Game of Thrones: Kings in the North

Chapter 94 The Ballet's Protest
Back then when Ed launched the Yantun policy, announcing that Winterfell would recycle the salt from Yantun at the market price, some coastal lords were overjoyed, and when the rough salt was transported to Winterfell, it was replaced by copper plates and silver stags.

Due to the lack of supervision in Yantun, no one can grasp the production of Yantun, and can't tell the difference between salt in Yantun and folk salt. Some smugglers gradually began to extend their black hands to Yantun. With benefits, smugglers opened the way with money. Bribing the lords, nobles and lords are also willing to join forces with smugglers and use the salt village to make money.

At the beginning, the collusion between the lord and the smugglers was cautious. After all, Ed was in Winterfell, and the Duke of the North might issue an edict at any time to investigate the matter of Yantun.However, all this changed after Ed went to Skagos Island.

The northern army went to Skagos Island, and the heads of many families went out with Ed, and many of the vassal castles left behind were appointed by the lord as acting city lords.

When these acting city owners saw that the Duke of the North was on the expedition, the owner of the family followed suit and went to the remote Skagos Island. They resold private salt with smugglers and unscrupulous merchants, hoarded it, drove up the price of salt, and collected the salt from the people. Mix it into the salt in Yantun, and take it to Winterfell for settlement, earning the difference.

During this period, the East Coast lord settled with Earl Wyman Manderly of White Harbor.The price of salt has been raised higher and higher, and in some places it has increased by more than five times. A strange phenomenon has appeared. The salt production in Yantun is astonishingly high, but the price of salt is so high that the common people cannot accept it, and the people complain.

It has become a well-known fact that nobles colluded with smugglers, raised the price of salt, and used salt villages to make black money.Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort wrote to Winterfell accusing Lord Wyman of White Harbor of using customs to smuggle salt from the Three Sisters and the Vale to the north, and Lord Wyman of White Harbor accused Ramsay, the illegitimate son of the Dreadfort Jon Snow took Reek and Skinner soldiers to the territory of White Harbor to forcefully buy and sell private salt.

After Ed's triumphant return from Skagos Island, facing the voices of the people, he followed suit and issued a ban on salt, prohibiting private production and sales of smuggled salt. Restoration of the Castle Garrison in the city.As a result, the right to produce and manage salt in the north fell into the hands of the Stark family of Winterfell.

Considering that the ban on salt would cause dissatisfaction among some vassals, Ed promised in his letter to the vassals in the north that the vassals would always be able to obtain the salt provided by the Stark family of Winterfell for free, and the vassals would no longer have to If you invest any money in Yantun, you can enjoy the share of Yantun, and imply that those nobles who colluded with smugglers and raised the price of salt will no longer be held accountable.

The ravens are flying around, the Seven family of Seven City, the Tawhar family of Torrhen Square City, the Glover family of Deepwood Motte, the Forest clan, the Flint clan of the northern mountains, the Wall clan, the Norry clan, etc. , Support Ai De's ban on salt.

However, more vassals chose to be silent, and their ravens have not arrived for a long time.The Umbers of Last Hearth, the Karstarks of Cahoe City, the Boltons of the Dreadfort, the Manderlys of White Harbor, the Dustins of Barrowton, Rythwell of the Brooklands The family, none of them replied.

Now, Countess Barbaret Dustin of Barrowton has arrived in Winterfell, and she must want to discuss the salt ban with Ed.

Barbara, the widow of Barrentown, has always been obsessed with Winterfell.Ed had already guessed that if the ban on salt was opposed by the vassals, it must be the Countess of Ballet who took the lead.

Ed followed the manager, Weiyan Poole, to the hall. The Countess of Ballerina was sitting on a chair, chatting with her nephew, the heir of the Dreadfort, Domeric Bolton.

The Countess of Ballerina was wearing a black velvet dress with fair skin. She told a joke in Domilik's ear, and Domilik was amused by it.

Seeing Ed, Countess Barbaret got up quickly.

"Lord Ed, you conquered Skaggs Island and made the rock species surrender. You returned triumphantly and became a hero in the north. I am so happy for you."

With a smile on Barbaret's face, Ed said: "You came all the way from Barren Tonkun to Winterfell, shouldn't it be just to congratulate me?"

"Of course not, I'm here to visit my nephew Domeric." Ballet stroked Domeric's head, "After my sister married Roose Bolton, only one son, Domeric, was left behind and was adopted by Lord Ed. For the sake of my adopted son, of course I have to visit often. Domilik's name day will be in a few days, and Roose Bolton, as well as my father, the Earl of Lathwell, will come to Winterfell to celebrate Domeric's name day. "

Ed said indifferently: "Welcome to Winterfell to celebrate Domeric's name day."

The ballet turned around, "Lord Ed, we can enjoy the salt of Winterfell when we are guests in Winterfell. Anyway, once the salt ban comes out, our vassals will have no chance to produce and sell salt. Winterfell will Finally, we can't even afford salt, the situation is difficult!"

Ed immediately understood that the widow of Barrowton wanted to take the opportunity of Domeric's name day to summon her family and brother-in-law Roose Bolton to attack Winterfell.

Barbaret is the countess of the Dustin family in Barrentown. After her husband William Dustin died in the Dorn Bliss Tower, Barbaret, as her husband's widow, ruled Barrentown for more than ten years and won the hearts of the people. Members of the Dustin family also supported her.

She was the daughter of Roderick Lathwell, Earl of Streamland, and her older sister, Bethany, married Roose Bolton. Although Bethany had passed away for many years, she left Domeric as the heir to the Dreadfort.

Streamland is rich in horses. Barren Hill is the third largest population gathering place after White Harbor and the winter resort town. Dreadfort is regarded by many people as the top three families in the north. , the Mojiang area has a vast fiefdom.

Now facing the ban on salt in Winterfell, Barbaret united the Laswell family of her mother's stream and the Bolton family of her brother-in-law Dreadfort to oppose Ed's order. Ed was not surprised at all.

Ed and Countess Barbaret talked and laughed all the way into the study, and when the door of the study was closed and only Ed and Mrs. Barbaret were left in the room, Barbaret's face immediately became gloomy, as if wrapped in a solemn expression. Shroud.

"Who came up with such a good idea to ban salt for Lord Ed? Was it the greedy Braavos financial adviser, or the iron whore captured by Lord Ed? Could it be that the northern vassals don't even have the right to produce and sell salt?" Is it all gone?"

Ed folded his hands and placed them on the table.

"The nobles colluded with smugglers, raised the price of salt, and used the salt village to defraud Winterfell of money. This is a felony."

Mrs. Ballet spread her hands, "I definitely didn't collude with smugglers to raise the price of salt. In fact, when the price of salt in Huangzhongtun went up, I hanged several smugglers, but the price of salt continued to rise."

"Lord Ed, you launched the Yantun policy. You promised Winterfell to buy back the salt in Yantun at the market price. The smugglers flocked like vampires who smelled blood. The people complained about the high salt price. , that can only be blamed on the honorable Lord Ed."

　Thanks to book friends "Truth Does Not Exist", "Lord of Billions of Stars" for sending monthly tickets, thank you for your support!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)