Imperial Guards' Encirclement

Chapter 55 Imperial Guards' Encirclement

Ed clutched a roll of parchment in his hand and forcefully shoved it into the king's hand.

"Your Majesty, these are the expenses for this expedition."

"Look at this! Look at this!"

"No, no!" Robert turned his head away like a naughty child. "I'm going out hunting!"

Ed's forehead veins throbbed.

"Your Majesty, the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer is still vacant. You have not appointed a new one since Petyr was removed from office."

"The Lord Commander of the Navy is not here either. Lord Stannis has been on Dragonstone for half a year now, and there's been no news of him at all. He's like a dead man. Could you go and inquire about him?"

"Good riddance!" Robert waved his hand.

"I'm going hunting!"

"Now that Petyr is dead, you'll need someone to keep the books!" Ed's voice rose as well.

"Tywin returned to Casterly Rock with his army from the Westerlands after the battle, without even leaving a word."

"The compensation you promised to Hejian has yet to be a specific amount."

"The mess in the valley hasn't been cleaned up yet, and Eyrie has been looted clean, with even the servants gone."

"How can Harry, a teenager, manage such a huge castle? Aren't you going to do anything about it!"

Ed grumbled like a lonely, resentful woman in her empty room, "And my wife's younger sister, she's been sentenced to go to the Silent Sisters as punishment."

"But she died mysteriously, along with her child."

"Kate is sick, and I don't have time to visit her. I also have to clean up this mess for you."

"And there's more—"

Ed kept rambling on and on.

Robert listened silently without interrupting.

"Good Ned, good brother."

"Meeting you in this life is the luckiest thing that ever happened to me." His eyes sparkled.

"so."

"Edward Stark".

"I now appoint you to handle these matters in full authority."

"No need for me to stamp it."

"You can do it without worry. If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility!"

He gently patted Ed's shoulder.

"Can I go hunting now?"

Ed closed his eyes.

He's only in his thirties, still young, we can't let him get so angry he dies.

In the end, he could only watch helplessly as a willful figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.

As for doing what you like.

Robert moved quickly.

It didn't take long at all for the hunting gear to be ready.

Renly served the king faithfully, attending to his every need.

Taking advantage of Robert's good mood, he handed him an exquisitely crafted gold rose pendant with a grin.

"Brother, what do you think of this girl?"

Robert took it, raising an eyebrow: "Who's this girl?"

"Love Knight's sister," Renly said.

Robert's face fell.

"A Tyrell's daughter? Forget about it, that woman would go mad."

He thought for a moment, then added, "Toman doesn't have a new team yet, so we could consider it—"

Renly leaned closer and whispered, "Brother, House Tyrell is looking for a queen."

"That won't do," Robert shook his head. "Joe and Sansa have made their plans; there's no going back."

Joffrey, who was tidying up his hunting crossbow nearby, twitched his ears slightly when he heard this.

Why do I have to do this?

He lowered his eyes.

Rose's family won't do; those people are too cunning, and I can't even sleep peacefully at night.

Moreover, the river bend is too large and too powerful.

While marriage alliances are desirable, what he truly desires is to weaken the power of the regional princes.

Such a rich piece of land, rather than being tied together by marriage, it's better to take it by your own hands.

But it's too early to think about these things now.

His gaze swept across the busy crowd and landed on the blond, blue-eyed young man.

Lansel Lannister.

His cousin, Cersei's cousin, and Robert's squire.

Joffrey frowned slightly.

Robert can't die now.

Cersei will want to become regent, Tywin will rush back from Casterly Rock, and Eddard will confront them head-on.

Those two uncles might also have some ulterior motives.

The local lords all harbored ulterior motives.

The forces on the other side of the narrow sea will also be eager to make moves.

And he, Joffrey, was a child who had not yet built up much power.

He will be pushed onto the Iron Throne and become a pawn that everyone fights for.

"Who are you, the masters of King's Landing?"

"I am still the master."

The situation cannot be allowed to develop like this.

He's keeping a good facade now, and apart from Stannis hiding on Dragonstone, no one has mentioned the bastard child anymore.

This guy doesn't even trust his own brother; he just stays there and waits to see what happens.

Littlefinger, who caused all the trouble, also died, leaving only Varys.

Whether it's Aegon or Daenerys, the eunuchs wouldn't act rashly without at least eight or ten years of preparation.

Or he could just let Jaqen kill him.

Therefore, the best option is to wait peacefully for the right to inherit power.

Robert disliked meddling in things.

In a few years, he will naturally hand over all political affairs to Joffrey, and by then, everything will be able to transition smoothly.

of course.

Joffrey glanced at Robert, who was chatting and laughing with Renly in the distance.

He also had some inexplicable feelings for this person.

I still hope that everyone around me will have a happy ending.

"Let's go, Joe." Robert waved to him.

Joffrey mounted his horse and rode out of the city with the main force.

set off.

Go to the Imperial Guard.

The Kingswood is a vast forest stretching across Blackwater Bay to the south of King's Landing, covering an area of ​​over a thousand square kilometers.

The area is rich in hunting resources, and the infamous Royal Guard Brotherhood once hid here, extorting money by kidnapping nobles.

The Mad King couldn't stand it any longer, so he sent the Imperial Guards to wipe them out.

It was in this battle that Jaime faced the Smiling Knight, whom he had longed to meet.

But that was more than a decade ago; the Imperial Guard is safe now.

-

Robert still summoned half the court.

Including the entourage, there were more than a hundred people.

It meant nothing more than to put on a show.

When Ed found out, he was so angry that he chased after Ed to the door and cursed him for a long time.

He then went on to pay his respects to Robert and all six of his deceased parents.

Robert didn't care at all.

He rode on his horse, took a big gulp of wine, and sang at the top of his lungs.

The only complaint was that the procession was moving too slowly.

"Xiao Qiao! Tell the people behind to catch up! What are you all dawdling about for!"

"And that idiot, give me the wine bag! This one's gone!"

Joffrey rode alongside Lansell, his eyes never leaving the wine flask.

Lansell felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Nephew—Your Highness—" he stammered, "Is there something on my face?"

Joffrey nodded.

He snatched the wine flask from his hand and took a sip himself.

It's both spicy and pungent.

"Remember to switch to a lighter wine," Joffrey warned him.

Then he threw the wine sac to Robert.

"You little rascal, still sneaking a drink." Robert took it, gulped down another big mouthful, and looked at him with a grin. "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about how to behave in front of you," Joffrey said.

"This is my first time hunting."

Robert glanced at the crossbow in his hand: "Performance?"

"The thing to do is to quickly throw away that piece of dog poop in your hand."

97

Joffrey gave an awkward laugh.

The entourage wandered around the Imperial Forest for several more days.

They hunted countless rabbits and shot several ordinary deer, but they didn't even catch a glimpse of the legendary white deer.

Robert started swearing.

"That woman is definitely lying to me! That Bai Lu thing is just a made-up story to trick me into going out!"

But as he was passing through a dense forest, Joffrey suddenly saw a white shadow flash in front of him.

"Father!"

Robert looked in the direction his finger was pointing and his eyes lit up.

"Come with me." He lowered his voice, dismounted, and stealthily approached. "Everyone else, don't move!"

Joffrey followed closely behind him.

Pushing aside the last clump of bushes, the scene before them stunned them both.

In a clearing in the forest, a large, snow-white male deer stood there.

Around it, seven or eight gray wolves were slowly approaching.

Robert drew his bow, then gently lowered it.

"Xiao Qiao, come here."

Joffrey picked up his crossbow and began to aim.

"Bang!"

The crossbow bolts whistled out.

Then it was firmly nailed to the tree next to it.

The wolves were startled and scattered.

"Where the hell did you shoot?!" Robert jumped up. "It went all the way across the Narrow Sea!"

But Joffrey intentionally missed.

He couldn't care less about that now; he simply stretched out his palm and silently activated that strange feeling.

Then they slowly walked towards the white deer.

One step, two steps, three steps.

Robert jumped twice and then stopped, the cursing sound stuck in his throat.

The white deer did not run away.

It stood quietly in place, watching the approaching boy with its dark eyes.

Then she rubbed her nose against his palm.

Followed by.

It knelt down.

He gently placed the head with its abundant antlers beside Joffrey's hand.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a pure golden-white hue on their silhouettes.

The attendants who had just arrived were all stunned.

No one speaks.

No one is breathing.

Only the wind rustling through the leaves made a soft whisper.

Then, someone murmured something.

"By the gods—"