iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 594: Intimate Imperial Meeting

"Ah."

Green nodded his chin lightly, then hesitated for a moment, and swept his eyes over the people present: "Everyone, do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

After saying this, he raised his right hand slightly and gestured to the king's servants.

As two young attendants, one from the Westerlands and the other from the Stormlands, poured wine, the ministers exchanged brief glances from time to time. Only Princess Arianne remained seated motionless.

After pouring the wine, the king's servants bowed slightly and then retreated back to their original positions.

The long table of the Imperial Council was silent for a long time. Green took a sip of Summer Red and said, "Grand Maester Pycelle, you will start the speech."

"As ordered."

Pycelle's cloudy eyes secretly swept over the three people sitting opposite him, and his old voice rang out: "Your Majesty, Earl Rosby has fulfilled his duties as Chancellor of the Exchequer conscientiously despite his health condition, but..."

He sighed deeply and continued, "...As your loyal advisor, to be honest, his ability is not enough to improve the current financial difficulties of the kingdom. I can only express my regret."

Green calmly took a sip of wine, nodded, and said to Pycelle: "Merits are divided into different levels. This is the justice of the kingdom. Thank you for your frankness, my loyal advisor."

Pycelle stroked his thick white beard proudly. "It is my eternal duty to serve you, Your Majesty."

Green pursed his lips and smiled: "Please continue."

After nodding slightly, Pycelle glanced at the ministers present and said, "To be honest, for the time being... I am not optimistic about the kingdom's finances. Under the incompetent rule of the usurper, most people have become accustomed to borrowing to fill the deficit in the royal treasury over the past decade... cough... For example, Earl Rosby also acted in this way until the Duke of Green became regent of the Seven Kingdoms."

As he spoke, he sighed again: "Later, without the generous help of Crabbe and Tyrell, even the daily expenses of the Red Castle could not be maintained."

Hearing this, Count Matus frowned and said, "Dear Grand Secretary, I remember that the former Chancellor of the Exchequer has cut down a lot of unnecessary financial expenditures."

"Unnecessary? Haha."

Pycelle's laughter was slightly sarcastic. He patted his chest in the direction of the king before responding to Matus's question: "To be precise, it should be called His Majesty Green's unreserved support for Earl Rosby. Obviously, he has failed to live up to this invaluable trust. The debt of the royal treasury still exists. Lanny... cough, the Iron Bank owes 2 million, the Tyrosh Merchant Bank owes 700,000, and the Tyrells owe 600,000."

The long table in the Imperial Conference fell into silence.

Prime Minister Mace stroked his beard with a serious expression and waved his hand: "Tyrell's..."

Before he finished speaking, Willas suddenly said, "Your Majesty, please allow me to speak."

The heir to Highgarden behaved elegantly and humbly. Prime Minister Mace looked at his eldest son with confusion and curiosity, but he was not angry at being interrupted.

Count Matus, who was sitting next to him, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Green smiled, looked at Vilas for a moment, and nodded slightly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Willas nodded again to Grand Maester Pycelle in apology, and then continued, "The current situation of the royal treasury is indeed not optimistic, but I believe that this is only a short-term difficulty, because the usurper has died and the kingdom has returned to normal order."

"Hmm." Princess Arianne looked over with a smile on her face. "A short time? Lord Willas, there shouldn't be general words in the royal council. This is what His Majesty the King wants."

After she finished speaking, she saw Prime Minister Mace glaring at her, and she immediately glared back at him with her distinct black and white eyes.

Willas was not affected by this little episode. He smiled slightly and said, "I'm sorry, I should follow the new tradition of the Imperial Council. I am very honored."

After a pause, he continued, "I think two or three years will be enough for the situation of the royal treasury to start to improve. If the new finance minister is capable, the income will increasingly exceed the expenditure."

"uh-huh."

Princess Arianne leaned against the armrest, looked at Willas and slowly grinned, saying, "Two years, or three years, sir?"

Then, she turned her gaze to the Prime Minister, whose cheeks were puffed up. "Duke of Highgarden, your heir seems to be very uncomfortable with the royal council of the kingdom. After all, this is not the Lords' Council of the Riverlands."

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Metz's face flushed immediately: "You, you, you!"

"cough!"

Pycelle avoided the gaze of Prime Minister Mace and looked at Willas who remained unchanged. His tone was full of the teachings of an old man: "Willas, you must be respectful in your words and deeds in the royal council. The kingdom has just stabilized. Alas, the future of the kingdom will eventually be handed over to the young."

While the old scholar was speaking, Willas's face froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

Prime Minister Mace clenched his fists. Lord Matus' voice came over at this time: "Your Highness Arianne, Grand Maester Pycelle, there is no tradition of interrupting speeches at the Imperial Council. Moreover, Lord Willas has not finished his speech. We should listen. This is basic respect."

Pycelle stopped while Princess Arianne curled her lips in contempt: "Don't forget, it was the Prime Minister's Advisor beside you who interrupted the King's Hand's speech first."

She spread her hands and shrugged. "Hmm, Lord Matus Rowan, did you ignore it on purpose?"

Grand Maester Pycelle, who was curled up in a black sandalwood chair, leaned forward and said, "Sir Arianne, you are making things difficult for Lord Rowan. After all, he is a vassal of the Tyrell family."

Count Matus's eyes became sharp. "You two, I have never forgotten my duties as a minister of the Imperial Council."

The statue-like Brynden Tully spoke for the first time at today's royal meeting: "Your Majesty, and my lords, Lord Rowan's chivalrous character is well known, and I trust him."

Green raised his hand to stop the others from speaking, and said slowly: "Yes, whether as a vassal of the High Court or as a minister before the King, Earl Matus has done his best. This is a fact that is obvious to all."

He had a smile on his face and his eyes revealed admiration as he looked over: "Martus Rowan, are you interested in taking on the important task of being the chancellor of the royal court?"

As Green asked the unexpected question, the air around them seemed to freeze.

The eyes on Matus's resolute face widened slightly, and Prime Minister Metz blurted out: "Matus? Minister of Finance?"

Princess Arianne came back to her senses and looked at Green in confusion. She opened her red lips but said nothing.

Green leaned back in his chair, paused, and said, "Please consider my suggestion carefully, everyone. Today's imperial meeting ends here."

(End of this chapter)