Game of Thrones: Viserys the Three-Headed Dragon.

Chapter 101 Imperial Meeting
There are many new faces on the council. When Tyrion dies in bed, the game has changed, but no one tells him the rules, he needs to figure it out on his own.

Lord Tywin entered the council chamber wearing the glittering gold necklace of the Hand. Lord Tyrell, Lord Redwyne, and Lord Rowan stood up to salute him, and he returned the salutes one by one, whispered a word to Varys, kissed the High Septon's ring and Cersei's cheek, and patted Maester Pycelle's hand.

Finally, Lord Tywin sat at the king's seat at the head of the long table, with his daughter Cersei and his brother Kevan on his left and right.

Tyrion took Pycelle's old seat at the end of the long table, where the bench was padded to make up for his height disadvantage. The exiled Pycelle sat next to Cersei, the seat farthest from the dwarf except for the king's.

The others took their own seats: Lord Mace Tyrell, a sturdy, ruddy man with curly brown hair and a spade-shaped beard streaked with white. Lord Redwyne of the Arbor was slumped over and slight, with only a few tufts of orange hair on his bald head. Lord Matus Rowan of the Golden Grove was neatly shaved and muscular. The High Septon was a tiny man with a sparse white beard on his chin. And Littlefinger, whose smug expression annoyed Tyrion.

As soon as Lord Tywin sat down, Cersei said hurriedly, "Shall we start planning the wedding?" She was dressed in jewels and looked particularly charming today.

Tyrion almost laughed when he heard his sister trying to arrange the proceedings of the King's Council. He almost forgot that his sister had the title of "Regent Queen Mother". Did she know that at this moment, "Regent Queen Mother" was just like his "Acting Prime Minister" and was worthless in the current parliament?
"No hurry," Lord Tywin said calmly, as expected, as if he were the master of the council. "Let's deal with the war first. Varys."

The eunuch smiled flatteringly. "My lord, I have good news for you. Lord Randyll has won a surprise attack on the northern host outside Duskendale. Over a thousand of the enemy are reported dead, including Herman Tallhart. Robert Glover led his defeated army back to Harrenhal, never dreaming that Ser Gregor was lying in wait along the way."

The marauding army led by these two northerners were Stark loyalists sent out to die by Roose Bolton.

"Praise the gods!" cried Lord Redwyne. "Great victory for King Joffrey!"

What had Joffrey done? Tyrion wanted to ask.

"This is a severe defeat for the northerners," Littlefinger commented, "but it was not Robb Stark who led the army. The Young Wolf still has a reputation for being invincible."

"Any news about the movements of the Stark army?" asked Lord Rowan.

"He has returned to Riverrun with his spoils, and has abandoned all the castles he has taken in the westerlies," Lord Tywin announced. "We are regrouping at Lannisport, and will soon march to the Golden Tooth, and we will march straight to Riverrun once Stark reaches the north."

"Are you sure Stark will return north?" Lord Rowan questioned. "Moat Cailin is in the hands of the ironborn."

Lord Mace of Highgarden interjected: "What is a king without a kingdom? He's a beggar! This guy will definitely abandon the riverlands, bring his army to join Roose Bolton, and attack Moat Cailin with all his strength. If it were me, I would do the same."

Tyrion nearly bit his tongue as the Lord of Highgarden spoke. Robb the Young Wolf had won more battles since the war began than the Lord of Highgarden had won in his entire twenty-year career.

"Speaking of the Beggar King." Kevan cleared his throat. "Recently, we have received a letter from Viserys Targaryen, who calls himself the 'Dragonlord of Dragonstone.'"

Tyrion found that Kevan's timing in bringing up this topic was perfect.

"What?!" The Duke of Highgarden thought he had heard it wrong.

"How is that possible?" Earl Rowan and Earl Redwyne said in unison.

"." Little Finger frowned but said nothing.

The one who had the biggest reaction was Cersei: "Targaryen! How dare they come? We should send a fleet to destroy him immediately. Robert should have done this more than a decade ago, but it took my son Joffrey to finish him off!"

Sometimes Tyrion really couldn't guess whether Cersei had a good brain or a bad brain. She could realize that the Targaryens were a big threat to the king of King's Landing, but she didn't realize that King's Landing didn't have a single warship now.

Tyrion asked in coordination with his uncle Kevan, "So what did the letter from the 'Dragon Lord of Dragonstone' say?"

Kevan relayed: "He said, 'The white crows of the Citadel have arrived, marking the end of the long summer and the approach of winter. Viserys Targaryen, the Dragon King of Dragonstone, calls on all forces in Westeros to remain calm and restrained, to jointly maintain peace, to ensure the last chance of harvesting crops before winter, and to make full preparations for the people of Westeros to survive the harsh winter.'"

Cersei said irritably, "Who does he think he is?"

Tyrion chuckled. "Oh, Queen Regent, if I understand correctly, he may not have said so in his letter, but he probably thinks he is the King of the Seven Kingdoms."

"He wants peace," Lord Tywin said, and all were silent. "But peace will not be obtained by a letter. His army was incapable of advancing beyond the island of Dragonstone, and his fleet is not strong enough to block the Throat. Varys."

"The merchant ships that came to King's Landing brought news of the lords of the narrow sea," Varys said. "This dragon king occupied Dragonstone during the Battle of the Blackwater, but the nearby Driftfort and the Point still belong to Stannis. His fleet is insufficient. People only saw two galleys and three large ships on Dragonstone. His army may have two thousand people."

"Is the news true?" Lord Rowan said bluntly, considering it from a military perspective. "If so, why did Targaryen attack that rotten place of Dragonstone without ships? What does he want?"

"There is a speculation that he could flee to Pentos at any time on Dragonstone." Kevan answered, "Before he appeared on Dragonstone, there was news that a Pentos merchant funded him to restore his country."

"Smart man." Lord Mace Tyrell commented, "If it were me, I would do the same. As I said, a king without a kingdom is a beggar. The Targaryens who captured Dragonstone can gather the royalists of Westeros in the past, and they only need 2,000 people to do this."

Cersei asked coldly, "Are you moved, Lord Mace?"

Mace Tyrell was a member of the Royalist Party.

The Duke of Mace had recovered from his initial surprise when he heard the news. He responded in a light tone, "He wants peace, but Westeros is now in the midst of war. Lord Tywin, I believe you must have found a way to deal with this dragon king, right?"

Tsk, Tyrion couldn't help but tsk at Cersei in his heart. He could probably guess that Tywin's plan was to have Redwyne, under Mace, send a fleet to Dragonstone. But Cersei's words made Tyrell kick the ball back to the Lannisters.

Lord Tywin remained calm and changed the subject: "Kevan, there is another letter from the king. Tell everyone."

Kevan replied, "Balon Greyjoy, who calls himself King of the Isles and the North, has written to request an alliance."

It was Cersei again. She said with disdain, "Greyjoy? He should have surrendered. Why does he call himself king?"

"By right of the conqueror," Lord Tywin said, "King Balon holds the Neck, holding Robb Stark's throat. The ironmen have slain Stark's heir, taken Winterfell, and seized Moat Cailin, Deepwood Motte, and much of the Stone Shore, relieving us greatly. On the other hand, with King Balon's fleet commanding the Sunset Sea, Lannisport, Fair Isle, and even Highgarden will be threatened if we do not appease them."

Tyrion thought to himself: I should have shut Cersei up earlier.

"Then we have no choice but to form an alliance with him," said Lord Rowan. "What conditions did he offer?"

"We must recognize his kingship and place the land north of the Neck under his rule."

Lord Redwyne chuckled. "Only a madman would care about land north of the Neck! If Greyjoy will trade men and fleets for rock and snow, I say it is a good bargain. A very good one!"

"Yes," Lord Mace agreed. "Lord Redwyne speaks for me. Let Balon hold off the northerners while we deal with Stannis." He made no mention of the Targaryens.

Lord Tywin guided the topic with dignity, and the people on Tyrell's side followed Tywin's rhythm, but there were still many small moves. Tyrion clearly realized that this alliance was far from solid, and was currently only maintained by the huge benefits left by defeating Stannis and the upcoming marriage.

Lord Tywin moved on to the next topic: "We still have the problem of Lysa Arryn to deal with."

"Oh," said the Duke of Metz casually, "women can't fight. In my opinion, let her go, it doesn't matter." I wonder what his mother would think when she heard this.

"I agree," Redwyne said. "Lady Lysa has not led an army, nor committed treason."

Tyrion could no longer sit still.

"She put me in the dungeon, tried me, and nearly killed me!" Tyrion said bitterly, "Besides, she never came to King's Landing to pledge her loyalty to the king. My lords, please give me the army, and I will drive this Lysa Arryn out of the mountain for you!" To this day, he still often dreams of the dungeon in the Eyrie and wakes up in a cold sweat. In addition to strangling Cersei, Tyrion doesn't know what else can make him happier than forcing Lysa Arryn to kneel down and surrender to him, or even die.

Mace Tyrell smiled broadly, but Tyrion could see the contempt in his smile. "Perhaps you should leave the fighting to the warriors," the Lord of Highgarden said. "Many skilled generals have been defeated at the Mountains of the Moon or at the Bloody Gate. How much more so you? Ah, we know your worth, my lord. Be patient."

Tyrion wanted to stand up and argue, but Lord Tywin said before he could get angry: "Tyrion, I have other plans. As for the Eyrie, I believe Lord Petyr can find a way."

Tyrion knew he had no chance.

Littlefinger, who had been waiting for the next words, said, "Oh, yes, the solution lies between my legs. My lords, if you agree, I will go to the Vale and win the favor of Lady Lysa Tully. When I marry her, we will take the whole Vale of Arryn without shedding a drop of blood."

People questioned. "Will Lady Lysa accept you?"

"She has accepted me many times, Lord Rowan."

"Sleeping is not marriage," Cersei said. "Even Lysa Arryn, a cow, knows the difference."

"Yes, it is impossible for a small nobleman to marry Lady Lysa, but it is not so incredible for the Lady of the Eyrie to marry the Duke of Harrenhal, don't you think?" Littlefinger had already made up his mind.

"We have many enemies," Kevan said. "We would be lucky if we could take the Eyrie. I think it would be a good thing for Lord Petyr to make the journey."

Kevan had been leading the charge for Tywin, and Tyrion knew it. Lord Tywin had made up his mind, Tyrion thought, and the small council was just a rubber stamp.

Lord Tywin looked back at Littlefinger. "If Lady Lysa will marry you and return to the kingdom, I will return the Wardenship of the East to Robert Arryn. When will you leave?"

"I will leave tomorrow if the wind is favorable," Littlefinger replied enthusiastically. "There is a Braavosi ship in the harbor, loading cargo in its skiffs and preparing to sail. I will speak to the captain later."

Tyrion couldn't help but interrupt the conversation: "If our good Lord Petyr wants to leave, what will happen to the royal finances?"

"I believe you can take on this vacancy." Lord Tywin looked at him seriously.

Tyrion should have realized that in Lord Tywin's eyes, he was not even as good as Cersei.

Redwyne and Tyrell exchanged glances.

Lord Redwyne rubbed his nose. "Shall we discuss the matter of an alliance with Greyjoy? It is a move that I see would be profitable. Once Greyjoy's longships join our fleet at the Arbor, it will be easy to bring an end to the traitor Stannis."

Seeing that no one from the Tyrell side mentioned Targaryen, Kevan took over and asked Varys: "By the way, didn't Stannis's defeated army have a conflict with the Targaryens?"

"In fact, Stannis's defeated army did not stay in the waters of Dragonstone. According to reliable information received this morning, Stannis is heading south to Storm's End."

"What?" The Duke of Mace said dissatisfiedly, "Why didn't you tell me such important information earlier? Wouldn't the troops sent by the Tyrell family to besiege the city suffer losses?"

"They are the remnants of a defeated army, Lord Mace," Varys replied. "The news is that they replenished their military supplies in Stonedance, and stayed there for less than half a day before hurriedly heading south, not daring to even look at Dragonstone." Previously, Stannis blockaded the Narrow Sea, hunted down spies, and expelled foreign merchant ships and foreigners. Varys's little bird was unable to move around, so it could only take shelter here temporarily.

"Stannis is no longer a concern. King Balon's longships are tied up," Lord Tywin said. "We have other pressing matters to attend to. Greyjoy demands half the kingdom, but for what? For him to fight the Starks for us? He started the war himself, so why should we pay for a free lunch? So the best policy with the king of Pyke is to do nothing and say nothing, to remain silent until the situation becomes clear. Send scouts to Dragonstone to learn the truth, and then make decisions."

The Duke of Metz asked, "Shall we start talking about the wedding?"

Tyrion suddenly sneered. Even the seemingly omnipotent Tywin had things beyond his control. What would he consider after finding out the truth about Targaryen? Tyrell and Redwyne were unwilling to mention this matter. Did he really intend to send a fleet from Lannisport to attack Dragonstone?
Now we have not yet talked about dividing the spoils of victory over Stannis. According to Varys's statistics, forty-seven lords and six hundred and nineteen knights died in the ranks fighting for Stannis's Lord of Light and the Flaming Heart Banner, and thousands of ordinary soldiers died. In addition, there were countless surrenders. Because they were declared traitors, their descendants were deprived of their inheritance rights, and many lands and castles were waiting to be distributed.

Tyrion looked at Mace Tyrell's big belly and thought: If Tyrell wants to agree to send Redwyne's fleet to Dragonstone, I'm afraid that in addition to the part that has been agreed upon, more meat will have to be cut to fill the Duke of Mace's belly.

Lord Tywin nodded solemnly, and the conversation turned to the wedding.

"My Lords," said Grand Master Pycelle, "In order to add to the festive mood of the wedding... we have sent an invitation to Sunspear. We received a reply saying that more than three hundred distinguished guests are on their way to the capital day and night. We hope that they will arrive on time."

The Dornish are here? Tyrion couldn't believe it, but he quickly figured it out. The letter from Dragonstone should be later than that from King's Landing.

Huh. Tyrion couldn't help but look at Lord Tywin again, his stern face that seemed to be in control of the situation, and wondered whether the Dornishmen would still come as promised after receiving the letter from Dragonstone.

The dwarf was already looking forward to how Lord Tywin would handle the upcoming chaos.

No need to even wait.

The people of the River Reach, who had a feud with Dorne, could no longer sit still and began to argue.

But Lord Tywin was prepared.

"Prince Doran has come at my son's invitation," Lord Tywin said calmly. "Not only to attend the ceremony, but to take his seat on the small council, and to seek the justice that was denied to King Robert, and to avenge his sister Elia and her children."

Tyrion looked at Lord Tyrell, Lord Redwyne, and Lord Rowan, wondering if any of them would be bold enough to ask, "But Lord Tywin, it was you who wrapped the bodies of the children in Lannister red cloaks and presented them to Robert?" No one said it, but their faces told. He saw Lord Redwyne's mouth drop open, and Lord Rowan seemed to choke.

Although the alliance with Dorne was initiated by the dwarves, he felt that he had already escaped from this farce. Lord Tywin took away all his power and left him with only a chancellor of the exchequer. And what was the chancellor of the exchequer to do, count copper coins?

Needless to say, Lord Tywin quickly overpowered Tyrell.

Then, this imperial meeting that had gradually made the dwarf feel tormented gradually came to an end with the wedding agreement and the distribution of the fruits of victory.

Finally, the torment came to an end. The dwarf heard the folk rumor that even shitting gold. Lord Tywin asked: "Varys, any new reports?"

"Just received a report that the wildlings are heading south to the Wall, and the Night's Watch on the Wall sent a letter asking for help. Someone saw a sea monster near the Five Fingers Peninsula," Varys still had a flattering smile on his face, and he muttered to a piece of parchment, "Remind everyone, I'm not talking about Greyjoy, but the real thing. Someone saw it sink an Ibbenese whaler. The Stepstones are in constant war, mainly between the Tyroshi and the Lys. The Myr fleet approaching Tyroshi has temporarily calmed the war. Merchants returning from the Jade Sea claimed that a three-headed dragon was born in the city of Qohor, and the whole city was -"

"I care not for wildlings, dragons, or sea monsters, or how many heads a dragon has," said Lord Tywin. "Have your spies not got a clue about my nephew?"

The nephew Tywin mentioned is Tyrek Lannister. Previously, a riot broke out in King's Landing due to the blockade of Stannis and Renly's army and shortage of supplies, and Tyrek disappeared in the chaos.

The worst that could happen is that he's already in the "brown soup" at Flea Bottom.

But there was no solid evidence, and he was still missing, alive or dead. Whether out of family affection or to appease the nobles, Duke Tywin made every effort to continue the search.

Compared to this, Lord Tywin was indifferent to information about wildlings, sea monsters, and dragons.

Tyrion still remembered his visit to the Wall, the crab feast he shared with old Mormont and the officials, and the old bear's worry: "The Night's Watch is short of troops. If something goes wrong at the Wall--"

"The wildlings will come straight to the North," Lord Tywin interrupted him, "creating new troubles for the Starks and Greyjoys." The subject ended there, and Lord Tywin looked at Kevan. "Anything else?"

Kevan replied, "No. My lords, King Joffrey thanks you for your wise counsel and loyal service."

Tyrion wanted to pick up on his uncle's question: Where is King Joffrey? Is he here?
(End of this chapter)