Chapter 63: Conflict of Interest
"Hmm." Eddard nodded calmly, acknowledging the greeting, and without dismounting, he surveyed the burgeoning Night's Watch office, a hint of amusement playing on his lips. "It looks quite decent. When can you start recruiting?"
"In two or three days, I'll do it as soon as possible," Aeg replied. "This office will not only serve the function of recruitment, but also act as a transit point for the grain, equipment, and funds donated to the Night's Watch by the nobles and commoners of the Seven Kingdoms. Everything will be counted, recorded, and then sent to the Wall."
"Hmm. " Eddard pondered for a moment. "Where did you get the money to buy these things?"
"With the support of Tyrion Lannister, and he also assigned a squire to assist me," Aeg answered without hesitation, introducing the Prime Minister. "This is Jack."
Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, the young squire quickly stepped forward to greet the Hand. Unlike Aeg's composure, he was quite nervous. not surprising, as everyone knew the Stark and Lannister families weren't on good terms.
Eddard had just been wondering why there was a red cloak here, and now that he had the answer, he naturally wouldn't lower himself to show displeasure to a squire. He glanced at Jack and nodded in response to the greeting, then turned to look at a short man behind him. "The wildlings beyond the Wall are restless, and the Night's Watch is facing a dilemma. Even if the treasury is tight, we must provide symbolic support. Go and raise some funds for the Night's Watch, and include it in the national defense expenditure."
"My lord?" The short man didn't expect to be suddenly put on the spot and immediately put on an innocent face. "The kingdom's finances."
"There's no room for discussion. This is a serious matter for the defense of the kingdom. If you can raise the prize money for a jousting tournament, this shouldn't be a problem. Isn't this what a Master of Coin is supposed to do?" Eddard didn't give an inch. "I won't make it difficult for you. A few dozen to a hundred gold dragons will do. Help the Night's Watch get established here, and the rest is up to him."
"Well, since this is the Hand's order, I can only try to find a way," the short man replied, his tone laced with sarcasm.
Eddard ignored the man's sarcasm and turned to the other side. "Jory, stay here with Arya and wait for us. I'll go with Lord Baelish to take care of some business."
"Yes!"
"What's this? You promised to take me out for a stroll, and now you're saying you have business! Wherever you go, I'm going too!"
A crisp protest sounded, and only then did Aeg notice that there was also a little girl among the group. Without needing to look closely, he could guess that this was Arya. And the short man Eddard had ordered to raise funds for the Night's Watch was, if he hadn't guessed wrong, the biggest troublemaker in the game of thrones, Petyr Baelish, known as Littlefinger, who treated chaos as a ladder!
Due to some differences from the image in the TV series, Aeg hadn't recognized the man until Eddard called Littlefinger by his name. Now knowing his identity, Aeg couldn't help but take a few more looks. first understanding the reason for his nickname, and then realizing with a start: He had been so caught up in thinking about Melisandre's words and his own affairs that he had almost forgotten the original storyline was still rolling forward like a wheel on a slope!
"The place I'm accompanying the Prime Minister to now is not suitable for children," the short man smirked at Arya and winked. "Especially not for girls."
"I'm not a child!"
"Be good. I'll come back later and continue our stroll. And Aeg, do a good job and don't cause any trouble," Eddard smiled, comforting his daughter, and then instructed the Night's Watch member with a meaningful tone. He then left with Littlefinger and the remaining guards, riding down the street and away from the Night's Watch office.
***
The high-ranking leader, busy with a myriad of affairs, came and left quickly. The group of riders departed swiftly and soon disappeared at the end of the street. Arya grumbled and complained about her father's inconsistency. Aeg, staring in the direction Eddard Stark had left, fell into deep thought.
Was the warning not to cause trouble a hint not to spread rumors about Joffrey's "assassination" attempt on Bran? When he asked Littlefinger to raise funds for the Night's Watch, was there also a sense of hush money, apart from supporting the Wall's garrison?
Based on the conversation he had just overheard, Aeg tried to reconstruct the sequence of events: Arya, unable to bear the boredom, insisted on going out to play. Eddard Stark, unable to refuse his daughter, finally agreed to take her for a stroll. Just as they were about to leave, they encountered Littlefinger, who had come to visit. After a conversation, Eddard changed his mind and decided to go with him first.
The original storyline did not include Eddard taking his daughter out for a stroll, but now the story had changed. The Starks did not blame the Lannisters for Bran's fall and assassination attempt. Catelyn did not secretly go to King's Landing and then capture Tyrion on her way back, triggering a conflict between the Lannisters and Starks. Thus, Jaime did not seek a duel with Eddard, and the fifty Stark guards were all alive and well. Eddard may have argued with Robert about the assassination of Daenerys Targaryen, but this did not affect their deep friendship.
Under this seemingly peaceful facade, as a father, taking a break to bring his cooped-up little daughter out for a stroll during his investigation into the death of the former Prime Minister. was understandable. And what could make a father abandon his plans with his daughter and decide to go with someone else? It had to be serious business. What "serious business" could Littlefinger have with Eddard?
"They seem to be heading in the direction of our inn," Jack's words reminded Aeg, coupled with what Littlefinger had said to Arya with a smile.
What kind of place was not suitable for children, especially girls? Aeg suddenly remembered the reason Tyrion insisted on staying at the Albatross Inn when they first arrived in King's Landing. "The Red Keep is too far from my favorite brothel!"
He reached a conclusion in a few seconds: "They must be going to Silk Street!"
"Huh?" As Tyrion's squire, Jack was well aware of what Silk Street was for. He had even patronized it with his master. But after the initial realization, he hesitated: "But. Lord Stark doesn't seem like the type to go to a brothel."
"Going to a brothel isn't necessarily for prostitution," Aeg's pupils dilated as more plot details flooded his mind. He remembered what was going on.
Littlefinger's ultimate goal was to incite civil war in the Seven Kingdoms and profit from it. This top player in the game of thrones could find opportunities in any sudden situation or accident. He wouldn't shelve his ambitions and grand plans just because Catelyn didn't come to King's Landing. Even without the foolish woman from House Tully, he still managed to connect with Eddard.
Without Catelyn's misguided assurance, Eddard's initial trust in Littlefinger would certainly be greatly reduced. But for a master player in the game of thrones: As long as you dare to talk to me, I can deceive you!
Now, the biggest troublemaker in King's Landing was leading Eddard to Silk Street, to a bastard of Robert's. by pretending to help the latter investigate the death of the former Hand, Littlefinger ultimately led Eddard Stark to "discover" the true lineage of Cersei's children.
Then, the straightforward Eddard would bring about the death of his brother Robert and himself. Renly would flee King's Landing with his lover and return to his land to compete for the throne. Stannis would resolve to defend his "legitimate" rights. Robb, still a child, would be hastily pushed to the forefront to become the King in the North, and in a moment of folly, he would foolishly release Theon Greyjoy, a hostage of House Greyjoy. The War of the Five Kings would thus begin.
Aeg was confident in the success of the Night's Watch bonds, partly because of Tyrion's involvement and partly because human greed is not influenced by culture or era. But war could completely destroy the breeding ground for finance, including financial scams. Imagine, in the midst of war and uncertainty, no matter how high the return rate you offer, who would have the mind or courage to entrust their money to someone else?
In King's Landing, whether it was the foolish Robert, the stupid Joffrey, or the vicious Cersei, as a member of the Night's Watch, Aeg could avoid them if he couldn't afford to offend them. But only the chaos and war that Petyr Baelish sought to create would be inescapable for anyone.
Aeg's plan required peace, and ambitious individuals like Littlefinger. had interests that conflicted with his own to an irreconcilable degree. He must disrupt Littlefinger's plans!
*****
A/N: I encourage you to take a peek at my other literary endeavors. I'm confident that you'll find them captivating. They're waiting to whisk you away on new adventures.
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