If the highest governing body of the Seven Kingdoms is short by almost half its staff, I don't know whether to say that such a Small Council is completely nominal and a mere formality, or to admire the several Lords present for being omniscient and omnipotent, capable of perfectly resolving the affairs of seven people with just four.
But that's not right! The reason the Small Council has seven seats is precisely to conform to the doctrines of the Seven Gods Church, isn't it?
Oldtown has the Citadel to teach knowledge and the Starry Sept to regulate virtue, so how is it that Lord Otto, who hails from Oldtown's leading family, completely disregards these major principles, yet still has the mind to meddle in the internal affairs of other Lords?
Princess Daenerys's words were quick and sharp, coupled with the unique light and high-pitched voice of a young girl. For a moment, it left some of the ministers present completely stunned.
After temporarily suppressing Otto with her imposing presence, Princess Daenerys slowly walked up to him and whispered contemptuously,
"You can't even handle your own responsibilities, yet your eyes are fixated on others. With such a lack of priorities and such character, if you could truly manage the relations between two kingdoms, that would be a sight as unbelievable as seeing a Wight!"
Being so verbally ridiculed and attacked by a ten-year-old girl, Otto, who was naturally strong-willed, could no longer sit still. He immediately stood up and angrily accused King Jaehaerys,
"This is truly unbelievable!"
"A Royal Princess dares to openly attack and insult the Hand of the King in the Small Council!"
"This is absolutely the greatest insult and disrespect to the Small Council."
"Furthermore, this matter must be discussed in the Small Council!"
Jaehaerys remained completely unmoved, directly raising his hand to stop Otto from continuing and said,
"What do the Lords present think?"
Grand Academician Lunetel spoke first, saying,
"According to the laws of the Seven Kingdoms, if a Lord does not submit an arbitration request to the Small Council, the Small Council indeed has no right to interfere with theft incidents occurring within any Lord's territory."
Otto Hightower retorted indignantly,
"But Glutton is a dragon, a dragon belonging to the Royal Family!"
"You are correct, Lord Otto."
Minister of Finance Lord Lyman Beesbury also couldn't help but speak, saying,
"Glutton is indeed a dragon, but it is a Targaryen Family dragon. It belongs to the Targaryen Family, but not to the Seven Kingdoms. The Small Council has no right to interfere in matters concerning dragons!"
"I believe Princess Daenerys is very right; the Small Council can only operate more effectively when its staff is complete. Otherwise, it's easy for people to get lost, and some might even lose track of what rights they can exercise!"
Otto Hightower wanted to retort again, but was directly interrupted by King Jaehaerys, saying,
"Since everyone's opinions are now unified, this matter ends here. This is a private matter of Holy Flame Island, and the Small Council shall not interfere."
Jaehaerys gave Otto no chance to speak further, immediately making the final decision.
Princess Daenerys gave Otto Hightower a contemptuous look. It seemed that Otto was still quite naive in political struggles at this time!
At the same time, Princess Daenerys also had to be even more vigilant of this treacherous old man. Just because she dug two small pits for him yesterday, he actually used the Small Council directly to deal with a ten-year-old Princess. This showed his narrow-mindedness and unscrupulous nature.
Otto Hightower saw that His Majesty the King had made a decision and knew that there was no need for him to entangle himself further in this matter. So he obediently said,
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will fill the positions on the Small Council as soon as possible."
However, Princess Daenerys did not want to give him an opportunity to expand the Hightower Family's influence, so she spoke, saying,
"Lord Otto, don't forget, you still have two major issues to resolve!"
"The rats in the Red Keep and the stench of King's Landing may seem like minor issues, but they are of great importance."
"A rat infestation can bring terrible diseases. If the sanitation in King's Landing continues to worsen, it could severely pollute and clog the wells and drainage systems that Great-grandfather painstakingly spent a fortune to build."
"At that time, the gold dragons spent to build enough wells and drainage systems could have filled the entire Small Council chamber."
"No matter how sturdy a dam, it can collapse due to tiny ant nests. The Wall, no matter how high, was built brick by brick; if bricks start having problems at the beginning, then perhaps this Wall will not be able to stand for a thousand years without falling."
"As the Hand of the King, you must have a broad vision and foresight!"
"Insufficient ability can be slowly trained and learned. If there is a lack in character and wisdom, then the greater the power held, the more likely it is to cause greater disasters!"
Princess Daenerys's words left all the members of the Small Council speechless, and for a moment, they all didn't know what to say.
Jaehaerys, in high spirits, laughed heartily, saying,
"Hahaha!"
"Now you know why I, this old man, could chat excitedly with little Daenerys for three or four days!"
At this moment, Princess Daenerys's words completely unsettled Otto Hightower. His usually calm mind now seemed to be a tangled mess.
Lord Lyman Beesbury, currently the most senior member of the Small Council, looked at Princess Daenerys with admiration and said,
"I had only heard that Princess Daenerys was skilled in managing her territory and always had many ingenious ideas."
"Now it seems she is incredibly intelligent, of noble character, and broad-minded."
"She truly lives up to her titles as the youngest Dragon Knight and the Dragon Princess of the Targaryen Family."
Grand Academician Lunetel and Kingsguard Captain Ryan Redwyne all nodded in agreement.
King Jaehaerys, in a great mood, seized the opportunity to speak, saying,
"Then let's propose suitable candidates for the Small Council seats!"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately began to whisper and discuss, but it was difficult to reach a consensus for a while.
Princess Daenerys leaned close to Jaehaerys's ear and whispered,
"Great-grandfather, when Duke Tyrell Martin served as Minister of Finance, he performed exceptionally well with the assistance of Lady Fossoway of Coldwater Creek."
"Moreover, Highgarden has been under Lady Fossoway's management for several decades, and she has been very convincing in both territory management and handling disputes among the Lords of The Reach."
"Although I am young, I have also heard of Lady Fossoway's reputation, and I think she would be very suitable to serve as Minister of Law!"
Although Princess Daenerys's voice was very soft, the Small Council chamber was not very large, so the various Small Council ministers naturally heard her.
Lord Lyman Beesbury spoke with some disapproval, saying,
"Your Royal Highness, you may not know this."
"Although everyone knew at the time that most of Duke Tyrell's work was handled by Lady Fossoway, he was still nominally the Minister of Finance."
"There has never been a woman serving as a Small Council minister in the history of the Seven Kingdoms."
"Lord Lyman, but the Small Council itself has only existed for a few decades, hasn't it?"
"History and precedents are created by great individuals; as long as someone can do the job well, they are the most suitable, so why quibble over gender?"
"Furthermore, the position of Minister of Law requires not only impartiality and keen observation but also a deep understanding of the appropriate limits for showing mercy outside the law. In this regard, women have a natural advantage over men."
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