The night in King's Landing was still bustling.
Ser Lynn stood on the terrace of his newly acquired mansion.
This place once belonged to Petyr Baelish.
He could overlook most of the brightly lit King's Landing and smell the sweet, cloying scent of cheap perfume and desire wafting from the brothels downstairs.
Money was just a tool.
His true spoils of war were severing the invisible web that Littlefinger had painstakingly woven in King's Landing over a decade.
Seven brothels, warehouses on the docks, manors outside the city… these were not just assets, but also intelligence nodes and hubs of influence.
Losing all of this meant Petyr was completely crippled.
"My Lord."
A respectful voice came from behind him.
He was a middle-aged man named Robb.
He was responsible for some intelligence work.
"Everything has been thoroughly investigated."
Robb handed over a thin piece of parchment.
"The Lord Commander of the City Watch, Janos Slynt."
"This man is insatiably greedy and as timid as a mouse."
"Every month, he takes a full three hundred gold dragons in protection money from your seven brothels."
"And that doesn't even include the bribes he accepts from other shops, casinos, and smugglers."
Ser Lynn took the list.
It was densely filled with every one of Janos Slynt's illicit accounts.
Time, place, amount – all crystal clear.
"Very good."
Ser Lynn's fingertip tapped lightly on the name "Janos Slynt."
This was the largest armed force in King's Landing, a full six thousand Gold Cloaks.
Yet their commander was a dog that could be driven by money at will.
Such a force, in Ned Stark's hands, was a deadly double-edged sword.
If he did nothing, the Gold Cloaks would be a sharp sword hanging over his head.
If he tried to act, he would inevitably face strong backlash from the Queen and other factions in the court.
Ser Lynn knew very well.
Once he left King's Landing, leaving Ned alone,
this honorable Lord of the North would soon be devoured by those jackals, leaving not even bones behind.
Therefore, before leaving, he must remove this most dangerous fang for Ned and provide him with a sturdy armor...
Inside the Hand of the King's Tower, the atmosphere was heavy.
Ned Stark was frowning at a map of King's Landing.
The fragile balance between the Queen and His Majesty the King weighed on his heart like a mountain.
"Lord Ned."
Ser Lynn's voice came from the doorway.
Ned looked up.
Seeing Ser Lynn, the weariness between his brows eased slightly.
"You're here."
"I'm about to depart for across the Narrow Sea."
Ser Lynn got straight to the point.
"But before I leave, there's something that must be resolved."
He placed the parchment filled with Janos Slynt's crimes before Ned.
"This is…"
Ned picked up the parchment.
With just one glance, his face instantly darkened.
"The City Watch… has rotted to this extent?"
"This is just the tip of the iceberg."
Ser Lynn's voice was terrifyingly calm.
"You are the Hand of the King, the Prime Minister of the Seven Kingdoms."
"But in King's Landing, your authority cannot even extend beyond the Red Keep."
"Six thousand Gold Cloaks, they obey not the King's law, but Janos Slynt's command."
"And Janos Slynt, he only answers the call of gold dragons."
"Consider, after I leave, if you uncover any evidence unfavorable to House Lannister, what will Queen Cersei do?"
"She only needs to pay a few thousand gold dragons, and Janos Slynt will lead his Gold Cloaks to unhesitatingly seal off the Red Keep, and you and your family…"
Ser Lynn did not continue, but the bloody scene had already clearly appeared in Ned's mind.
"What should I do?" Ned asked.
"His Majesty the King trusts you now, and he trusts me."
Ser Lynn's gaze was as sharp as a knife.
"King Robert detests Littlefinger, and Janos Slynt is Littlefinger's lackey."
"What we need to do now is to eliminate this dog, who helps the wicked, along with the filth behind him!"
"In the King's name, purge the City Watch!"
"But who will take his place?" Ned frowned.
"I have no one I can trust in King's Landing."
"You do."
Ser Lynn tried to jog Ned's memory.
"My Guards who followed me south from the North, they are all battle-hardened warriors, and fiercely loyal to Stark."
"Let them join the Gold Cloaks and become officers."
"Then summon a reliable contingent from the North to completely refresh the blood of the Gold Cloaks."
"This army can then be firmly held in your own hands!"
"After all, Queen Cersei cannot spare the time for these matters now; she is struggling to protect herself."
Ned's breathing suddenly quickened.
He looked at Ser Lynn, as if seeing this young man from the North for the first time.
He was straightforwardly handing him the butcher's knife!
"Will Robert… agree?"
"He will."
Ser Lynn's tone was unwavering.
"His Majesty the King values you far more than you imagine."
...The Throne Room was once again filled with Robert's roar.
"This fat-bellied bastard!"
"He dares to do such things in my King's Landing!"
Robert slammed the parchment filled with crimes onto the floor, his corpulent body trembling violently with rage.
"I've disliked him for a long time!"
"A bald man who can't even hold a sword, does he deserve to command my Gold Cloaks?"
His gaze turned to Ned, his bloodshot eyes full of savagery.
"Ned! This matter is yours to handle!"
"Arrest that bastard Janos for me! I want to personally chop off his head!"
"No, Your Majesty."
Ser Lynn stepped forward, his voice steady.
"Cut off one Janos, and there will be another."
"The filth of King's Landing requires a thorough cleansing."
"You only need to issue one command."
"Temporarily entrust the command of the City Watch entirely to the Hand of the King."
"You will personally supervise until the Hand of the King believes this army is sufficient to once again defend the King's honor."
Robert looked at Ser Lynn kneeling on the ground, then at the resolute Ned beside him, his chest heaving violently.
After a long moment, he squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth.
"Good!"
...The City Watch barracks were located near the Mud Gate.
The air was always permeated with a foul smell of sweat, leather, and horse manure.
Janos Slynt was shirtless, enjoying a massage from two maids.
Iced wine and honeydew melons freshly brought from Dorne were on the table.
Just then, the barracks door was kicked open!
"Who the hell…"
Before Janos could finish his curse, he saw a figure cloaked in a black Direwolf pelt, surrounded by a group of Guards in golden armor, walk in.
It was Ser Lynn.
And the Guards behind him were escorting a grim-faced Ned Stark.
Janos's heart skipped a beat; he quickly scrambled up, fumbling to put on his clothes.
"Hand… Lord Hand! Ser Lynn! What brings you two here?"
He forced a smile that was uglier than a cry.
Ser Lynn ignored him.
He simply walked to the table, picked up a piece of honeydew melon, and began to eat it leisurely.
Ned Stark pulled out a parchment, personally signed by His Majesty the King and bearing the Hand of the King's seal, from his tunic and coldly unrolled it.
"By order of His Majesty King Robert Baratheon I, effective immediately, Janos Slynt is relieved of his post as Lord Commander of the City Watch and is to be detained for trial!"
"The Hand of the King, Ned Stark, shall temporarily assume the role of Lord Commander, with full authority to oversee the reorganization of the City Watch!"
Ned's words exploded in Janos's ears like thunder.
The smile on his face instantly froze, and large beads of cold sweat rolled down his bald head.
"No… This is impossible! Lord Hand, there must be a mistake!"
He fell to his knees with a thud, trying to grab Ned's leg.
"I… I am loyal to His Majesty the King!"
"Loyal?"
Ser Lynn finally finished the honeydew melon.
He wiped his hands with a napkin and threw a ledger in front of Janos.
"Lord Janos, you have embezzled military funds, trafficked weapons, sold military positions…"
"What, are these also your loyalty?"
Janos saw the familiar ledger and instantly turned ashen.
"Take him away and lock him in the black cells."
Ned waved his hand in disgust.
Two Guards immediately stepped forward and dragged out the limp Janos Slynt.
Ser Lynn walked to the barracks entrance, looking at the Gold Cloaks who had gathered in the square outside, exchanging bewildered glances, his voice carried across the entire camp.
"From today onwards, the City Watch will be taken over by the Hand of the King!"
Ser Lynn turned around and issued his first command to the fifty Northern elites behind him, who had already donned the Gold Cloak officer uniforms.
"Arrest all officers of captain rank and above for me!"
"Any who resist shall be killed on sight!"
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