Casterly Rock, the capital of the Western Frontier.
The Duke of Tywin's study.
Tywin looked at Littlefinger Petyr Baelish.
There were only the two of them in the room, with the Mountain, who had brought Littlefinger, outside the study door.
"Lord Baelish, your clothes are very elegant, made of silk with gold thread, how much gold dragons must it cost to make one?"
"Twelve golden dragons, my lord," Petyr Baelish said respectfully.
"It would take an ordinary soldier three years' pay, without eating or drinking, to buy you a single garment like this!" Although he used an exclamatory particle, Duke Tywin's tone was devoid of any emotion. His voice was calm and rigid, just like his expressionless face.
"Your Grace, Petyr comes from a humble background. He buys nice clothes because he is afraid that the nobles will look down on him."
"My lord, you are already a key minister in the Imperial Council. Who would dare to look down on you?"
Petyr Baelish looked embarrassed: "Your Grace, my territory is on the Little Finger Peninsula of the Five Fingers in the Valley. My subjects are just a few fishing families. The land is nothing but rocks and moss, barely enough to support a few goats. I have been despised and ridiculed by nobles since I was a child, and it continues to this day. Although I have gotten used to it, I still hope to have the opportunity to change it."
"Hmm, you're a very honest person. So, do you know why you were captured and brought to the Western Region?"
"I know!" In front of Duke Tywin, saying the wrong thing and arousing his suspicion could cost him his head.
"oh!"
"I hope to incite strife within the Seven Kingdoms, seize the opportunity amidst the chaos, obtain a genuine fiefdom, and become the first noble founder of the Baelish family. Your Grace, if the kingdom remains peaceful, someone like me will never be able to acquire a new fiefdom in my lifetime. For a lowly Baelish, even marrying a noblewoman is a pipe dream. Countess Tanda Stokworth, a noblewoman from the royal domain, has always wanted to marry her daughter, Loris Stokworth, to me. Alas, although my family has no power whatsoever, I, Petyr, will not be content to marry a fat, mentally challenged woman. Besides, Loris is thirty-two years old this year, two years older than me."
Every word Littlefinger said was true.
When facing Lord Tywin, his strategy was to tell the truth whenever possible. Especially the authenticity of the details was more likely to gain Lord Tywin's trust.
What makes Tywin Lannister so terrifying is that whether he wants to kill you or use you, his expression is always the same. You can't glean any clues from his expression and thus miss the opportunity to correct your mistakes.
The Mountain is not a difficult demon to deal with; his expression betrays his true thoughts. But with Tywin Lannister, you can't glean any clues from his expressions, words, or body language.
Throughout the entire kingdom, Littlefinger Petyr Baelish feared only one person: Tywin Lannister; second only to him was Varys the Spider, another high-ranking official in the royal court.
There was no hostility or harshness in the conversation between Tywin Lannister and Littlefinger. He didn't shout or glare at him. He just chatted casually, but Littlefinger paid close attention to every word and sentence.
Before Lord Tywin, all attempts to read between the lines, to be opportunistic, to kneel and beg, or to swear oaths through self-mutilation are utterly useless. Whatever the Duke wants to know, you must tell him the truth as much as possible.
To be honest, it was the most ingenious and skillful way to deal with Lord Tywin Lannister.
Lord Tywin Lannister said, "The Countess of Tanda once wanted to marry her mentally challenged daughter to Tyrion Lannister, and I would have been willing to accept the marriage. However, Loris is far too old for Tyrion, a seven-year age difference. Tyrion said that if I agreed to the marriage, he would swear he would hang himself on his wedding bed."
"Oh, I haven't heard of that. Although Lady Tanda's harassment makes me want to avoid her even when I hear her voice, I still really want Stokworth and her family's fertile lands."
"Yes, I can help you with that," Duke Tywin said calmly.
"Thank you, Your Grace!" Littlefinger took a deep breath. He knew he wasn't there to chat idly about marriage with the Duke. The more he talked to the Duke, the more his life would be in danger. This seemingly casual conversation was actually ten or a hundred times more dangerous than a confrontation with swords drawn. He didn't want to end up with his head chopped off without even knowing which sentence had caused it.
"Your Grace, through Lysa Tully, I implied to Catelyn Tully that Jon Arryn's death was murdered by the Lannisters. I framed the Lannisters, Your Grace! I have committed a capital offense!"
Lord Tywin Lannister looked at Littlefinger, remaining silent, his eyes and expression unchanged.
He sat on the stool, calmly watching Littlefinger until Littlefinger knelt down, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
Do you think Caitlin Tully believed it?
"She will believe it!"
"So how exactly did Prime Minister Jon Arryn die?"
"Natural death, Your Grace."
Tywin remained silent, staring intently at Littlefinger. Littlefinger remained silent until his undergarments were soaked with cold sweat and he began to tremble.
"Lord Petyr Baelish, persuade me not to kill you," Lord Tywin Lannister said calmly.
Littlefinger could only pin his hopes on the pre-arranged plan with the Mountain; he had no way out, whether he moved forward or backward, he would be killed anyway. So, he would proceed according to the pre-arranged plan.
"Your Grace, if war breaks out, I can assure you that the Vale will not join the declaration of war against the Westerlands. Lysa Tully has been infatuated with me since she was a girl, and she gave me her virginity. She has never been happy since she married Lord Jon Arryn. Lord Jon is older than her father, Lord Hoster."
"Jon Rumsfeld was the foster father of Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark. When the War of the Usurper broke out, Jon married Lysa Tully for political reasons in order to fight against the royalist army; while his foster son, Eddard Stark, married Lysa's sister, Catelyn. After Lysa married Jon, her heart never rested on an old man with bad breath. She has always been my mistress, and she loves me passionately, even to this day."
Duke Tywin Lannister stared at Littlefinger, who was kneeling with a cold sweat on his face, but remained silent and expressionless.
Littlefinger knows that every word he says now is saving his life.
"The Vale will not participate in the war against the Westerlands, and the Westerlands are still at a disadvantage against the North and the Riverlands. I am willing to atone for my sins by going to the Reach in the south to persuade House Mace Tyrell to join forces with the Lannisters of the Westerlands. At the same time, I can also make Balon the Great an ally of the Westerlands."
"If the king believes your accusations and calls for action, the king will have a legitimate reason to send troops to attack the West, and the West will surely be defeated!" Duke Tywin said calmly.
Tywin Lannister has learned of his daughter Cersei's incestuous relationship with his son Jaime, a ticking time bomb. If the king discovers this and takes action, it will be the end for the Westerlands and House Lannister. King Robert only needs to raise his voice, making it perfectly justifiable to mobilize the entire nation's army to attack the Westerlands. The Westerlands will surely be defeated, and the Lannisters will inevitably be exterminated by the enraged king.
Tywin didn't want his clan to be wiped out; his son and daughter had already done something foolish, so he had no choice but to strike first.
Littlefinger Petyr Baelish was so astute and intelligent that he immediately sensed another layer of meaning in the Duke's words: only by eliminating the King could the Westerlands possibly win.
A thought flashed through Littlefinger's mind: The Mountain said he wanted Tywin Lannister to sit on the Iron Throne. Could it be that the Mountain's words weren't actually Tywin Lannister's, but rather Tywin Lannister's?!
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The duke wanted to kill the king himself?
My little finger felt like it was going to collapse.
It would be very easy for the Lannisters to kill the king, since the king's entourage is entirely composed of Lannisters. However, by sending someone who isn't a Lannister to kill the king, the Lannisters could easily back down and shift the blame afterward. His little finger would then be at the Lannisters' mercy, at their mercy.
Littlefinger realized this, and a sudden chill ran through him. If he could think of this, then Lord Tywin Lannister certainly could too.
The two looked at each other, one bewildered and humble, the other calm and composed.
Littlefinger made a quick decision, pinning his hopes on prior analysis and planning with the Mountain, and getting through this immediate hurdle first.
"Your Grace, Eddard Stark, being a straightforward Northerner, insists on evidence in everything he does, and searching for evidence that doesn't even exist would take an infinitely long time."
Lord Tywin knew that if Eddard Stark went looking for evidence, he would find evidence of Cersei and Jaime, and the three children born from incest would be the most conspicuous evidence.
Eddard Stark couldn't find evidence that the Lannisters killed Jon Snow, but he could find evidence that Cersei and Jaime had betrayed the king. However, as Littlefinger had said, this would take time.
Whether Littlefinger and the others know about Cersei and Jaime is no longer important. Everyone around the king, from sleeping and eating to drinking and guarding the door, is a Lannister. It would be very difficult for them to avoid the Lannisters' attention, get in touch with the king, and bring down the Lannisters. Now that the witch has reminded them and they have the upper hand, the arrow is on the bowstring, and they will definitely take action. Naturally, they will no longer give anyone any chance to contact the king alone.
If Littlefinger knew about Cersei and Jaime's affair but kept quiet, then it can be concluded that Littlefinger was never one of the king's men.
He belonged to no sect or school, but only to his own.
If that's the case, you can bribe someone with a little finger.
You can control a wolf by giving it its favorite food; you can subdue a dog by giving it its favorite food; and you can easily lure an ant away by giving it its favorite food.
Give your little finger what it wants most, and you can use your little finger first.
Lord Tywin Lannister decided to take the risk and kill Littlefinger if he showed any sign of unease. In this matter, he hoped to seek the help of the Witch Doctor. The Mountain said that the Witch Doctor could use human blood to curse its owner; if the owner broke their oath, the curse would take effect, either driving them insane or killing them.
Although the Priestess refused to become Lord Tywin's High Priestess and also refused to lead the entire Westerlands, she had to do the life-or-death thing Tywin wanted to do: change the dynasty.
"Lord Petyr Baelish, while you were in King's Landing, did you hear any rumors about Cersei and Jaime?"
Tywin Lannister wasn't just interested in knowing Littlefinger; he wanted to use Littlefinger to understand how others viewed the 'rumors.' If many of the King's courtiers had heard the rumors about Cersei and Jaime, but the King himself didn't, then those courtiers weren't truly loyal to the King. They were just there to coast along, seeking wealth and power by the King's side.
Littlefinger Petyr knew he was facing a life-or-death situation: how to answer this scandal—a very difficult choice. The truth didn't matter; what mattered was what kind of answer Lord Tywin wanted to hear.