The Riverlands, Harrenhal, Kingspyre Tower
Harrenhal was exceptionally lively today. Due to the collapse of the Iron Throne's allied forces, Jon had directly set up his headquarters here.
Inside this Kingspyre Tower, the most severely burnt of them all, Jon began his grand trial in the tower's most famous Hall of a Hundred Hearths.
Although the Hall of a Hundred Hearths claimed to have a "hundred hearths," it actually only had over thirty fireplaces. However, the spaciousness of this hall was among the best in the entire Seven Kingdoms.
As the largest castle on the continent of Westeros, if it hadn't been burnt down, Jon's ancestors might very well have chosen this place as their seat.
"Bring all the prisoners forward!"
With a sharp shout from Frodo, everyone seated on the benches in the hall turned their gaze toward the doors of the Hall of a Hundred Hearths.
The war had reached this stage, and many nobles were speculating that Jon's next move would likely be to attack King's Landing.
"Your Majesty Aegon, I am…"
"Our house…"
"The honor of the house…"
…Amidst a series of cries and wails, several people dressed in tattered clothes were shoved and pulled out. Upon seeing Jon seated on the weirwood throne, these people instantly became agitated. They shouted their family names loudly, hoping to trade them for Jon's mercy.
Meanwhile, some among them still maintained an incredibly haughty appearance. In their view, their houses were so powerful that they should not be dealt with in such a manner.
"Silence!"
After receiving a signal from Jon, Frodo shouted out loudly. At the sound of his voice, those nobles all subconsciously closed their mouths.
"Before I decided to reconquer the continent of Westeros, I had already sent letters to your respective houses. However, no one truly responded to me; I even received some replies with wording that was not very friendly."
Jon's voice drifted down from the throne. As he spoke, the attention of everyone present was drawn toward him.
"I know how you discuss me in private. Bastard King, baseborn king, arrogant king, and that… what was it… slave leader…"
Jon's voice carried little emotion; it was impossible to tell if he was angry.
"Your Majesty, those were all the doings of House Lannister and House Baratheon; they have nothing to do with us!"
Just then, a noble suddenly stepped forward. On his tattered clothes was a sigil depicting a purple unicorn.
"House Brax! Lord Andros Brax, Lord of Hornvale!"
This was a newly risen house that hadn't produced any powerful figures in history. It was considered a relatively low-profile Westerlands house, but their strength was among the top tier within the Westerlands.
"You are part of the Seven Kingdoms. You played a very important role in the governance of the country. Now you tell me you have nothing to do with all this? Then please tell me, how should we account for the commoners and church clergy who were persecuted and killed by you?"
"I… we…"
After hearing Jon's words, Lord Andros Brax was left speechless.
"Those… those smallfolk are like a flock of sheep. As… as long as…"
Feeling Jon's cold gaze, the Lord of Hornvale still managed to stumble through his thoughts. However, before he could finish, he felt Jon's gaze, which seemed sharp enough to kill.
"We of the Targaryen family enfeoffed these lands to you not so you could come here to discuss 'smallfolk' issues. You have failed to manage your own territories and have not fulfilled your oaths of fealty to the Crown. Therefore, I now have the right to reclaim your lands and titles."
As Jon's words fell, the people in the Hall of a Hundred Hearths instantly bristled. They discussed loudly, and the captured nobles directly began to shout.
"Our house's lands were obtained even before Aegon's Conquest! We…"
A portly noble loudly proclaimed his bloodline and family history, while Frodo, beside Jon, quietly whispered their house name and his name.
"The laws of the realm were established by your ancestor, the Old King. You cannot take the lead in violating or overturning them!"
A clever noble lord did not point out the question directly but shifted his approach, starting from the perspective of the Targaryen kings and citing precedents to refute Jon.
"This is making an enemy of every noble on the continent! The Seven will not allow this situation to occur!"
A noble who believed in the Faith of the Seven spoke directly from the level of faith, pointing out Jon's problem.
The current Seven Kingdoms was actually a confederation of lords, even more chaotic than the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods of the Zhonghua Family on Jon's home planet, Earth.
Under the suppression of religion and nobility, the commoners were sometimes worse off than cattle. Even though the harvests here could reach several times a year during the Long Summer.
Yet every year, a large number of farmers still starved to death in their homes. The reason Jon's Targaryen family remained popular and was missed by some was that the Targaryen family had ended the tradition of the Westerosi lords fighting each other into a mess.
Whether for himself or for his descendants, Jon intended to bring the issue of reform completely to the table starting now. He had been carrying out this reform since the Vale.
And today, taking advantage of this grand trial, Jon was going to implement this policy in the Riverlands.
"From the moment you chose to betray me and the Targaryen family, all of this was destined. However, I am not a cruel and heartless monarch. Under the witness of the gods, your family members who have committed no wrong can still enjoy a portion of your lands and castles."
Upon hearing Jon's words, the faces of the captured nobles, who had previously lost all hope, instantly looked much better.
This feeling of being on a roller coaster was very uncomfortable for them. Soon, Frodo, at Jon's side, began to read out the decisions regarding these nobles.
During the war in the Riverlands, any of these titled nobles who had committed slaughter on this land had to face corresponding punishment.
Thanks to the unique system of noble heraldry in this world, many soldiers of these houses had no idea how to hide. Therefore, Jon's intelligence officers easily obtained evidence of these fellows' crimes.
As the sentencing orders were issued, the Hall of a Hundred Hearths once again echoed with the screams and pleas for mercy from these nobles. This trial was not just prepared for these fellows; likewise, Jon was killing the chicken to warn the monkeys—these Riverlands nobles would not be honest either.
Although Jon had brought down House Bracken, those nobles who were friendly with them or shared similar thoughts still existed. Even with House Blackwood, famous for its honor, Jon could not be one hundred percent at ease. One can never know what another is truly thinking.
"Very well, respected lords. Now is the moment for our rewards. Everyone has sacrificed blood and fire for our Targaryen family, and as the King of the Targaryen family, it is only natural for me to give back lands and gold to everyone."
Amidst Jon's words, everyone present looked toward him. Following his gesture, a massive sandbox was carried in by many soldiers.
Soon, at Jon's signal, the numerous nobles gathered around. On this detailed map of the Riverlands, the houses that Jon had already enfeoffed were marked with small flags arranged across the sandbox.
Since there were only these small flags on the sandbox, most people's eyes were fixed on them. After seeing the numbers marked on those flags, many noble lords felt their hearts sink.
"Your… Your Majesty Aegon, what do these flags of yours mean?"
The speaker was the Lord of Seagard, Lord Jason Mallister. After Jon defeated the members of House Frey, House Mallister was among the first to pledge their loyalty to Jon.
In his youth, Lord Jason Mallister had once, with the strength of a single castle, defeated the rebellious Ironborn army attacking Seagard and killed Rodrik Greyjoy, the eldest brother of Theon Greyjoy.
"My meaning is actually very simple: it is to let your heirs and your brothers receive their rewards in advance. In this war, House Mallister has sacrificed much. I cannot simply reward them with some treasures; those things don't serve much purpose, as they will only be consumed and cannot gain more benefits for Mallister."
Upon hearing Jon's words, the eyes of several Mallister family members, who had always been overlooked, suddenly lit up.
"Everyone knows that the maintenance and construction of a castle require a vast amount of treasure and manpower. In such circumstances, the development of the territory suffers."
Hearing this, the lords all nodded in agreement.
"Therefore, in my view, this is actually the impact of military and security issues. And now, I have decided to launch the plan for building towns along the roads. You all should have had some understanding of this before."
After Jon finished these words, he scattered a handful of blue sand over the area of the Riverlands and Ironman's Bay.
"In the future, a canal will appear here. With the appearance of the canal, countless good things from the Kingdom of the Three Daughters can be sold directly to our Riverlands. At that time, just collecting ferry tolls will be enough for you to build several more castles."
Jon's final sentence completely ignited everyone's hearts, making their breathing quicken.
"So now, do you think territories and castles are more important, or is making money more important?"
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