Varys stood in front of Julie, this time without any clothes on, like a person completely naked.
Julie turned to the history teacher and said, "Teacher, I'd like to donate three more gold dragons to the children."
Julie raised her hand, and three golden dragons flew into the history teacher's arms.
Her strength and accuracy are those of a true warrior!
The history teacher is also the director of the orphanage, in charge of the little birds' finances and accepting donations.
The history teacher quickly thanked her, saying, "Thank you, Miss Julie. I will write your name in the donation book."
Julie remained noncommittal, looking at the dazed Varys: "Lord Varys, at tomorrow's meeting of the King's Court, could you say a few words praising Lord Mountain?"
"...Uh...As you wish...Miss!"
"Diseases and deaths caused by milk have already occurred in the Riverlands, and children in the Royal Lands have also died from it. The flea nests in King's Landing are even more numerous. The lives of poor children and the elderly are worthless, sometimes not even a copper star, and they are always the first to be tested for poison. But our esteemed Lady Jenny, blessed by the Seven Gods and with the wisdom of the Old Woman (the Old Woman being the God of Wisdom among the Seven Gods), has discovered a way to turn the diseased milk into healthy milk. Could you please tell the King and the Prime Minister at tomorrow's meeting? Our Lady wishes that the people of the Royal Lands and King's Landing can drink healthy milk."
"Of course, miss."
"Thank you, Lord Varys. It seems my father was right about you; he said you would definitely be willing to help. Oh, by the way, my father is Lord Mountain."
Julie is gone.
For a long time afterward, Varys remained motionless, as if his soul had been taken away by Julie.
Four teachers walked up to Varys, their eyes filled with concern.
Varys looked terrible, like a very weak person recovering from a serious illness.
"You all have a good time, I should go back." Varys realized that all his plans suddenly seemed pale and powerless, and his plan to come here had become a bubble, which was gently pricked by Julie and burst.
The four teachers watched Varys stagger away, their faces filled with surprise and doubt. They exchanged bewildered glances, completely unaware of which three names Julie had mentioned to Varys that had left him so distraught, like a utterly defeated general.
"Lord Varys, at tomorrow's meeting of the Imperial Court, could you say a few words praising Lord Mountain?"
"As you wish, miss!"
Julie's words and his own words were still echoing in Varys' ears.
"Our Lady Jenny, blessed by the seven gods and with the wisdom of an old woman, has discovered a way to turn diseased milk into healthy milk. Could you please tell the King and the Prime Minister at tomorrow's meeting? Our Lady wishes that the people of the royal domain and King's Landing can drink healthy milk."
"Of course, miss."
*
The next day, a meeting of senior officials was held.
Prime Minister Ed discovered that King Robert had also arrived, even before him.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was unusual, with Grand Master of Four Reigns, Master of the Treasury Petyr Baelish the Littlefinger, Captain Barristan Selmy the Fearless, Master of Justice Renly Baratheon, and Master of Intelligence Varys the Spider.
These people arrived before Prime Minister Ed, as if they had planned to keep it a secret from Ed alone.
*
But it wasn't that everyone conspired to hold the meeting earlier; rather, Eddard had met Euron, a man in black from the Wall, who was there to recruit soldiers in King's Landing. Euron told the Hand of the King that Lady Catelyn had kidnapped Tyrion Lannister at the Cross Inn in the Riverlands.
Euron warned his prime minister to be careful, as there were many Lannisters in King's Landing, and the Mountain, the villain from the Westerlands, had not left King's Landing either. Prime Minister Eddard should be even more cautious.
This reminded Eddard of the Mountain's warning: Let go, winter is coming, the White Walkers are coming. But Euron, the recruiter, made it clear that he had not heard of the White Walkers coming.
Eddard asked about Will, Gary, and Weimar Royce's patrol. The Mountain's account of Gary and Weimar's disappearance matched Euron's. Eddard's brother, Benjen Stark, had already set off to Ghostwood to search for Gary and Weimar.
*
Prime Minister Ed sat down in the seat to the King's right and nodded apologetically to everyone.
King Robert looked at Varys, who cleared his throat.
Ed looked at Varys, the intelligence chief who had disguised himself and entered the Prime Minister's Tower last night. He looked like he hadn't slept all night; he was in poor spirits and looked pale. He looked a bit like a patient who had lost too much blood.
Ed clearly remembered that Lord Varys' mood last night was not as dejected as it is today.
Last night, this eight-legged spider was full of energy in front of the Prime Minister, cursing the King as a stupid donkey. Today, however, it seems to be the one who looks more like a stupid donkey.
"Your Majesty, Your Excellency, across the Narrow Sea, Viserys, the second son of the Mad King Aerys Targaryen, has arranged a marriage between his sister Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo of the Dothraki. The unfortunate news is that the widow is already pregnant with Drogo's child. Drogo commands forty thousand of the most formidable cavalry on the plains, and has never been defeated since he took command. The Targaryen bloodline is thus perfectly protected. The child will be born, grow up, and, under the tutelage of his mother and uncle, learn that his maternal grandfather is King Aerys Targaryen of Westeros."
"That slut is pregnant!" The king slammed his fist on the council table, the sound like thunder. "Ned, I warned you about this before, remember? I said it back in the desolate graveyards of the North, but you wouldn't listen. Fine, now listen to me clearly: I want them dead, mother and child together, plus that idiot Viserys. Have I made myself clear? I want them all dead. A courageous man, a sharp blade."
Eddard's nickname was Ned, and it was called that by his closest relatives: such as his wife Catelyn, the old nurse of Winterfell, his adoptive father Jon Arryn, and King Robert.
Ed said coldly, "Your Majesty, do you intend to murder a fourteen-year-old pregnant child and an infant still in the womb? This is dishonorable, and if you do so, you will be infamous for eternity."
"To hell with your honor, Ned! I'm not so blind that I can't see the axe hanging over my neck. I want them dead, mother and son, and Viserys too. That's my order, and no one is to disobey!" Robert roared, glaring at his most trusted Hand of the King.
"There was no axe at all," Ned told his king with unwavering composure. "There are only old stories from sixteen years ago and these current baseless accusations…"
"Based on rumors?" Varys touched his powdered hands together. "My Lord Hand, would I fabricate false information to deceive the King? My information comes from Ser Jorah Mormont. My Lord Hand, Jorah was personally banished to the other side of the Narrow Sea by you, and he desperately desires His Majesty's pardon!"
Ned looked coldly at the eunuch. "My lord, your information comes from a traitor a thousand miles away; perhaps it is unreliable. Mormont is a disgraced vassal of the North, a criminal who has broken the law."
Varys gave a fake smile: "Your Excellency, there is absolutely no mistake about the princess being pregnant."
"Even if it's true, we don't need to be afraid. The girl might miscarry, she might give birth to a daughter, or the child might die young. There are many cases of children dying young. Even if the child is born safely and is a boy, and grows up smoothly, the Narrow Sea is in between, and the Dothraki consider the seawater poisonous and never go on a ship. Your Majesty, gentlemen, do we need to be afraid? Even if that child does come with an army in the future, we have the ability to drive them all back into the sea."
The king took a large gulp of wine, as if it were his mortal enemy, and glared at Ned. "So you mean I should do nothing and just wait for that dragon's offspring to land with their army, is that it?"
"Robert, when did you start being afraid of even a baby in its mother's womb?"
"Seven levels of hell!" King Robert slammed his fist on the table, jumped up, and looked around the council table, his voice booming like thunder. "What, are you all mute? Who's going to reason with this frozen fool? Northerners are truly a rare breed of stubborn mules. I really regret making you my prime minister. Damn it!"
The Duke of Renly's expression was stern. Whenever Robert got angry, the Duke of Renly would suppress his smile and put on the serious face of a Minister of Justice: "To me, this is very simple. Viserys and his sister should have been killed long ago."
"Lord Renly!" Ned replied, "Sixteen years ago, we fought Rhaegar's army at the Trident. Today, Ser Barristan, Captain of the Kingsguard, alone felled more than a dozen of our finest warriors, some of Robert's best friends, some of mine. When Barristan was brought before us, he was wounded and his eyes were lifeless. My vassal, Roose Bolton, wanted to slit his throat, but Robert said, 'I will not kill a man for his loyalty and bravery.' Robert did not kill Barristan; he sent men to heal him and save his life." He gave the King a cold, meaningful look. "If only the same Robert were here today. Regardless of your opinions, I oppose the murder of Daenerys. Even if you make a decision, I am the Hand of the King, and you will not have my approval."
"Seven layers of hell, Ned! I'm going to kill every Targaryen, not just a pregnant woman and a baby. The ones I'm going to kill are called Targaryens!" the king roared.
"Your Majesty, even the valiant Prince Rhaegar could not frighten you in the past, but look at yourself now. You have lost all the honor of a knight, as well as the courage and boldness of a knight."
Robert's face turned purple. "Ned, you damned Northerner, do you really want to mess with me?" He reached for the flask beside his elbow, only to find it empty, and slammed it to the ground with a loud crash. "Then get out! Lord Stark of Winterfell, what the hell are you doing sitting here? I've made my decision, and you dare disobey my orders. Get out, and get back to Winterfell. I never want to see your stinking face again, or... or I swear I'll cut your head off and hang it on my spear. Get out! Get out of here now!"
Eddard stood up, glanced around at the courtiers, said nothing more, removed the King's Hand badge from his lapel, threw it with a thud in front of Robert, pulled out a chair, and strode out.