Chapter 394 The Concept of Class

At this point, it is difficult for the old ministers who have sworn allegiance to oppose.

Corliss glanced at his daughter obscurely, slapped his hand on the table, and agreed with the proposal.

It is the same reason why he was reappointed as the Minister of the Navy.

It is better for a woman to elect Prince Lys than for the Crown Prince to manage it himself.

Otherwise, it will be difficult for the Velaryon family to intervene and share more benefits.

Lyonor also agreed and turned to the next topic: "There is no problem for the princess to manage Lys. Maybe we can discuss the candidates for parliament."

Lin Man thought: "There are multiple candidates for parliament, and the Iron Throne should send one or more."

"Your Majesty, we should call on talents from all over the country and select them fairly." Orvel spoke for the first time, with a humble tone.

"Wait a minute, the candidates for parliament are subject to discussion."

Viserys smiled and thought of the two envoys present.

For a moment, no one cared about Otto, who looked unhappy.

Only Alisson had a gloomy face and drank a big sip of wine silently.

The father and daughter wanted to fight for the interests of the children of the Green Party, but suddenly realized that the power in the Royal Council was far from enough.

The king and the crown prince had already crushed them into dust.

The parliament continued.

Rhaegar helped Rhaenyra sit down and said frankly: "The number of councillors is initially set at three. Black Swan Johanna will take one seat and stay in Lys to assist the future queen."

Viserys heard this and asked curiously: "Is it the daughter of the Swen family who was abducted?"

Johanna Swen's tragic experience was a sensation.

Rhaegar nodded: "A very powerful woman, who made great contributions in the Battle of Lys."

He had a good impression of Johanna.

Part of it was out of pity, but more of it was because of her outstanding ability, and she handled many affairs in Lys for him.

Also a newly conquered free trade city-state, Tyrosh was reluctant to obey under Daemon's tyranny, and Rhaenys failed to subdue the old nobles of Myr.

Only Lys, Johanna came forward to lobby, gathered the remaining powerful class in hand, and basically stabilized the situation.

Viserys was also very impressed, and said sincerely and happily: "With such a talent loyal to the royal family, I believe that Rhaenyra's subsequent governance will be much easier."

In one sentence, Johanna's status as a councilor was determined.

Rhaegar smiled and raised his glass to toast.

He needed Johanna to work for him and secretly control Lys's political arena.

You can't just say that you want to share the rights and give them to others stupidly.

The father and son sang in unison, and everyone present looked at each other.

Corliss's eyes were deep, and he glanced at the envoys of Pentos and Volantis, and nodded secretly.

After being away from the political center for many years, the king and cousin's political ability has increased a lot.

It may also be attributed to a good heir, who gave him the confidence to say "no".

After a little thought, Corliss raised a hand and said calmly: "According to what the prince said before, the second candidate for the councillor belongs to the Velaryon family."

"Of course, Lord Corliss."

Viserys was also unambiguous and agreed decisively.

After getting a confirmed answer, a smile appeared on Corliss's rigid face and he said no more.

It was about the interests of the family, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

The royal family promised benefits, and he had no reason to give in.

In a few words, the two seats were taken.

The envoys of Pentos and Volantis were no longer indifferent, and said anxiously: "Your Majesty of the Iron Throne, our city-states should also get a seat for the councillor."

At the beginning of the war, Targaryen negotiated interests with many parties.

First, the distribution of port taxes.

This is not difficult to achieve.

The city-states of the Three Women's Kingdoms fell into their hands, and the amount of taxes was determined by the Iron Throne.

The meeting between Prince Pentos and the Governor of Volantis believed that taxes should be greatly increased and a suitable tax should be discussed to be distributed to them.

Even if the three free trade cities have too high taxes, more merchants will flow into Pentos and Volantis.

Secondly, it is land and population.

Tyrosh fell into Daemon's hands, and Myr and Lys were in control of the Iron Throne.

Pentos and Volantis agreed that at least one city-state should be given to them.

At the very least, a large amount of land and slave population should be divided to repay.

But! Targaryen obviously does not intend to pay such a high price.

Viserys spread his hands and pretended to be innocent: "There are only so many places. I can allocate it to the last one of you. The two noble states need to discuss privately."

The Pentos envoy frowned and asked: "In addition to the seats for parliamentarians, please ask Your Majesty to distribute the land and population of the three women's kingdoms."

"No!" Viserys shook his head and rejected: "I will not split the land belonging to Targaryen."

After a pause, he emphasized: "Westeros does not allow the sale of slaves, in any form!"

It's clear, don't even think about land and population.

The Pentos envoy's face turned completely black, and he said solemnly: "If the land and population are not distributed, how does the Iron Throne want to compensate for the loss of its allies?"

"Port taxes!"

Rhaegar took over the topic with a calm expression.

The Volantis envoy said in a dull voice: "With the tax set by Lord Corliss, even if the full amount is distributed for ten years, it will not be enough to offset the wealth that is deserved!"

Rhaegar turned the stone ball and said generously: "That's why I plan to divide it for a hundred years!"

"What?"

Viserys was stunned and thought he had heard it wrong.

A hundred years!

That's one year, ten years. The Targaryens have only ruled Westeros for more than a hundred years.

"Listen to me, father."

Without waiting for the ministers to object, Rhaegar said solemnly: "In order to compensate for the various allies, I am willing to take out the taxes of Lys and distribute them fairly to offset the land and population."

"Corliss, the Velaryon family, Pentos and Volantis, should work hard for the repair and development of the port, and don't sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor."

Corliss frowned and said cautiously: "According to you, how much of the profits can we distribute?"

Rhaegar was well prepared and signaled Tormund to hand over several lists, with reason and evidence: "The Iron Throne occupies 10%, Prince Lys occupies 30%, and the remaining 60% is divided equally among the three parties."

Each of the three parties will be allocated 20%, and the duration is as long as 100 years.

A fortune beyond imagination.

Prince Lys occupies a small proportion, and 10% of the profits will be handed over to the Iron Throne to strengthen the relationship between the two sides.

Corliss took the list and looked at it, and said in astonishment: "Prince, we still need to pay for the reconstruction of Lys?"

The list clearly states that the development of Lys is inseparable from the financial supply provided by the three parties and the Iron Throne.

Rhaegar said with reason: "There is a war in Lys, and the Iron Throne is not able to bear the financial burden alone. Otherwise, why do you think I have allocated a hundred years of tax collection."

"It will take a hundred years for our return to pay back?" Corliss grasped the key.

Rhaegar said: "A steady stream of income will last for a long time. Your family will have a considerable income in the next hundred years."

"Let me think about it carefully." Corliss said solemnly.

Rhaegar smiled and said nothing, giving the three parties time to think.

The value of Lys's port tax is unquestionable. Looking at the nine free trade cities, only Braavos and Pentos are better.

The conditions given include a 20% benefit for each party and a certain degree of port management rights.

This is a very tempting piece of fat meat.

Rhaegar himself felt a little distressed when making this decision.

However, it can be used to exchange for the land and population of the three women's kingdoms, and it can also use benefits to win over Pentos and Volantis for a long time, which is conducive to the Targaryen's foothold in the continent of Essos.

With three city-states in his hands, Myr can be preserved by dividing the benefits of Lys.

As for Tyrosh, it is necessary to find Daemon to share the profits and deduct the taxes of the port.

Several allies fell into deep thought, and the parliament was a little cold.

Otto calmed down and asked tentatively: "Prince, Lys adopted the high tower system. What do you think of Myr?"

Rhaegar said calmly: "As an inland city-state, Myr will directly govern the crown and learn from the management methods of King's Landing."

The royal family governed in name only, elected various internal ministers, and built it into a colony that expanded outward with the city-state.

According to his idea, a group of noble second sons and proletarian knights who fought bravely were rewarded, and helped develop the territory in the form of loans.

Then some slaves from Myr's native class were promoted to strengthen the ruling position within the city-state.

In the long run, a perfect structure of villages and towns surrounding the city-state was formed.

Otto's eyes flickered, and he said, "Myr needs talent. The Imperial Council can elect a group of young talents."

"Yes, I'll have to ask the ministers for this."

Rhaegar did not deny it, and said, "Lord Otto, as the Minister of Civil Affairs, I have some ideas that need your cooperation."

As he spoke, his eyes were sharp.

Tormund staggered, took out another list from his sleeve and handed it over.

Otto's heart skipped a beat, and he took the list hesitantly to check it.

The last time he fought for the Minister of Civil Affairs, he spent three years to complete the street cleaning plan in King's Landing.

For this reason, people threw dead rats and cats to his residence every day, and Flea Bottom scolded him as the "Minister of Shit and Urine".

This time, the other party wanted to do something tricky.

Rhaegar saw his uneasiness and smiled, "The construction of the three city-states requires a large number of craftsmen. I plan to issue a unified "craftsman registration."

"Craftsmen are assigned a separate household registration?"

Otto was well-read and immediately realized the problem.

Rhaegar did not comment.

Otto frowned and said in confusion: "Artisans are of low status. There are a lot of them in King's Landing. It is unnecessary to classify them."

The idea of ​​household registration is too advanced. At present, Westeros is still called one household, and there is no official record of place of origin.

Class division: nobles, knights, commoners.

Artisans are included in the commoners, and their status is not necessarily high.

"This is to cultivate artisans."

Rhaegar said: "There are many artisans as a whole, but it is relatively rare to pick out one type. Classified artisan registration will help the inheritance of artisans."

For example, stonemasons are divided into stonemason household registrations, and descendants inherit the household registrations to pass on the craftsmanship from generation to generation.

You cannot change your household registration without permission, unless someone in your family wants to go to the battlefield to win merit.

Otto is a conservative person: "Prince, even if you divide the craftsmen into a separate class, they will not change."

How can a piece of paper certificate help craftsmen?

Even if it helps, what kind of waves can a mere craftsman stir up?

The continent of Westeros has always been the world of the nobles and knights.

Rhaegar was very patient and said: "The craftsman registration is used to protect craftsmen. Craftsmen build castles, make armor and stirrups. They are the best servants."