King's Landing, in the throne room of the iron throne.
"In the name of Joffrey Baratheon I, King of the andals, the rhoynar, and the first men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm, I grant you the name of House Baratheon. From this moment on, you are no longer a bastard, but a true member of House Baratheon."
Joffrey stood solemnly before the iron throne, resting his longsword on the right shoulder of his mentor, Borin Storm. This was a necessary part of the ceremony.
As soon as Joffrey Baratheon sat on the iron throne, he fulfilled his father Robert Baratheon's last wish by legitimizing his mentor, Borin Storm. After all, his relationship with this mentor was quite good.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Borin Storm knelt before Joffrey, lowering his head in gratitude, his expression devout.
Then, Joffrey continued—
"In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave."
"In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just."
"In the name of the Mother, I charge you to protect the weak and innocent."
"In the name of the Maiden, I charge you to protect all women."
"In the name of the Smith, I grant you strength."
"In the name of the Crone, I grant you wisdom."
The longsword in Joffrey's hand moved from Borin Storm's right shoulder to his left, and then back to the right.
This was the procedure for knighting. In truth, it was a complex process; strictly speaking, it required an all-night vigil in a sept and anointing with holy oil.
But Joffrey couldn't be bothered with all that pomp and circumstance. Besides, he didn't believe in the Seven anyway, so this was close enough.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" After thanking the King, Borin Storm stood up at Joffrey's command.
Being knighted meant entering the ranks of nobility. For Borin Storm, originally a bastard of House Baratheon, this was nothing short of a meteoric rise.
However, to his surprise, after knighting him, King Joffrey Baratheon handed the longsword he had been holding directly to him.
"Mentor, this sword is the valyrian steel sword 'Ice' of House Stark. Today, I present it to you as a gift, hoping you will perform your duties faithfully and protect the realm."
Borin Storm was silent for a moment, then, after expressing his gratitude, he took 'Ice' with both hands.
Looking at 'Ice' in his hands, Borin Storm was filled with mixed emotions. On the surface, he appeared happy, but the moment he thought of his friend Eddard Stark's predicament, he couldn't bring himself to be truly joyous.
Finally, Joffrey smiled slightly and made a move that shocked everyone present.
"Borin Storm, heed my command! I now appoint you as Captain of the City Watch of King's Landing, in command of all military forces in King's Landing. From this day forward, you are responsible only to the King and shall take orders only from me."
He was appointing his mentor, Borin Storm, as Captain of the City Watch, in charge of all affairs at the seven gates.
It was like the "Commander of the Nine Gates" Longkodo in Westerosi terms, though it should be called "Commander of the Seven Gates" now.
This decision was one Joffrey Baratheon had deliberated upon; he needed someone he could truly trust. Since ancient times, the position of Captain of the City Watch could only be held by the King's absolute confidant.
In times of peace, no minister coming to King's Landing could bring too many troops. For instance, when Eddard Stark came to King's Landing as Hand, he only brought fifty guards; if he had brought any more, Robert would not have agreed.
Thus, the role of the three thousand Gold Cloaks of the City Watch became apparent. Whoever controlled them controlled everything in King's Landing.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Borin Storm was overwhelmed by the favor. He had once served as a guard at a city gate, so he knew exactly how much trust the King was placing in him.
...
As soon as he heard Joffrey's order, Janos Slynt himself did not express dissatisfaction.
Because he believed he had already been granted Harrenhal, so even if he were removed from the post of Captain of the City Watch, it was merely the loss of one channel for making money; he had still profited.
But the Queen Regent, Cersei Lannister, was immediately furious.
"No! Joffrey, how can you replace Janos Slynt! Janos Slynt has been doing a perfectly good job; he has rendered us great service!"
In her eyes, Janos Slynt had already firmly stood on their side and was an important partner. How could her son, upon taking the throne, do such a thing as casting aside a loyal servant?
Before Joffrey could reply to his mother, he saw Petyr Baelish step forward as well.
"I wonder what insight Lord Baelish has?" Joffrey asked.
"Your Majesty, I believe that Lord Janos Slynt has rendered you great service after all. If you remove him at this time, I fear it will cause much gossip in the world."
Petyr Baelish had collaborated with Janos Slynt for a long time, and their division of labor was very clear.
Captain Janos Slynt was responsible for selling offices and taking bribes. Petyr Baelish was responsible for making connections and could also take a nice cut of the profits.
Petyr Baelish could also pay some money to have Janos Slynt act as his eyes and ears, and ensure his own safety. Therefore, for both public and private reasons, Petyr Baelish did not want this friend, with whom he had collaborated for years, to be dismissed like this.
"What will they gossip about? That I am ungrateful and dismiss meritorious officials?" Joffrey looked at Petyr Baelish, feeling dissatisfied.
Joffrey felt he had been too good to him lately; he had to teach him a lesson.
"This..."
Petyr Baelish did not dare to say too much. Once he provoked Joffrey, he wouldn't end well either.
His eyes darted around, and he thought for a moment. He decided there was no need to offend the King for the sake of a stupid pawn he had deployed casually. Besides, Joffrey's appointment letter for him as Lord of the Riverlands had not yet been fulfilled. He had to be cautious now, so he stepped back and said nothing more.
Janos Slynt had originally accepted it, but upon hearing the words of the Queen Regent and the Master of Coin, he felt he couldn't be too soft. After all, no one would complain about having too much money.
Moreover, this new King Joffrey was still a minor; he couldn't let himself be pushed around at will. If this got out, his standing in the underworld would be in jeopardy.
So, he immediately stepped forward, wanting to defend himself.
Joffrey looked at him. Good heavens, a piece of trash like you has the nerve to step forward? You think you're something special now, don't you? Watch how I tear you apart, you bastard!
"Oh? Is this not our loyal and incorruptible Lord Janos Slynt?" Joffrey sat on the iron throne, squinting his eyes as he smiled at Janos Slynt.
"What? Do you have some objection to my previous order?"
"No, no, no, Your Majesty. This is not an objection, it is a suggestion, a suggestion." Janos Slynt was a bully who feared the strong; as soon as Joffrey's tone became slightly firm, he immediately softened.
Joffrey had long been dissatisfied with Janos Slynt, especially after learning that this fellow had actually received orders from Queen Cersei to hunt down and kill a group of children all over King's Landing behind his back.
If Joffrey didn't deal with this guy today, he wouldn't be able to soothe his hatred.
This was not just a question of harming women and children, but a question of Janos Slynt's loyalty. It meant that Janos Slynt listened to his mother, Cersei, and the orders of House Lannister behind her.
If he could obey orders without hesitation to slaughter children today, he could obey orders to put a knife to his own throat tomorrow. Joffrey was not stupid enough to keep this bomb by his side.
"Your Majesty, I believe that having served as Captain of the City Watch for so many years, bleeding and working for the country, I have at least put in some hard work, if not merited any credit." Janos Slynt was getting anxious.
"I had almost forgotten until you mentioned it. It seems you haven't achieved a single merit in all your years as Captain. I suppose you do have some self-awareness."
Joffrey's ruthless mockery made Ser Barristan Selmy, who was standing nearby, almost laugh out loud.
He had long despised Janos Slynt; a corrupt wretch like this could actually be so heavily relied upon by the former King Robert Baratheon.
King Robert's reasoning was also bizarre; he believed that rather than letting others take bribes in secret, it was better to let this guy take bribes openly. That logic was truly unique.
"I..." Janos Slynt was speechless. He thought to himself: I was just being modest, why are you pushing your luck?
"Your Majesty, I believe I am still capable of holding this position. After all, I have served for so many years, I am very familiar with all the members, and my prestige is quite good." Janos Slynt hurriedly boasted of his abilities, wanting to win back the King's heart.
But he did not understand the current situation; the reason he was being replaced was simply that Joffrey felt he was disloyal, which had nothing to do with his ability.
Joffrey ignored his words and turned his head to look at the master of whisperers, "The Spider," Varys.
"Lord Varys, please produce what I asked for. Do not tell me you are not prepared; if so, I shall have to doubt your loyalty to me."
As soon as Joffrey finished speaking, everyone in the hall turned their gaze toward the master of whisperers, Varys, who was pretending to know nothing in the corner.
Especially Petyr Baelish; his eyes seemed to be glowing. He had collaborated with Varys; if Varys defected to Joffrey, he would be in a difficult spot.
However, after seeing Varys wink at him twice, he realized instantly that his King was playing mind games with the ministers.
Varys took out several secret reports filled with text from his sleeves with a helpless expression. Ser Barristan Selmy, Captain of the Kingsguard, stepped forward to receive them and walked up to the iron throne to hand them to King Joffrey.
To prevent the idiot Janos Slynt from biting back, Varys added: "Your Majesty, this is what you instructed me to do the other day, and I have strictly followed your wishes to inquire within the City Watch."
Varys's meaning was clear: Captain Janos Slynt, everything I did was under duress, and the information I provided was gathered by inquiring within your own circle. If there is anything amiss in the reports, it's not my fault; blame your "good brothers."
Joffrey was somewhat dissatisfied with Varys's attitude. His original intention was to make these ministers, each harboring their own ulterior motives, suspicious of each other and deepen their internal friction, so that his own position would be secure.
But Varys was a slippery fish; he was too smart, clearly intending not to offend anyone.
"On the xxth day of the xxth month, in the year xxx of Aegon's Conquest, Janos Slynt, Captain of the City Watch, accepted a bribe of one hundred gold dragons from the owner of the Crossroads Inn to arrange for the man's son to join the Gold Cloaks."
"On the xxth day of the xxth month, in the year xxx of Aegon's Conquest, Janos Slynt, Captain of the City Watch, embezzled provisions, pocketing three thousand gold dragons that should have been issued to the members of the City Watch, and squandered it quickly."
"On the xxth day of the xxth month, in the year xxx of Aegon's Conquest, Janos Slynt, Captain of the City Watch..."
"..."
Joffrey looked at the secret reports in his hand and read for a full ten minutes before stopping.
Janos Slynt, standing in the hall, was dumbfounded. When had he ever done these things? Hadn't he just taken a few bribes and embezzled a little grain pay?
Did you really have to say that I got drunk at night and forcibly assaulted the madam of a brothel? That woman is nearly sixty years old! Am I really that desperate?
Janos Slynt still thought that some member of the City Watch was dissatisfied with him and was exaggerating to slander him. He didn't even suspect for a moment that Joffrey was just making it all up on the spot.
Even Varys was puzzled. He had clearly only written down thirty-something charges; how did you manage to recite over three hundred?
In reality, this whole pile of extra charges was made up by Joffrey on the spot. After all, he was determined to crush Janos Slynt completely; if he didn't make it sound serious enough, it wouldn't resonate with the crowd.
Then, Joffrey seized the moment and roared—
"Guards! Throw Janos Slynt into the dungeon immediately. Interrogate him strictly; make sure he spits out every single one of his crimes for me!"
"Your Majesty, I didn't do it! These things have nothing to do with me! This is just petty people jealous of me, slandering me!"
Janos Slynt panicked. He really hadn't done these things!
"How dare you! Janos Slynt, I thought you would recognize your mistakes, repent, and turn over a new leaf. I didn't expect you to be so stubborn! In that case, you don't need to go to the dungeon."
Joffrey stood up and feigned great anger.
"Guards! Pack this guy up and ship him off to The Wall overnight. Let him go be a member of the Nights Watch." It just so happened that Joffrey had recently received a letter from the Lord Commander of the Nights Watch saying they were short on men, so throwing this guy over there would do.
What is it they say? If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. If you're saddled with a charge, you should just accept it obediently. If you refuse to accept it, then that's refusing to repent, failing the King's grace, and the punishment will be doubled.
The two Gold Cloaks standing at the gate exchanged glances and immediately understood.
The two stepped forward, each grabbing an arm, and dragged their captain, Janos Slynt—with whom they had been drinking just last night—out of the room, displaying a show of brotherly affection.
"Your Majesty! No! Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, please spare me!"
"..."
Janos Slynt was filled with despair. Now that he was being sent to The Wall, he truly had nowhere to turn to weep.
Just then, Joffrey suddenly thought of the news that had arrived from the front lines two days ago.
His uncle, Jaime Lannister, had crushed the Riverlands army beneath Casterly Rock, and subsequently, "The Mountain" Gregor Clegane had led an ambush to slaughter the forces at Mummer's Ford, killing the team Eddard Stark had sent out, and had even captured "The Knight of Flowers" Loras Tyrell alive.
Joffrey felt a stir in his heart and said: "Lord Baelish, we now have Loras Tyrell of House Tyrell in our hands."
"I want you to go to Highgarden in the name of the iron throne and tell The Queen of Thorns that we want to use the life of her grandson as a condition to exchange for an alliance between us and House Tyrell."
"As you command, Your Majesty." Petyr Baelish bowed to accept the order without objection, though he was now a bit confused about what his King was actually trying to do.
Just as Petyr Baelish finished agreeing and straightened up.
Joffrey suddenly flashed a mischievous smile and added: "If everything goes smoothly, as a reward, you will be the Lord of Harrenhal."
This sentence left Petyr Baelish stunned. Meanwhile, Janos Slynt, who had not yet been dragged out, heard this and stared at Petyr Baelish with an expression of disbelief.
He then began to curse at "Littlefinger," thinking that Petyr Baelish had sold him out to obtain Harrenhal.
"So it was you, you ungrateful bastard! Have you forgotten how much money I've paid you!"
"You bastard, you sold me out for your own future!"
"Don't forget, you aren't clean either!"
"Littlefinger! I will never let you get away with this!"
"..."
The angry, frustrated cursing continued incessantly. As he was dragged out of the hall by the guards, the sound gradually faded until it could no longer be heard.
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
Petyr Baelish glanced at Joffrey on the iron throne, a wry smile on his face, and had no choice but to accept the order.
Petyr Baelish couldn't help but curse inwardly: Janos Slynt, that simple-minded fool, didn't even realize he was being played, and he almost dragged me down with him.
In the future, I must not cooperate with such brainless idiots, otherwise, I might be implicated by him and die without even knowing how.
Petyr Baelish knew that Joffrey had completely caught him in a trap this time. After Joffrey interrogated Janos Slynt today, he would certainly obtain a pile of information related to him.
Based on his understanding of Janos Slynt, this guy would definitely say everything he knew to escape punishment, and would even spout nonsense about things he didn't know.
However, Petyr Baelish also knew that he still had some use to Joffrey, and the other party wouldn't deal with him for the time being.
But if he lost his utility, Joffrey would definitely use these charges to kill him.
It seemed he needed to run away from this hellhole of King's Landing as soon as possible. Whether going to the Riverlands or Harrenhal, it would be safer than staying here.
...
In King's Landing, inside The Red Keep. Joffrey, having just finished the investiture ceremony, returned to his bedroom. He was very happy; at least for now, he could still keep these ministers, all harboring their own ulterior motives, in check, and everything was moving in a direction favorable to him.
After thinking for a while, Joffrey picked up a few books and sat at his desk. He wanted to learn everything about rhllor now. The original work was too vague, or perhaps Martin hadn't written it well.
Joffrey desperately needed to find a way to control the guy in his mind who called himself rhllor. He had heard before that Asshai might involve information related to souls.
"Your Majesty, the Stark girl is here." Just then, a guard knocked on the door and came in to report.
Upon hearing this, Joffrey knew the Stark girl referred to Sansa Stark, and he frowned unconsciously.
"Did I not forbid her from coming out?"
"Your Majesty, she... she insisted on seeing you, and we couldn't stop her."
The guard was also in a difficult position. The King's order was certainly important, but they didn't dare offend the future Queen. Anyone with eyes could see that although Eddard Stark had been imprisoned, King Joffrey remained attentive to Eddard Stark's daughter, Sansa Stark.
"I insisted on coming over myself; they couldn't stop me." At this moment, Sansa Stark walked in slowly, speaking up to relieve the guard. Her voice sounded cold and hoarse, as if she had just been crying.
"I see. You may leave." Joffrey waved his hand at the guard and said.
"Yes, Your Majesty." The guard, feeling relieved, nodded vigorously, turned to leave, and closed the door behind him.
With the guard's departure, only Joffrey and Sansa Stark remained in the room, and the atmosphere began to turn subtle.
Sansa Stark was wearing a gorgeous, form-fitting dark red gown today, paired with exquisite makeup, making her, already gentle and beautiful, appear even more mature and elegant.
But Joffrey really didn't know how to face his lover at this moment, so he could only pretend to be reading seriously, avoiding looking at her.
Sansa Stark looked around the room from the corner of her eye. Her eyes darted around, her body trembled slightly, and she took cautious steps as she slowly approached Joffrey. With every step, her heart rate accelerated.
As the distance between the two closed, Sansa could even see the long eyelashes on King Joffrey's handsome face. She felt as if her heart was about to jump out.
When they were separated only by a table, Sansa reached out her left hand as if wanting to caress Joffrey's face. However, her right hand remained stiffly hidden behind her slender waist.
"Joffrey, do you think I look beautiful today?" Sansa's trembling, hoarse voice rang out.
"Sansa, you must not do anything foolish. You know me; if I wanted to, I could easily snap your neck." Just then, Joffrey, who had been keeping his head down as if he hadn't noticed anything, spoke up.
He raised his head to look at Sansa, telling her the reality in a helpless tone.
At this moment, a breeze blew into the room, causing the curtains to flutter.
Hearing this, Sansa felt her heart skip a beat. She saw her eyes firm up, gritted her teeth, and finally stopped hiding it. Her right hand quickly pulled a short, sharp dagger from behind her waist, and she lunged directly at Joffrey's chest across the table.
Sansa naively believed that if she took King Joffrey hostage, she could order the guards in King's Landing to release her father.
But before she could make contact, her delicate right hand was easily seized by Joffrey's left hand. With a casual twist, Sansa opened her mouth to let out a cry of pain, and the dagger slipped from her hand, falling to the side of the table with a series of crisp clattering sounds.
Joffrey held Sansa's right hand with his left, flipped her over, and dragged her so that she lay on her back on the table. Her beautiful body knocked the expensive porcelain cups on the table to the floor; the shattered porcelain, like a broken heart, could never be made whole again.
Joffrey stood up and used his right hand to gently grip her snow-white neck. He slowly leaned down, staring intently into Sansa's tender, watery eyes. The two faced each other, their noses almost touching.
The beauty of love is always filled with tears, carrying passion within the mundane.
"Sansa, do you hate me?"
"I... I don't know." Sansa Stark, lying on her back and looking at Joffrey Baratheon's eyes full of deep affection, couldn't help but let tears stream from her moving eyes. The tears flowed down from the corners of her eyes, past her hair, past her earlobes, and finally dripped onto the table.
Sansa really wanted to hate him, but her heart couldn't deceive itself; she loved him.
This kind of love was like holding a thorny rose; the sharper the thorns, the more suffocating the heart, and the deeper the love.
"Sansa, my moonlight, I truly love you deeply." Joffrey slowly released Sansa's right hand, which had been pinched slightly red, and also released his right hand from her neck.
Then, he gently caressed Sansa's beautiful face, his eyes full of affection, his heart rate accelerating.
Joffrey leaned over and slowly lowered his head, his lips locking onto Sansa's. Sansa, also with hot tears in her eyes, wrapped her trembling hands around Joffrey's neck and responded.
Like fire and ice merging, growing more intense, indistinguishable from one another.
...
"Joffrey, please, I beg you to spare my father. As long as you spare his life, I will give you anything."
"I promise you, as long as your father admits to his treason and acknowledges that I am the legitimate, rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms, I will spare his life and let him don the black to go to The Wall and become a member of the Nights Watch."