Red Keep, Grand Maester's chambers.
By candlelight, Green patiently read through Pycelle's written accusations, then picked up several of Pycelle's previous handwritten documents to compare the handwriting.
Green showed a satisfied smile and said, "Maester Pycelle, you should know how great your crimes are. This is not just a matter of whether the Prime Minister can forgive you; I think the gods cannot forgive you either."
As he spoke, he put away the parchment.
Green continued, "Because of this, I am willing to plead with Duke Eddard to help you get a chance to atone for your sins."
Pycelle suddenly looked up, his tone somewhat disbelieving: "Rea...really?"
After speaking, Pycelle looked at the stern-faced Duke Eddard, his eyes full of pleading.
Duke Eddard's brows were tightly furrowed.
The blood of the First Men flowed in the veins of the Stark people; they followed ancient traditions where a lord would listen to a condemned person's last words and personally execute them.
In his heart, Pycelle was a sinner who should be executed immediately.
To suppress the anger in his heart, Duke Eddard closed his eyes, reminding himself again that this was not the North, and he had an agreement with Green: if Pycelle was not the direct murderer, he would be given a chance to take the black.
He nodded with difficulty, and Pycelle wept bitterly, repenting and thanking him.
Green raised an eyebrow and said, "Then...the man named Hugh, when can I see him?"
Pycelle wiped away his tears and said, "Earl Green, tomorrow...at the latest the day after tomorrow, I will send him to you."
Green continued to ask, "Will others know about this?"
Pycelle quickly shook his head: "I promise to keep it from everyone. I can definitely do it, I swear to the gods."
Green shook his head and said, "No, Master Varys will know."
...
Duke Eddard looked up at the sky. The bright full moon illuminated the silent night sky, full of mystery and beauty, intoxicating... At this moment, he longed for Catelyn's embrace, the sound of his children practicing swordplay in the training yard, and the cool daytime and chilly nights of the North.
Green stood with Duke Eddard for a moment, then quietly said, "Duke Eddard, you can think of this as a hunt. We cannot scare away the prey, and we must avoid unfavorable interference. Before finding the true prey, we can only choose caution and patience."
Duke Eddard withdrew his gaze and sighed, "Child, I understand this principle, but I just feel that I might truly not be suited to stay in the South."
Green quipped, "I think King Robert would certainly be furious if he heard that, wishing he could tie you up."
Duke Eddard smiled helplessly. He patted Green's arm and said, "Let's go in."
"Master Varys is probably already waiting for us."
Duke Eddard's grey eyes shifted to Green, paused, and then he nodded in agreement.
...
Thump thump thump thump... The empty corridor echoed with the sound of footsteps on stone.
Varys greeted them at the door of the room, bowing slightly: "Good evening, Hand Eddard, Earl Green."
Green placed his hand on his chest and said, "Good evening, Master Varys, please forgive my intrusion."
Duke Eddard looked down at Varys's smooth bald head and said, "Varys, you seem to have known I would come to you long ago."
Varys clasped his hands and said respectfully, "Hand Eddard, it's not hard to guess. I am the Master of Whisperers, and you would come to me sooner or later. As for now...my little birds just happened to see you, and in my joy, I couldn't resist coming out to greet you."
That convenient? Duke Eddard's sharp gaze swept over Varys, who was smiling.
"Let's go inside and talk."
...
After sitting down, Duke Eddard said directly, "Varys, tell me the cause of Prime Minister Jon's death."
Varys showed hesitation: "Actually, many important officials in the Red Keep saw the problem, but we didn't dare to speak out."
He sighed softly, then continued, "Hand Eddard, now that you're here, I dare to reveal everything to you."
Duke Eddard's tone was angry: "Since you knew about the problem, why did you remain silent? Although I've only been here for a few days, if you had wanted to, you wouldn't have lacked opportunities to tell me."
The smile on Varys's face immediately vanished. He looked directly at Duke Eddard and said, "You ask me why I didn't report to you beforehand, and my answer is...because I don't trust you, Prime Minister."
Green's brown eyes flickered. Varys was trying to gain Duke Eddard's favor. He looked at Varys's behavior at this moment and felt a particularly familiar feeling... Well, power players are good at playing all kinds of roles, and he was no exception.
Duke Eddard said indifferently, "Varys, you don't trust me?"
"Before tonight."
Varys nodded, his tone sincere: "Hand Eddard, there are only two kinds of people in the Red Keep: those loyal to the kingdom, and those loyal to themselves. I am a timid person and dare not easily judge which kind you belong to... Now..."
Varys showed a joyful smile, then continued, "Now I know clearly, and I am ashamed that I doubted your honor. I was blinded by cowardice, truly shameful."
Duke Eddard frowned and said, "Varys, who poisoned him?"
Varys shook his head and said, "It's clearly someone very close to Prime Minister Jon, someone who often ate at the same table with him. There are too many suspicious individuals!"
He showed a bitter expression and added, "I advised him many times. I begged Prime Minister Jon to have someone taste the food first before he ate it himself, but he refused to listen, and even told me...only those unworthy of being human would think of such a thing."
Green glanced at the silent Duke Eddard and said, "Master Varys, although there are many suspicious people, you are the Master of Whisperers, so you must have many clues. Do you have any suspects? Duke Eddard needs your intelligence and honesty."
Varys nodded gently.
"After Prime Minister Jon's death, when Lady Lysa left King's Landing, she took everyone close to her husband, including Prime Minister Jon's maester, steward, captain of the guards, as well as his knights and servants."
He paused, then continued, "Lady Lysa took most of them, but not all. A few stayed behind. A kitchen girl who got pregnant quickly married Duke Renly's stablemaster, a stable boy became a Gold Cloak, a young waiter was kicked out for theft, and there was also Prime Minister Jon's attendant who stayed behind."
Duke Eddard's eyes trembled slightly and he said, "The attendant Hugh?"
Varys was slightly stunned, then smiled and said, "It seems you've already gained something tonight."
Duke Eddard looked at Green.
Green shrugged and said in a relaxed tone, "Duke Eddard, everyone knows Master Varys's skills; he will know our source of information sooner or later."
Green turned to Varys and said, "Master Varys, Maester Pycelle also expressed suspicion about the former Prime Minister's attendant, Hugh."
Varys nodded slightly: "Hugh owes everything to Prime Minister Jon, but when Lady Lysa took her family back to the Eyrie, he chose to stay in King's Landing. My little birds tell me he's recently become a regular at the Shataya Brothel, and he's even prepared shiny new armor for the tourney."
Green: "..."
Combining what Green knew from the original plot, he had already determined that Hugh was a bait put out by Earl Petyr, and Varys was intentionally facilitating Petyr's scheme, both aiming to provoke a conflict between the Lannister and Stark houses.
Petyr had already directly or indirectly bribed the attendant Hugh, and the information he would reveal when meeting Duke Eddard would certainly be fabricated false intelligence, pointing the finger at the Lannister.
Varys had long seen through Petyr's conspiracy and was happy to push it along; both of them hoped for chaos.
Also, there were the traces left by Prime Minister Jon when he investigated the royal bloodline issue.
Green withdrew his thoughts. He planned to break this matter into two separate issues.
...
Duke Eddard already had a vague premonition of danger. He felt that the time to find the true culprit would not be far off.
If the Lannister were the murderers of Jon... Tywin Lannister would not sit idly by, and he was merciless towards the defeated; the fate of the Targaryen was the best lesson.
He must quickly send a raven to Winterfell, asking his wife to mobilize their vassals in his name to prepare the North's defenses in advance. Unless the Lannister had all the military might of the South as their backing, they would never dare to invade the prepared Neck, and they could never dream of such a day.
If war was unavoidable, he and Robert wouldn't mind hosting a grand feast at Casterly Rock.
...
The Direwolf bared its fangs. Varys glanced at Duke Eddard's expression, and his smile deepened.
Varys and Green's gazes met, Green's eyes twinkling with a smile.
"Varys, thank you for your trouble."
"Prime Minister, Varys is at your service at any time."
...
...
Prime Minister's Tower.
After breakfast, the steward Wayn Poole led Arya Stark to the empty small hall.
"Boy, you're late."
A strange voice reached Arya's ears. She saw a slender, bald man with a hooked nose emerge from the shadows, holding a pair of thin wooden swords. Arya was not afraid of the sudden appearance of a stranger; instead, she asked happily, "Who are you?"
"I am your dance teacher."
The bald man spoke with an accent, like that of the Free Trade Cities, perhaps Braavos, or Myr.
The bald man threw a wooden sword to Arya. She reached out to catch it but missed, and with a clatter, the wooden sword fell to the ground.
"Boy, starting tomorrow, you must catch it when I throw it. Now pick it up."
Arya protested, "I'm a girl!"
She noticed the wooden sword was like a real sword, with a hilt, a guard, and a pommel decorating the hilt.
The bald man grinned and said, "Who cares if it's a boy or a girl, you are a sword, and that's enough."
Arya picked up the sword. She wiped the sweat from her palms on her pants and held the sword in her left hand.
The bald man showed a satisfied expression: "Left hand is best, reversed, your enemies will be very uncomfortable! But your stance is wrong. Don't face me directly, turn your body to the side a bit... Yes, just like that! You're as thin as a spear, you know? That's good too, because the target is smaller."
"Now let me see how you hold it..."
He leaned closer, staring at her hand, prying open her fingers and readjusting: "Yes...just like that. Don't grip too tightly... Yes, but be flexible, graceful."
Arya asked, "If I hold it like this, what if the sword falls?"
The bald man glanced sideways at Arya and said, "The sword must be one with your hand. Will your hand fall off? Of course not! Syrio Forel served as the First Sword of the Sealord of Braavos for nine years; he understands these things. Listen to him, boy."
Arya showed a "fierce" expression.
Syrio Forel grinned again: "Now we begin to dance. Remember, child, we are not learning the steel dance of Westeros, the knight's dance, swinging and chopping, no. This is the killer's dance, the water dance, swift and unexpected. People are made of water, you know? When you pierce a body, water flows out, and the person dies."
After speaking, he gracefully stepped back and raised his wooden sword, pointing it at Arya.
"Now you try to hit me, boy."
...
...
Throne Room, Small Council.
Duke Eddard looked at Maester Pycelle, who was as usual, making him even suspect that the person he saw last night was someone else impersonating Pycelle.
The Red Keep was indeed full of lies, as well as cunning and hypocrisy.
The government affairs they discussed today were still the tourney, which Duke Eddard was utterly impatient with.
"The kingdom thrives because of tourneys. For nobles, it's a great opportunity to seek glory. As for the common people, they can temporarily forget their worries and troubles."
Petyr spread his hands and said, "Many people can also make a fortune from this. The inns in King's Landing are all full, and the prostitutes are so busy they can't close their legs, their pockets jingling with copper coins as they walk."
Duke Renly laughed heartily and said, "Good thing Stannis isn't here. Remember that time he proposed in the Small Council to ban all brothels in King's Landing? King Robert then asked him if he wanted to ban eating, shitting, and breathing too. Honestly, sometimes I really wonder how Stannis got that ugly daughter of his. I can't imagine Stannis in bed; maybe he goes to bed like he goes to battle, with a solemn look, determined to fulfill his duty."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Duke Eddard didn't join in the laughter. He looked at the smiling Renly and said, "I'm also thinking about your brother Stannis. I wonder when he will leave Dragonstone and return to the Small Council."
Petyr curled his lips and said, "Prime Minister, as long as we drive all the prostitutes into Blackwater Bay, I believe Stannis will appear here immediately."
As Petyr's words fell, everyone laughed even louder.
Duke Eddard's gaze sharpened: "My Lords of the Small Council, I've heard enough about prostitutes today."
He rose from his chair and added, "That will be all."