Game of Thrones: Viserys the Three-Headed Dragon.

Chapter 171: Minister of Finance (Part )
There is a record in the corners of later history: On the day that Dragon King Viserys returned to Dragonstone from Braavos, his first finance minister died of excessive drinking that night because the news brought back by His Majesty was too explosive.

Because of this incident, later historians called this minister "Illyrio the Alcoholic" or "Illyrio the Unlucky". Later historians believed that this first finance minister valued by the Dragon King could have become one of the famous ministers under the Dragon King and left a glorious name in history.

But because he died too early, only those who have studied this history in depth know that there was such a person as the Dragon King during the Dragonstone period.

-

"Giant dragon! It's His Majesty the Dragon King. His Majesty is back!"

"I bet it's a triumph!"

When the nobles and wedding guests who had been stranded in Dragonstone Castle, town and dock for several days saw a giant dragon appear from high in the northeast sky, everyone cheered.

"I bet the people of Braavos are scared to death, and the House of Black and White is reduced to ashes, ahahahaha."

I saw his Majesty the King's dragon shrink its body and fly back to the castle. After a few breaths, it quickly soared into the sky and headed straight for Dragon Mountain.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer was looking up at the dock, and his fat body lost its balance and he almost fell off the dock.

Haldon stepped forward and helped the fat minister: "Be careful, my lord."

Haldon was the young Griffin's healer and mentor, an old man with a clean-shaven face full of wrinkles and a monk-like look, and his hair was tied back in a knot. He was in charge of receiving the supplies that would be on Prince Aegon's ship heading north.

Illyrio managed to stop himself. He smiled to hide his bitterness. "Oh, thank goodness you were here. Otherwise, I would have fallen down in public and made a fool of myself."

Haldon smiled along, a very official smile, only curling the corners of his mouth, and looked at Illyrio across with calm gray eyes: "The supplies for the ship have been loaded. Is there anything else on the list that you need to check? Food, fruit, oil, ale, and the mules, packhorses, and carts to carry them are all ready. The Golden Group is ready to set off at any time."

Illyrio nodded. "Yes, that is right. I wish you safe journey to the Wall."

Haldon looked at him strangely. "We don't know when we will set out, sir. We have to wait for the king or the Prime Minister to issue an order to lift the blockade of Dragonstone. We can decide on the day of departure."

"You're right, Haldon. I was confused." Illyrio's voice was strangely sad. He took a deep look at the ship. There was a box inside that contained his gift to the little boy. Some ginger candies, the child always liked it. For this reason, the fat minister packed a box of supplies for each ship, ostensibly the goods on the minister's own merchant ship, just in case he pocketed the money for internal consumption. He coughed a few times, "Cough cough cough - sorry to make fun of me, I caught a cold these days, my brain isn't very sharp, hehe..."

"As a doctor, I suggest you drink some herbs and have a good sleep. My lord, you have been busy these days, which is really unnecessary. You are the Minister of Finance, why do you have to do these trivial matters yourself?"

The Chancellor of the Exchequer pouted and said, "Halton, the clerks in the Treasury are all very capable, and they are the ones who are busy. As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, I don't have that much to do."

Haldon asked curiously: "What do you mean——"

"Hey, I'm hungry." Illyrio didn't let the other party continue speaking, he called his followers.

Illyrio was always accompanied by a group of people, who carried boxes of delicious food and barrels of wine, always ready to satisfy their master's strong appetite.

It was noon, and the minister liked to drink some Dornish red wine with eel jelly at this time.

But today was an exception. The fat minister seemed to have changed his taste: "Give me a roasted skylark and some Myrish strong wine."

This was a little unusual, but the minister's attendants were always well prepared. As the minister spoke, the attendants placed a small table on the ground, opened the gourmet box, and placed the still-hot roasted skylarks stuffed with onions and garlic and a pot of Myrtle liquor in front of him.

Halton was quite helpless watching the fat minister act like this by the boat, so he had to find an excuse to leave: "Sir, I——"

But the fat minister interrupted him, shrugging his shoulders: "Halton, an old and fat man needs his comfort, come, have a glass of wine too?"

"I'm not thirsty, but thank you." Halton had no choice but to stand aside.

The fat minister threw a roasted skylark into his mouth and chewed it with a crunching sound, "I am old, I have seen and tasted everything, and I have experienced all kinds of storms. Haldon, let me tell you the truth of life that I have learned over the years: life is short, and the only things in this world that cannot be wasted are good food and good wine."

Haldon looked at his fat body and remained silent.

The fat minister licked the grease off his lips and said, "Next time you come back, His Majesty the Dragon King will probably hold a banquet for the prince. I really hope I will be there so that I can participate in this grand event." He swore on the hand of his dear Sira that the prince would definitely get his wish and return to his ancestral home.

He had Targaryen blood in his veins, no doubt about that.

Finish a glass of strong liquor.

For some reason, the fat minister's eyes suddenly felt hot.

The king had promised to make him chancellor of the treasury, and even to make him a noble lord. Now, he was convinced that this promise was true, and if he wanted, he would even have the opportunity to choose his own fiefdom... If possible, he would make a request, and His Majesty would definitely not refuse.

However.
He regretted it. Varys was right. From the moment he knew the other side had a dragon, he should have considered landing smoothly instead of anything else.

However, he had already made the most wrong judgment. Before he came to Dragonstone, before he confirmed the dragon, and before he realized that a king with a dragon would completely block the prince from ascending the throne. He failed to continue to consider the issue as an ambitious man, but became a foolish father who was willing to give up everything for his child.

He waited a lifetime, but took the wrong path at the most critical step.

Sira. I'm sorry.

But there is still room for salvation.

Only he and Varys knew the truth. Varys would never tell the secret for his own sake, and he
He will also keep this secret forever and take it to the grave.

He knew that the king did not trust him and that he had no chance, but for the sake of his reputation, the king would never pursue a dead man.

After learning that the first assassination attempt had failed, Illyrio once wanted to give up. He even took the risk of going to the Faceless Patriarch of the House of Black and White while borrowing money in Braavos to ask him to stop the assassination. He was even willing to not ask the other party to return the dragon egg.

But the patriarch told him that the Faceless Man would never violate the creed after receiving the offering. He had already made the offering to God, and the gifts prepared by the gods must be given away, and the will of the gods must be executed.

Illyrio realized that he had made a big mistake. The Faceless Men were indeed the best assassins in the world, but at the same time, they were also a group of crazy followers of the God of Death.

Illyrio had nowhere to retreat.

He once placed his hopes on the Faceless Men to succeed, but they still failed. He even despaired to learn that the king was a magician who was suspected to have inherited the dragon magic of Valyria, and the two Faceless Men assassins failed to hurt the king with such strange means.

What made him even more desperate was that the king rode a dragon to the House of Black and White.

Now, the king is back and the dragon is unharmed.

There is only one possibility.

Illyrio has been trying to escape these days, but he just didn't leave. Although Dragonstone was nominally blocked, the King's First Fleet Commander Grole has a close relationship with the Fat Minister, so he could take the opportunity to escape.
But why didn't he escape?

The fat minister felt a great deal of regret.

Did he expect the king to be in trouble in Braavos? After all, it was recorded in history that the Battle of the Throat involved ninety ships from the Three Sisters and five Targaryen dragons, and even captured a prince, killed a prince and a dragon.

Viserys has only one man and one dragon, and Braavos has two hundred warships!
However.
Halton noticed that the Chancellor was in a daze and looked unhappy. He couldn't help but ask, "My Lord, are you okay? How about I give you some herbs to stop the cold, or use leeches to suck some blood from you?"

"Oh, that's all." Illyrio responded, a cheerful smile on his face again. "I should return to the castle. His Majesty will surely call all the ministers to a royal meeting soon. I wonder what the current situation is between us and Braavos and the Faceless Men. Are they hostile or friendly?"

"Your Majesty, the Dragon King has returned safely. I believe that Braavos is either at peace or has become a kingdom. Dragons have an overwhelming advantage over fleets. We have been following His Royal Highness the Prince in disguised merchant ships on the Rhoyne River for many years, and we often pass by the abandoned cities that were burned by the Valyrian dragon kings, those great cities that once belonged to the Rhoynar."

"Yes, the deeds of the Valyrian dragon kings four hundred years ago, and the deeds of Aegon the Conqueror. I'm sure that when people talk about dragon kings in the future, they will also have to add the deeds of His Majesty Viserys." Illyrio's heart tightened as he realized that he had the opportunity to become a founding father of a new dragon empire and an important part of history.

As a political opportunist, he considered himself to be a smart man, but as a father, his impulsive decisions brought him bitter consequences.

He thought bitterly. Even as a father, he left hidden dangers for Silla's child.

Silla. Illyrio was in a state of mixed emotions. He thought of the portrait he carried with him and the arm she left behind. How should he face her? He covered his chest.

His attendant noticed that he seemed unwell: "My lord, what's wrong with you?"

He waved his hand weakly: "Prepare the sedan chair and take me back to the castle. His Majesty must be anxious to summon the ministers."

He urged his followers to act quickly.

He sadly discovered that he had long been a weak man. His body was fat and chubby, with few strong muscles under his greasy skin. His current body shape was so sad that his hands were shaking. These hands used to be so dexterous and steady...

The road from Dragonstone town to the castle is winding.

Many nobles and knights who were stranded in the town taverns and government streets observing government affairs due to the blockade ordered by the king and the prime minister are now rushing back to the castle.

Like Illyrio, they had seen the king return on his dragon and were waiting to hear the first-hand news, wanting to know what the king had brought back from his trip to Braavos to seek an explanation.

Illyrio sat in a litter carried by four stout eunuchs, with permission from King Viserys, who had told him when the king himself had led him up the mountain that he could be carried in a litter if he had difficulty walking.

There were four followers following closely behind with different boxes.

Along the way, there were many nobles and knights from the seven countries who were also climbing the mountain and they cast strange looks at the fat minister.

Illyrio knew that there was a lot of disdain and indifference in those eyes. He knew that many people looked down on him as a finance minister who came from a merchant background, and thought that he had obtained his seat in the royal court through speculation.

However, he was appointed by His Majesty King Viserys as the country's first Lord of Coin, and he even went to the port to meet the ship himself.

With this relationship, even the oldest and proudest nobles and knights of the Seven Kingdoms had to take this fat minister who enjoyed special honors into consideration. Everyone knew that if nothing went wrong, this minister would become a Westeros noble in the future, own a castle, be granted a territory, and become a new noble of the second-tier nobles in the Seven Kingdoms.

But now, these looks of disdain, indifference, or jealousy made Illyrio's heart ache and his throat bitter.

He thought back to his time in Pentos with Varys.

He has come a long way.

At first, he was just a mercenary, an assassin.

He would never know why Varys had chosen him for his protection when he had fled to Pentos after being denounced by a rival thief in Myr.

They struck a deal. Varys would spy on the worst thieves and take their stolen goods, while Illyrio would help those who lost their property, guaranteeing the return of their property for a fee. Soon everyone who had suffered a loss knew to come to him for help, and robbers and pickpockets in the city came to them to sell their stolen goods.

They prospered and became rich.

And after Varys began training the Little Birds, they went from being wealthy gangsters to even wealthier upstarts of Pentos.

The old thieves were fools who thought only of exchanging all their plunder for wine. Wallis was different. He preferred orphans and young girls. He picked out the smallest, the nimblest and the quietest, and taught them to climb walls and slide down chimneys. He also taught them to read.

Ordinary thieves stole gold, silver, and jewels, while the little bird Varys trained stole letters, account books, charts... read them and put them back. He never knew how Varys had that talent, but as he said, secrets are more valuable than gold, silver, and gems. In this way, they became richer and richer. Their status in Pentos became more and more noble.

Finally, a cousin who was a prince of Pentos gave Illyrio his daughter in marriage.

Then there’s Syrah.

His true love and ambition swelled because of her.

For Silla, he abandoned the status he had received from his cousin, the Prince of Pentos.

For Silas's sake, he planned to place their child on the throne.

However, his plan had obviously failed, and because of one wrong step, there was no turning back, and he was even powerless to resist.

Once, people said the last dragon died a century ago.

Today, the dragons are on Dragonstone.

In the hands of the very people he had tried to use.

Once upon a time, he thought Varys was an omnipotent magician.

Now, a true wizard with a dragon was on Dragonstone, and he dared to fight against it with his mortal body.

"Ah, here we are."

In the past, Illyrio was annoyed by this long and winding mountain road, but today, he did not expect that the journey would be so short and quick.

"Lord Illyrio, you are back." As soon as he entered the castle, a new noble attendant of the royal court came up to greet him excitedly, "His Majesty is summoning the ministers to hold a royal meeting. You can go to the Table Hall first. The Prime Minister, the Minister of the Navy, and the Minister of Justice are already there. You are the only one missing."

There were only these few ministers in the royal court. When Illyrio heard his name, he felt a glimmer of hope. "How can I keep His Majesty and the others waiting? I will be there right away!"

However, when the fat minister came to the table hall.

What caught his eye were two huge dragon eggs on the map table.

When he saw one of them, he suddenly felt cold all over.

The king was standing at the opening in front of the drawing room with his back to it. He did not turn around, but only said, "Is the Chancellor of the Exchequer here?"

Illyrio was bitter, but he remained polite and answered, "Your Majesty, I am sorry to have kept you and your ministers waiting."

The king turned around, his face showing no emotion, and only gave him a deep look: "You are busy, which is fine. I heard that you are sick, do you want the maester to prescribe some medicine for you?"

Illyrio noticed that as the king spoke, he was caressing a bronze dragon egg in his hand.

It's the dragon egg.

Illyrio found himself not in the least shocked, but with one sad thought: he already knew.

He replied: "Your Majesty, thank you for your concern. I have my own medicine. It's just a cold. It won't be a problem."

"That's good, my Lord Chancellor. The Treasury will be busy next. Braavos has signed a friendly agreement with us. It will bring a large amount of income to the treasury."

Only the king noticed the bitterness on Illyrio's face and stared at him with a cold gaze.

Prime Minister Oberyn was excitedly flipping through a document, the Lord Admiral was just a six-year-old boy, and the new Minister of Justice, Count Gunther, was silently waiting for the King and the Prime Minister to speak.

Finally, at some point, the Prime Minister stopped flipping through the documents and exclaimed to the King: "Your Majesty, I must admit that I am shocked by the agreement you brought back. I am really curious, how did you do it?"

"It is a long story. In short, it has something to do with the Faceless Men." Illyrio's ears pricked up at the king's words. "The House of Black and White in Braavos has been utterly destroyed."

Illyrio noticed that the king was stroking the dragon egg and looking at him while he spoke.

He just felt extremely sad in his heart.

(End of this chapter)