Enough, old man, finish it, Tyrion thought irritably.
"High Septon, if you listen to the voice of King's Landing, you will find our people are crying out in hunger."
"Because we are sinful, we suffer.
This is all the arrangement of the gods above, Lord Hand.
I believe the gods bless the King and you, and we will get through this," the High Septon said righteously.
"Prayers are not as useful as bread, esteemed High Septon.
If the people are starving, they won't care about the majesty of the gods or the authority of the King," Tyrion reminded.
King's Landing has over five hundred thousand people, and the people of King's Landing have instigated many riots in the past.
"They are merely a group of unfortunate people, their lives as insignificant as grass; this is all the arrangement of the gods," the High Septon said with feigned compassion, implying he would not contribute another copper coin.
"High Septon, surely you must pay some attention to these devout believers.
Now, the hunger panic is spreading in King's Landing."
"My Lord, if I may be frank," the High Septon said.
"Our Robert, The late King favored by the old gods and new gods, still owes many golden dragons that were lent from the Great Sept of Baelor; Littlefinger arranged this.
The Faith truly has no money, and no supplies; I really cannot take out money to help those poor mouths.
Furthermore, when will the royal family repay the golden dragons owed to the Faith? The bishops are all very worried..."
"Littlefinger, it's Littlefinger again," Tyrion muttered the name, which was like a shadow.
There were certainly some issues with the past accounts, but time was pressing, and he couldn't get rid of this person now.
Tyrion looked at the fat High Septon, feeling very disappointed.
This was a stubborn miser; if he had made a show of it, he might have salvaged some of his image.
But he also couldn't offend the High Septon too much, so he could only make his point subtly.
The High Septon, however, spoke again, "My Lord, recently due to frequent warfare, more people have been coming to the Great Sept to pray and supplicate.
Some of the alms from these devout men and women, however, can..."
"You are truly a kind person," Tyrion said with a sigh of relief, expressing his profuse thanks.
Although the High Septon's small amount of money and supplies were merely a drop in the bucket, it was at least a gesture.
After the High Septon left, Tyrion remained alone in the reception room, quietly pondering his next move.
In terms of intelligence, Varys still seemed very supportive of Tyrion for the time being, which was why Tyrion's early efforts went somewhat smoothly.
Financially, Littlefinger also behaved and caused no trouble.
Militarily, Tyrion had Bronn and the wildlings' small detachment, and command of the Red Cloaks' small guard.
He had also decisively driven out Janos, the Toad, and replaced him with Jacelyn Bywater, Ironhand, recommended by Varys, as the commander of the gold cloaks, to control King's Landing's forces.
Cersei must have been very angry about this, but it had to be done.
Besides the commander of the gold cloaks, Tyrion had ordered the blacksmiths to forge all the chains, as the wildfire Cersei told him about greatly interested him.
And those decadent captains, each of them was very suspicious.
"grain, grain, there's really no good solution. The Riverlands are ruined, Highgarden is watching and waiting, ships can't get in by sea, and the Vale is still run by orphans and widows."
Tyrion rubbed his head; this most difficult problem had no good solution.
For now, they could only tough it out; even with money, they couldn't buy grain.
"Enforce a curfew to prevent the poor from gathering."
"And there are the remaining three ministers: Varys, Littlefinger, and Old Maester."
Tyrion pondered these three key officials; one of them must be his sister's spy, but who?
He needed to find a way to test them.
Tyrion walked to the window and looked at the Red Comet, wondering if he still had unused leverage.
"Myrcella, a lovely little girl."
Tyrion's eyes lit up, and he finally steeled his heart.
He would absolutely not let go of Tommen; he was the second in line to the throne, their fallback option.
The key was Myrcella; he had to carefully consider where this girl would go.
If a marriage alliance matured, it would bring some support and military protection.
Whether it was Highgarden, Dorne, or the Vale, there were suitable male heirs.
The crucial question was whose power was stronger, and who could better solve their difficulties.
Tyrion calmed himself down and then thought that for the princess's destination, he could give three different addresses to the three men separately and see who the traitor was...
The night was as black as ink, and King's Landing was very lively this evening.
"Bread, bread!" The hungry populace shouted in the streets of King's Landing.
They poured out of Flea Bottom, and wealthy households along the way quickly locked their doors and windows; the price of grain was now more expensive than guards.
The hungry and homeless also joined the procession: beggars, vagrants, paupers.
The ragged crowd formed a line and rushed towards The Red Keep.
Recently, there had been frequent unrest in the city; refugees fleeing the war constantly streamed into the capital, and many could only live by robbery and murder.
In such circumstances, hungry people were everywhere.
An ordinary person is just a drop of water, but a large crowd is like a torrent, especially when they are famished and full of resentment.
"We want bread, King Joffrey!"
"We want bread! We want bread! King Joffrey, Queen Mother Cersei, Little Monkey, hand of the king!" The voices of the people grew louder and louder, seeming to shake the entire castle.
The Red Keep was brightly lit, and the soldiers nervously watched the stream of people from the Beggars Guild below, who were shouting King Joffrey's name, seeking bread and comfort.
Due to the sudden situation in King's Landing, all the Red Cloaks were mobilized, and the defenses of Maegors Holdfast were considerably relaxed, giving Sansa a small window of opportunity.
The Red Cloaks and a Kingsguard from Maegors Holdfast had both gone to find the King.
Sansa Stark avoided the spy-like maidservants and slipped into the night, waiting until the soldiers had gone far before hurrying past.
When she saw the King, Sansa's heart tightened; fortunately, the King did not notice her, so she continued towards the Godswood.
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