Game of Thrones: I am Dothraki, not a barbarian

Chapter 41 Chaos is the ladder

The Blackwater River flows from west to east through King's Landing, and its turbid waters flow into Blackwater Bay.

King's Landing is nearly square, stretching for miles and densely populated. Beggars, vendors, nobles and soldiers are shoulder to shoulder on the streets, and the stench of garbage can be smelled outside the city.

The slums, the "flea pits", are crowded with beggars, while the rich areas are built on vast land and have the most luxurious courtyards in the world.

There are three hills in the city.

The Cathedral of Saint Baelor and its seven crystal towers stand atop Visenya Hill, and Rhaenys Hill is capped by the ruins of the Dragon's Lair Dome.

The Red Keep is built of dark red stones and is located on the top of the highest Mount Aegon, overlooking the entire bay. It is the center of power of the Seven Kingdoms and also a hotbed of conspiracy.

The Iron Throne is located in this fortress, forged from more than a thousand melted swords, symbolizing the unity of the Seven Kingdoms.

Today, the new Prime Minister Ned Stark will hold his first small council in the Council Chamber.

The death of Jon Arryn shocked all of Westeros, and Robert lost his most trusted Hand.

Ned couldn't help but think of what he and Robert had said in the cellars of Winterfell.

Robert is convinced that Jon was murdered and that he will soon die. He begs Ned to take over as Prime Minister, protect his children, and maintain peace in the kingdom.

Ned had never seen the usually arrogant Robert so humble, so he had no choice but to agree to his request and leave the North with his two daughters and come to this southern city full of conspiracy.

He knew there was something else behind Jon's death, and the purpose of this trip was to find out the truth.

On either side of the gate stood a statue of a Valyrian sphinx, its red garnet eyes gleaming.

Rich Myrish carpets covered the floor, tapestries from Norvos and Lys hung on the walls, and in a corner stood a wooden screen from the Summer Isles, carved with a hundred vivid and colorful figures of exotic animals.

Ned wore a gray fur cloak on his shoulders, a silver wolf brooch, and carried the Valyrian steel sword "Ice" on his back. The scabbard was only wrapped in black leather without any pattern decoration.

His attire was out of tune with the luxuriousness of the meeting hall, but it was in keeping with the usual style of the people of the North: simple, practical, and never beating around the bush.

When he walked into the meeting hall, four important ministers were already waiting there. Normally, there should be eight people in the royal meeting, including the king.

Renly Baratheon sat at the table, his dark green doublet embroidered with twelve golden stags, his woven gold cloak draped over his shoulders, fastened with an emerald brooch.

He looked very much like Robert in his youth, less rugged and more elegant. This face reminded Ned of Robert on the battlefield of the Trident, the spirited young king.

Petyr Baelish, known as Littlefinger, was talking in low voices with Renly, a frivolous smile on his face.

At the other end of the long table, Grand Maester Pycelle secretly watched everyone with his eyes slanted. The maester's collar around his neck was made of eight metal chains woven together and hung heavily on his chest.

Gold, silver, dark iron, copper, Valyrian steel, platinum, lead and tin, each chain represents his attainments in a different knowledge.

At this moment, Ned saw his most hated intelligence chief, Varys the "Octopus Spider", coming towards him with a smile and grabbing his hand.

"Lord Eddard, welcome to King's Landing!"

"Lord Varys."

A mixture of urine smell and pungent fragrance hit him in the face. Ned couldn't help but frown, shook off his hand and walked towards the conference table.

The king's chair, with the crowned stag of House Baratheon embroidered in gold on its back, stood empty. Robert had probably sat there only a few times.

Ned sat on the right, in the seat symbolizing the Hand of the King.

Varys, unfazed by Ned's indiscretion, said with a sweet smile, "Lord Stannis has returned to Dragonstone, and Ser Barristan has accompanied His Majesty on his tour of the city. His Majesty has commanded us to discuss an urgent matter."

Renly pulled a parchment with the royal seal from his sleeve and handed it to Petyr, who in turn handed it to Ned.

"His Majesty has ordered that a grand tourney be held when the new Hand takes office to let the name of Eddard Stark spread throughout Westeros." After reading the letter, Ned knew that this was Robert's subtle apology to him for the conflict between him and Cersei on the way to King's Landing, who forced him to kill Sansa's little wolf.

But his expression still darkened. "The winner gets 40,000 gold royals, the second place winner 20,000. Add in the team battle and the archery competition, and it'll be at least 90,000 gold royals."

"And then there are the expenses for the high-class banquets, the singers, the jugglers, the fools, and the maidens." Littlefinger smiled. "Oh, but we have no shortage of fools."

"Indeed, especially in King's Landing." Renly smiled happily.

Ned was in no mood for jokes. He slammed the letter on the table and said angrily, "How long will Robert stop his nonsense?"

Grand Maester Pycelle sighed and said slowly, "Lord Eddard, the king's love of the tourney is well known. Now that he has given the order, we must obey."

"Has Robert always been this extravagant?"

Ned glanced at everyone present and said in a stern tone, "The national treasury can't afford this kind of spending. If it continues like this, the entire country will be in crisis. Are you going to let him do this?"

Littlefinger shrugged. "It's the King's job to spend money, but it's the Chancellor's job to find it. The treasury is already six million gold dragons in debt, half of which belongs to the Lannisters. The other largest creditors are the Iron Bank of Braavos and the Tyrells."

Ned couldn't believe his ears. He murmured a Northern curse.

"Mad King Aerys left behind so much gold and silver, how could it have become like this?"

"The tourney must take place." Renly looked unfazed. "As Robert's younger brother, I know him best. He loves the hustle and bustle and hates dealing with details. And those details include money."

"Sorry, everyone." Ned slowed down his tone.

He felt that his tone just now was too harsh. Here, he was only the head of the important officials, but his status was equal to theirs.

If you offend them, you will have trouble taking a single step in King's Landing.

"I'm a little tired from the long journey. Let's talk about it another day."

After saying that, Ned stood up and left.

Seeing Ned's back disappear through the door, Littlefinger withdrew his gaze and turned to Renly:
"Sir, the tournament requires ships to transport supplies, especially to ensure the smooth passage of the waterways on the Mander River. I'm short on manpower here, so I might need a little help from your family's knights."

"It's a small matter." Renly agreed without any doubt.

After the crowd had dispersed, Renly's knights approached Littlefinger. He smiled warmly and said, "Ride fast to the Mander River and, in the king's name, stop all the ships on the Mander River and have them dock at the Long Table.

Only knights participating in the tournament will be allowed to pass, and all others will be temporarily detained. Remember, the king's orders are above all else!

The knights took orders and left, and Littlefinger's plan began.

Bandits plundered the Seven Kingdoms every day, so the presence of bandits in the Reach was just a minor matter.

The true identity of the bandit has not yet reached King's Landing, and he is the only one who knows it.

Varys may have known that his "little birds" were all over the Seven Kingdoms, but he didn't mention it. Obviously, he had other purposes, and it didn't seem to affect his plan.

The tournament was a perfect excuse to stop the Tyrell gold ship in the king's name, with legitimate reasons and without leaving any trace.

When the Dothraki arrive, Renly's vassals will be made to take the blame, and at the same time, they can create discord between Renly and the Tyrells.

Aegon the Conqueror launched a war, and the Gardener family, King of the Reach, and the Harren family, King of the Riverlands, were exterminated, giving Tyrell and Tully the opportunity to take power.

Chaos is the ladder, and only by provoking a war can he have a chance to take the top position with his little finger!

(End of this chapter)