Maester Pycelle was very thoughtful; during the night, Lord Green received the unconscious Hugh.
Jeffrey of the Survey Corps first restrained Hugh, then woke him up, and cut a gash on his wrist, letting the blood drip into a pre-placed wooden bucket.
Drip, drip, Jeffrey had Hugh's eyes covered and then made a gesture.
...
The next day, as dawn broke, the sky was a hazy light blue.
Lord Green put down Hugh's written testimony, his slender fingers tapping the table a few times.
On the day Prime Minister Jon passed away, a masked man suddenly approached Hugh, first giving him a large sum of golden dragons, and then saying that if he completed a task, the masked man promised he would receive a knight's title.
The task the masked man gave Hugh was simple: when Duke Eddard came looking for him, tell him that Prime Minister Jon had been secretly investigating King Robert's bastards in King's Landing, and occasionally he would hear him say... 'strong stock'.
Why didn't Hugh suspect the masked man?
Hugh had accidentally spied on Earl Petyr and Lady Lysa's illicit affair, but he chose not to report what he saw to Prime Minister Jon; instead, he used this matter to threaten Petyr.
Hugh guessed the masked man was Petyr's subordinate, the golden dragons he received were hush money, and this task was a test and reward for joining Lord Petyr.
Everyone knew Earl Petyr was always generous... Hugh felt he had won his gamble; he not only gained wealth, but his dream of being knighted was also about to come true.
Greed blinded Hugh; he even began investigating the secret between the King's bastards and 'strong stock'... Once he had a knight's title, he also wanted to gain a fief; Hugh wanted to become a true noble.
...
Lord Green's pupils contracted slightly; the cunning Petyr had already grasped the truth of the royal bloodline beforehand, and he was preparing to use this matter to create a chaotic situation and make it his stepping stone.
Petyr subtly guided Duke Eddard to uncover the royal bloodline issue that Prime Minister Jon had investigated before his death; when Duke Eddard discovered the truth of the royal bloodline, he would conclude that the murderer of Prime Minister Jon was Queen Cersei of Lannister.
As for the evidence of murder... at that point, it wouldn't matter, and no one would pursue it, because defiling the royal bloodline was a far more significant matter.
The Direwolf's attack, the Golden Lion's counterattack.
...
Lord Green closed his eyes; he knew Duke Eddard's sense of justice would surely give Petyr a chance to defend himself, and with Petyr's cunning, it would be difficult to make him comply with just Hugh alone.
Just Petyr and Lysa's *intimate evidence* would be difficult to pin the crime of poisoning Prime Minister Jon on them... Lord Green opened his eyes, shaking his head slightly with a smile.
He seemed to have forgotten that this was Westeros, and everyone was a player in the game of thrones, so what real evidence was needed?! Lord Green knew in his heart that he wasn't wronging Petyr.
Sunlight streamed through the window into the quiet room.
Lord Green stood up, preparing to find Varys, the Master of Whisperers, and persuade him to deliver the final blow to Petyr.
If Varys refused to cooperate... then he would temporarily let Petyr go, eliminate Varys... and then Lord Green and Petyr would work together to create chaos.
Lord Green picked up his longsword and fastened it to his waist; as a lord, he needed to think calmly and try his best to cooperate with Varys; this person was still useful.
...
Lord Green, leading his guards, had just walked out of Hook Alley when he pulled on the reins to slow his horse, noticing the banners of the Crowned Stag and the Golden Rose ahead.
Renly Baratheon, Loras Tyrell, and Margaery Tyrell rode towards them, surrounded by their guards.
Renly was handsome, Loras was beautiful, and Margaery was charming... The scene was beautiful and very high-profile.
It was a pity Jaime wasn't here... Lord Green raised a hand, signaling his guards to move to the side of the road, clearing the main path, and waiting for the approaching party to pass.
Duke Renly swept past Lord Green and his group with his chin held high, completely ignoring the dozen or so strikingly blue Cleber's Blue Cloaks.
Margaery's beautiful eyes glanced over; Lord Green tilted his head... A polite, faint smile hung on his face, and her small hand gripping the reins tightened, then she casually shifted her gaze away.
Loras tilted his head, sizing up Lord Green.
Loras wore a light blue silk garment, belted with a chain of golden roses; the gentle morning light seemed to cast a golden halo around him, making him stand out.
Lord Green's eyes moved slightly, meeting Loras's gaze.
Lord Green raised an eyebrow: 'My defeated opponent.'
Loras's eyes flared with anger: 'Just you wait!'
...
...
As Lord Green passed Maegor's Garden, he saw Joffrey Baratheon and Sansa Stark strolling together.
Joffrey had shed his usual arrogant demeanor, his smile gentle, appearing courteous and refined.
Sansa's chestnut hair was brushed to a shine, and she wore a blue velvet gown; she seemed completely captivated by Joffrey.
Queen Cersei was preparing for Joffrey to successfully inherit the Iron Throne... Lord Green withdrew his gaze and strode towards Maegor's Holdfast.
Lord Green, the 'King of Scrolls,' also had the task of monitoring the Starks, reporting to Queen Cersei every two or three days.
Lord Green's reports seemed to hide nothing, but in reality, crucial information was concealed through his linguistic skills, though this method couldn't last long; the Red Keep had many Lannister eyes and ears, and with time, problems would easily be discovered.
...
Maegor's Holdfast Hall.
The Queen's handmaiden bowed, respectfully saying, "Lord Green, Her Majesty the Queen has commanded that no one be granted an audience today."
Lord Green glanced at the Red Cloak guards in the distance, then lightly tossed a golden dragon, which neatly slipped into the handmaiden's cleavage.
The handmaiden's face immediately flushed, and after a moment's hesitation, she leaned closer and whispered, "Her Majesty the Queen only fell asleep this morning."
...
...
Outside the Throne Room, Duke Eddard watched Ser Jaime's pale face, his brow furrowed.
He said coolly, "Ser Jaime, with you guarding the King and the Iron Throne, should I say I'm very relieved?"
Ser Jaime gave a carefree laugh and said, "Duke Direwolf, although King Robert is not in the Red Keep, we of the Kingsguard still have our night watch; I should be resting now, but I specifically came to find you."
More than a decade ago, when Duke Eddard led his troops into the Throne Room, he saw the Mad King lying in a pool of blood, while Jaime, clad in shining golden armor, sat high on the Iron Throne... He wore the white cloak of the Kingsguard, his golden longsword lay across his thighs, and the King's blood dripped continuously from the sword's tip; that scene remained vivid in his memory even now.
Hearing Ser Jaime's explanation, Duke Eddard's brow relaxed slightly: "What do you want to see me about?"
Jaime shrugged and said, "We're old acquaintances, and now neighbors, so naturally, we should get closer."
Duke Eddard disliked this jocular way of communicating; he said coldly, "Robert appointed me Hand of the King, not to be your friendly neighbor."
Jaime's smile stiffened for a moment, then he paused and said, "King Robert is preparing to host a grand tourney to celebrate your appointment; perhaps we two can even joust, a Golden Lion against a Direwolf, the spectators would surely cheer enthusiastically without even realizing it."
Duke Eddard gazed at the man before him; if the murderer who poisoned Prime Minister Jon was indeed a Lannister, then could it be Jaime Lannister himself... More than a decade ago, he had already personally destroyed the Kingsguard's honor, and he wouldn't care about using other dirty methods to achieve his goals.
"I might disappoint you, I won't participate in the tourney, because I don't want my enemies to know my strength beforehand during a duel."
He added, "And I don't like being watched."
Jaime's tone was laced with sarcasm: "I didn't expect the Direwolf's tongue to be so nimble... That reason sounds very sincere."
Duke Eddard said coldly, "That's the truth; I will make time to watch your acrobatics."
Saying this, his grey eyes swept over the armor on Jaime's body, then he continued, "Your armor is very beautiful, not a single scratch; I hope you can keep it that way."
Jaime tightened his fist and said, "Duke Stark, thank you for your concern; don't worry, they can't reach me."
Duke Eddard's gaze shifted to the Throne Room and he said, "I know you're very good at choosing opponents."
Jaime no longer cared about the task Cersei had given him; Duke Eddard had stung him in his most sensitive spot.
Jaime sneered, then also looked towards the Throne Room and said, "Duke Stark, when you walk into this hall, you must feel very uncomfortable, right? I was here that day; your father and brother were very brave; they shouldn't have died like that."
Duke Eddard did not get angry as Jaime had imagined; his gaze became complex: "Jaime, you chose to stand by, yet you feel no shame at all."
Jaime said in a deep voice, "Hundreds of people present at the time also stood by and watched them die; they were the Seven Kingdoms' finest knights, but did anyone say a word, or lift a finger? Not a single person. The Throne Room was as silent as a crypt... except, of course, for the screams and the Mad King's laughter."
He scoffed, then looked at Duke Eddard and added, "When the Mad King died, I remembered his wild laughter when he burned your father, and it made me feel... like I was avenging those who died tragically."
Duke Eddard snorted coldly and said, "A Kingsguard knight assassinating a King from behind, is it to avenge others?"
Jaime said angrily, "King Aerys ordered his Pyromancer to ignite the Wildfire buried beneath the city, to turn all of King's Landing into his funeral pyre, and he also ordered me to bring him my father Tywin's head..."
As he spoke, he suddenly remembered that night during the Kingswood Hunting... his conversation with Lord Green.
He paused, then asked, "Duke Stark, if it had been you at that time, what would you have chosen?"
Duke Eddard looked at the angry-faced Jaime, his gaze sharpening, and he coldly replied, "Perhaps my choice wouldn't have been better than yours, but I would have redeemed my honor at the last moment."