
Jeyne remembered very clearly that Jon had told her people were the most important resource. Compared to gold and silver, population was what could create infinite value.
After all, Jeyne had once been a Dragon Lord. After Jon explained it to her, she understood how to correctly use the population to create value.
Jeyne did not push House Lannister and House Tyrell to a dead end. The Targaryen family would not seize the industries these two families originally owned.
Jeyne didn't even intend to take Duke Tywin's life, using this as a way to win over Daenerys Targaryen. But even so, neither family showed any desire to negotiate.
Although Joffrey Baratheon kept clamoring to hang the messengers, in the end, no one dared to step forward and follow his orders.
No one was a fool. They all knew the enemy was at the gates. If they committed the act of slaying a messenger now, only death would await them.
While Kevan quietly went to execute the orders and Duke Tywin was still arguing with Jaime, inside a certain bedroom in Maegor's Holdfast…
Three members of House Tyrell were gathered around the bedroom fireplace. The weather today wasn't very cold, but the fire in the hearth was burning steadily.
This was because someone was constantly throwing lit white paper into it. The low-cost white paper produced in the Kingdom of the Three Daughters was very popular in the Seven Kingdoms, and its quality was even better than the grey grass paper from the Citadel.
At this moment, Margaery Tyrell, Mace Tyrell, and the "Queen of Thorns" Olenna Tyrell each held a wooden board with a clip. Beside them lay quills and ink.
"Swish, swish…"
Amidst the sound of quills scratching against paper, lines of dialogue were written out.
"House Lannister is finished. We must reconsider; now is the last chance."
Lady Olenna's handwriting possessed a sharp and oppressive quality, much like her irritable and biting personality.
After the paper was passed around, Margaery took on the task of burning it, while Duke Mace began writing rapidly on his sheet.
"But we don't have any of our armies in hand right now. If a conflict breaks out rashly, I'm afraid we won't be their match at all!"
As usual, Duke Mace had no opinions of his own and was afraid of everything. In fact, at the very beginning, his mother had already requested that he leave immediately.
But this fellow was a bit too concerned with saving face, so he stayed here until today. Only now, after the exits were completely sealed, did "Lord Puff Fish" remember to seek his mother's help.
"I told you back then to go back to the Reach early to take charge of the situation. What did you do?"
After writing this, Lady Olenna gave her son a fierce glare.
While Duke Mace hung his head like a quail, a section of elegant Common Tongue script suddenly appeared before their eyes.
"The most important thing now is to incite conflict among the Lannisters. That way, we won't be in any danger!"
"Sizzle…"
Under the heat of the flames, the paper with the elegant handwriting let out a very slight crackling sound.
It was precisely because of this paper's appearance that Lady Olenna stopped glaring at her son.
"How?"
After giving her granddaughter an approving look, Lady Olenna wrote this single word.
"Actually, this was a reminder from the people on the other side. Didn't the messenger say so? As long as they are willing to surrender, the men and women of each family will have corresponding inheritance rights. Those who refuse to surrender will be stripped of their castles and lands!"
Because this passage was quite long, Margaery quickly ran out of space on her paper.
However, Margaery was very fast; she soon handed another sheet of paper to her grandmother.
"House Lannister has no heir now—or rather, the only heir has already joined the enemy's side. Moreover, I heard that he has become the Hand of the King. So, who will inherit the Westerlands when the time comes?"
"Yes, yes. After being a shadow for so long, it's time to replace the master and become the new ruler!"
After reading this, Lady Olenna quickly began writing on her board.
"It seems we can indeed send someone to communicate with him!"
"What are you two talking about?"
While Lady Olenna and Margaery were pleasantly discussing their follow-up plan, a piece of paper was abruptly inserted into their conversation.
"When I gave birth to you, did I accidentally damage your brain? Or was the servant who nursed you so lowly that her milk contaminated your mind?"
Duke Mace, who had eagerly handed over his paper, quickly hung his head, looking as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.
"Just be a good boy and attend your Small Council meetings normally! I will handle this matter. Just make sure you don't die before the enemy invades."
After handing the paper to her foolish son, Lady Olenna resumed her discussion with Margaery.
"I need to reconsider the plan. The people of the Targaryen family will not act according to the will of the Seven. I think the ever-blooming Rose should consider taking root in Essos."
After driving her son away, Lady Olenna suddenly handed a note to Margaery.
"Queen of Essos?"
Margaery's reply made Lady Olenna very happy.
"No, I think it should be the Queen of Braavos!"
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