The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The atmosphere in the meeting hall suddenly became heavy.

The Mountain's words brought immense pressure, much like the pressure his massive frame exerted on people.

For a moment, the meeting hall was silent, so quiet that one could hear people breathing.

Even Cersei Lannister, usually the most easily agitated, was uncharacteristically calm.

After a long while, Grand Maester Qyburn coughed softly: "Ser Gregor, if you are accusing a member of the Small Council of treason, then you must produce... strong... evidence, and not just hearsay."

Lord Mace Tyrell glared sideways at Qyburn, who remained calm and serene, as if he were the most innocent man alive.

Mace had written a 'cooperation letter' to the Imp, agreeing to open the gates when Daenerys attacked King's Landing, and Qyburn was the one responsible for brokering the deal.

Seeing Qyburn so certain, Mace's wildly beating heart began to calm down. He removed his hands from the table, his palms drenched in cold sweat.

He knew that the Imp had written letters of surrender to almost every courtier, and it was impossible for the Mountain to have obtained his secret reply from Daenerys. If he was caught by the Mountain, the Grand Maester would not be able to escape implication either.

The Mountain stared at Qyburn and said slowly, "Grand Maester, of course I have evidence, but I would still like to give someone a chance to confess. If that person steps forward and admits to treason, I hope the Lord of Laws will spare him the noose during his trial and leave him with his life. He has made outstanding contributions to this country."

Mace's heart skipped a beat. Who among these nine council members had made outstanding contributions to the country? It seemed like he was the most likely candidate!

The Mountain had once written a letter to Lord Mace, thanking him for his immense support of the Northern Expeditionary Force's supplies and military equipment. He said that for troops to win battles, supplies were key, and Lord Mace had indeed made great contributions to the kingdom during the allied forces' great battle against the Others.

Was the Mountain hinting at him?

Mace Tyrell refused to believe his own judgment!

Excluding the Mountain's own people: Lady Janei Westerling, Lord Admiral Wagstaff, and Lord Varys, the remaining suspects were Qyburn, Balon Swann, Bronn, and Mace himself.

The Mountain's gaze slowly swept over everyone, and no one dared to meet his eyes.

Everyone felt uneasy. Even the loyal and courageous Balon Swann had received a letter of surrender from the Imp. Balon had also returned a polite reply. When the Imp was Hand of the King, Balon Swann had a very good impression of the Imp, and the two had a private friendship.

Although Balon believed himself to be loyal to the kingdom, what if someone used his letter to frame him...? His private correspondence with the Imp was evidence of guilt!

The atmosphere in the council chamber became heavy again, suffocating.

Just as beads of sweat appeared on Lord Mace's forehead, Balon Swann stood up: "Ser Gregor, I admit that I have corresponded privately with the Imp, but I have not committed treason."

What an overly upright brute!

Balon's archery skills had only lost to Anguy in the national tournament, and his swordsmanship was equally exquisite. It was just a pity that his mind was not as good as his archery and swordsmanship. Honest and selfless people are always defeated by their own honesty and selflessness.

In the heavy atmosphere of the council chamber, everyone's eyes were fixed on Balon Swann.

"Guards, seize Balon Swann," Queen Cersei shouted sharply.

Then, from afar, the two Kingsguard brothers, Grahame and Garmon, guarding the inner side of the council chamber door, strode over. Before the two brothers arrived, Balon Swann stood up on his own, his face gloomy as he took off his white cloak.

Balon Swann was taken away.

Mace Tyrell secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He said sadly, "I really didn't expect that the Allied Forces Commander Balon Swann would collude with Daenerys."

Grand Maester Qyburn also looked surprised: "Ser Gregor, I know that Balon Swann has a private friendship with the Imp, but I can't believe he would sell out the country for personal friendship."

"The Department of Laws will investigate thoroughly," Lady Janei said lightly.

Janei was in charge of the kingdom's legal affairs, and the High Justiciar needed her appointment. She could also be the High Justiciar herself.

Queen Margaery Tyrell also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had long heard some rumors about her father Mace, but she did not believe those rumors. She was the queen, and Mace was the Hand of the King. The Tyrell family's official position had reached its peak. If her father betrayed the country and sided with Daenerys, what better treatment could Daenerys give her father? The answer was no!

Daenerys had the Imp as Hand of the Queen, Barristan as Captain of the Kingsguard, Unsullied commanders and Dothraki generals, and bloodriders. Surrendering to Daenerys would not give the Tyrell family a better position and power than they had now. Instead, they would lose honor and status, and even lose their royal status and the position of Hand of the King.

Cersei said, "Ser Gregor, is the traitor you are talking about Ser Balon Swann?"

The Mountain's gaze swept over everyone and said faintly, "Your Grace, the courtiers and generals in the palace all know that Balon has a private friendship with the Imp. Whether Balon has sold out the country because of personal friendship is a matter for the Department of Laws to investigate and judge. And the traitor with conclusive evidence that I have is not Balon Swann."

"Oh, then who among us is colluding with our enemies, trying to subvert our monarchy?"

The Mountain's gaze fell on Mace Tyrell's face and remained fixed.

Sweat immediately appeared on Mace's nose and forehead, and he forced a smile: "...Ser Gregor... who is the... traitor..."

Everyone's eyes turned to Mace Tyrell's face.

Margaery Tyrell's beautiful face turned pale!

The Mountain slowly took out a letter from his arms. He slowly unfolded it, allowing everyone to see it clearly: "Your Grace, Queen Margaery, Lady Janei, Grand Maester, please take a closer look. This is the letter written by the Hand of the King himself to Tyrion Lannister. What is written on the letter, please let Cersei take a look first."

The Mountain placed the letter in front of Cersei.

Boom!

Mace's mind exploded, as if a thousand war drums were sounding.

His face twisted as if he had been punched hard. When he looked out, the Mountain opposite him became two people, a solid shadow and a virtual shadow overlapping and shaking continuously. His hands under the table could not help but tremble, and his lips quivered.

Margaery's small hand grasped her father's hand under the table, but Mace was completely unaware. In his ears, a thousand whistles were blowing, making him unable to hear any other sounds...

Cersei glanced at the letter, her eyebrows raised, and her voice as cold as ice: "Margaery, is this Lord Mace's handwriting?"

Margaery Tyrell opened her small mouth, but could not say a word. Her throat choked, stinging.

"Grand Maester Qyburn, come and see, is this Lord Mace's handwriting?"

"As you command, Your Grace." Grand Maester Qyburn stood up respectfully, hunching his back, his head lowered. He was very tall, even with his head lowered, he was taller than most people.

Qyburn came to Cersei's side. Cersei handed the letter to Qyburn. Qyburn carefully identified it and said softly, "Your Grace, this is indeed Lord Mace's handwriting."

Margaery Tyrell heard her own voice ringing out as if in a dream: "...Your Grace... there may be some misunderstanding..."

"Misunderstanding? Read this letter to everyone!" Cersei glared at Margaery and ordered Qyburn.

"Yes! Your Grace."

Grand Maester Qyburn straightened his hunched body a little and began to read the letter.

Mace Tyrell stared at Qyburn, watching Qyburn's lips open and close. War drums were booming in his mind, and whistles were blowing in his ears. He could not hear a word at all, and he did not know what Qyburn was reading. The people and things in front of him became ethereal and unreal. Lord Mace was in a trance.

Margaery turned her head to look at her father beside her, who was covered in sweat, his eyes scattered and lost. Her heart was churning, panicked. She was restless and just wanted to escape immediately. But she found her body stiff as frozen earth and rock, unable to move at all.

She did not know how long it had passed before Margaery heard Cersei's voice as sharp and cold as a knife: "Lord Mace, you have committed treason, the evidence is conclusive..."

"No!" Margaery heard her own voice shout, "No, Your Grace, a single letter cannot determine my father's guilt."

"Margaery, what are you saying?" Lady Janei said coldly.

"Lady Janei, isn't it possible that this letter was framed by someone else? Many scholars can imitate other people's handwriting, confusing the real with the fake, exactly the same," Margaery heard her own voice say decisively. Then she realized that she had stood up, glaring at Cersei and Janei.

Margaery's firm voice brought her confidence. It must be like this. Her father had been framed. There were scholars who were skilled in calligraphy and could imitate anyone's handwriting to write letters.

Grand Maester Qyburn said, "What Queen Margaery said is not without reason. In the Citadel, many scholars who are skilled in calligraphy can indeed imitate other people's handwriting to write letters." He looked at the Mountain, "Ser Gregor, if you say that the Hand of the King is selling out the country based on this one letter, it is indeed a bit... hasty..."

Margaery looked at Qyburn, her eyes full of gratitude: "Grand Maester, you are a scholar, can you also imitate other people's handwriting to write letters?"

"I can barely do a little, but I can't make it exactly the same, confusing the real with the fake."

"But if someone is framing someone, they will naturally find a scholar who can write exactly the same."

The Mountain looked at Margaery: "Queen Margaery, are you saying that I framed the Hand of the King?"

"Ser Gregor, it is not impossible for Daenerys to ask a scholar to deliberately write a fake letter to sow discord among us."

"I also have a witness, Queen Margaery. I am very certain that Lord Mace colluded with the Imp before the war and prepared to open the gate to surrender," the Mountain said lightly.

"Who?" Margaery realized that her voice was starting to tremble again.

The Mountain looked at Cersei and Janei: "Your Grace, Lady Janei, are you going to try Lord Mace now? If so, I will call the witness up. If there is no trial today, I don't need to prove anything to Queen Margaery."

"Why don't we listen to what Lord Mace has to say first?" Janei said calmly, "Lord Mace, did you write this letter?"

Mace finally heard Lady Janei's question. His confusion and trance were fading, and reason was returning: "Lady Janei, hello, what did you say?"

"Did you write this letter?"

"Which letter?"

Lady Janei gestured, and Grand Maester Qyburn placed the letter in his hand in front of Mace.

Mace looked at the secret letter in front of him. This was his handwriting, this was his signature, and he had written this letter and entrusted it to Qyburn to pass it on to Tyrion.

"The handwriting is imitated very well." Margaery's words flashed through Mace's mind. Although he was in a trance, those intense words still stimulated him in his mind. His instinct helped him automatically grasp the favorable statement for himself in the trance and left an impression. When he came to his senses, those subconscious impressions would naturally appear.

"Lord Hand, this letter was not from your hand?"

"Yes, I swear in the name of the Seven Gods and the honor of my family, I have not written such a letter." He looked at Qyburn, "Grand Maester, you know me, I have no reason to rely on Daenerys. I am the Hand of the King, how could I give up the position of Hand of the King for a random position as a member of the Small Council? What's more, Margaery Tyrell is still a member of the royal family."

"You want to live, Lord Mace," the Mountain said word by word, "Daenerys has three dragons, 200,000 troops, and 2,000 warships. You think we can't defend King's Landing at all. The Imp threatened you that King's Landing would be destroyed and you would be beheaded, and the Reach would be deprived of its territory, so you chose to rely on Daenerys in order to save your life and territory. You are so despicable that you would open the gate to surrender when foreign legions attacked the city." The Mountain took the secret letter and pointed to the words on it, "Everyone, look here, it clearly states that the knights of the Reach will open the city gate to welcome Her Grace the Queen into King's Landing."

"Guards, seize Mace Tyrell," Cersei shouted sharply.

"No, no, no, Grand Maester can testify for me... Grand Maester, you are a great scholar and proficient in calligraphy. Based on your words, is this handwriting my own, or is it someone framing and imitating it?"

"Lord Mace, I don't know if you have betrayed the country, but judging from the words on this secret letter alone, based on my research on calligraphy, it is indeed your handwriting."

"..." Lord Mace was speechless and in disbelief.

What was Qyburn saying just now?

"Grand Maester, please take a closer look," Margaery shouted sharply, "Is this handwriting really my father's?"

"Queen Margaery, please forgive me, the Seven Gods are above, I cannot lie," Qyburn bowed, full of apology.

"I'm going to kill you!" Mace Tyrell suddenly became furious and pounced on Qyburn, overturning the chair. Qyburn looked very old and usually hunched over and moved slowly, but at this time he was agile. He dodged Mace with a flash.

In his rage, Mace only had Qyburn in his eyes. He roared and chased after him. Suddenly, his shoulders tightened, his body lightened, and his feet were already in the air.

The Mountain acted, grabbed Mace and lifted him into the air.