Green concluded the conversation after adding some details about the Queen's Quarter.
After Follard and Leyton left, Green and his guards returned to the Red Keep and entered the Hall of Office.
The Hall of Office, adjacent to the Prime Minister's Tower, was where the officials serving on the Small Council handled the daily affairs of the Seven Kingdoms.
During the Targaryen Dynasty, when the Small Council was not in session, the high-ranking officials generally handled the kingdom's affairs in their respective offices within the Hall of Office.
After the Baratheon Dynasty, King Robert, fond of pleasure, had long since ceased to concern himself with state affairs, living in a drunken stupor day after day, after transferring great power to Duke Jon, the King's Hand.
The Master of Ships, King Robert's second brother, Stannis Baratheon, handled state affairs directly from Dragonstone on Dragonstone, to show his displeasure with the King.
The Master of Laws, King Robert's third brother, Renly Baratheon, had no interest in the kingdom's affairs; his presence was not seen in the Red Keep except for occasional attendance at the Small Council.
As Duke Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, grew older year by year, he was rarely seen outside the Prime Minister's Tower.
Therefore, among the high-ranking officials regularly seen in the Hall of Office, which was second only to the Small Council in the kingdom's central power, there were only three: Petyr Baelish, the Master of Coin; Varys, the Master of Whisperers; and Grand Maester Pycelle.
Grand Maester Pycelle was an old official of the Targaryen Dynasty; after the War of the Usurper, King Robert retained his position.
Maester Pycelle's main duties were to serve as the King's advisor, usually responsible for compiling various books and organizing knowledge, as well as managing the Red Keep's raven communications, and he was also the chief physician of the royal palace.
Because King Robert did not concern himself with state affairs, Maester Pycelle became an advisor to Duke Jon, the King's Hand.
.....
Under the guidance of a Hall of Office attendant, Green quickly arrived at the office of Petyr, the Master of Coin.
Petyr's office had golden-framed round windows, like the Hand's chambers, the floor was covered with Myr rugs, and the walls had exquisite tapestries.
Green glanced at the exquisite furnishings in the room, seemingly smelling the scent of golden dragons.
Upon seeing Green, Petyr put down his quill, leaned back in his chair, and smiled broadly: "Oh, isn't this Baron Green? I've been waiting for you, please have a seat!"
Petyr ordered an attendant to move a chair to the opposite side of the table.
Green bowed with his hand over his chest: "Good day, Lord Petyr."
After bowing, Green sat down.
Petyr also returned the bow with a smile, then waved his hand, signaling the attendant to leave the room.
Once the attendant left the room and closed the door, Petyr spoke: "I heard what happened in the Hand's chambers today; Duke Jon has fallen ill again."
Green spread his hands: "Anyone who encounters such a thing would be filled with anger. Is the Duke's condition not serious?"
Petyr elegantly curved his lips, his posture relaxed as he leaned back in his chair: "On behalf of Duke Jon, I thank you for your concern. Maester Pycelle has treated him meticulously; it is said he will be bedridden for at least seven days this time."
Petyr's back left the chair, his upper body leaning slightly forward as he lowered his voice: "Thanks to you this time, otherwise we might never have known that there was a third ear hidden in the Hand's chambers."
Petyr's tone was entirely that of 'we are on the same side.'
Green's tone was calm: "Has the Duke arranged for a follow-up?"
There was a hint of sarcasm in Petyr's tone: "I heard that a secret tunnel was discovered after a deeper investigation into the hidden compartment, and Duke Jon has entrusted the subsequent investigation to Janos Slynt, the Commander of the Gold Cloaks."
The City Watch is also known as the Gold Cloaks, which comes from the golden wool cloaks they wear over their armor.
The Gold Cloaks are the garrison and law enforcement of King's Landing, loyal only to the royal family. The City Watch has two barracks in King's Landing, one in the east near the Dragon Gate and one in the west near Shoemaker's Square.
Previously, the number of Gold Cloaks had always been 2,000, but after Janos Slynt was appointed Lord Commander of the City Watch by King Robert, he tripled the number of Gold Cloaks to 6,000, but many of these 6,000 were drunkards and vagrants with low combat effectiveness.
It was rumored that basically half of the City Watch officers had to pay him a portion of their salary every month.
When Duke Jon Arryn discovered this, he found two people willing to testify against him, but these two people were found dead shortly after.
Although Duke Jon Arryn still hoped to dismiss Janos Slynt, King Robert strongly intervened to keep Janos Slynt as Lord Commander of the City Watch.
.....
Green smiled: "The Old Duke has a very accurate eye for people."
Petyr elegantly shrugged his shoulders, offering no comment.
After a moment, Green spoke: "This morning, the reason the Duke wanted to see me put me in a very difficult position. Without direct evidence, he insisted I take the blame based solely on a song sung in the Crabclaw Peninsula."
Green's brown eyes met Petyr's grey-green eyes, his tone seemingly helpless: "This made things very difficult for me. If the Master of Ships had been present, I wouldn't have been in such a predicament. I heard he is very just."
Petyr's grey-green eyes flickered slightly: "Duke Stannis, the Master of Ships?"
Green nodded: "Duke Stannis's reputation for upholding the law and being meticulous in legal matters is well-known throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Now, I'm afraid everyone knows there are no secrets in the Hand's chambers. I'm concerned that if he hears of such injustice, the upright Duke Stannis might question Duke Jon, regardless of his health."
The smile on Petyr's face deepened, and he nodded in agreement: "Your concern is valid. Duke Stannis has always been too upright; even a gravely ill Duke Jon cannot sway his will. We can only hope that the secret of the Hand's chambers does not reach Dragonstone."
As Petyr spoke, he secretly reflected on why he, who was always so meticulous, had overlooked the existence of Duke Stannis.
It seemed it wasn't just Petyr himself; because Petyr was a direct party, he could confirm that no one was deliberately planning this, yet the entire Red Keep seemed to have collectively ignored the existence of Duke Stannis.
If Baron Green hadn't brought it up to him today, he believed he would have continued to unconsciously overlook Duke Stannis.
Why did this situation occur? An invisible man? Unknown magic?