In the next moment, Jon propped himself up on the table and stood up abruptly. The hesitation on his face was quickly replaced by certainty.
Then, the new Baron issued a brand-new instruction, but this time it was directed at the red-haired woman.
"Listen, I'm going away for a while. During this period, you have to help me manage everything here, including the industries that originally belonged to you and those piers."
The sudden entrustment left the red-haired woman stunned in place for a moment, but the subsequent instructions came endlessly.
"As for what to smuggle, go find those people just now. They are my most trusted subordinates and relatives."
"Besides, when I come back again, you'd better wash yourself clean and wait for me in bed, otherwise prepare to be beaten three times a day and not given food!"
Left behind quickly along with these instructions was a small package taken from his bosom.
After saying these, Jon turned and rushed out of the house. Following a burst of noise, when the red-haired woman reacted and chased out, she saw several knights already escorting that annoying country bumpkin, and the dwarf met just now, galloping out of town.
In short, when Anya Taylor-Joy reacted, she was the only one left in the whole room.
Looking at the exquisite package in her hand, the red-haired woman hesitated for a moment, but still chose to unfold it.
However, inside, apart from a letter sealed with wax bearing the crowned stag sigil, there was only a seal carved with a direwolf pattern.
...
At the same time, just as Jon was rushing towards King's Landing, the bald Varys rarely took the initiative to find the Hand of the King.
However, regarding this eunuch from across the Narrow Sea, Duke Ned was instinctively somewhat resistant.
But out of the etiquette of serving as ministers in the same court, he still received the other party solemnly. After the servant served them fine wine and withdrew, Varys finally explained his purpose.
"Lord Hand, if you decide to continue investigating the cause of Lord Jon Arryn's death, then I advise you to leave King's Landing as soon as possible, so as not to get yourself killed."
When saying this, the Master of Whisperers' hands were still tucked in his wide sleeves, not touching the fragrant wine on the table at all.
Unlike the restrained Master of Whisperers, the Prime Minister, who rarely had free time, picked up his wine glass and drank it in one gulp.
After the chilled wine slid down his throat, it brought a trace of refreshing coolness, flowing all the way to his stomach, making the sweat on Ned's head less dense.
It wasn't until this moment that the Hand raised his eyes to look at the eunuch in front of him.
As former officials who served the Mad King, as early as the end of the War of the Usurper, Duke Ned had planned to execute them all.
However, Robert insisted on keeping this eunuch who had brains and skills, and continued to let him hold the position of Master of Whisperers.
Therefore, Duke Ned remained suspicious of Varys's loyalty, and even every word he said.
Especially after consulting Littlefinger and the Grand Maester, this suspicion became more certain.
Therefore, the Hand of the King did not respond to the other party; instead, he quietly picked up the glass of chilled wine that the other party refused to touch, and then drank it dry again.
It wasn't until this moment that the sweat on Ned's forehead gradually faded, and it didn't seep into the corners of his eyes, making him unable to stop rubbing his eyes.
As a direwolf from the North, Duke Ned had been unable to endure the scorching heat of the South since he was young.
Even though he was now the Prime Minister, he still missed the cool Winterfell, not this noble chair under his buttocks.
Opposite him, seeing the Prime Minister's sorry state, Varys did not wait for Duke Ned's response, and continued.
"Of course, I fully understand your suspicion of me. But what I want to say is that there is a poison called 'Tears of Lys'. It is colorless and tasteless, and even the symptoms causing death are exactly the same as Lord Jon Arryn's illness."
Hearing Varys say this, Duke Ned immediately recalled the possibility concluded by the Grand Maester.
That is, if Prime Minister Jon Arryn really died of poisoning, then only women, cowards, and eunuchs would choose such despicable means.
Just like this eunuch Varys who came to the door on his own initiative and talked eloquently in front of him!
However, Duke Ned also believed that the eunuch in front of him was definitely not a stupid person, nor would he actively run here to seek death.
So with great doubt about this, the Warden of the North couldn't help asking back.
"I'm curious, what good does doing this do for you?"
Seeing the Hand of the King's attitude soften, the fat manager who had been leaning against the back of the chair was finally able to sit up straight.
As he slowly withdrew his hands, a fragrance of powder mixed with the smell of sweat immediately drilled into Ned's nasal cavity, making him unable to help sneezing.
Seeing his sorry state, the corners of Varys's mouth tilted up slightly, and then he smiled even more.
"Naturally, to win your friendship."
"Of course, I just simply don't want an honest person like you to die unnaturally, and I don't want this country to fall into chaos again. You know, I'm not prepared to serve a third king anymore."
As soon as this remark came out, even Ned, who was dizzy from the heat, stopped wiping his sweat. He stood up abruptly, and the cold light shooting from his eyes could almost pierce Varys.
"Shut up, you remnant of the previous dynasty, I won't allow you to curse Robert like this!"
Accompanying Duke Ned's rising, the longsword also stopped abruptly beside the Master of Whisperers' neck.
Varys even had no doubt that as long as he said one more word, the Hand of the King would chop off his head.
Fortunately, time had smoothed the Warden of the North's anger and made him much steadier.
Therefore, even if he was angry to the extreme, Ned did not swing his blade. Instead, after seeing Varys raise his hand to surrender, he slowly lowered the longsword.
However, things having reached this point, the Prime Minister appeared calm instead, and then asked about the reason.
When he learned that his foster father, the dignified Warden of the East and former Hand of the King, actually had only a few squires and servants in King's Landing just like him, and didn't have many guards to ensure safety.
What was more coincidental was that shortly after Duke Jon Arryn died, one of his squires was recommended to become a knight.
Hearing this, Duke Ned had already sensed something wrong, and immediately asked about the whereabouts of this squire.
But amidst the Master of Whisperers' regretful expression, he soon learned that the other party had already died in the tourney.
As for his past, including everything he might have done, would be covered in darkness.
So, if Ned wanted to continue investigating the cause of Duke Jon Arryn's death, he could only trace back to earlier reasons.
After expressing all this, Varys was ready to take his leave, but after getting up, he pointedly looked at something on Duke Ned's desk.
---