Game of Thrones: Viserys the Three-Headed Dragon.

Chapter 14 Everyone has their own concerns
He looked at Viserys with a flattering look and waited for an answer.

Illyrio followed suit. "With all due respect, sire. Your views on the political situation in the Seven Kingdoms are peculiar. I have never heard them before, and I cannot tell whether they are true or not. You said that the death of the old King's Hand would cause chaos in the Seven Kingdoms. But from what I have seen and heard, King Robert was a skilled warrior in his youth. Although there were rumors about him after he became king, I do not know what kind of man he was. The Usurper's rule over the Seven Kingdoms has been quite stable over the years. The king is only middle-aged and strong now. I find it hard to believe that the death of a King's Hand would cause much trouble in Westeros."

"I am sorry," Viserys said, looking at Illyrio, disappointed but not flustered. "But I understand your concern, Illyrio. I have nothing, and I know that I cannot convince you with words alone. Never mind, Lord Governor. As we said on our first day in your courtyard, you are my sponsor, not my lord. I want to know, after all I have said to you, whether you are still willing to support me in my cause of restoration."

Compared to Viserys' words, his behavior at this moment was what shocked Illyrio the most in the whole conversation. Viserys seemed to trust him and said what he thought in his heart, intending to take the opportunity to win him over, but he was obviously holding back.

Such performance means that he seems to be really confident - even if it is just acting, it is enough to explain many problems.

Although this beggar king behaved foolishly, he was not necessarily as stupid as rumored, and he was quite scheming.

Illyrio hesitated, and opened his mouth several times before nervously asking, "Your Majesty said earlier that I don't have to do anything, and that you're willing to let me be your first finance minister. Is that true?"

"I am Viserys Targaryen III." Viserys looked at him and said solemnly. "A king's word is his duty."

"A sanctuary in which to await change in the Seven Kingdoms?" Illyrio pondered Viserys's words, incredulous.

Viserys nodded. "Yes. It will take time. When the old Hand is dead, you will know the truth of my words. When the Seven Kingdoms are in turmoil, you will know the true value of supporting a Targaryen."

Illyrio's expression changed repeatedly. First he imagined, then showed greed for a moment, and finally hesitated. "What if the old Hand died and there was no chaos in the Seven Kingdoms?"

"Yes," Viserys did not explain, but answered with great certainty, "The Seven Kingdoms will be in chaos, Illyrio."

Seeing his confident look, Illyrio could not help but test him: "Forgive my ignorance, Your Majesty, but you are so confident. Is there something you have planned?"

Viserys had not expected that an old fox like Illyrio would ask such a straightforward question. He was either too confident in his own intelligence source and believed that Viserys had nothing, or he was fooled by Viserys and was confused. He was so excited that he was confused.

But Viserys remained steadfastly inscrutable, and asked ambiguously, "Can you keep a secret, Lord Governor?"

Illyrio hesitated, but nodded tentatively. "Of course, your majesty."

"So can I, Lord Magister," Viserys replied.

Illyrio was speechless.

Viserys secretly laughed in his heart, but his face was still calm. He turned around and looked at the road on the other side, where the Dothraki horses carrying "gifts" were getting farther and farther away. He said, "My Lord Governor, the Dothraki cavalry have seen it. Should we set off back to the city?"

Illyrio replied blankly, "Yes, Your Majesty."
-
On the way back to the city, Illyrio sat in the carriage as usual, with no major emotional fluctuations on his face.

Viserys rode outside the carriage, his face expressionless.

The two of them did not talk to each other along the way, but their thoughts were all focused on each other.

This secret meeting led by Viserys gave Illyrio a great shock.

The plan to connect Viserys and the Dothraki Horse King was completely shattered, and the Beggar King, who was originally thought to be easily controlled, also became elusive.

Illyrio guessed that Viserys had received a plan of restoration from somewhere unknown to them and had been carrying it out in secret.

But he couldn't convince himself. If that was the case, why would the Beggar King Viserys wander around with his sister, seeking shelter everywhere?
Waiting for your chance?

It doesn't matter where you wait. If there really is someone behind the scenes, why would they let the last descendants of Targaryen wander among the wealthy and powerful in the free trade cities instead of taking control of them in their own hands?
When Illyrio was thinking about these details, he actually had a vague guess in his heart, and attributed Viserys' seemingly groundless confidence to certain forces, but he was not sure, and he needed solid intelligence to support his guess.

Halfway back to the city, Illyrio had already made a plan: he needed to go to King's Landing.

Although Viserys defeated Illyrio and the forces behind him in their evil plan to make him sell Daenerys in exchange for Dothraki troops with just a few words, he also put himself on the table.

He and the non-existent forces and plots behind him will be targeted by Illyrio's forces.

There are two conceivable possibilities.

One is that Illyrio and his men find a force that can endorse Viserys' actions, and then secretly fight a battle of wits and courage with "Viserys and the forces behind Viserys."

Second, they saw through that Viserys was actually just a liar who was talking nonsense, and his plot was just to delay time and serve his real purpose.

No one would know Viserys's true purpose until he revealed his ability to transform into a dragon.

But this does not mean there is no risk. Because if the bluff fails, others will find that Viserys does not necessarily need to be a king who needs to make choices, he can be a mindless puppet.

The chess player could just smash the chessboard on his head out of impatience.

But Viserys thought that this was not a risky move with only a glimmer of hope. He felt that Illyrio and Varys would definitely be able to help him find the "power behind it." After all, although the hints he gave were vague, if one used one's brain, one would come up with all kinds of reasonable guesses.

Conspirators are never trustful of others easily, so it is impossible for two conspirators to have a heart-to-heart talk.

And even if Illyrio had a sufficiently detailed source of intelligence to confirm that Viserys had nothing behind it, Viserys would be prepared to make an excuse when he came to question him.

After all, as a time traveler, his butterfly wings are just beginning to flutter, and his source of information is the original work.

The theory of "three crown princes" is a set of rhetoric that he came up with based on his impression of the original work and his original memory, which is very outrageous and very different from the actual situation, but it is very much a conspiracy theory. People who know the truth will find it outrageous, but people who don't know may believe it. He shows a firm belief, and some people think he is stupid, and some people think there is something scheming in it.

And none of this matters.

What he wants to express is not a perfect theory, but to muddy the waters by using a set of rhetoric that suits his own positioning without exposing his own purpose as much as possible.

But no matter what, conspiracy and intrigue are always the way, and Viserys knows this well.

He hoped Illyrio would respond quickly so he could see if he could use the fat governor's wealth to gather dragon bones and eggs for him.

He knew very well that only with indestructible strength as support would the conspiracy not be afraid of being exposed to the world.
-
It was already afternoon when they returned to Illyrio's courtyard.

Viserys had said he was going out today for something, and Daenerys knew this and had lunch alone.

So, at Illyrio's invitation, only Viserys dined with him in the dining room.

Illyrio could not help but test the waters. "To be honest, Your Majesty, I thought about this over and over again on the way back to the city. I still have some concerns."

Viserys remained calm. "I understand, Lord Governor."

"No, sir. It is not your words that concern me. It is your terms." Illyrio said seriously. "As you can see, I am a businessman. Forgive me for thinking in a businessman's way. The terms you offer are too generous. You only ask me to provide a little protection, but you promise me to be the finance minister."

"Sir Governor, you only provide me with a house, a place to stay, and a meal?" Viserys asked himself, "No, it's not like that. The Usurper's spies and assassins are hiding in the dark, and you still provide me with a safe environment. You even take risks to make a huge plan for me. I can imagine that if your plan is put into action, it will definitely not be as easy to cover up as hiding two people. So I trust you, and I told you those things."

[If you really trust me, you wouldn't keep saying 'I trust you'. ]

Illyrio was no fool. His words were merely a prelude to his next test. "Your Majesty, I am sorry for my rudeness. As a businessman, I cannot understand such generosity."

Viserys began his increasingly skilled rhetoric again: "I see, Lord Magister. Have you ever heard of the Tyrells?"

Illyrio replied: "Tyrell of Highgarden. I know, my Lord."

"Do you know the Gardeners of the Reach?" Viserys asked.

"A little," Illyrio replied. He knew what Viserys was going to say.

Sure enough, Viserys said, "Before Aegon the Conqueror conquered, the Gardener family was the ruler of the Reach, and the Tyrell family had always served them as stewards. But now everyone knows that Highgarden and the Reach belong to the Tyrells. Why? Because Harlan Tyrell offered Highgarden to Aegon the Conqueror. Illyrio, you must understand that I have nothing now, and I don't need you to offer anything to me. But for the first person who sincerely takes action to restore my country, I will remember his contribution."

Illyrio was shocked for a moment, and he finally began to be amazed at Viserys's eloquence. If he was really sincere, he might have been taken advantage of by Viserys's words.

Illyrio had an ambiguous look on his face, as if he wanted to confess something. "Your Majesty, there is something I must tell you."

Viserys nodded. "Go ahead, Lord Governor."

"I plan to travel to the Seven Kingdoms," Illyrio admitted.

"Oh?" Viserys narrowed his eyes, looking a little nervous. He didn't quite understand why the other party made such a test.

Illyrio found it difficult to tell the truth from Viserys's exaggerated expression, so he explained: "I plan to go to the Seven Kingdoms myself, see the current situation, inquire about the political situation, and verify your words."

"So that's how it is," Viserys said, his expression relaxing. "My Lord Governor. I don't think you understand that the significance of the term 'three crown princes' is not actually its truth."

"Ok?"

"Ah," Viserys said without explanation, but with a smug smile. "Forgive my bad habits, Lord Governor, but this statement is my favorite. I hope you will think about it slowly on the way. I believe you will figure out the connection."

Illyrio's eyes narrowed. With the hint, he didn't even need to think slowly, and quickly understood its significance: this set of rhetoric that sounded full of loopholes could become a rumor used to disrupt the situation in the Seven Kingdoms when necessary.

[They're going to spread this talk when Jon Arryn dies?]

[Do they think that these remarks can cause civil unrest in the seven kingdoms? ]

[Are there any other means and conspiracies to cooperate? ]

Several questions were swirling in Illyrio's mind, and he could hardly hide his surprise. Fortunately, he finally calmed down and responded to Viserys in a joking tone: "Then consider this a test from you, Your Majesty."

"In fact, Lord Governor." After Viserys had released the thought bomb, he didn't care whether it went off at Illyrio's place or not, and he didn't bother about Illyrio's temptation. He immediately took advantage of the situation and made a deliberate gesture to guide him, saying, "If you are worried that your efforts are not equal to the promises you get, I do have something I need your help with. I told you about this on your ship. Dragon bones and dragon eggs, Lord Governor. The time to wait for old Jon to die will not be too long, but it will not be too short either."

Viserys's face lit up with abnormal enthusiasm when he spoke of dragons. "If I can hatch dragons in the meantime, why would I need to scheme to restore my kingdom?"

After reading this and the long passages of dialogue in these two chapters, you should have an idea of ​​the style of this book.

If you can accept it, please collect it and read it.

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(End of this chapter)