Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

In the end, all eyes fell on the reddish-brown-haired boy, who had suddenly risen from a servant to become the Lord of Winterfell and the Governor of the North. Such was the dramatic rise and fall of life.

Robb Stark looked slightly bewildered, but no one could offer him any guidance at this moment; he would have to make his own decisions about the future.

After scanning everyone around him, he gritted his teeth and made a decision.

"Lord Rickard Karstark!"

Chapter 593 Grand General of the North

Robb's choice of Rickard Karstark, Earl of Cahor, as Grand Warden of the North was both expected and reasonable.

He did not disappoint his parents' upbringing; at least he did not choose Count Wiman Mandel of White Harbor, nor did he choose the widow from some remote, desolate place on the edge of the continent...

House Karstark is a distant relative of House Stark, and Lord Rickard Karstark himself is a key general under Eddard, so entrusting the North to Rickard is the best choice.

"Robb has chosen Lord Rickard..."

"Fortunately."

Ed and Lady Caitlin both breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Rickard Karstark, whose name was mentioned, was a burly and imposing man with long hair and a beard, his face covered with a thick, gray beard, and he wore a bearskin coat with a dark cloak over his shoulders.

wow-

Upon hearing the young master name him as the Grand Steward of the Northern Territory, he immediately stood up, walked to the front of the platform, pounded his chest with one hand, making a dull thud, and then knelt on one knee.

"His Majesty!"

"I am willing to govern the North in your stead."

Rickard Karstark first knelt on one knee before the silver-haired youth on the stage, speaking in a booming voice.

"'Winter's Pride'...The Earl of Cahors?"

Viserys didn't seem too surprised to hear Robb's choice of Grand Warden of the North, since Robb's pool of potential candidates was actually quite small.

Although the Mandalay family of White Harbor is powerful and extremely wealthy, they are not actually true Northerners. They are nobles who migrated to the North later, are of Andal descent, and still worship the Seven Gods instead of the Old Gods, which has always made them somewhat out of place among other Northern nobles.

Aside from the Manderley family, Robb could only choose someone whose strength was not too weak, otherwise he would not be able to suppress the heroes of the North, and he could not be too distant from the Stark family. Therefore, Robb's choice of Rickard Karstark was also within Viserys's expectations.

"can."

Viserys nodded slightly. Rickard Karstark, who was kneeling on one knee below, was overjoyed to see the king nod, but he naturally couldn't show it on his face.

Although Robb could appoint the Grand Steward, the selection still required His Majesty the King's approval, and since the King had agreed, the matter was practically settled.

The burly Northerner then nodded and stood up, before kneeling on one knee before Eddard Stark and Robb Stark, who were dressed in black.

"Lord Robb Stark, you have entrusted the North to me, and I will not be disappointed."

"The North is in your hands now, Rickard."

Ed's face still bore the marks of time as he looked at his former general, patted his arm, and said in a hoarse voice.

On the other side, the boy with reddish-brown hair still looked nervous. His cheeks were still green, and even the downy hair on his lips hadn't turned into a beard yet.

"I believe you, Lord Rickard Karstark!"

This was the first time in his life that he had made such a significant decision, so much so that his hands were still trembling slightly, but his heart was pounding not just with nervousness, but also with excitement.

His father went to join the Night's Watch, and he himself became the Lord of Winterfell, truly participating in this era of great strife. From then on, intrigue, palace intrigue, battles, and many more important decisions awaited him.

"Lord Robb Stark!"

"Lord Rickard Karstark!"

The crowd of Northern nobles immediately erupted in cheers.

...

The trial of the former Warden of the North, the Duke of Winterfell, was undoubtedly a major event in King's Landing.

In the end, it was clear to everyone that the Stark family and the royal family must have reached some political compromise in exchange for Eddard Stark's life.

This was enough for the nosy commoners and those with ulterior motives to discuss for a long time, and even some drunkards in taverns made up some gossip.

He swore that he had personally witnessed Lady Catherine enter the King's bedroom and stay there for a long time before coming out, her cries loud enough to be heard throughout the entire Magdalene House.

"You know me!"

The drunkard's voice suddenly rose, and he stood up with the wine jug in his hand, but almost fell over.

"You know me... I would never lie about something like this..."

He swayed unsteadily, still drunkenly speaking as he held the wine jug in his hand.

"Hahaha--"

His words drew a burst of laughter from the patrons and eye-rolls from the tavern waitresses.

They knew, of course, that the drunkard was talking nonsense. A commoner like him wouldn't even know which way the king's bedroom door faced, let alone witness Lady Catherine walking into the king's bedroom.

But for these uncouth common people from the lower classes, there was nothing much to do after meals, so they liked to drink, boast, and gossip about the aristocracy.

Hearing the cheers and laughter from the crowd, the drunkard became even more excited and then held up his little finger.

He claimed that Lord Eddard Stark's thing was too short, which was why Lady Catelyn needed to find a new bed partner, as many noblemen's were too short to satisfy their ladies.

For example, once when he was drunk and urinating in a corner, Queen Cersei Lannister, the former queen, happened to pass by and saw him...

bang bang bang-

The drunkard's words once again drew laughter from the room. The drinkers clinked their glasses on the table and then downed their drinks in one gulp.

In a corner of the tavern, a man wearing a white cloak and a hood silently picked up his glass and took a sip.

His head was bowed low, and when he drank, only a rough, golden beard could be seen on his chin. As he listened to these drunkards making up vulgar jokes about royalty, he couldn't help but slightly tighten his grip on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

bang——

However, at that moment, the tavern door was kicked open with a bang, and a group of warriors dressed in black robes and wearing masks burst in.

Their target was the drunkard who had been spouting vulgar jokes, and it seemed they had solid evidence against him.

“Fabricating rumors about the royal family and maliciously slandering nobles is an even more serious crime.”

"take away!"

The captain, who was in the lead, said in a cold voice that the guards from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stepped forward, grabbed the man, and then bound the drunkard's hands and feet with chains.

"Spare me!"

"Spare me! My lord, I will never dare to do it again!"

The drunkard was immediately sobered up by the shock and was terrified when he saw that it was the Ministry of Internal Affairs that had intervened.

He had certainly heard of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' infamous reputation; no one who went in ever came out unscathed. However, begging for mercy was useless now. The drunkard had a rag stuffed into his mouth and was forcibly dragged out.

Then the captain raised his head and coldly surveyed everyone in the tavern.

Everyone else hurriedly lowered their heads like startled rabbits, not daring to meet his gaze.

His gaze then fell on a person in a white cloak in the corner, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"you!"

"Raise your head!"

Chapter 594 Customs Headquarters

The tavern fell silent at the command of the internal affairs corps, and everyone turned to look at the unfortunate man sitting in the corner.

He was wearing a white cloak with a hood that obscured his face, and a long sword hung at his waist.

While such attire is unusual, it's not uncommon in King's Landing. After all, the city is home to all sorts of people, and it's perfectly normal for someone to want to hide themselves.

Upon hearing the captain of the secret service, the hooded man sitting in the corner, who was holding a wine glass, paused slightly.

Meanwhile, the masked captain's eyes turned slightly cold, and his hand unconsciously gripped the crossbow at his waist.

This person gave him a very dangerous feeling, which is why he questioned him. This was due to his sixth sense and experience developed from working in the Ministry of Internal Affairs for many years.

However, he then saw the other person put down his wine glass, raise his head, and look bewildered.

"grown ups?"

"what happened?"

This was a weathered face, looking about forty years old. There were wrinkles on his forehead, and his beard was messy, golden with some gray.

When the head of the secret service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs saw the other party's honest and simple face, he immediately thought of him as a harmless person.

But he remained vigilant, gripping the crossbow at his waist as he approached, scrutinized the man from head to toe, and then asked again.

Who are you?

"I'm relying on this guy to make a living, sir. You know it's not easy to get work in King's Landing lately."

The man with short blond hair, a beard, and a hooked nose patted the longsword at his waist and then spoke in a dialect from the valley.

"I am currently with a Braavos fleet. We will stay in King's Landing for half a month until all the goods are sold, and then we will bring back another batch of goods to Braavos."

Mercenaries are legal in many parts of the Seven Kingdoms. Although they are not members of the regular army, they are skilled in combat and do their jobs for money.

Furthermore, not all mercenaries engage in illegal activities; those are the minority. Most mercenaries primarily escort caravans for payment, and when necessary, they may be recruited into the army to help their lords fight.

"Bravos's fleet?"

The head of the secret service's intelligence team, upon hearing the middle-aged man's words, did not relax his brows but instead extended his hand.

"Show me the receipt."

King's Landing's customs issued credentials to every foreign ship entering the port, and every crew member, escorting mercenary, and even slave possessed an identity credential.

This is a plan recently implemented by the Customs Headquarters, a department under the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Minister of Justice, and it was proposed by Davos Seaworth, Earl of the Rainforest, the Onion Knight.

After surrendering along with the army of Storm's End, Onion Knight was fortunate enough to gain the favor of Viserys, which led to a second spring in his career, as he was promoted to Minister of Customs.

He managed all fleets and caravans entering and leaving the port and investigated smuggling, cooperated with the tax authorities in investigating tax evasion, and joined forces with Sir Brynden Tully of the Capital Garrison to arrest criminals.

The identity document policy was proposed by Sir Davos upon his appointment, based on his experience with successful smugglers. It can be said to be a very targeted and effective solution.

The purpose of this policy was to facilitate strict investigation of smuggling, control of people entering and leaving the country, and other management duties, which caused great suffering to many criminal gangs that relied on smuggling for survival.