Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

The two walked and talked, and soon disappeared into the garden.

...

Meanwhile, atop the towering Maegor Tower of the Red Keep, Viserys spun around, embracing the girl who had leaped into his arms.

"I miss you so much, brother."

It's been a long time since we last saw Daenerys. The last time was when Viserys went to retrieve his lost dragonflight, and this time Daenerys came to King's Landing to attend the grand ceremony.

The state will hold a unified purge of the remnants of the previous dynasty, which will involve a long trial.

If each case were tried one by one, it would probably take months or even years. Viserys decided to act swiftly and shorten the time as much as possible, keeping it within fifteen days.

"Husband."

"I've also taken my sister around King's Landing these past couple of days."

Arianne, dressed in a gorgeous long dress, sat sideways on a chair.

Queen Dorne possessed the most perfect figure and an exotic face. Every smile and gesture exuded charm. Against the clear sky and gentle breeze, her white veil and skirt fluttered softly.

They say three women make a drama, and now Princess Renesas, Daenerys, and Queen Arianne are all gathered in this room.

Chapter 578 Plague

Two months after Viserys returned from his northern tour, some time had passed since the unification of the seven kingdoms.

In addition to Princess Daenerys, King's Hand Jon Clinton, and Chancellor of the Exchequer Illyrio Mopatis, major nobles from across the Seven Kingdoms, as well as newly nominated members of the King's Council, also arrived in King's Landing.

Caravans and ships came and went, and the city was bustling with activity. King's Landing entered a period of unprecedented prosperity since the turmoil. It surpassed Oldtown to become the largest city in Westeros in terms of size and economy. The country was at peace, there was no war, the people lived in peace and contentment, the climate was warm, and food production continued to increase.

Westeros has a unique climate. After a harsh winter, a long summer arrives, allowing for three or even four harvests of food crops a year. And by this time, the first bumper harvest of food crops after the unification of the Seven Kingdoms will arrive.

Its existence greatly alleviated the pressure of the food crisis in King's Landing. Cart after cart of grain formed a long line and was escorted by the kingdom's army all the way from the rich Reach to King's Landing, saving the kingdom's capital from crisis.

After all, King's Landing now has a population far exceeding what other cities can support, and the influx of refugees from the North has put immense pressure on the Riverlands, the Westerlands, and the Vale.

Moreover, the war between the seven kingdoms was fierce, a game played by the feudal lords and nobles. However, the reality hidden beneath the glitz and glamour of legendary epics and war strategies was far more brutal.

War leaves a deep scar on a country, people suffer, and the roads are littered with corpses. Moreover, war is often accompanied by the emergence of epidemics, which arrive silently and then take away countless lives.

Viserys was unaware of the outbreak that had quietly occurred in the Riverlands during his northern tour.

When Lord Geoffrey Brecken, as governor of the Quasi-Riverlands, came north to the Twins to reorganize the city, he discovered the small-scale outbreak of the disease through reports of requests for help from his nobles.

Perhaps it has something to do with the corpses left over from the war. After all, the Riverlands was the last battlefield against the White Walkers, and the large army of the dead was a natural breeding ground for bacterial cross-mutation. They brought terrible viruses with them on the wind and snow.

Fortunately, due to the intense fighting, the population density in the Riverlands has decreased sharply, and those who were able to do so had already fled to major cities in the south, thus blocking the spread of the virus and preventing very serious losses.

Springtime is a peak season for plagues. Lord Geoffrey Brecken experienced a spring plague in his youth, though not the great plague of springtime in 209 Aegon's calendar, which spared even the king and the King's Hand and many other nobles.

Although this epidemic was not as large-scale, it was still not to be ignored. Lessons from the past were still fresh in our minds, and we were able to contain it in time before it spread widely. Therefore, it was discovered and stopped quickly.

However, the methods for stopping the epidemic are not so humane. People in this era are even more afraid of the epidemic than of war, and they have no good way to control it, so they can only resort to the most primitive and terrifying methods.

The army of Hejian surrounded the hardest-hit areas of the epidemic in a net-like fashion, then used arrows to shoot and kill the people in all the villages in the area from a distance, and then set the epidemic area on fire, burning the corpses to ashes.

Flame is considered by people to be the most effective way to fight the epidemic, and for the Red God cult, flame is also a way to purify all evil.

Because of Viserys's deliberate balancing act, the number of Red God believers in King's Landing has grown, gradually squeezing the living space of the Church of the Seven, preventing the massive Church of the Seven from controlling the faith of all the people.

Call ~

A monk in a red robe breathed fire in the bustling city center of King's Landing, attracting a crowd of onlookers who cheered and even threw down a few copper coins and silver deer as a reward.

"Ms. Nastria, please reward me with a golden dragon."

A noble lady with brown curly hair, dressed in a green chiffon floral dress, like a budding flower, with the Tyrell family crest on her chest, turned to the family nun with pockmarks on her face beside her and gave her instructions.

"this..."

Sister Nastria hesitated slightly upon hearing her mistress's instructions, but upon seeing the young beauty's affirmative gaze, she could only nod helplessly.

"Yes, my lady."

Then, the nun tenderly pulled a gleaming golden dragon from her sleeve. Previously, she would never have cared about a golden dragon for her master, but now…

The nun shook her head, then tossed the gold coin to the red-robed monk who was putting on a great show, earning him a look of ecstatic delight.

A golden dragon is incredibly valuable; many families across the seven kingdoms couldn't earn even one in a year. The red-robed monk couldn't help but kneel down and kowtow several times.

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Excellency Margaery Tyrell!"

The red-robed monk then stood up, took another sip of the unknown liquid, and spewed out flames two meters high from his mouth.

"Let us cheer for the great House Tyrell!"

The surrounding audience immediately cheered and applauded, but the noble Tyrell lady merely smiled shyly and then left, lifting her skirt.

The fate of the most powerful and influential families in the Seven Kingdoms is unknown to ordinary people, nor are they entitled to know. They thought the Tyrell family had fallen, but they still appear to be extremely wealthy and well-established.

Although the Tyrell family of Highgarden was stripped of Highgarden and became the Tyrell family of Starstalker, their influence from three hundred years ago still lingered, and the people still held the Rose family in high esteem.

Lady Olenna Redwyn's plan to break through Viserys, send Margaery to the Red Keep, and then lead House Tyrell back to the court failed. However, the old woman did not give up and instead tried a different approach.

Velas Tyrell took office as tax collector in King's Landing. Taking advantage of the opportunity to have her sister seek refuge with her brother, she eventually managed to send Margaery Tyrell to King's Landing and told her beloved granddaughter that she should spare no expense to make the Tyrell family name known in King's Landing.

Are the Tyrells rich?

Although the Tyrell family lost millions of gold dragons in one fell swoop, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Although the Tyrell family is no longer wealthy, they are not starving to death. Ultimately, the family's strength has been greatly reduced.

Even under these circumstances, Lady Olenna still instructed her granddaughter to forcibly maintain the prestige of the Tyrell family. Her intentions were naturally unknown to ordinary people, but they certainly had an effect.

From the most ordinary people and peddlers in King's Landing to the luxury shops selling ivory and gold, and the high-ranking officials, everyone knew the name of Lady Margaery Tyrell in the shortest possible time.

They also learned that the Tyrell family had not completely fallen and was still very wealthy, which made them respectful of Velas, who had just taken office in King's Landing, and dare not mock him.

Chapter 579 Minister of Craftsmen and Minister of Agriculture

Meanwhile, within the Red Fortress, a series of issues are being brought to the table.

First, there is the issue of the additional seats needed for the Imperial Council.

Currently, the Council of the Viserys is headed by former Prime Minister Jon Clinton.

Below him were Chancellor of the Exchequer Illyrio Mopatis, Chancellor of Justice Prince Oberon, who also served as commander of the Second Legion, Chancellor of Intelligence "The Spider" Varys, Chancellor of the Navy Earl Jeffrey Brecken, Chancellor of War Kagor the Dothraki, and so on...

The Grand Master was nominated as Dr. Marwin, and Dr. Bull accepted Viserys's appointment as Grand Master of the Iron Throne, but declined the position of Dean of the Theological Seminary.

He disliked management, preferred solitude and research, and could answer the king's questions, so he was only willing to serve as a doctor in the Department of Magic and Mysticism at the seminary.

The position of the first dean of the seminary was temporarily held by the archbishop of the Baelor Cathedral, while Melisandre served as the priestess and tutor of the Red God Faculty.

The archbishop is also entitled to attend the Council of Kings, but he is not summoned to meetings on ordinary days. Next, Tyrion Lannister, the king's private advisor, is entitled to attend the Council of Kings, as is Ramsay, the head of the Household Department.

The newly nominated positions in the Imperial Council include the Minister of Crafts and the Minister of Agriculture, two positions whose importance is becoming increasingly apparent.

One issue concerns the pursuit of technological progress, invention, and increased productivity, while the other concerns the well-being of the people and ensuring they have enough to eat. Therefore, it was unanimously approved by the Imperial Council.

The nomination of these two positions sparked fierce competition and infighting within the royal court.

Ultimately, Master Tob Moso, the master craftsman who had forged the divine weapon 'Twilight' for Viserys, gained Viserys's support and became the Minister of Craftsmen at the Iron Throne, despite being a commoner.

This was actually a subtle way for Viserys to suppress the powerful elites, telling the world that his determination to support commoners in rising to power had not changed.

The king's actions naturally garnered the support of the general public, who crowded the square in front of the Red Keep, chanting Viserys's name, while the nobles who became the targets of ridicule dared not speak out.

However, Viserys did not put extreme pressure on the nobles. Instead, he gave them a slap and a sweet treat. After a fierce competition, another Minister of Agriculture was finally nominated as Earl of Florence of the House of Florence.

Like many other Reach noble families, the Florent family can also trace their lineage back to the legendary human king, "Bluehand" Garth.

The Florent family's ancestor was one of the three sons of Flores the Fox, daughter of 'Blue Hand' Garth.

Even the Florent family has always claimed that their bloodline is more noble than that of the Tyrell family and that they have a higher right of succession.

And in the field of agriculture, who could be more skilled than the descendant of 'Green Hand' Garth? He is the Shennong of the Ice and Fire world.

Therefore, coupled with the powerful Florent family, and even unexpectedly gaining the support of the former Tyrell family, they eventually won the position of Minister of Agriculture after a series of open and covert struggles.

Earl Alister Florence was a tall, slender elder with silver-grey hair and a long, pointed beard that surrounded his elegant, noble face.

"His Majesty."

He appeared polite and cultured, and although he was getting on in years, his eyes were still bright and piercing.

In stark contrast was Tob Mosso, a somewhat balding old craftsman, who was also nominated as the new Minister of Craftsmen.

His hands were rough, and he wore clean but not very presentable clothes. He entered the throne room and walked to the Iron Throne, not even knowing which leg he was stepping on, his mind completely blank.

"Ha ha..."

The local nobles of King's Landing around him couldn't help but laugh at the comical appearance of this commoner minister.

The mocking laughter intensified Tob Mosso's tension. The old craftsman broke out in a cold sweat, then followed the example of the Earl of Brightwater and bowed, his voice trembling slightly.

"His Majesty."

Laughter suddenly erupted from the crowd, and Sir Brynden Tully, the "Black Fish" standing at the front desk, dressed in black armor and with graying hair, swept his gaze into the crowd with lightning speed.

The mocking voices stopped abruptly, like someone snapping their stool while squatting in a toilet.

After arriving in King's Landing, Ser Blackfish was appointed by Viserys as the new Commander-in-Chief of the City Guard, replacing the former Blackbeard.

From now on, the Unsullied Legion will be used solely as the royal guard to protect the safety of the royal family members.

Then, Jon Clinton, as the First Minister, spoke a few words, roughly encouraging his future colleagues to do their jobs well, be loyal to the Targaryen family, and work together to build the country. The two newly appointed First Ministers bowed again in thanks and stepped forward to have the King personally pin the medals on them.

House Florent was very powerful, and had once sent thousands of men to support their lords, House Tyrell.

During the Battle of Starshort, the Dothraki attacked from behind, and seeing that the situation was hopeless, Count Allister decisively surrendered to the Dornish.

However, it turned out that Earl Alister Florence's actions were very correct, because all the Reach nobles who surrendered to the Dothraki were killed, and even the Duke of Metz of Highgarden was not spared.

These barbarians don't recognize family crests or coats of arms. No matter how noble your bloodline or how much power you have, in their hands you're all lambs to the slaughter, your heads chopped off with a single stroke.

The Earl of Ellist Florence's acquisition of the position of Minister of Agriculture involved more political maneuvering and considerations than it seemed; it was not an easy or simple matter.

Because he was a microcosm and representative of the previous regime's political situation, his daughter married Landau Tarly, Earl of Hornhill, and another daughter, Rhea, married Leyton Hightower, an old man from Oldtown.

His niece Celeste married Stannis, while another niece, Deline Florence, was the mother of Robert's illegitimate son, Edric Storm.

Viserys's granting of a seat to the Council of the Royal Council to Allist Florence indirectly showed his understanding of the other nobles from the previous dynasty, giving them reassurance.

Ultimately, this is a game of power. The political situation in King's Landing is unpredictable and ever-changing. For a straightforward northerner like Eddard Stark, abandoning his family and career to come to King's Landing is a one-way trip.