Chapter 181 Strange Death

"Dang" is the sound made by the collision of certain glassware.

"Tons, tons, tons." This was the sound of two people raising their necks and pouring heavily, their throats rolling.

…

With a sigh of relief, Clay put down his half-empty wine bottle in the still-usable tall tower of Twins City, stared at the birch-wood roof, and finally felt the relaxation he had not seen for a long time.

Opposite him, the old man, Earl Wyman, was the same way. When Clay left Westeros for Essos, the old man had actually been very worried, but he could not stop Clay.

It is very clear that when the dragon is controlled by the Mandalay family, the entire family has only one way to go, and that is to become stronger, stronger, and stronger again, until it surpasses everyone.

This is a one-way road, but there is no chance to return, or even a chance to stop and rest.

Fortunately, now that Clay is back, he has also brought him the answer he wants to hear most. The Targaryen family has completed a de facto marriage with the Manderly family, and the most worrying problem has been perfectly solved. .

"Boy, tell me carefully, you and the mad king's daughter are really... you understand."

The old man made a gesture that every man could understand. Clay understood what the old man meant. In this era, arranged marriages between big nobles were so common that among ten couples getting married, they were considered lucky to have two that were in love with each other.

Under this general premise, the old man does not expect that there will be any bloody thing about whether you have to marry him or not. As long as Clay and Daenerys Targaryen complete the most critical step, it means that this will happen. The marriage is valid.

To a certain extent, isn't marriage just a package that allows men and women to do things legally, and the offspring they produce also have legitimate interests?

They are all men, and Clay is not a delicate prince raised in a palace. He has cut off many Lannister heads. How do you expect him to show any shyness about such a thing?

Nodding bluntly, Clay answered the old man's question very calmly:

"Well, the taste of a Targaryen daughter is very good. Tsk, it sounds like I have slept with many women..."

"Come on, your father is much better than you at this point. When that boy was your age, he was already a lot more successful. I didn't restrict you in this regard. It was your decision. Who should you blame?" "

The old man had a raised beard and smelled strongly of alcohol. In this era, marriages were very early. Although Clay was far from the standard of a leftover man at his age, compared to some aristocratic young men, he was still considered slow.

On the surface, he didn't even have a marriage contract. The only Frey family that had rumors of marriage with the young master of the Mandalay family was personally exterminated by this young master Clay Manderly. He was really cruel.

However, as Clay gets older day by day, the strength of the Mandalay family is also increasing day by day. There are always some timid people who want to climb the high branches of the Mandalay family and compete for the position of the future Mandalay family mistress. .

After spanning two regions, the size and experience of the Mandalay family far exceeds that of the average earl family. Although it cannot keep up with the guardian duke family in charge of a territory, not everyone can open this mouth.

In the North, Earl Wyman originally planned to send his granddaughter Wilfield there. The Duke and Duchess of the Stark family also agreed with his idea. This was a precursor to a marriage. Of course, the North had to take action. Use the position of a duchess to bind the increasingly powerful Mandalay family.

In this case, the North has no reason to marry their daughter to Clay again. It's not that they don't want to, but that they can't.

If the eldest daughter is married off, the interests of the two families will really be highly tied. This has not been done in Westeros for thousands of years.

The only remaining ones are the Boltons, who originally claimed to be the "Red King" but were eventually stripped of their crown by Stark. Unfortunately, there is no suitable candidate for Old Skin.

The north is gone, so only the south is left. However, the Tully family in the Riverlands has no suitable candidate. Edmure Tully himself is not married, and Lord Hoster Tully is not as old as Croton. There is nothing we can do about Lei Xiang's daughter.

The remaining Three Rivers nobles all said that they were really not qualified to discuss this matter with the Mandalay family. This was not a matter of marriage for other sons or daughters of the family, and there were not so many interests involved.

This is the marriage of the heir of the family. In King's Landing, it's a question of who to choose as queen. If you don't blow your mind, it means everyone is civilized.

Originally, Westeros was so big that there would always be someone suitable for Clay, but now it is a time of war, and the Riverlands and Stormlands are temporarily united together. It is impossible to marry Clay, a northerner.

As for the Lannister, who do you expect Tywin to send? What kind of marriage is there for a husband who has Lannister blood on his hands?

Myrcella? No matter how you plot against the little girl, she is only ten years old. According to the concept of Westeros, it is not impossible, but a mysterious power makes Clay definitely refuse such a thing!

And by the remaining women, by the gods, do you mean Cersei Lannister? It would be strange for the regicide not to fight with you.

Winning a battle on the battlefield doesn't count. If you steal your own woman, don't be too ruthless in killing people, okay?

Therefore, there is no one for Clay to get married now. It just so happens that it also blocks a lot of rumors for him. Nobles have no marriage contract after reaching a certain age, unless there are unexpected circumstances. This must mean that this family has big plans, without exception.

"Grandpa, what is the situation in the family now? I just came back from Dorne, and the information I learned is very complicated and disorganized."

Clay didn't plan to talk about women with the old man anymore. He knew his old man's nature very well. If the conversation continued, the old man would probably have to discuss the posture and duration with him.

"It's not good, Clay. I think you should understand that this war is not a good thing for the family, even if you are an outstanding commander on the battlefield."

The old man put away his ungrateful smile, and his tone became serious. The current situation is indeed not good. Many things that the family was preparing to implement, but were being implemented, were forced to stop, supplies were transferred, and conscription was carried out again.

"I understand, Lord Ed died at the wrong time. The gods summoned him too early. I estimate that the entire northern border is actually not ready. Winter is approaching, and this last period of food is crucial."

"Yes, unless we, like our Mandalay family, can rely on the sea for supplies, families in the interior must rely on their own food reserves, and Winterfell is no exception. But who can stop the Young Wolf Lord from avenging his father?"

Clay shook his head and did not answer. This is an obvious thing. Ed Stark is dead. How did he die? Again, it's fine in the warm south where wounds can easily fester, but suddenly it doesn't work in Winterfell. It's impossible without a reasonable explanation.

"Boy, tell me, did Lord Eddard Stark really die at the hands of the Lannister? I remember that when I saw him in the Twins, he was in good spirits."

The old man said hesitantly that he did not believe that Robb Stark would attack his father, but the strange death of Eddard Stark made him doubt it.

Clay thought for a while, poured himself a glass of wine, took two sips, and said slowly:

"I don't care, Grandpa, I really don't care. In fact, the current situation is that Lord Eddard Stark is dead. He died at the hands of Lannister. He can only die at the hands of Lannister." .”

"Robb Stark has now put on the crown of the King of the North. Unless we disown him as the king, Eddard Stark must die at the hands of the Lannister, and we, too, will Troops must be sent to avenge King Robb Stark.”

Thunder exploded, and Clay looked up at the gloomy sky. It was about to rain.

With a long sigh, Earl Weiman filled himself a glass with half interest. After drinking it hard, he threw the cup away and muttered:

"It's really bullshit."

Clay understands the old man's mood. The Manderly family has been following the Stark banner for thousands of years. Ed Stark's integrity is well-known in the Seven Kingdoms, and his failure and even death have a hint of conspiracy. .

This is the greatest irony of his upright life, the thing he hates and despises the most, but it actually kills him, and there is nothing he can do about it.

"By the way, Clay, there are two things that may interest you. Do you want to listen to them?"

The old man seemed to have thought of something, raised his head, and said to Clay:

"Am I interested? Grandpa, tell me."

"Remember when you came to Twin River City, someone ambushed our convoy transporting medicinal materials?"

"Remember, what happened?"

"After I accepted the Twin River City for a while, I discovered something interesting. The place where you found the ambush scene was next to the fiefdom of a young knight, right?"

"Yes, there must be something wrong with that guy, but I didn't have the chance to dig into it later."

"It's not a problem, it's a big problem. I found out that not long after you left, that guy's entire family, including his manor, was ignited by a mysterious fire. Waiting for the Frey family to send When people went there, it was completely burned to ashes, and there was no one alive.”