iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 495: Gold and Black

As soon as Pycelle finished speaking, the entire petition hall seemed to be struck by lightning and instantly fell into a strange silence.

The noisy whispers and chattering suddenly stopped, as if they were covered by an invisible hand.

Immediately afterwards......

hum!
There was an uproar in the hall. The people in the front row had shock written all over their faces, while those in the back row stood on tiptoe and stretched their necks.

Then there was a buzz of discussion, which grew louder and louder, like a surging tide, almost drowning the entire petition hall.

Pycelle stood there crying bitterly, and Arianne Nymmellos Martell's pupils shrank, then she turned her gaze to the right.

Green still maintained the dignity of the regent, but... the knuckles of his hand that was grasping the armrest of the chair were white, which was enough to show that he was not at peace at the moment.

Then Princess Arianne glanced past Green and looked at another person on the right - Hand Tyrell.

His puffy cheeks were pale, his lips were trembling slightly, and his eyes were fixed on the ground as if he wanted to see through Pycelle.

Seeing this, Arianne's black eyes turned slightly, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly without being noticed.

Boom!Boom!Boom!
Crack! The Imperial Steward kept hitting the wooden board, and the handle of the hammer in his hand broke because it could not withstand the force.

Mace Tyrell stood up suddenly and shouted, "Pycelle! To insult and defame the king is a capital crime!"

Because of the movement on the platform, the noise around gradually subsided and their attention was focused there.

Pycelle shrank back in fear of the Duke of Mace. Princess Arianne then spoke up, "My dear Prime Minister, no one can stop the petitioner from speaking. Besides, how did you know in advance that Grand Maester Pycelle was slandering the king?"

A playful smile appeared on her lips: "After all, he hasn't made any specific accusations yet."

"you……"

The Inflatable Fish Duke clenched his fists and shifted his gaze to his side. Green's chest rose and fell slowly, and then... he made a secret gesture to him, indicating that he should sit down first.

On the second floor, Margaery Tyrell saw her father sitting down, and a deep sense of powerlessness and despair surged in her heart. She should stop Pycelle from speaking... at any cost... must stop him... what should she do... what should she do...

She had to stop Pycelle from speaking!

Margaret wanted to make a sound at this moment, but she was too far away from the platform, so she quickly stood up from her seat, and her rose maids followed her and squeezed out the crowd blocking the way for Little Rose.

Count Matus noticed the movement on the second floor. He thought for a moment and then stood up.

"Your Highness, the Regent, please allow me to speak!"

Green's eyes swept across the small commotion upstairs. He raised his hand to stop Arianne who was about to speak, and nodded slightly downwards.

This was enough to show the Regent's inclination. Count Matus secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He first slowly touched his chest upwards and then turned to where Pycelle was.

"Grand Maester Pycelle, perhaps no one can stop the petitioner from speaking, but you are a trusted chamberlain of the royal family, and your every word and action will affect the peace of the entire kingdom. For the sake of the king and the kingdom, if you have any doubts, please fulfill your duties and obligations as a chamberlain and speak at the royal meeting."

As soon as Matus finished speaking, Green's voice came from above: "Earl Matus's advice is wise. Protecting the peace of the kingdom is the duty of the minister of the throne and a sacred obligation."

Princess Arianne immediately objected: "Your Highness, Pycelle has served several kings. Since he chose to speak out at this moment, he must have his own difficulties. Moreover, I remember that the laws of the Seven Kingdoms do not prohibit the King's Chamberlain from speaking during petitions, right?"

Green frowned and paused. Just as he was about to speak, Pycelle's voice suddenly rang out.

"Everyone! Everyone! We have all been deceived! Joffrey and Tommen are both bastards born of incest!"

"I have evidence! I have solid evidence!"

"The bastard sits on the Iron Throne!"

"I swear on my honor! I swear on the gods!"

At this moment, Margaret, who had finally squeezed to the front row, staggered, and Meg and Elo quickly supported her.

The noise was like a beast out of control; people’s exclamations, questions, and anger were intertwined and echoed under the dome of the petition hall.

On the high platform, Green's brows were furrowed, and his face was as gloomy as the dark clouds before a storm.

Boom!Boom!Boom!
The imperial steward picked up the new wooden hammer and kept hitting the wooden board, shouting: "Silence! Silence! Silence!"

Someone suddenly shouted from the left rear: "Bastard!"

The angry crowd shouted in unison: "Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!"

From the right rear, someone shouted, "Bastard King!"

More people shouted: "Bastard King! Bastard King! Bastard King!"

Their voices became hoarse due to their excitement. Many people tried to dissuade the people around them from shouting, but they were swept up by the fanatical emotion, and more people joined in the shouting.

Seeing that the crowd might get out of control, Green promptly ordered the guards outside to enter the hall to maintain order.

Sir Pell and Sir Damien appeared in blue and gold robes respectively, and the angry crowd began to quiet down from the front row.

Boom!Boom!Boom!
The Imperial Chamberlain warned loudly on behalf of the Regent: "If any spectators disrupt order again, they will be immediately expelled from the petition hall!"

There was silence, and everyone's eyes were focused on the platform.

Green looked down at Pycelle with a fascinating gaze. After a pause, he said coldly, "Grand Maester, do you know what you are doing?"

Pycelle looked at Grimm, whose eyes flashed dangerously, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

His Adam's apple rolled under his thick white beard. He took a step forward and shouted, "Your Highness, the Regent, I have irrefutable evidence!"

Green leaned forward and stared at Pycelle for a while before he spoke slowly: "Do you know the consequences of slandering the royal bloodline here, old maester?" The old maester seemed to be endowed with great courage by the gods. He stood up, looked around, and said loudly: "You, all of us, and the entire Seven Kingdoms have been fooled. The one sitting on the Iron Throne is a bastard! A bastard born of incest!"

The Duke of Metz shouted: "Grandmaster, you keep inciting the people, you have evil intentions!"

He looked at Green and said, "Your Highness, the Regent, Pycelle's intentions are not simple. We must be vigilant! I propose that......"

Princess Arianne's sneer interrupted the inflatable fish's accusation. "Master Hand, I think I can at least give the old maester a chance to finish his words?"

The inflatable fish's face flushed. "...At least we can't let him slander King Tommen out of thin air."

Green turned his head to look at the Duke of Mace. He nodded and then turned his gaze to the people below: "Pycelle, you are suspected of incitement. I solemnly warn you that if you behave like this again, I will revoke your right to speak according to the laws of the Seven Kingdoms."

Pycelle's maester's necklace jingled softly. He bowed and said, "Thank you for your tolerance, Your Highness."

He stood up again: "First of all, I swear to the gods in heaven that what I am going to say next and the evidence I will provide are all true, all true, and only true!"

At Pycelle's signal, his assistant maester handed him a book with an old cover.

Pycelle held the book in his arms, turned to face the crowd, and said loudly: "Everyone, once gold meets carbon black, it will disappear!"

He pointed to the book and said, "This book was written by Maester Melion. It is called "The Genealogy and History of the Major Nobles of the Seven Kingdoms". It clearly records the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms and their children, including the color of their hair!"

As he turned the pages, he read: "The founder of the Baratheon family, Orys Baratheon, has black hair. His sons... Davos Baratheon has black hair, and Raymont Baratheon has black hair..."

"…Lyonor Baratheon's hair is black. His eldest son Monte Baratheon, second son Hubert Baratheon, and eldest daughter all have black hair."

"Steffon Baratheon, son of Monte Baratheon and his wife, Lelae Targaryen, has black hair."

"It is well known that the three sons of Steffon Baratheon and his wife, Cassana Esmond, Robert, Stannis, and Renly, all have dark hair."

Pycelle pulled out a piece of parchment and showed it to everyone: "Ladies and gentlemen, this was recorded by the late Prime Minister Jon Arryn himself... about the hair color of Robert Baratheon's thirteen illegitimate children. They are all black!"

The hall was filled with people's constant exclamations, some loud and some low.

After a pause, Grand Maester Pycelle, like a fearless warrior, repeated his first words: "Lord Regent, and all the lords! Once gold meets carbon black, it will disappear!"

Pycelle patted the book in his hand and said loudly: "The Baratheon family and the Lannister family, Robert Baratheon marrying Cersei Lannister is not the first union between the two families!"

He slowly looked around at the people around him: "Ninety-two years ago, Gwyn Baratheon married Tia Lannister. They had a son, and he still has black hair!"

Amid the shock of the crowd, Pycelle suddenly turned around and pointed at the lofty Iron Throne: "His golden hair is the ironclad evidence that he is a bastard!"

hum!
The petition hall exploded in an instant, with all kinds of voices rising and falling like a surging tide.

Someone suddenly shouted: "Bastard, get off!"

"Get off! Get off! Get off!"

While the blue and gold robes were maintaining order, Green's upper body tilted to the right, and the inflatable fish Prime Minister also leaned over.

"Prime Minister Mace, let Tommen leave here first. This place could get out of control at any time."

The Duke of Metz had not yet digested the sudden change that had occurred today. Looking at Green with a solemn expression, he temporarily lost the ability to think.

Compared to the Regent and the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice looked relaxed and even gloating.

She had left her seat at some point and suddenly appeared beside them. Princess Arianne patted Green's hand in a comforting manner and said, "Your Highness the Regent is still so wise. Tommen Weir does need to be protected. Don't forget, there is also Myrcella Weir."

Mace Tyrell, unable to bear it any longer, shouted angrily: "Dornish! Tommen is still our king!"

Arianne sneered at him: "Wake up, Tommen's golden hair is irrefutable evidence..." She pondered for a moment, and then said: "...I didn't expect that what Stannis said more than a year ago was the truth. Almost all the lords of Dorne have received his handwritten letter, but no one is willing to believe him."

Green's voice was cold. "Stannis's testimony is invalid. The kingdom has stripped him of all his rights, including the right to tell us lies and the truth."

Princess Arianne shrugged nonchalantly. "His testimony is no longer needed."

Green's brows knitted together. "Arianne, if we don't handle today's situation well, the Seven Kingdoms will soon face a new round of chaos."

Seeing that Green's anger was about to explode, Arianne stopped adding fuel to the fire. She smiled and then leaned over and kissed him lightly on the face.

"With your 100,000-man army as a deterrent, no one will dare to offend your majesty. Don't worry, my highness."

After saying that, she gently stroked the back of Green's hand with her fingers, and walked back to her seat with a swaying graceful figure.

Retracting his gaze, Green patted the somewhat bewildered inflatable fish Duke and consoled him, "I am with you. Our kingdom will not face any situation that we cannot handle. Stay calm, my Prime Minister."

Then, Green looked back and saw Sir Ange jumping onto the platform nimbly.

"Go and convey my order, and let the Kingsguard protect Tommen and leave. Also, send someone to bring Myrcella over and protect them together, and mobilize my soldiers..."

…………

When the chief steward took out the third new wooden hammer, the petition hall finally returned to silence.

Pycelle stood there holding a book, enjoying everyone's gaze. The corners of his mouth, hidden under his thick white beard, curled up slightly unconsciously, while his face maintained a fearless expression.

Boom!Boom!Boom!
Green on the podium pressed his forehead and said, "Grand Maester Pycelle, do you have anything else to say?"

Warrior Pycelle ignored the regent's impatience and hidden anger, raised his head, and said, "Your Highness, please forgive my presumption, my accusation is not over yet."

Green waved his hand, and Pycelle pulled out a rolled parchment from his sleeve. He held it high up and said, "Here are the testimonies provided by Maegorta's maids and servants. There are four maids and three messengers. They have all served Cersei Lannister closely for many years. Inspired by the gods, they all accused Cersei of betrayal of their marriage and identified the man who was the real father of Tommen and other bastards!"

He handed the testimony in his hand to the guard in Green, turned around, and said loudly: "That man is Cersei Lannister's twin brother, Jaime Lannister!"

(End of this chapter)