Chapter 140 The Banquet
Outside the Shrek family crypt, Eddard and Robert remained silent.
Seeing that Ed hadn't responded for a long time, Robert didn't want to press him too hard, so he changed the subject.
Inside Shrek Castle, everyone was busy, because a banquet was to be held that evening.
Arya, who was learning the Eight-Cut Sword from Hao Yun, was also called away by Lady Caitlin. The Shrek family was going to attend the dinner party, and Arya needed to put on makeup and change into an evening gown.
As for Hao Yun, he declined the invitation; he had no interest in attending such a chaotic banquet.
Instead of attending the banquet, Hao Yun decided to go outside the city for a hot spring. Just as he reached the city gate, Hao Yun encountered Jon Snow.
"Jon, why didn't you go to the dinner party?"
Hao Yun, riding on Moonlight, stopped beside Jon.
Jon gave a bitter smile; as a bastard, he had no right to attend the banquet.
"I am an illegitimate child and cannot attend the banquet."
Hao Yun chuckled awkwardly, realizing he had touched a nerve.
"I'm going out of town to soak in the hot springs, do you want to come with me?"
Jon shook his head. Although he couldn't attend the banquet, it wouldn't be good to leave with Hao Yun at this time.
"Alright then, since you're not going, I'll be leaving."
Leaving Winterfell, Hao Yun headed straight for the hot springs, following the directions he remembered.
Upon arriving at the valley, Hao Yun took off his clothes, plunged into the warm hot spring, and let out a groan.
Soaking in a hot spring when it's freezing cold is truly comforting.
Hao Yun pulled out a flask of wine and, while drinking, pondered whether he should leave. Daenerys was still waiting for him; it would be pointless to be late.
Hao Yun decided to say goodbye to Arya and set off tomorrow. Hao Yun cared a lot about his disciple, after all, she was his first disciple.
As darkness fell, Hao Yun took out a luminous pearl and placed it on the shore to provide light.
After drinking the last drop of wine from the jar, Hao Yun leaned against the shore, completely unwilling to get up. "Forget it," he thought, "I'll go back tomorrow morning."
Inside Shrek Castle, the banquet had already begun, with King Robert and Eddard toasting each other and drinking merrily.
As for Queen Cersei, she sat expressionlessly in her chair, staring coldly at Robert.
Lady Catelyn, sitting next to her, was somewhat embarrassed. She had never expected Cersei to turn out this way, so she didn't know what to say for a moment.
In the courtyard, Jon sat alone on a stone bench, looking very dejected.
"Little Jon, what are you doing outside?"
Benjen, who had traveled a long and arduous journey back from the Wall, smiled and patted Jon on the shoulder when he saw him.
Benjen is also a member of House Stark. He is Eddard's brother and joined the Night's Watch more than a decade ago. He is stationed at the Wall and rarely returns.
He returned this time because Eddard had executed a deserter of the Night's Watch the day before yesterday, and Eddard had also heard the word "White Walker" from the deserter.
As a native of the North, Eddard naturally knew what the White Walkers were, but he didn't believe they really existed. The White Walkers hadn't appeared for countless years, and he preferred to believe that this was just an excuse made up by the deserter.
Although Eddard didn't believe the deserter, he still sent a message to the Night's Watch to tell them about it.
Benjen returned this time because their Night's Watch had indeed discovered traces of the White Walkers outside the Wall.
"Uncle Banyan!"
The two hugged, and Benjen patted Jon's back a few times.
"Why aren't you inside? Did you not like the atmosphere in there?"
Benjamin laughed heartily, put his arm around Jon's shoulder, and tried to pull him inside.
"No, I am an illegitimate child and cannot attend the banquet."
Jon stopped and quickly shook his head.
"Who said that!"
Banyan's eyes widened, and he looked very angry.
Jon didn't say anything, he just kept shaking his head.
"Hey! We'll talk about this later. I need to speak with your father. We'll talk later."
Benjen returned with two things on his mind. First, he wanted to inform his brother that the White Walkers might actually exist. Second, he wanted to request help.
The Night's Watch has been declining year by year for many years, and apart from criminals, almost no one is willing to join the Night's Watch.
Due to a shortage of manpower, the Night's Watch abandoned many fortresses and were forced to remain at the Wall.
Wildlings outside the Wall have become active and have begun to gather in large numbers. Fearing the fall of the Wall, the commander of the Night's Watch had no choice but to send messengers to request the lords to send troops to their aid.
As it happened, the king was also there, and Bunyan directly stated his purpose.
Robert didn't take it seriously at all. In Robert's eyes, the Night's Watch had been around for so many years and was completely useless.
Robert saw this gathering of wildlings as a good opportunity to eliminate them. He was confident that once they crossed the Wall, Robert could lead his troops to kill them all and completely eliminate this threat.
Sensing Robert's attitude, Benjamin sighed slightly; he could only place his hopes on his brother.
"Sit down and rest first. I'll arrange for supplies and manpower to be transported there tomorrow."
As Warden of the North, Eddard has been supporting the Night's Watch for many years, as it is a tradition.
As for the lords outside the North, they mostly viewed the Night's Watch with a spectator's mentality, and their financial support was only symbolic and minimal.
The banquet continued, and Robert, slightly drunk, laughed gruffly, with a beautiful woman in his arms.
Benjen sat to the side, drank two glasses of wine, and then quietly left the banquet hall. After so many years with the Night's Watch, he had long since adapted to the ascetic life.
After leaving the banquet hall, Benjen found Jon and wanted to say a few words of comfort to him, telling him not to care about his status as a bastard.
"Uncle Banyan."
Jon, who was strolling in the courtyard, excitedly ran over to Benjen when he saw him.
"I want to join the Night's Watch."
Benjamin paused for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile. He didn't want any of the younger members of his family to suffer by joining the Night's Watch.
"We'll talk about this later. I'm planning to escort the supplies back to the Wall. If you still want to join the Night's Watch when I come back next time, I'll take you with me."
Jon was very disappointed. Did the Night's Watch not welcome him, their bastard son? Jon had not been happy in the Shrek family all these years.
It was precisely because he was unhappy that he wanted to join the Night's Watch; he had heard that the Night's Watch welcomed anyone.
"I'll definitely do it next time."
Benjen chuckled and patted Jon on the shoulder before turning and leaving the castle. He found the supply convoy and followed them back to the Wall.
The next morning, Hao Yun, who had rushed back from the wilderness, prepared to tell Aria that he was about to leave.
As soon as Hao Yun entered the castle, he saw the brat Joffrey standing outside the sheepfold, loudly mocking someone.
"Haha, Uncle, how come you're sleeping in the sheepfold? Are you going to try the taste of goats like the Dornes?"
Inside the sheepfold was Tyrion Lannister, the Imp. Yesterday, he was knocked unconscious and thrown into the sheepfold after leaving the brothel.
The little devil was clever enough to realize that his being thrown into the sheepfold must be related to his nephew, and it was even very likely that his nephew had ordered it.
Chapter 141 Farewell
As he emerged from the sheepfold, Imp smiled and looked at Joffrey.
The two men locked eyes, Joffrey's face full of disdain; he looked down on his dwarf uncle.
Snap!
The little devil raised his hand and slapped Joffrey hard across the face, making him let out a soft moan.
"Ah! You dare hit me!"
Under Joffrey's horrified gaze, the Imp reached out and slapped him hard across the face again.
After being slapped twice in a row, Joffrey was furious.
"Hound! Kill him!"
The hounds guarding Joffrey remained unmoved, seemingly oblivious to the imp's attack on Joffrey.
Imp glanced at the Hound, then spoke coldly to Joffrey.
"I am your uncle! I hope you will remember this. As a prince, you should learn proper aristocratic etiquette. If it happens again, hmph!"
Ignoring Joffrey, Tyrion turned and left.
Joffrey, his cheeks red from the beating, angrily berated the hound, asking why he hadn't attacked earlier.
This burly man, nearly two meters tall, stood still like a log, letting Joffrey beat and scold him.
Stopping in his tracks, Hao Yun carefully examined the hunting dog. He had to admit, it was a clever dog; no matter what Hao Yun did, he would inevitably be the one punished in the end.
Even though Tyrion Lannister is a dwarf, he's still a member of House Lannister. And what's a Lannister saying all the time? "Debts must be repaid."
When Tyrion attacked Joffrey, it was at most an uncle disciplining his nephew. As a guard, it was right for him not to intervene.
But this hunting dog was truly ugly; half of its face was covered in burn scars, and its tall, muscular physique alone was enough to scare away many people.
Ignoring Joffrey, Hao Yun walked into the courtyard to see if Arya had arrived.
Arya is practicing Wing Chun in front of the wooden dummy.
"Arya, come here!"
After getting off Moonlight, Hao Yun smiled and waved to Arya.
"master!"
Arya giggled as she nestled into Hao Yun's arms.