Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, black ravens brought black tidings. Cold wind and cold rain brought sorrow.
Rhaegar opened the envelope and read it word by word, his expression somewhat somber.
"Has something bad happened?" Ser Barristan asked. He wore white armor and a thick, equally white cloak.
"Lord Simon Staunton, the Master of Laws and temporary City Watch Commander of King's Landing, was killed by rioters a few days ago!" Rhaegar said. The raven's message had a time lag. Simon's death was somewhat unexpected for Rhaegar; he died too quickly. Although Rhaegar had promoted him to the City Watch Commander position with ill intent, it was inherently a thankless job. But now that Simon was dead, he immediately became a martyr for the realm, diligent in royal affairs. The House Targaryen must make a statement regarding Simon's death.
"What happened?" Ser Barristan was a little surprised! The people of King's Landing had a notorious reputation. During the Conciliator's reign, they had killed the Master of Coin. During the Dance of the Dragons, they had rioted and driven out the queen.
"It's related to grain control. The Iron Throne not only acquired some grain, transferred grain from the Reach and other lords, but also cracked down on hoarding and malicious price gouging. Lord Simon was most likely killed by these people." Rhaegar's thoughts drifted to distant King's Landing. Although grain control was loose, the overall policy was set by the King and Rhaegar. However, Simon was the vanguard in cracking down on unscrupulous merchants and sanctioning grain traders.
"King's Landing is already under lockdown. I need to return to King's Landing. The situation has changed, and some people must bleed!" Rhaegar said.
Ser Barristan remained silent. Killing a Small Council member was indeed unforgivable. This was a naked trampling of royal authority, and it would surely lead to a bloodbath.
"Should a company of knights follow you back?" Ser Barristan asked.
"No need!" Rhaegar waved his hand. "I'll ride the dragon there and probably return to Farwinter after it's resolved! You are the first group of Southern Knights to come here and need more training. If other troops are mobilized later, then they will need to rotate! The main force will still be the Free Folk from Beyond the Wall and the Northern lords!"
After giving his instructions, Rhaegar mounted the dragon and swiftly flew back to King's Landing.
The night was as dark as ink, and the atmosphere in King's Landing was already stagnant. The death of the Master of Laws would surely bring a storm of blood and gore! In the deep night, the people of King's Landing seemed to hear the flapping of dragon wings in the air. Prince Rhaegar seemed to have returned to King's Landing.
In the Council Hall of the Red Keep in King's Landing, Pycelle displayed some tattered, blood-stained clothes. The clothes belonged to the brutally assassinated Master of Laws, Simon. The splendid clothes were torn, with dried black bloodstains on them.
"The Seven Gods above, Lord Simon's body was hacked into pieces, and even my best efforts to sew him back together resulted in a broken body. These fragments of clothing show the terrible things Lord experienced before his death!" The old archmaester spoke with great emotion, even shedding a few tears. "These thugs and killers bred in Flea Bottom, and some of the wound marks, are like those from Myr's crossbows! It's possible someone even hired Myrish mercenaries!"
"Poor Lord Simon." The Small Council members discussed amongst themselves, all saddened by Lord Simon's tragedy. This man was indeed too eager to advance; he executed the King's demands to suppress the situation, control prices in King's Landing, and crack down on grain merchants hoarding and speculating, very well, to the point of being harsh. He inspected markets, arrested, and even heavily fined grain merchants. Unexpectedly, the King's Landing rioters were so furious that when he went to inspect the grain market, thugs blocked Simon's sedan chair in an alley. Simon was not known for his martial prowess and was stabbed to death. Two of the guards from Lord Simon's own family died trying to save him, but out of his twenty Gold Cloaks, only a few stepped forward, while the rest fled at the sight.
"Have the city gates been sealed?" King Jaehaerys II asked.
"They have been sealed, prohibiting unauthorized entry and exit!" The Lord Commander of the Gold Cloaks stood at the end, his heart still very uneasy. After all, the Gold Cloaks had failed to protect Simon, which was an objective fact.
"Lord Simon's matter is a tragedy!" King Jaehaerys II said, his expression still heavy. This was a trampling of royal authority, and blood must be repaid with blood. "Aerys, Tywin, I hope you will offer further condolences to poor Simon's family, and also allocate some gold dragons from the royal treasury. The blood of loyal subjects must not be shed in vain!" Compensation was essential, and it also represented the kingdom's stance.
"As you command!" "As you command!"
"We need to punish them severely!" Tywin added, he too was a man of iron will.
"It's truly awful, these terrible rioters," Prince Aerys said with some sadness. Simon had risen through his connections and was one of his most reliable sycophants, and he met such a tragic end!
"I have no objection to killing all these unruly rioters and the wealthy merchants behind them. But regarding other matters, I have a different opinion!" Lord Ormund asked. "Merchants have always prioritized money over life, and profiting from national crises is common. We can kill a group of people. But will our strict grain policy completely crush the economy of King's Landing and trigger a larger merchant riot?"
"The Long Winter is coming, and we don't know how long this winter will last! Grain, grain is the safest thing right now! And we not only need to save enough grain for now, but also for a long time in the future, and to support other regions. As for King's Landing merchants brewing a larger riot, I intend to brutally suppress the merchants who assassinated Lord Simon. If King's Landing merchants want to resist us to the end, we cannot be lenient. I can also bring grain from across the Narrow Sea. Overall, we have no need to fear the situation spiraling out of control!" Rhaegar answered Lord Ormund's doubts. The Long Winter was inevitable; they could only strengthen the kingdom's own power. Those parasitic profiteers also needed to be cleared out. The external opposing forces were hostile powers, and internally, it was these unscrupulous merchants or opposition factions!
Lord Ormund was quite satisfied with Rhaegar's answer, and his mood also became calmer!
"Then we've decided! The grain control policy will continue, no concessions, and the same goes for those grain dealers. We also need to hang those culprits. We must demonstrate our strength and avenge poor Simon. Rhaegar has troops under his command, and you will also command the Gold Cloaks, Commander. I do not wish to see another tragedy like Simon's! I am very disappointed in him." King Jaehaerys said to Rhaegar and the Gold Cloaks Commander.
"As you command!" Rhaegar acknowledged. Although Simon was dead, his death was a disgrace to the Iron Throne that had to be avenged.
"As you command!" The Lord Commander of the Gold Cloaks glanced at Rhaegar's expression, his heart in turmoil.
"There's still a vacancy. Poor Simon has died, but who should take over as Master of Laws, a crucial position in these cold times?" King Jaehaerys asked everyone.
"I recommend Lord Colton Chest. Lord Colton also wishes to join the glorious Small Council to serve the country!" Aerys, like a comedian, was the first to step forward and recommend a candidate.
"I think Colton can do it too!" Rhaegar said. He, of course, knew who this person was, one of Aerys's biggest sycophants. It seemed the inertia of history was the same; it was still these few cronies. The main reason was that there were only so many lords in the Crownlands, and they all revolved around royal power. Holding Small Council positions also gave them an advantage over lords from other regions! For example, House Velaryon had long monopolized the master of ships position, and House Celtigar also had considerable influence.
Seeing that both were making recommendations, everyone else had no objections. Although Aerys was somewhat sad, poor Simon was dead after all, and he began to recommend another sycophant by his side.
"Granted!" King Jaehaerys II replied decisively.
"Tell us about the situation in the North!" King Jaehaerys pointed to Rhaegar. Aside from the food issue, the Northern situation was also of great concern to everyone, so Rhaegar spoke eloquently. If the Long Winter was endless, there was no doubt that the North, located in the northernmost regions, would suffer the most, with countless people becoming displaced and dying tragically. If they migrated south to seek a livelihood, it would bring even greater disaster.
"A few days ago, in the battles in the North, we saw things that were once thought to be destroyed. White Walkers in the white mist, and wights, like a tide of zombies," Rhaegar described the battle in the North. "Now the Free Folk, the Night's Watch, and the Northern lords have begun to unite and cooperate to deal with these terrifying creatures. We have built a new town for the wildlings on the edge of the Wall."
Hearing Rhaegar say this, everyone's hearts pounded like a roller coaster. White Walkers and wights, those were legendary creatures. If anyone else had said it, they naturally wouldn't believe it, but past letters from the North and many warriors had said they personally saw these things and fought them. So they had to believe it, especially now that there was someone who had defeated the White Walkers explaining it to them in person.
"Will that thing cross the Wall?" Tywin asked. Simon was dead, but now there was the more critical threat of the White Walker cold front.
"Currently, they certainly cannot cross the Wall, but what happens in the future cannot be said!" Rhaegar replied with certainty. This was his speculation, and there should be no problem.
"I will share my experiences and insights on dealing with White Walkers and wights with everyone later!" Rhaegar said.
"I once thought these were all legends, but I never expected these strange things to all appear now!" Tywin sighed.
"The product of the cold, it's truly terrifying," Rhaegar continued. The White Walkers are not a species that can be defeated by one person or a small group of people; it requires a large group of people and the support of all forces, just like over 1000 years ago.
"So, given the current situation, do we need to recall troops?" Jaehaerys asked with concern.
"I think it's unnecessary. We've only just started preparing a batch of aid troops, and we also need to consider that the soldiers have never encountered such terrifying creatures before, especially in such cold places. We need to explain it clearly to them. We can first offer free training in a large town, such as Harrenhal!" This was Rhaegar's idea for future wars. Southern Knights would only rotate in waves, considering the climate and specific conditions; they couldn't all go at once!
"Yes, that's not a bad idea. After all, the current weather makes it impossible for us to go that far, and the cost of supplies is too high!" Tywin said. Sending soldiers north would be a huge expense.
"Now that the roads are wider, the entire journey is much easier, making it simpler to transport supplies!" Lord Ormund added, "But in this situation, we still have to rely heavily on the Northerners. They are more adapted to that climate; we can only be considered a strategic reserve."
"The roads cannot stop, and neither can the grain! The cold winter is sweeping across the entire region; we need roads, and we need grain." King Jaehaerys made the final decision.
This meeting resolved three matters: first, avenging the deceased Master of Laws and selecting his successor; second, continuing grain control, soldier training, and road expansion, which were the best ways to deal with famine and the cold winter; and third, unifying everyone's opinions and making them aware that the terrifying, evil wights in the white mist were real.
After a while, the Council Hall meeting officially ended, and everyone had finished their discussions. Snow began to fall again in King's Landing, blanketing the world. It was a dark and windy night, a night for killing, and the Gold Cloaks Commander trailed closely behind Rhaegar.
"You have several capital crimes!" Rhaegar said to the Commander of the King's Landing City Watch.
The Commander, a large man, heard this and beads of sweat began to roll down his face. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
"You drew pay for phantom soldiers and accepted bribes from your subordinates; this is your first capital crime! You sent men to protect Lord Simon, but your soldiers scattered at the time of disaster, with few stepping forward; this is your second capital crime!" Rhaegar slowly enumerated, and the City Watch Commander's legs began to tremble. A man's reputation precedes him; the notorious First Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the City Watch Commander was naturally afraid. Moreover, everything Rhaegar said was objectively true.
"I have King Jaehaerys's order to kill you as easily as a pig!" Rhaegar said faintly, and the City Watch Commander was on the verge of tears.
"But the reason I haven't drawn my sword to kill you yet is because you still have at least a little good in you. For example, regarding the assassination of Lord Simon, you were not swayed by those wicked wealthy merchants! Another point is that you did not embezzle the compensation funds for those innocent or accidentally deceased people, and you even donated to them. If you had also participated in the plan to assassinate the Master of Laws, then you would be dead now!"
"However, given the current pace of war, I won't move against you. You also need to be grateful." Rhaegar then loosened the chain a bit. "Your future, for better or worse, depends on your performance tonight."
"Yes, yes, yes!" The Lord Commander was overjoyed.
"Go arrest the people on this list; I'll be right behind you!" Rhaegar patted the Gold Cloaks Lord Commander. The night of slaughter was about to begin!
Many lights, torches, suddenly appeared in the city at night. They opened many houses and then seized people amidst the chaos.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you like the story please give it some power stones and reviews. And if you want to read 40+ advance chapters or just want to support me please join my patreon at [email protected]/Translatingfanfics