1857 AC, King's Landing, Red Keep
"What does this mean, Traitor to the Interest of the Crown. I am not sure that I have ever heard that phrase. Only High Treason."
Hedda hummed thoughtfully, "It was rather popular under the Targaryen Kings and before the different crimes were codified more thoroughly. It could mean many things, the phrase is vague for a reason. The Targaryen's used it to get rid of well-connected or too powerful nobles, for theft against the crown or whatever else they deemed it. It's not High Treason though. So no assassination attempts or an attempt to dethrone the Baratheon line. I think… I mean he was the Master of Coin."
"So stealing money then?" Jeyne asked with a dry tone.
"Probably. Though… it must have been a lot of money otherwise they would have just let it go. Let the dead rest and all that."
"Do you think Lysa knew something and that's why she was either murdered or killed herself?"
"Honestly Jeyne, I cannot tell you. We can speculate all we want, but there is too little information to come to a conclusion. Why the interest so suddenly?"
"She seems tragic to me. A Tully daughter sold to an old man to secure an alliance during the war… and when she finally has the living son after nearly 10 years of trying, they both die mysteriously. Only for some vague hints about a possible affair with her childhood friend to be left behind. Who was she as a person? Who did she love? Why did she have to die?"
Hedda side eyed her, "I see you have found the storyline for your next novel."
Jeyne hummed and smiled sheepishly, "What can I say. House Tully has a special place in my heart."
296 AC, King's Landing, Red Keep, The Treasury
The treasury was a mess.
The gold was just loosely piled into chests, without an inventory list or something similar and the corresponding ledgers to the various rooms were confusing the situation even more. In the end Joffrey decided that it was probably done on purpose to disguise the true state of the treasury.
There wasn't anything to be done but to completely overhaul the whole layout of the treasury and the inventory system. On Joffrey's command the counters started to package the gold coins in easily countable units of 25 pieces per linen cloth roll. They were then stacked into small chests that contained the same number of coin rolls every time. The work was done by trusted servants that wore clothes without pockets and supervised by the chalk white Keeper of Keys and some of Joffrey's own people.
Maege particularly had an eye for picking up on inconsistencies in somebody's body language and pointing them out to Joffrey or her sister. She had developed an appetite for people watching ever since his fostering and these days he relied on her more and more to keep him abreast about the people around him. As a servant that was not assigned with a specific function she could quickly vanish into the background without arousing suspicion.
The initial counting was done within a week and the results had Joffrey breathing a lot easier. As it turned out there was maybe 1/3 more gold in the treasury than recorded in the books. He had feared that it would be the other way round. They had yet to look at the property and business ledgers that had been found in Baelish' rooms and who knew what they would find there.
This deviation from the ledgers was thankfully enough evidence for Joffrey to go to his father and tell him about his suspicion that Baelish was stealing from the crown.
Robert, predictably, exploded.
He wasn't a 'copper counter' as he liked to call it, but being stolen from so blatantly was not something he tolerated.
"You have done good work, boy. Jon will take another 4 to 6 weeks to return to this cesspit, so what have you planned until then?"
"I want to go through Baelish books and belongings, even the properties in the city. This isn't just taking a bit of gold now and then. I fear this is systematically embezzling money on a scale that has never been done before. He has to have written down where he moved the money, nobody can keep all of that in their head. Additionally I ordered a full audit on the other objects in the treasury that aren't coins, might as well make sure… Father, I don't trust the Keepers of the Keys. If even one of them did the job properly that person would have had more coins written down in his ledgers than the others, but the additional gold was distributed evenly. They must be working together or for Baelish… probably both. I want to put them discreetly under arrest, letting them run around freely is too risky, but I also do not want to warn any of their accomplices before we are not completely aware of the whole situation."
"Done." Robert agreed grimly, than he grinned, "See, I knew giving you more responsibility was a good idea. If you were a few years older I would just hand you the position as Master of Coins directly, but unfortunately you are too young for the pissy lords in the court."
Joffrey just shrugged his shoulders, "I can't claim to have done much. I have little knowledge in accounting or reading such papers, nor did I even know who to go to for help. Uncle Tyrion was the one that organized the right people…"
"Even so, you noticed that something was off and got things done. That is the most important thing. The rest is just details."
Details that were important, Joffrey thought dryly.
Joffrey sighed deeply before telling frankly, "Maybe.. but it wasn't any fun at all, so I'm not unhappy about the age restrictions."
Robert snorted and patted him on his shoulder.
"Right you are, but you will continue to look into this anyway? At least until Jon is back?"
"Yes. It's better if we have an idea how much gold there is to our name and set up strict regulations about counting said money before the new Master of Coin can 'adjust' the numbers to his liking."
"He better not, or my Warhammer will do the speaking." Robert grunted before he dismissed Joffrey for the day.
To further ease his way, Robert decreed that all of Baelish' officially registered properties in King's Landing would go to Joffrey. After all Baelish was the last of his house and apart from his seat, which would return to the Vale, everything else was property of the crown. Doubly so if he had embezzled money from them.
With the sensitive part of their conversation pretty much at an end Robert called for his squire to bring more wine.
After taking another gulp he commented, "Do your search, but leave Baelish's whore houses to your uncle, at least on the surface. Otherwise your mother will never stop complaining to me."
Joffrey sent his father an aggrieved expression, "Did she come to you?"
Robert laughed and took a deep drink from his goblet.
"She did. At first she tried to be persuasive, then she screeched that this is not something a prince should do, when I didn't relent. I shut her up with the fact that you are excelling at the tasks given to you and that it is good training for when you are king. She hasn't stopped preening since then."
Joffrey closed his eyes. At least that drama was avoided. He had not looked forward to his customary visit with his mother tomorrow.
"Thanks." He said softly.
Robert snorted, "Your mother is a lot of things, but subtle about her opinions what a prince should be and do, she is not."
Joffrey winced and took a sip of his lemon water, "I know she means well, but…"
"It's not what you want. I know, so leave your mother to me. I actually enjoy when she is wroth with me. You don't."
Joffrey hummed in agreement, his gaze fell on Lancel who was refilling Robert's cup and Joffrey waited until he could catch his eyes. The older boy winked at him, indicating that he wouldn't report the more incriminating parts of the conversation to his mother.
It had been a good investment when he decided to spend time with Lancel and Tyrek after their arrival some months ago. The two squires were pretty easy to win over. A few hunts and invitations to his solar had ensured that they would keep his secrets and only reported to his mother about things that he wanted her to know.
Thinking about the Lannister part of his family made his thoughts turn to his siblings, he might as well use this opportunity to talk about them while Robert was amiable, only slightly drunk and willing to listen.
"Tommen has recently started his education."
Robert grinned at that, but didn't say anything, just waited for Joffrey to make his point.
"I want him to have the same lessons as me. In everything."
"He is not the crown prince." Robert pointed out.
"True, but neither was Lord Stark meant to take over as Lord Paramount." Joffrey threw back.
"You are not dying Joffrey." Robert growled.
Joffrey smiled at that, "I do not intend to, but I want Tommen to be prepared should something happen to me. A good and strict education will help. Mother… mother has been excessively indulging him."
"Your mother always excessively indulges you three." Robert said with a shrug.
Joffrey thought for a moment how to best phrase what he wanted to say and then threw caution into the wind.
"I do not want my siblings to grow up into self-entitled, delusional brats."
At that outburst Robert actually raised an eyebrow.
"You think your mother is spoiling them too much."
"I know so. I had to intervene a few times already, but I have no idea how to direct mother's misguided intentions without drawing her ire."
Behind Robert Lancel winced, he had already been present for some of Cersei's less amiable moods and knew how unreasonable she could be.
Robert grunted and took another long drink from his cup before slowly saying, "Arrange what tutors you think are best to be ready in six moons. When we leave on the Northern Progress your siblings and mother won't be joining us all the way. Cersei thinks they are too young. I don't know about that, but I agreed. No sense dragging them around Westeros unnecessarily. They will travel with us to Casterly Rock where they will stay until our return. Until then your mother will be Tywin's problem, the old lion is probably the only man alive that can shut her up. If you clear it with him, she won't have any chance to interfere, no matter her opinions."
Joffrey nodded, that was actually a sensible solution to the whole dilemma. Now there was only the problem of Tywin himself. Joffrey wanted his siblings educated, not indoctrinated as Tywin Lannister's newest minions. He probably would need to impress his grandfather enough that cultivating Myrcella and Tommen would take a back seat for the next couple of years. And who knew if Tywin was still alive then.
"Well. I see you have important things to be doing. Like sampling the newest Arbor Gold. And I will return to accounting hell." Joffrey joked to break up the serious atmosphere.
"Brat." Robert chortled, "Don't forget Baelish's properties."
Joffrey nodded before addressing his cousin, "Lancel could you please call in Hilda?"
Said teenager simply nodded and vanished to retrieve the girl, who should still be waiting outside the King's apartments.
His servant arrived in due time, offered a deep curtsy to Robert before glancing at Joffrey to await orders.
"The chest, if you please."
Hilda nodded and took the box with the documents and then walked several steps back to once again fade into the background, very conscious to never show him or the King her back.
"Another pretty one." Robert couldn't help but comment, letting his eyes run up and down her curvy body.
"Yes." Joffrey said simply and pointed.
"Yes, yes. I know, you do not share. But I will look, that's my right as King." Robert teased.
Joffrey allowed himself a small grin in return, "That I will concede to… I will see you at dinner?"
"You will. Off you go, boy!"
Time to find out what Baelish had hidden in his pleasure houses.