Riverlands, Yarrow Town
In the grand palace hall of Yarrow Town, the atmosphere was heavy and solemn. Jon sat upon the throne made of weirwood, while in the hall below the throne stood the great nobles of the Riverlands, the Vale, and the North.
High above the dome hung beautiful crystal chandeliers, with bright yellow candle light shining within the crystal shades. The light illuminated the entire hall, and the dazzling radiance it reflected made everyone's faces clearly visible.
Jon, seated upon the throne, had a tall and majestic posture. Today, he wore a black robe with gold trim and a circlet crown crafted from Valyrian steel, inlaid with brilliant gemstones.
This crown came from Jynnaera's private treasury; after she was resurrected by Jon, he had brought the crown out.
Seated upon the throne, Jon's face bore an unquestionable authority, and his gaze was deep and firm, as if he could see through people's hearts.
In the center of the hall before Jon knelt a large group of losers from the last war. Their clothes were ragged, clearly having undergone a period of hardship.
In the middle of the crowd, Janos Bracken's hair was disheveled, and his face was covered in dust and traces of sweat. His eyes were filled with despair and fear, as if he were regretting his previous decisions.
At this moment, Janos Bracken had completely lost his usual arrogance and pride. His body trembled slightly, and he uncontrollably let out low sobs, tears sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the cold floor.
Just then, Jon's voice suddenly rang out, deep and powerful. Every word was like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of the people below:
"You are charged with treason and murder. Now, in the name of the King of the Andals, the First Men, and the Rhoynar, you must face the consequences of your actions."
After hearing Jon's words, the people below were instantly struck with fear, and many even began to wail aloud.
Janos Bracken, in particular, cried the most shrilly. He knelt on the ground, hands clenched into fists, and repeatedly kowtowed to beg for mercy:
"His Majesty Aegon, please have mercy! I... I am innocent!"
But under Jon's gaze, his words seemed incredibly pale and weak, appearing to have no meaning at all.
"The moment you turned your swords against me, your fate was sealed. There is no point in saying anything now."
"His Majesty Aegon! Please reconsider this decision. The Riverlands cannot be without noble lords to manage them. This... this is not in accordance with tradition!"
To Jon's surprise, the person who stepped forward to plead for mercy was actually Lord Tytos Blackwood. His face was resolute and determined, with no intention of kicking his old rival, Janos Bracken, while he was down.
"Lord Tytos! You are a true noble, a truly fair and just existence. To be served by someone of such noble character as you, I feel that this is a blessing from the gods."
Though surprised, Jon was not angry. Lord Yohn Royce, Lord Tytos Blackwood, and Jon's uncle, Eddard Stark, were all the type of people who truly possessed the noble spirit.
Jon could always feel at ease leaving territories to such nobles, but such people could also be soft-hearted. In situations like this, they would feel pity and want to leave a way out for their former enemies.
But they did not know that doing so would only leave them with endless trouble, because the other party would not be grateful at all and would only view such behavior as hypocrisy.
Therefore, Jon was completely unmoved by Tytos Blackwood's plea. He waved his hand, signaling the guards to take these losers away.
"We won't do it again!"
"Help!"
"His Majesty Aegon, spare me!"
...At Jon's command, these losers were roughly dragged out by the armored guards, their cries for mercy echoing through the hall.
But soon, their figures disappeared outside the door, cut off by the heavy portals.
Jon's gaze turned toward Lord Tytos Blackwood and the other nobles who wanted to plead for mercy. After sweeping his eyes over them, Jon said:
"I want everyone to know that there is no place for traitors. What my country needs are loyal and brave nobles and lords."
In the history of the Seven Kingdoms, there had been many wise and divine Targaryens, as well as many debauched and excessive Targaryens. These people had left deep marks in the history of the Seven Kingdoms.
Jon did not need to learn anything from these kings, because what he wanted to do was always to be himself. He just wasn't sure how long he would live, nor did he know what his kingdom would be like after him.
Therefore, to prevent another Baratheon usurpation from happening again, Jon intended from the very beginning to dismantle the nobility of Westeros bit by bit.
"Alright, my honorable lords, now is the time for us to rearrange management matters. Now, let our Lord Petyr Frey announce the rewards for this war!"
After resolving the issue of the losers, it was time for Jon to reward merit. Under the arrangements of the Maesters and Alchemists under his command, the work of grading military merit had long since been completed.
The territory of the Riverlands was very vast, with many castles separated by various large and small rivers. Due to years of war, many bridges could not be maintained.
Because of this, communication between many territories was not very close, a matter that Jon naturally took into consideration.
"Ahem... honorable lords! I shall now read out your titles and territories."
The young Petyr Frey's voice still sounded somewhat immature as he spoke.
"Lucas Blackwood..."
In Petyr Frey's announcement, the great and small nobles and knights who had earned military merit in this war all received corresponding lands and rewards.
As Petyr Frey's voice fell, the many nobles in the hall all knelt on one knee before Jon, swearing their oaths with their swords.
However, most of these Riverlands nobles had never seen Jon's method of granting titles, especially the established nobles; they were very surprised by Jon's act of dividing territories into small pieces.
"I believe everyone must be wondering why the territories I've granted are all so small, with some places not even having residents yet!"
"Yes! Lord Aegon, what is the meaning of doing this? Moreover, doing so will likely cost a large amount of money."
As the most senior and greatest contributor, Lord Tytos Blackwood directly asked this question on behalf of everyone.
"This is not actually an expenditure of money, but a form of disguised investment!"
"Investment!?"
After hearing Jon's words, the people below began to discuss curiously in low voices.
"Hahaha, my dear lords, this is actually not hard to understand. Let me put it another way!"
After Jon finished speaking, he looked at another loyalist of House Frey, Stevron Frey.
"Stevron! What do you think is the most important thing for a lord when ruling a territory?"
Upon hearing Jon's words, Stevron Frey's face instantly turned red. However, he soon answered in a somewhat stumbling tone:
"I... I think, mer... mercy and humility are the most important things for a lord's rule!"
"No, no, no, you're wrong, my dear Stevron, you are mistaken!"
After hearing Stevron Frey's description, Jon spoke directly.
"Wealth is the most important thing for a territory. Without money and grain, you simply cannot build your territory well, let alone rule your people. The royal family has King's Landing, and House Grafton has Gulltown!"
As Jon spoke, his gaze unconsciously swept across everyone present.
"And what I want to do is actually very simple: I want to help everyone build their own cities."
"Is... is that possible?"
Many nobles blurted this out instinctively upon hearing Jon's words.
"There is nothing impossible about it. This is the Riverlands, one of the most fertile plain regions in all of Westeros. It has more water sources than the Reach."
After hearing Jon's words, these nobles, who had rarely farmed, did not react to what Jon was saying for a moment.
"Crops need water to grow, and livestock need water too. As long as the combination is reasonable, our Riverlands will become a place even more prosperous than the Reach!"
After glancing at the people around him, Jon took in all their skeptical looks.
Clap clap clap...
Soon, at Jon's signal, pots of crop samples were brought up by the Alchemists.
"This is Water Wheat, a special type of wheat that can be cultivated in water..."
Under Jon's introduction, various special crops were displayed before the Riverlands nobles. These crops were new varieties Jon had brought from the continents of Essos and Sothoryos.
Under the mysterious methods of the Alchemists, the yields, disease resistance, and pest resistance of these crops had all been enhanced. It could be said that with these crops, the grain output of the Riverlands could increase several times over.
"My dear lords, I have already pointed out the path for the future. Now it depends on how everyone chooses. I am going to create a brand new era, and you are the witnesses!"
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