"My mother urged me to let Duke Eddard take the black, and Lady Sansa has pleaded for her father many times."
Joffrey stared at Sansa, a smile on his face, then turned to face the crowd. "That is their weak woman's heart speaking. As long as I am king, treason will be punished severely! Ser Ilyn, take his head!"
Sansa on the platform and Arya hidden in the crowd nearly fainted.Queen Cersei, in a hurry, pulled her son back. She knew this was not a wise decision. She had already threatened Ned with her daughter's life, forcing him to publicly confess his crimes. Killing Ned now would only make Joffrey and the North sworn enemies forever.
Why was the Targaryen family's Mad King called the Mad King?
Wasn't it because he indiscriminately slaughtered nobles, making everyone feel insecure, and ultimately earning the title of madman?
The High Septon and Varys the Spider, the Master of Whisperers, who were in charge of Ned's trial in King's Landing, were also stunned by Joffrey's words. This was not how it was supposed to go!One of them grabbed Joffrey's cloak, while the other excitedly spat at Joffrey.
Joffrey shook his head, ignoring their advice.
Because of Cersei's constant doting, coupled with his status as king, there was no one in the entire King's Landing who could change Joffrey's mind.
Cersei didn't try to dissuade him much either, her indulgence towards her son outweighing political considerations.
Besides, her brother was currently rampaging everywhere, what waves could the North possibly stir up?
Amidst the crowd's incredulous exclamations, Ned Stark logged off.In the King's Landing throne room, Joffrey was amusing himself with a fool, the execution of Ned Stark a few days prior having inflated his confidence and made him feel almost euphoric.
Cersei sat to Joffrey's left, watching her son's antics with amusement.
Just then, a servant entered the gilded hall, carrying an exquisite gift box: "Your Majesty, Your Queen, a gift has arrived from the North."
Sitting below the King and Queen, Sansa, as still as a corpse, suddenly raised her head, her eyelashes fluttering.Joffrey flinched instinctively, but remembering that it had only been a few days since he killed Ned, and the Northern army didn't yet know the news, he straightened up considerably, and remembering that he was king, he became even more imperious.
"Aha, is it their letter of oath and surrender to me? What's that traitor's name again, Carrot... Stark?!"
Queen Cersei waved at the messenger, signaling him to bring the gift box to her. She wanted to see what was inside before deciding whether to let Joffrey see it.Because Joffrey is still a child and needs to be nurtured slowly. If we told Joffrey everything, he would probably be scared out of his wits. After all, a new king has emerged in the south, and Robert's younger brother has also rebelled.
The Kingsguard, Sandor Clegane, the Hound, took the gift box and passed it through his hands to Queen Cersei.
Cersei, with an indifferent smile on her face, casually unwrapped the gift box and opened it.
Clang.
The gift box fell to the ground.All eyes in the hall were drawn, not to the horrified and bewildered Cersei, but to the contents spilling from the gift box on the floor.
It was a human arm, and a letter.
Joffrey was terrified, leaping from his chair and frantically groping around for something to hold onto, his lips trembling slightly: "He... how dare he... send such a thing to a king, it's disrespectful! Treasonous!"He..."
[Lady Cersei:
I am deeply disturbed to hear that you and the false Emperor Joffrey have imprisoned my father. I implore you to be merciful and release my father and two sisters, ensuring they suffer no harm.
I have long admired the Lannister family's reputation for always repaying their debts, and I intend to emulate this. As retribution for what happened to my brother Bran, and to alleviate your longing for your lover, I offer you the left hand of the Kingslayer, Jaime.
Ser Jaime has been living comfortably here. I intend to exchange him for my family, and I hope you will agree to this.]Respectfully, Robb Stark.
The council meeting ended in confusion, and Cersei led several ministers to the study. After reading the letter, she trembled with rage.
That damned Robb!
The entire letter was filled with polite and humble language, yet not a single word conveyed respect. Instead, it was brimming with contempt and threats, damn it!
Cersei didn't know how to proceed in the current situation: "What do we do now? Ned is dead, will he kill Jaime!"The rest remained silent, they didn't believe it was Jaime's arm, but Cersei seemed so sure, Robb must have included a token in the gift box.
Did that mean the Lannister forces had been routed?!
And now they hadn't been able to stop Joffrey from killing Lord Eddard, if Robb marched into King's Landing, the consequences...
Seeing their silence, Cersei was furious: "You're all useless!"
Finally, the Master of Coin, Littlefinger Petyr, spoke: "My lady, my advice is to agree to Robb's demands and make peace with the North for now."The Master of Whisperers, Varys, objected: "Peace talks? We killed Ned and let one of the little girls escape. Would Robb agree to exchange the Kingslayer for a little girl?!"
"We won't know unless we try. Perhaps we can offer more money."
Grand Maester Pycelle, the oldest of them all, remained unperturbed. He was a veteran of six reigns and had witnessed several rebellions, but none of them had affected him. Hadn't he lived to this day in good health?After much discussion, Cersei finally calmed down and made a decision: "Immediately send a letter back to that traitor Robb, saying that we will treat his family well and send them back immediately, but Ned has already been killed. If he wants more money, we are willing to pay it."
"Write a letter to my father, asking him to return to King's Landing to protect his king. I don't want us to have so few people available when that false king attacks.""Petyr, there's something I need you to do. I've heard the Tyrells have allied with the false king through marriage. They're just a bunch of ambitious fools, wanting their daughter to be queen, desperate to become princes. We have a true king here.
Tell Joffrey not to torment Sansa. I heard he forced her to look at her father's corpse the other day. If we drive that little girl to suicide, we'll have completely lost our leverage."
Once everyone had left, Cersei clenched her fist, her nails almost piercing her skin."Jaime, nothing must happen to you..."
The tense situation made her feel agitated and empty. She paced back and forth, unable to calm her mood.
So she turned to the maid beside her and said, "Summon my cousin Lancel Lannister."
Thanks to [Da Mo Wang Xi] and [Bei Feng Chuan Xi] for the monthly tickets.
...
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(End Chapter)