Jaehaerys spent almost another day telling Daenerys the history passed down orally by the Dragonlord Family.
King Jaehaerys was an excellent speaker, and his many years of governance had given him profound insights and wise judgments on many matters.
Therefore, those seemingly dry and unreal historical stories, when told by him, made Daenerys feel as if she had experienced them firsthand.
And it allowed Daenerys, while immersed in the story, to still view the past objectively, fairly, and wisely.
Daenerys couldn't help but think to herself that if King Jaehaerys had kept Viserys by his side and tutored him well for a few years, perhaps he wouldn't have made so many basic mistakes in the original history when he became king.
"And we, the descendants of these powerful dawn nations, after enduring countless hardships, finally re-hatched dragons in the Fourteen Flames of Valyria, and with them, established a vast empire that controlled the entire continent of Essos."
"But the rise and glory of Valyria became a nightmare for most people on the continent of Essos."
"To satisfy the extravagant desires of the Dragonlord Families and to pursue even more terrifying and powerful strength, those great families and sorcerers committed countless sins."
"The people in the glorious and prosperous city-state of Valyria lived lives comparable to gods, but the mine shafts beneath the volcanoes echoed with the painful wails of countless people."
"They lost the hearts of the people! Even though Valyria was glorious and powerful for thousands of years, and even though they controlled the world's most powerful dragons and various magic, they ultimately vanished in the Doom."
"Whether it was the punishment of the gods or human actions, ultimately, it was the Dragonlord Families themselves who committed unforgivable wrongs that provoked the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people."
From King Jaehaerys's words, Daenerys could clearly sense that he was not proud of Valyria's past history. And Daenerys felt that this should be the common value recognition of the former House Targaryen.
So Daenerys continued to ask,
"Great-grandfather, why didn't the Dragonlord Families compile these precious histories into books for the family members to understand?"
"After all, reading history makes one wise, reading poetry makes one witty, mathematics makes one precise, science makes one profound, ethics makes one serious, logic and rhetoric make one able to debate, and whatever one learns shapes one's character."
Seeing Daenerys, at such a young age, able to speak such philosophical words, King Jaehaerys contentedly took Daenerys's hand and said,
"Oh, my little Little Daenerylla! If you were a prince, I would certainly name you Prince of Dragonstone."
"Hahaha, Prince of Dragonstone is fine. If Great-grandfather really likes me that much, just name me Prince of Dragonstone New Island! Of course, it would be even better if Dragonstone New Island could have a nicer name! That way, the title of Prince would sound more impressive!"
"Although I am young, I know that these Lord of Westeros would rather turn the Seven Kingdoms into scorched earth than hand it over to a woman to rule!"
"There are so many empty territories on the continents of Essos and Sothoryos that no one is developing? Rather than fighting with those old-fashioned Lord of Westeros over the already decaying power of the Seven Kingdoms, I would rather ride my dragons to expand territory and create my own kingdom."
"Hahaha! Good, spirited! Truly worthy of being the only Dragon Knight in our Targaryen Family who can simultaneously ride two dragons."
Daenerys's words immediately made King Jaehaerys burst into laughter. He didn't know why, but the old man always had a feeling that his great-granddaughter's words just now were definitely not childish, nor were they random nonsense.
Considering that Daenerys had managed to make the useless barren island of Dragonstone New Island more prosperous than a large earldom in just three years.
The old man even had the illusion that his great-granddaughter might actually make her dreams come true!
Since the conversation had come this far, Daenerys directly and frankly asked,
"Great-grandfather, Grandfather has been gone for over a month now. Are you considering naming a new Prince of Dragonstone?"
Hearing Daenerys say this, King Jaehaerys's kind, cloudy eyes suddenly became unfathomable.
"Oh! And what are your thoughts, little Little Daenerylla?"
Daenerys calmly replied,
"Isn't the first choice Uncle Wigg, who is far away in the Citadel?"
King Jaehaerys smiled upon hearing this and said,
"When your grandfather passed away, I contacted him immediately! However, he refused my proposal, using the Archmaesters' vows as an excuse."
"And he even gave me a suggestion, which is to convene a Great Council of the Seven Kingdoms, allowing the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms to collectively recommend the next heir to the throne."
Daenerys, who already knew the course of history, carefully chose her words and said,
"A Great Council? Why should the Lord make decisions about the Targaryen Royal Family's affairs? That's giving them too much face!"
"Wouldn't that make them think that royal power is something they can also dictate?"
"And isn't the final result just a choice between Princess Rhaenys and my father?"
"If my father is chosen, will that not set a precedent for the succession of the Seven Kingdoms, where male heirs always take precedence over female heirs?"
"If Princess Rhaenys is chosen, won't the Targaryen Royal Family's name change to Velaryon?"
"Regardless of the outcome, it seems both will lay the groundwork for future disputes within the Royal Family."
Jaehaerys's eyes immediately lit up.
"Oh?! How so?"
Daenerys, with a maturity beyond her years, continued,
"If my father is chosen, he doesn't have a male heir yet, does he? If he never has one in the future, then next..."
Feeling that saying it like that might be inappropriate, Daenerys immediately found an excuse for herself,
"Hmm, my point is, if he never has one, then by that time, my father would certainly prefer to pass the throne to his daughter rather than to other male relatives. Wouldn't that bring conflict?"
"If Princess Rhaenys is chosen, I'm afraid the Velaryon Family will no longer be the Targaryen Family's closest ally, but its most brutal enemy!"
"No matter which of these two outcomes occurs, there will be certain hidden dangers!"
Jaehaerys felt that his great-granddaughter was not simple.
"Oh! Then how do you think it should be resolved?"
Daenerys pouted in dissatisfaction,
"Great-grandfather, isn't that something you, as King, should consider? Why make it difficult for a 10-year-old child like me?"
"I do have some immature thoughts!"
"That is to set a rule: once the Targaryen Family needs a female to inherit the position of heir to the throne, then her husband and children must all change their surname to Targaryen Family. And the Queen's husband can only be given an honorific title and cannot participate in governance."
"Furthermore, the greatest guarantee of the Targaryen Family's rule is dragons. I think we can also use this Great Council to establish a system for managing dragons."
"For example, Dragon Knight of the Targaryen Family cannot engage in internal conflict. If anyone violates this, all Dragon Knight shall jointly fight them! Otherwise, their right to ride dragons will be revoked."
"What's past is prologue. Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. I have wasted time, and now doth time waste me. In the dark days, do not let cruel fate rejoice; since fate comes to insult us, we should retaliate with a calm attitude. Wise men never sit and wail over their failures; they optimistically seek ways to remedy them."]}
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