One sunny afternoon, Samwell and his party arrived at the High Court.

After the end of the long summer, the high court, which was originally a green paradise, also put on a pale yellow coat.

Led by the servants, Samwell and the others made their way through the labyrinthine gardens and three white walls into the castle interior.

"Is my father back?" Margaery Tyrell asked.

"The master hasn't come back yet." The servant replied respectfully, "But it should be soon, the knight has already returned yesterday to report that the retreating army has passed the fruit wine hall, and it is estimated that it will be there in two or three days." The old lady asked me to arrange for all the distinguished guests to rest first. ”

"Okay."

Samwell could clearly feel the coldness of the Tyrell family, and the four great nobles came together, but none of the Tyrells family members came out to greet them.

Of course, this is not a surprise.

Lady Olenna must have seen that these four families were not good.

What's more, with Samwell, the abductor who eloped with the "High Court Rose", the Tyrells may be restrained now.

Fortunately, along the way, Margaery acted as a competent "tour guide", smiling and introducing the layout of the castle to the distinguished guests, as well as the story behind it, so as not to make the atmosphere too awkward.

After settling the group, Margaery took Samwell's hand and whispered:

"Sam, you guys rest first, I'll go meet my grandmother and test her attitude."

"Do you need me to accompany you?"

"No, I'll come back to you later."

Margaery tiptoed a kiss and walked away.

She didn't go back to the house to change her clothes, so she found Lady Olena with all the wind and dust.

The "Queen of Thorns" was drinking tea on a tall and elegant round tower, and from her position she could see the manors and fields outside the castle for dozens of miles.

You can also clearly see the situation of Samwell and his party entering the city just now.

"Grandmother." Margaery walked up to Lady Olena and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

Lady Olenna looked at her favorite granddaughter with an inexplicable gaze, and said:

"Tell me, good granddaughter, why did you choose Caesar?"

"Joffrey Baratheon and Samwell Caesar, choose between the two." "It's not a difficult choice. ”

Lady Olenna snorted lightly: "If you don't want to marry Joffrey, just refuse, why do you have to make the show of elopement." ”

"Because I like Sam." A faint flush appeared on Margaery's face.

"I've taught you since you're very young." Lady Olenna had a look of hatred on her face, "Don't let your feelings dictate your decisions. ”

"I'm sorry Grandmother, I let you down." Margaery lowered her head, her slender eyelashes fluttering slightly, "But how can people have no feelings." You told me that the relief of the displaced people was just to show a gesture of proximity to the people and win their love, but every time I saw those ragged, scrawny farmers, I still couldn't help but feel heartache. ”

"You can have heartache, but you must not act irrationally about it. Otherwise, this will be your Achilles' heel! And once you have a weakness, you can easily become a prey in this game of thrones. ”

Margaery bit her lip and retorted, "But charity is also a noble character, which may become a weakness, but it will also win the love of the people. ”

"You think too well of the people, too smart." Lady Olenna said coldly, "They are actually more stupid and unreasonable.

The gray plague swept through the old town, killing nearly half of the city's population. Lord Quinton Hightower ordered the ships in the harbor to be burned and the gates of the city closed, so that no one, even the members of the Hightower family, could leave the city, so that the plague would not spread.

It stands to reason that the nobles and commoners of the Seven Kingdoms should be grateful for the kindness of Earl Quinton, but in fact? Have you ever heard a bard sing his name?

No.

On the day the plague ended, Earl Quinton took to the streets to celebrate the Holocaust with the populace, but was brutally killed by the angry fools.

Instead of thanking the hero who saved them, they blamed him for the disaster.

You see, that's what happens to charity. ”

Margaery was silent.

Seeing the stubbornness in her granddaughter's eyes, Lady Olenna sighed secretly and slowed her tone:

"Margaery, in this world, strength is the most important thing, and the rest is embellishment. You have to recognize that. Don't look at the Lannisters now, but King's Landing is still in their hands, and it is Cersei's second son, Tomman, who sits on the Iron Throne.

Don't underestimate Tywin Lannister, a man who has held power in the Seven Kingdoms for twenty years, neither Eddard Stark nor Stannis Baratheon.

And if we are added, no one will be able to take away the throne of the lion.

In return, we will also have a queenship.

You tell me, what do we get by following Samwell Caesar to the trouble of the Lannisters? ”

"Dragons." Margaery said in a deep voice, "Grandmother, you must have seen with your own eyes just now, Sam has a white dragon!" ”

"Yes, I saw it." Lady Olenna pouted, "But only as big as a puppy." How many people can be burned? ”

"The dragon will grow."

"But how long will that take? Decade? Twenty years? Or a hundred years? Lady Olenna sneered, "And the baby dragon is the easiest to kill. A mob of King's Landing was able to storm the dragon's lair and kill the young dragons inside. Are you sure Samwell's this one will grow to the point of 'Black Death' Bellerion? ”

"If Samwell had a 'Black Death,' he wouldn't need the Tyrells." The more Margaery spoke, the more confident she became, "Grandmother, if we support the Lannisters, how long will the queenship guarantee the prosperity of the family?" Decade? Twenty years?

But if I support Caesar, I and his heirs will be true dragon blood!

Dragons take a long time to grow, but once they reach adulthood, they can remain a deterrent for hundreds of years!

This is the chance to truly propel the Tyrells to the pinnacle of power! ”

When Lady Olenna heard this, she finally smiled with satisfaction:

"That's a good reason."

But then she changed her tone and reprimanded, "But how did I hear that when you climbed on Caesar's horse and decided to elope with him, he had not yet hatched a dragon?" ”

Margaery stuck out her little tongue, then shook Lady Olenna's arm in an attempt to get by:

"Grandmother, anyway, you just say that my idea is not feasible, right? Sam is my own knight, and if we stand firm for him now, he will surely reward the Tyrells handsomely in the future. This is no better than supporting the evil seeds of the lion family. ”

"Caesar does have more potential." Lady Olena said expressionlessly, "But I think he may not be able to survive the dragon's adulthood, and now the lion is fighting with the fish, wolf, deer and eagle, of course I can't take care of him, but once the two sides decide the winner, no matter who wins or loses, they will turn around and deal with Caesar!" ”

Margaery said, "That's why we have to take advantage of the chaos of the Seven Kingdoms to form an alliance with Sam and help him grow stronger." ”

Lady Olenna once again showed an expression of hatred that iron could not be made of steel:

"Even if you form an alliance, you must also distinguish priorities. Silly girl, you're in such a hurry to send yourself out, what leverage do the Tyrells have? Moreover, Caesar, Tully, Luo Wan, and Florent came to the High Court together this time, clearly to force us to make concessions. Hum! Is this the attitude of a vassal towards a sovereign? ”

Margaery tried to explain to the man: "Actually, Samwell was also worried that you would be bad for him, so he made some self-preservation behaviors. Rest assured, they really don't have the intention of trespassing. ”

Lady Olenna snorted softly, "Do you believe this yourself?" ”

Margaery stopped talking.

She has been taught by her grandmother since she was a child, and she has been exposed to it in the Duke's house, so she is naturally not a white rabbit in terms of power struggle, so when she saw the armies of Liangshui City and Golden Tree City in Jiaoling that day, she immediately understood Samwell's plan.

Many times, she actually keeps convincing herself that her choice is not wrong.

"Grandmother." It was a long time before she spoke again, and there seemed to be something different in her tone, "No matter what your attitude and father are, I have already decided that Samwell will elope with him even if I can't get your blessing." ”

"Stupid!" Lady Olena trembled with anger, "I've taught you for so many years! The aristocracy who has always been blind for love has no good end! Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark have only been dead for a few years, have you forgotten? ”

"I'm sorry, grandmother." Margaery apologized, but her eyes were extremely firm, "Back then, the 'King of Renrui' Jaehaerys and Queen Alexandria were also blind for love, and their union was not favored from the beginning, the Queen Mother, the Hand of the King, and the Archbishop...... Almost everyone was against it, but they came together bravely.

As it turned out, their union was blessed by the gods, and together they created one of the most glorious Targaryen dynasties. ”

Lady Olena sneered, "You know you're comparing a little baron to the wisest king in the history of the Targaryens? ”

"Samwell Caesar will be a great king!" Margaery proudly declared, "I too will be a great queen." ”

Mrs. Olena looked at her granddaughter in front of her in a daze, this girl who had dreamed of becoming a queen since she was a child, at this moment in the eyes of her grandmother, she really had the temperament of a mother.

Lady Olena suddenly smiled with relief: "So, you are now giving orders to me as a queen?" ”

"Of course not." Margaery threw herself into Lady Olenna's arms and became the coquettish little girl again, "I ask you as a granddaughter. I ask you to bless me and the knight I love. ”

Lady Olenna bowed her head and was silent, as if she was still hesitating.

Margaery saw her grandmother's struggle, and hurriedly persuaded her again gently, "Grandmother, I just ask you to remain neutral in the rest of the dispute, okay?" ”

"Huh! Neutrality? Lady Olenna sneered, "If I don't care, you can beat Randolph Tully and Matus Rowan with your inflatable fish father?" ”

"I just think the Tyrells should respect their vassals, and if there are too many families who don't want to support the Lannisters, it's not a good thing for us to force them against their will. So, just let them make their own decisions, okay? ”

Lady Olenna narrowed her eyes and said alarmedly, "Is this what they asked you to tell me?" ”

Margaery hurriedly shook her head: "No, this is my own idea. You don't want the Tyrells to be left alone in the Riverlands, do you? So what's the point of getting us queens? ”

Lady Olena was silent for a long time, and finally nodded slowly:

"Good. Then let's listen to the opinions of the nobles of the river. Two weeks later, in the autumn hunt, the nobles gathered in the High Court, and let them decide for themselves what to do with the riverbend. ”

"Thank you, grandmother!" Margaery cheered and kissed Lady Olenna on the cheek again.

Lady Olenna hugged her granddaughter tightly and admonished:

"Remember, don't hand over all your chips at once. Otherwise, what will you use to tie up a man in the future! ”

"Okay." Margaery smiled and nodded, not knowing if she had listened to her grandmother's advice.

(End of chapter)