Chapter 434 Anxious

   King's Landing City, Red Castle.

   Today is Queen Cersei Lannister's name day, but Lord Tywin did not throw a grand banquet.

  The reason is that it is declared to the outside world that the war is imminent, and I don't want it to affect the morale of the army.

  But the real reason Tyrion knew very well was that there was a lack of food in the city.

   Therefore, it is impossible to hold a large banquet. The name day banquet of the empress dowager of the Seven Kingdoms only invited a few core members of the Lannister family, and it was a simple family banquet.

  Of course, from Tyrion's point of view, the food on the table can be called rich. Servants served creamy chestnut soup, crispy warm bread and vegetable salad, followed by eel pie, honey-glazed ham, buttered carrots, white bean bacon, and roast swan stuffed with mushrooms and oysters, and panna cotta for dessert .

  In such a season, being able to eat such a delicious table, Tyrion felt that he had nothing to complain about.

   But Cersei, who is the protagonist of the banquet, obviously doesn't think so.

  She wore a dark green velvet low-cut dress today, which matched her green eyes, her long golden hair was draped over her bare shoulders, and a webbing inlaid with emeralds was tied around her waist. She looked very charming—

   It would be more attractive if her face is not so gloomy.

   "Have we fallen to this point?" Cersei finally couldn't help asking.

  Although the form of the banquet was decided by Duke Tywin, she obviously didn't dare to blame her father, so when she said this, she kept her eyes on her younger brother Tyrion.

  Tyrion respectfully cut off the fattest part of the swan, gave it to his sister, and said:

   "If you have time, you can go to the head of the city and look south. The camp of Caesar's army on the other side stretches for several miles along the river bank."

"They haven't crossed the river yet." Cersei said disapprovingly, her pair of beautiful green eyes stared at her younger brother, "How on earth do you work as a logistics officer? The enemy hasn't come yet, and we are almost out of food. ?”

   "I also feel that I am really not competent." Tyrion followed his sister's words, while looking at his father, "Perhaps you can find a more suitable person to take over my job."

  Duke Tywin ignored his son.

   Cersei opened her mouth, but didn't dare to make her own claim.

  Tyrion actually looked a little disappointed: "Well, it seems that you can't find a more suitable candidate. So, dear sister, please be patient for a little longer."

   "How long will you have to endure?" Cersei said dissatisfied.

  Tyrion said frivolously:

   "That depends on how long our wise and mighty father can defeat Caesar."

  Duke Tywin finally raised his head, glanced at his son expressionlessly, and said:

   "Why hasn't the task I entrusted to you been completed so far?"

   "Which task?" Tyrion asked pretending not to know.

   "It is a task for you to collect all the food in the city and distribute it uniformly."

"Oh that." Tyrion shrugged, and said, "I think this matter is too sensitive, and if you are not careful, it may easily lead to riots. It is better to be cautious. It just so happened that there was a batch of grain shipped from the other side of the Narrow Sea yesterday. Well, it should be able to temporarily relieve the pressure, there is no need to do anything to the civilians' food reserves at this time."

  Duke Tywin didn't speak when he heard the words, but just stared at his son quietly, with a shimmering light in his golden pupils.

   After a while, he put down the knife and fork, got up and said:

   "You come with me."

  Tyrion had no choice but to get up, and before leaving, he did not forget to tell his sister:

   "Save some goose for me."

  Father and son came to the side hall and closed the door.

   "Have you checked the batch of grain delivered yesterday?"

   "No." Tyrion looked at his father's face, suddenly realized something, and blurted out, "Is there something wrong with that batch of food?"

  Duke Tywin nodded: "That's not grain, it's sand."

  Tyrion froze for a moment, then smiled wryly:

   "You're playing this game again."

   "I'm stabilizing the morale of the army, and I'm also helping you. When people see a steady stream of grain ships arriving at King's Landing from across the Narrow Sea, they won't resist handing in grain."

   "But sand is sand after all, it can't fill your stomach."

   "I have already said that the priority is to supply the army. As for the civilians, as long as they don't starve to death."

   "You won't be able to play this trick for long," Tyrion shook his head. "Just like you played the trick on the Braavos. This kind of lie will only work for a while, but sooner or later it will be exposed..."

   "Then you can tell me a better way."

   "I really don't have a better solution for the Braavos matter, but you should buy real food, not sand."

"It's a wise suggestion." Duke Tywin sneered, "Then tell me, where did the money come from? In order to win over the Iron Bank, the Lannister family's savings have been exhausted, and even the Casterly Rock Gold Mine in the next ten years The mining rights were all sold to the Braavosi, tell me, where do you get the money to buy food?"

   "You can pull out gold..." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Tyrion regretted it.

   Sure enough, Duke Tywin's face darkened visibly to the naked eye.

   "Tyrion," his tone was so cold that people's ears could be frozen off, "Since I appointed you as the logistics officer, you must solve the food problem for me. If the army runs out of food, don't think I dare not kill you!"

   "I never thought you were afraid to kill me." Tyrion retorted.

   "Then go and collect the food in the city immediately."

   After speaking, Duke Tywin turned around and strode away, as if he didn't want to stay in the same room with his son for a moment.

  Tyrion walked back to the dining room with his short legs, and saw that the roast goose had been eaten.

   "Oh, dear sister, you are really considerate."

   Cersei wiped the oil from her lips, and smiled triumphantly:

   "The season is tough, don't waste it."

  Tyrion laughed and shook his head, climbed back into the chair, and went to eat leftovers.

   And Duke Tywin lost his appetite and left straight away.

  Cersei looked at her father's back and said:

   "Did you say the wrong thing again just now?"

  Tyrion stuffed the bread into his mouth and said vaguely:

   "It's not the first time I've said something wrong. However, it's really not because of me that my father is so irritable."

   "What is that for?"

   "Of course it's because of Caesar on the other side."

   "Caesar?" Cersei squinted at her younger brother, "It's not the first day he has appeared on the other side. Why is father suddenly so irritable recently?"

   "Because Caesar never crossed the river."

   Cersei wondered: "Isn't it a good thing not to cross the river?"

  Tyrion sighed: "We can't afford it."

   "Because of food?"

   Because sooner or later the Braavosi will find out that they have been duped. Tyrion almost said this, but realized that it is better not to let too many people know this secret, so he changed his words:

   "That's right. It's because of food."

   "You are responsible for the food." Cersei said triumphantly, "So father is angry because of you."

  Tyrion rolled his eyes, said nothing, and buried himself in the cold bread.

  (end of this chapter)