The Mountain looked at Joffrey, trying to create a composite characterization of the Joffrey from his memories and the Joffrey in the present reality.
Character determines destiny!
The Mountain stared at Joffrey, who was bowing his head and remaining silent. He thought Joffrey was a very complex person: courage and boldness? Joffrey certainly didn't have any. With just one look from the Mountain, Joffrey would be so frightened that he would swallow back the words in his mouth; and when his adoptive father got angry, he would tremble even more.
Cruel? Dissecting a mother cat and picking out the kittens to show his adoptive father—is that cruel? It certainly is cruel, but The Mountain thinks "twisted" might be a more appropriate word.
Because Joffrey only targeted people and animals who were absolutely weaker than him. For example, with cats, Joffrey had an absolute advantage in strength; but truly cruel people don't discriminate against their opponents. Regardless of strength, all opponents have only one attitude: cruelty!
Those little devils under the Mountain's command are exactly like that! Sweet-talking Ralph, Big-Headed Chiswick, Notebook Mark, Executioner Dunson—these guys aren't bloodthirsty at all towards cats and dogs; they prefer to fight against the strong who can kill them. Big-Headed Chiswick conquers gangs, even getting them to bring a knife to his head; his cruelty isn't just directed at his enemies, but also at himself.
If it were Joffrey, he would be too scared to stand, that much is certain!
Of course, when it comes to someone who possesses both cruelty and twistedness, the uncrowned king might be Polliver Clegane. He liked to turn other people's eyes, hands, feet, and faces into works of art, put them in glass bottles, and then soak them in alcohol.
So what are Joffrey's strengths?
Handsome!
Joffrey was extremely handsome; blond and blue-eyed, typical Lannister genes. He inherited both Cersei's beauty and Jaime's good looks.
Tall and strong!
At twelve years old, Joffrey was taller than both Jon Snow and Robb Stark at fifteen; not to mention his physique, with perfectly proportioned shoulders and waist.
He was able to make Sansa Stark fall in love at first sight, not because of his inner qualities, but because of his purely physical appearance—his handsome and charming looks.
The Mountain looked at Miss Sansa Stark, who was also looking down at her toes!
Sansa is a greenhouse flower who grew up in a perfect aristocratic education, unaware of the hardships of the world!
As she began to experience the stirrings of love, her mind was filled with all sorts of fantasies about perfect romance. The beautiful stories of 'beauty and the hero, prince and princess' in fairy tales were the only source of inspiration for her girlish growth. And she herself, naturally, was the bubbly, blissful protagonist in those stories, destined to marry a perfect prince or a superhero.
As fate would have it, a truly handsome prince came into her life. It was impossible for the naive and innocent girl, who knew nothing of the wickedness of people's hearts and the complexities of human nature, not to fall in love with Prince Joffrey.
Strictly speaking, Sansa was a good girl who was ruined by the perfect aristocratic lady education, completely unaware of the evil motives behind the sweet smiles on people's faces.
Joffrey and Sansa are, in some ways, a perfect match!
They were already engaged. Although Lord Eddard Stark was unwilling to agree to the marriage, Sansa herself was wholeheartedly devoted to him and deeply infatuated with Joffrey. Coupled with King Robert's condescending marriage proposal, Eddard Stark had no choice but to agree to the marriage.
Political and strategic marriages among nobles were a common practice in the aristocratic world, having nothing to do with love itself. This was true for King Robert and Cersei, for Lord Eddard and Lady Catelyn, and for their adoptive fathers Jon Arryn and Lysa Tully—everyone followed this path without exception!
When it comes to politics and interests, love is just a dirty rag that you throw away as far as you can!
When Sansa chose to say "I have absolutely no memory" when faced with Arya and Joffrey, the Mountain knew that what this girl was always loyal to was her own inner feelings and desires, and had nothing to do with the excellent qualities of the Stark family motto: loyalty, integrity, unity, and fairness.
Humans are selfish.
Even the perfect lady Sansa Stark is the same!
A hint of mockery began to appear in the Mountain's eyes. If he still harbored any affection for Sansa, it was purely out of admiration for her beauty. Sansa's elegant velvet gown accentuated her stunning appearance.
When a person has a very beautiful appearance, it can seriously mislead others, especially the opposite sex, making them think that his (or her) inner beauty is also extremely beautiful. But in fact, this is often a beautiful mistake.
King Robert called out: "Sir Marin Tran."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Marin Tran immediately knelt on one knee.
"Go and fetch a cane, and give Joffrey thirty lashes for me," King Robert said angrily.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Maryn Trant is a shameless fool with mediocre fighting skills, a fact the Mountain knows well. In the previous timeline, he was a Kingsguard who shamelessly beat Sansa Stark, a far cry from the Hound's character. A true knight doesn't beat the old, weak, women, or children; it's a knightly creed. Even if forced into violence, he won't find pleasure in it. Maryn Trant, however, is the exact opposite. Of course, if he encounters a strong opponent, like the Mountain, his knees are the weakest, and he'll easily kneel.
Of this generation of Kingsguard, aside from the fearless Captain Barristan Selmy, who was both skilled and virtuous, the rest were merely mediocre. Jaime was a highly skilled and loyal Kingsguard, but his sole purpose in life was the pursuit of pleasure. Such a person hardly qualifies as a true hero.
As the Mountain had predicted, Eddard Stark stopped Meryn Tran from getting the cane. The Duke, a good man, strict with himself but lenient with others, said, "Your Majesty, Joffrey is still a child. Besides, he's injured—on his hand and the back of his head, the hand injury quite severe, requiring careful tending. Children's squabbles and arguments shouldn't be taken too seriously. Arya was also at fault. Let Joffrey rest!"
With a stubborn and headstrong man like Eddard protecting Joffrey, it was indeed very difficult for King Robert to punish him.
King Robert glared at Joffrey, who trembled with fear at the thought of his adoptive father. A deep, indelible shadow lingered in his heart—he had been severely beaten by Robert for dissecting a mother cat, leaving him with an incurable psychological scar of fear of his father.
"Get out!" King Robert roared!
The word "get lost" brought Joffrey the warmth of a fireplace in winter and the coolness of ice water in summer. He immediately turned around, lowered his head and walked quickly, this time keeping an eye on the passageway to make sure he wouldn't bump into anyone. He hurried away like a lost dog.
The Mountain stepped out of the courtiers' ranks, bowed to the King, and took his leave. Bernie quickly followed suit, kneeling and requesting his departure. His Majesty the King offered Bernie some words of comfort, gave the Mountain a symbolic warning, and then nodded, allowing them to leave.
The Mountain walked past Arya and said, "Arya, if you want to practice your swordsmanship, you can come find me!" The Mountain glanced at poor Michael, whose hands were twisted together, and gave Arya a knowing invitation with his eyes.
Whoosh!
The guards of the North rushed forward to protect their young lady. Eddard Stark also immediately looked at the Mountain, his eyes filled with a stern warning.
The Mountain, unconcerned by the Northerners' overreaction, said to the Hound, "Hound, you're free tonight. Come to my tent. I need to talk to you. If you're scared, you don't have to come."
The Hound snorted: "Mountain, I'll bring my sword. I just happened to sharpen it today, and I'll do it very quickly!"
"You sharpened your sword?" Demon Mountain laughed. "What a coincidence, I'm sharpening my sword today too!"
The king roared, "Mountain, no trouble allowed!"
"There will be no trouble, Your Majesty. I assure you, the Hound is my own brother," the Mountain said. "I just wanted to talk to him about some family matters."
"What a coincidence, I also have some family matters I'd like to discuss with you!" the hound said casually.