Chapter 394: The Concept of Class

It was hard for a group of veteran advisers who had sworn allegiance to object when words were spoken to such an extent.

Corlys glanced vaguely at his daughter and slapped his large hand on the tabletop to indicate his approval of the proposal. With his reappointment as Master of Ships, it was better for a woman to be elected as the Prince of Lys than for the Heir Prince to manage it himself. Otherwise, it would be difficult for House Velaryon to step in and share more benefits.

Lyonel similarly agreed and moved on to the next topic, "There is no problem with the Princess managing Lys. We should discuss the selection of councillors."

Lyman pondered, "There are multiple candidates for councillors. The Iron Throne should send one or more."

"Your Grace, we should call upon the best from all over and select them fairly," Orwyle spoke up for the first time, his tone humble.

"Wait, the choice of councillors is debatable," Viserys said with a smile, thinking of the two ambassadors present.

For a while, no one cared about Otto, whose face was filled with disbelief. Only Alicent was glum, silently taking a large sip of her drink.

Father and daughter wanted to fight for the interests of the children of the Green Faction, and it dawned on them that their power in the Small Council was far from sufficient. Between the King and the Heir Prince, they had been crushed to dust.

The council went on.

Rhaegar helped Rhaenyra sit down and bluntly confessed, "The councillors are tentatively set at three, with Johanna Swann taking one slot to stay in Lys to assist the future Queen."

Viserys asked curiously, "Isn't she the daughter of House Swann who was taken captive?"

Johanna Swann's tragic encounter had been a sensation.

Rhaegar nodded, "A very capable woman. Her contributions at the Battle of Lys were noteworthy."

He held a favorable opinion of Johanna. Partly out of pity, but more because of her outstanding ability to handle many of Lys' affairs for him. Besides, the newly conquered, free-trading city-states of Tyrosh had been slow to submit to Daemon's tyranny, and Rhaenys had failed to subdue the older nobles of Myr. Only Lys, with Johanna's lobbying, rallied the remaining powerful and noble class and basically stabilized the situation.

Viserys was impressed and said with heartfelt pleasure, "With such a talented person loyal to the royal family, I believe Rhaenyra's subsequent governance will be much easier."

A sentence that sealed Johanna's status as a councilor.

Rhaegar smiled and raised his cup in a toast. He needed Johanna's effectiveness to secretly control Lys' politics. He couldn't be stupid enough to give away his power by saying he would share it.

Father and son joined in planning, and the people present looked at each other in disbelief.

Corlys' eyes were deep, glancing over the ambassadors of Pentos and Volantis, and nodding secretly. After years away from the center of politics, this king and cousin-in-law had grown quite a bit in their political skills. Probably thanks to a good heir, who gave him the courage to say "no."

After a moment's thought, Corlys raised his hand and said calmly, "According to what the Prince said earlier, the election of the second councilor goes to House Velaryon."

"Of course, Lord Corlys," Viserys agreed firmly.

At the assured answer, a hint of a smile appeared on Corlys' impassive face and he said no more. When it came to the interests of the family, there was nothing to be ashamed of. The royal family promised benefits, and he had no reason to back down.

In three words, the two spots had owners.

The ambassadors of Pentos and Volantis were no longer bashful and eagerly said, "Your Grace of the Iron Throne, our city-state deserves a councillor slot as well."

At the beginning of the war, Targaryen negotiated interests with multiple parties.

First, the distribution of taxes from the harbor. This was not difficult to achieve. The city-states of the Triarchy fell into the hands of the Iron Throne, who set the taxes.

The Magister's Council of Pentos and Volantis thought the taxes should be raised significantly and discussed a suitable tax to be divided among them. Even if the taxes of the three free trade city-states were too high, merchants would flow more into Pentos and Volantis.

Secondly, there was the land and population. Tyrosh fell into Daemon's hands, and Myr and Lys were in the hands of the Iron Throne. Pentos and Volantis agreed that at least one city-state should be given to them. At the very least, a large amount of land and slave population should be divided to repay them.

But! The Targaryens clearly had no intention of paying such a high price.

Viserys spread his hands and played innocent, "There are only so many places. I can give you the last one, and the two noble states must negotiate privately."

The Pentos envoy frowned and pursued, "In addition to the councillor quota, I also ask Your Grace to take the land and population of the Triarchy and distribute them."

"No!" Viserys shook his head and vetoed, "I will not divide the lands that belong to the Targaryens." After a pause, he insisted, "Westeros does not allow the buying and selling of slaves, in any form!"

The words were clear: don't even think about the land and the people.

The Pentos envoy's face darkened, and he said solemnly, "Without the distribution of land and population, what will the Iron Throne use to make up for the loss of its allies?"

"Harbor taxes!" Rhaegar's face was calm as he took over the topic.

The Volantis envoy's voice was dull, "With the taxes set by Lord Corlys, even if the full amount were distributed over ten years, it would not be enough to offset the deserved wealth!"

Rhaegar spun the stone ball and said generously, "Therefore, I intend to divide it for a hundred years!"

"What?"

Viserys was stunned and thought he had heard wrong. One hundred years! That was a significant commitment, considering it had only been a hundred years since the Targaryens had ruled Westeros.

"Hear me out, father." Not waiting for the advisers to object, Rhaegar said with a straight face, "In order to make up for the losses of our allies, I am willing to fairly distribute Lys's taxes to offset the land and population."

"Accordingly, House Velaryon, Pentos, and Volantis will contribute to the repair and development of the harbor and not sit on the sidelines."

Corlys frowned and said cautiously, "According to your words, how much of the proceeds can we distribute?"

Rhaegar had prepared for this and signaled Tormund to hand over a few lists. He justified, "The Iron Throne will occupy 10%, The Prince of Lys will occupy 30%, and the remaining 60% will be divided equally among the three parties."

Each of the three parties would receive 20% for a period of up to a hundred years. A fortune beyond imagination. The Prince of Lys took a small percentage and shared 10% of the profits with the Iron Throne to strengthen the bond between the two parties.

Corlys received the list and, after examining it, said in shock, "Prince, the rebuilding of Lys still requires us to pay for it?"

The list clearly stated that the development of Lys would require financial contributions from the three parties and the Iron Throne.

Rhaegar responded, "Lys suffered during the war. The Iron Throne cannot bear the financial burden alone. This is why I am offering a hundred years of tax collection."

"Our return will take a hundred years to pay off?" Corlys noted the key point.

Rhaegar replied, "A small initial investment will provide substantial income for the next hundred years."

"Allow me to think it over carefully," Corlys said solemnly.

Rhaegar smiled and gave the three parties time to consider. The value of Lys's harbor taxes was undeniable. Among the nine free trade city-states, only Braavos and Pentos were better.

Not only did each party benefit from 20%, but there was also the right to manage the port to a certain extent. It was a tempting offer.

It was a difficult decision for Rhaegar to make, but trading the land and population of the Triarchy, and using the benefits to permanently annex Pentos and Volantis, would strengthen the Targaryen foothold in Essos.

With three city-states in hand, sharing Lys's benefits would preserve Myr and potentially share Tyrosh's benefits with Daemon, minus the harbor taxes.

As the allies pondered, the council went slightly quiet.

Otto broke the silence, "Prince, with Lys adopting the council system, what are your thoughts on Myr?"

Rhaegar calmly replied, "As an inland city-state, Myr will be ruled directly by the Crown, borrowing the style of governance from King's Landing."

The royal family would rule Myr, choosing various internal advisors and creating a colony that would expand outward as a city-state. He planned to reward noble second sons and poor knights who fought bravely, and to help develop the territory with loans.

Encouraging a portion of Myr's native slave class would reinforce dominance within the city-state. In the long run, a perfect structure of villages and towns would form around the city-state.

Otto's eyes flickered as he said, "Myr needs talents. The Small Council can elect a group of young talents."

"That's right. This is something I need the advisers' help with," Rhaegar replied, his gaze sharpening.

Tormund pulled out another list and handed it over. Otto hesitantly took the list to check.

Rhaegar smiled, "The construction of the three city-states requires many craftsmen. I intend to unify the issuance of 'craftsman registration.'"

"A separate registration for craftsmen?" Otto asked, recognizing the meaning immediately.

Rhaegar nodded. Otto frowned, puzzled, "The status of craftsmen is low. Dividing them into separate registries seems superfluous."

Rhaegar explained, "It is to train craftsmen. There are many craftsmen, but the selection of certain types is relatively rare. Dividing the registers will help pass on their crafts."

For example, stonemasons would be divided into stonemason registries, and their descendants would inherit the craft, ensuring continuity.

Otto, skeptical, asked, "Even if you register the craftsmen, how will it make a difference?"

Rhaegar patiently explained, "The registers will protect the craftsmen. They built the castles, made the armor and the stirrups. They are the best servants."

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