The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Standing on the roof with her head held high, Lady Donna could no longer hide the unease in her eyes. The endless stream of carriages and the clamor of voices made her stomach churn, and an uncontrollable fear welled up in her heart.

The better Mountjoy's momentum developed, and the more incredible changes he showed, the more distraught she became, unable to see any glimmer of hope for revenge.

This morning, she had finally learned the true purpose of Mountjoy's selection of beautiful young men throughout the West last year: they were secretly sent to the Lorne River region to befriend the daughters of ordinary silkworm-raising commoners, and then bring back a large number of girls. The real purpose of all this was to plant mulberry trees in the West and produce silk.

It was an incredible plan. Who but the Seven Gods could have come up with such an astonishing idea?!

Understanding Mountjoy's intentions, Lady Donna's heart churned. Mountjoy's unpredictable actions reflected his intelligence and foresight, which frightened Donna.

Mountjoy seemed too powerful!

Even the family's most loyal knights and managers were whispering about the glorious future when the West would produce silk and sell it throughout Westeros. Their words and expressions could not hide their admiration for Mountjoy and their heartfelt amazement at this miraculous plan.

When the West selected beautiful young men last year, no one knew what Mountjoy was going to do. Mountjoy's secret training of the young men was kept secret from the outside world and not publicized. Those who should know knew, and those who shouldn't know knew nothing. At that time, all kinds of rumors were flying around, and Lady Donna spared no effort in contributing her malicious speculation and deliberate slander.

Today, everything had an answer that stunned everyone in the West.

Mountjoy's goal was to plant mulberry trees, raise silkworms, and weave silk in the West!

Silk, the most expensive and scarce luxury in the Seven Kingdoms, had always been imported from across the Narrow Sea. Even wealthy people, if they didn't have a title, would find it difficult to buy exquisite silk dresses even with gold dragons in hand.

How did Mountjoy, a notorious villain, even think of developing mulberry planting and silkworm raising in the West?! The long summer had reached its eleventh year, and the maesters were saying that after the long summer, autumn would be as short as a blink of an eye, and then a long winter would begin. Even if they wanted to raise silkworms to obtain silk, strictly speaking, there were only a few years left.

Silkworms live in warm seasons, and silkworms cannot be raised in the cold winter. Secretly, Donna prayed that tomorrow would be the season of winter.

However, winter will eventually pass, and the seasons of spring, summer, and autumn will come as promised. By then, the silk of the West will become Mountjoy's gold mine, and it will also make the West famous throughout the continent, surpassing the glory of the other six kingdoms.

Donna imagined that the nobles, wealthy merchants, and commoners of the entire city, including Donna's own maids, guards, and knights, were all talking about the perfect path Mountjoy had created for the development of silk in the West.

Since waking up this morning, Donna had faintly felt that within her family, from knights to soldiers, from managers to maids, their hatred for Mountjoy was rapidly disappearing, and their awe was constantly increasing.

This was a feeling that Donna could not accept, and it made her feel empty and afraid without support.

If everyone ended up respecting Mountjoy and no longer hating or despising him, then the West would become Mountjoy's territory and no longer be Lannister's. This made Donna's mouth taste bitter. Donna found her mouth so dry, her tongue seemed to be fixed in place.

"Madam, your honey water." The maid came over with a delicate bowl in her hands, and said cautiously.

Donna took the honey water, took a sip, and suddenly became furious, surprisingly abrupt: "Why does it taste sour and bitter? Where is the best honey I asked for?"

"...Oh...Madam...this is the best honey...!" The maid stammered, frightened and apprehensive.

Smack!

The bowl in Donna's hand smashed on the maid's head: "How dare you talk back?! Can't I even taste what grade the honey is?"

The maid's head and the bowl shattered together. The bowl, split in half, fell to the ground with a loud bang, and the shattered bowl broke into pieces again. The honey water was splashed all over the maid's face and body. In the staggering, blood gushed out from the top of the maid's head, flowing down her snow-white cheeks onto the front of her chest, bloodstains speckled and shocking.

The other maids were frightened, and hurriedly knelt down together, lowered their heads, and trembled, not daring to look up. Blood gurgled from the injured maid's head, and she dared not wipe it off, kneeling on the ground, bowing her head low, trembling, and daring not to defend herself.

Donna beckoned, and the finance manager, old Hobson, came forward. Donna said, "Hobson, I ordered you to buy the best honey, why did you use inferior honey to fool me?"

The manager did not look flustered. He squatted down, dipped his finger in the honey water on the broken pieces of the bowl, tasted it, and the honey water was very sweet and pure, it was indeed the best honey, not sour and bitter as the madam said.

"Madam, this is the best honey."

"Hobson, do you want to fool me too?"

"Madam, I think your mouth has become bitter." Finance Manager Hobson had served Lady Donna for decades, with the same affection as her father. He was the only one who dared to tell the truth in front of Donna.

Donna choked!

Had her mouth become bitter and sour? How could that be?

"Madam, Lady Jeyne sent you an invitation the day before yesterday, inviting you to go with her to the port to welcome the return of hundreds of handsome young men from the West today. You asked me to decline Lady Jeyne, Madam, the old servant believes you should not have declined Lady Jeyne."

"Hobson, I am the acting Lady of Casterly Rock, the wife of former Hand Kevan, Mountjoy killed Kevan, manager."

"Madam, I know that the Lannisters and Mountjoy have a blood feud that cannot be resolved. But now Mountjoy's strength is too great, and no one in the West can restrain him. Even if Madam sent a raven to King's Landing, reporting the treasonous crime of Clegane Bank privately minting coins, Cersei and Jaime did not give us any hopeful response. Maybe they are afraid of Mountjoy, or maybe they never regarded Mountjoy as an enemy. Madam, you are unwilling to befriend Lady Jeyne and establish a good relationship, I am afraid that our future days will become more and more difficult. Mountjoy's silk plan, Mountjoy's bank plan, Mountjoy's paper money plan, Mountjoy conquered the Iron Islands that Lord Tywin could not conquer, Mountjoy invented snow salt, Lady Jeyne found a way to sterilize milk, the West's military outposts are unique in the Seven Kingdoms...Madam, who could have imagined each of these things before they appeared? We, including the maesters, have never heard of them or seen them before. Mountjoy's various unbelievable deeds that no one has ever done before give me the feeling that they are miracles."

Lady Donna opened her mouth, but did not shout out loud.

Miracle?!

This word made her heart tremble!

Only a miracle could explain Mountjoy's paper money plan and silk plan. How could mortals come up with these things, if not the Seven Gods?!

"Madam, we are not true Lannisters, we are Staffords. You are Donna Stafford, I am an old servant of the Stafford family, I grew up with you. If Cersei Lannister and Jaime Lannister have no plans or intentions to move against Mountjoy, then holding onto our hatred will probably bring us harm."

Donna stared at the manager, her eyes burning with angry flames.

"Madam, we cannot fight Mountjoy. If Cersei Lannister, who holds the highest power in the royal family, is unwilling to move against Mountjoy, then any administrative orders we give to Mountjoy that go against him, refusing to be close to Lady Jeyne, these are not appropriate and may invite disaster."

"Mountjoy also killed my youngest son, Martyn."

"I know, Madam, Lord Tywin's life was also lost because of Mountjoy. Although he did not personally kill Lord Tywin, Lord Tywin died because of him. If Cersei and Jaime have chosen to be patient, we are weak and need to change our approach even more. Madam, you don't want Casterly Rock to be taken by Mountjoy, you don't want the hundred golden hero statues in Casterly Rock to be taken away by Mountjoy, do you?"

Donna nodded, her movements mechanical, her expression mechanical!

"That's right, Madam, we must not intentionally or unintentionally anger Mountjoy and Lady Jeyne. We need to establish a good relationship with Lady Jeyne, we need the Stafford family not to be exterminated, we need Casterly Rock to still be in our hands..."

"Mountjoy's men also killed my father, Stafford."

"Yes, I know, Madam. Before Mountjoy decided to go to King's Landing to make trouble for Lord Kevan, it was our Lord Stafford and Lord Kevan who wanted to kill Mountjoy. No matter what you think or whether you can accept it, this is the truth."

"You are too presumptuous!"

"I am telling the truth, Madam, you can order the knight to cut off my head, but before I die, I still have to say that in order to protect the Stafford family, Casterly Rock and Cornfield, Madam must get along well with Mountjoy, be close to them, respond to their administrative orders, and cooperate with their management of the West. Mountjoy is the Warden of the West, this is the King's order, Madam."

"Get out!" Lady Donna shouted, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Yes, Madam!" Finance Manager Hobson pressed his right hand on his left chest, bowed to Lady Donna, retreated, turned around humbly, and slowly left.

"Stop!"

Finance Manager's body stiffened. He stopped, turned around, and prepared to be beheaded by the madam's order.

"Hobson, please take the maid down and have the maester bandage her wounds."

"Yes, Madam!" Finance Manager Hobson bowed deeply, lowering his head deeply. He was very clear about Donna's loyalty to Donna, the old man was wholeheartedly loyal and had no selfish thoughts.

"Old Hobson, I also need you to summon the family knights and soldiers, I want to go out to see Lady Jeyne, please go with me. I want to take my ruby necklace to give to Lady Jeyne, asking her to forgive my impolite refusal yesterday, I hope she will allow me to attend this evening's banquet."

"Yes, Madam, I will go and order the knights to assemble. In addition, Madam, when I see Lady Jeyne, I will explain to Lady Jeyne that yesterday's refusal was because your health was not good, and today your health is slightly better, so you decided to rush over to send a gift to congratulate her. You are Donna Stafford, the former Hand's wife, you must not apologize to Lady Jeyne in person. I will do my best to maintain your glory, Madam."

Donna's throat choked!

"Hobson, if I don't apologize, will Jeyne forgive my impoliteness yesterday?"

"Yes, Madam. When I was ordered to decline Lady Jeyne, the excuse I used was that Madam was not feeling well."

Donna felt relieved again: "Old Hobson, from childhood to adulthood, you have always been able to awaken me when I am most upset, speaking frankly; you always try your best to protect my glory, I am very grateful to you."

"Madam is too polite, I am just an old servant in the Stafford family!"

*

In the afternoon, Lannisport, South City, a majestic stone castle.

The castle was no less than the castle of Earl Odburgh on another street.

This castle was Lady Jeyne's newly purchased property. She lived in this newly purchased castle to handle official business in Lannisport.

This castle used to belong to the home castle of Myr Elwyn, the wealthiest and largest spice merchant in the West. He gave it to Lady Jeyne to live in at a very low price. It is said that Lady Jeyne couldn't refuse it, and finally reluctantly agreed to Myr, and finally bought such a residence, which can be regarded as a big real estate purchase by Mountjoy in Lannisport.

Lady Donna's two carriages arrived in front of this castle. Behind her carriage followed two knights with swords and six tall and strong soldiers, all riding horses. In front of the carriage was the finance manager, and behind the carriage was another smaller and narrower carriage, in which four maids were sitting.

The castle gate was tightly closed, the Clegane family emblem flag was flying over the castle's roof, and outside the gate, a team of sword-wielding soldiers looked at them fiercely, with arrogant expressions on their faces, and no one came forward to ask.

Guests arrived, but no one came forward to inquire.

Something was wrong!

Since Lady Jeyne was going to host guests, why was the castle gate tightly closed and there were no guests coming and going.

Finance Manager Hobson felt embarrassed, he had to dismount and take the initiative to step forward: "General, Lady Donna is here to see Lady Jeyne, please inform her."

The gate guards were all scimitar armor, tall and mighty, with fierce faces, and the leader was a bald head, the leader of the Brave Companions, Zollo. He was a Dothraki, with a Dothraki scimitar at his waist.

"The madam is not here." Zollo tilted his head, looking at the sky.

"General..." Hobson wanted to ask again, but Zollo was already impatient and rudely interrupted him: "Lady Donna, we know, the widow of Kevan Lannister, her husband wholeheartedly wanted to design to kill Lord Mountjoy before his death, don't think I'm a rough man and don't know, get out!"

When Zollo spoke rudely, his hand pressed on the hilt of the scimitar, his eyes staring at Lady Donna's two knights, his face full of provocation, yes, it was provocation. He was not like Luke, the guard beside Lady Jeyne, who spoke politely and looked calm, he was a real villain who spoke rudely and drew his sword to kill people at the slightest disagreement.

Most of the brothers in the Brave Companions are villains! Playing hooligans is their common point!

Hobson's face turned green and white, and Lady Donna in the carriage, hearing the word "get out", was about to cry. She forcibly endured it, did not move, and did not speak.

"General, we are honored guests invited by Lady Janee to the banquet. Please show some respect," Hobson said, invoking Lady Janee's name to pressure Zorro.

Zoro laughed heartily, "You old fool, when has Lady Janee ever arranged a banquet? Hahaha, that must be what she told you to brush you off. Lady Janee's carriage has already left the city for Castamere. She's busy settling those fresh faces from the West. What banquet? It's just a false excuse to placate you. Your lady has always disregarded administrative orders, always acted so high and mighty, ignoring my Lady's sincere invitations. We've long seen through your hypocrisy."

Hobson's old face turned purplish-blue!

"You old bastard, today all the nobles and wealthy merchants of the West went to the docks, but your Lady Donna dared to be arrogant and not attend. You know what? If not for the Mountain's orders to respect her as the innocent widow of Kevan, my brothers would have already slaughtered and burned Casterly Rock and Cornfield, then run her through with spears a hundred times, and sell her to a pleasure house across the Narrow Sea. Tsk tsk, what do you think she'd be worth in a pleasure house? My Lady sincerely invited her the day before yesterday, but she put on airs and didn't come. Now she's hypocritically rushing over with gifts for the banquet. Get the hell out! Get out, get the hell out of here!"

Get the hell out—a domineering new phrase from the Mountain himself. The Mountain's thugs have all learned to imitate it quite well!

The silk curtain of the carriage was lifted, and Lady Donna revealed her face. She wore beautiful makeup and said softly, "Hobson, let's go. We're going to Castamere."

"Yes, Madam!"