Chapter 98: The Dispute Between White Harbor and the Dreadfort

In Eddard's study at Winterfell, as soon as Roose Bolton heard that Lord Wyman Manderly of White Harbor had arrived, a flicker of suspicion crossed his otherwise dull eyes.

Roose Bolton had originally intended to take advantage of the name day celebration for the Heir of the Dreadfort, Domeric, to unite with Lady Barbrey Dustin of Barrowton and Lord Roderick Ryswell of the Rills to protest the Salt Ban of Winterfell to Eddard. Roose Bolton had never dreamed that his rival, Lord Wyman of White Harbor, would arrive at Winterfell at such a time.

The Dreadfort and White Harbor had long been accusing each other of using the Salt Ban to defraud money.

Previously, White Harbor had not responded to Winterfell's Salt Ban, and Lord Wyman's stance remained a mystery. As the only city in the North, the Manderly family occupied the mouth of the White Knife and held territory east of the White Knife in the North, with one hundred Knighted Landed Knights under their banner.

Besides their own Vassals, the Flint family of Widow's Watch, the Locke family of Oldcastle, and the Hornwood family of Hornwood were all on intimate terms with White Harbor.

Now that Roose Bolton, Lady Barbrey, and the Rills were opposing Winterfell's Salt Ban, if Lord Wyman were to join the ranks of those opposing the Salt Ban, many Northern Vassals who were still watching from the sidelines might follow suit, making it difficult for the Salt Ban planned by Eddard to be implemented in the North.

Eddard made up his mind that he must make good use of the conflict between the Dreadfort and White Harbor.

Eddard said to Roose Bolton across the table, "You accuse Lord Wyman of using the White Harbor customs to smuggle, and Lord Wyman accuses the Dreadfort of reselling salt. Now that Lord Wyman is here, you can confront each other face-to-face."

Roose Bolton's thin lips pressed into a line of denial, and he pondered for a long time. "Lord Eddard, the Dreadfort is innocent, so I do not fear confronting the hypocritical Lord Eel. Since Lady Barbrey is also at Winterfell, why not invite her to attend as well?"

Lady Barbrey was the sister of Bethany, Roose Bolton's second wife, and the two were related; it seemed Roose Bolton wanted an extra helper.

Eddard immediately ordered the steward Vayon Poole to invite Lady Barbrey to the study, and before long, Lord Wyman of White Harbor and Lady Barbrey arrived together.

Lord Wyman wore a blue velvet tunic with the merman of the Manderly family of White Harbor embroidered in silver thread on his chest, covered by a black mole-skin cloak; he was fat and bloated but wore a face full of smiles.

Lady Barbrey wore a black wool gown, her hair tied in a widow's knot, and her pretty face still showed traces of her former beauty.

Once Lord Wyman and Lady Barbrey were seated around the desk, Lord Wyman patted his walrus-like belly, "Lord Eddard, I traveled by boat from White Harbor to the upper reaches of the White Knife, then switched to a sedan chair, and only then did I reach Winterfell."

Lord Wyman could only travel by sedan chair because his weight was too great for any horse to bear. Eddard smiled, "You have had a hard journey. Is there a matter that brings you to Winterfell?"

Lord Wyman gestured with his sausage-like fingers, "Lord Eddard, it is all because of the smugglers. I received the letter sent by Raven from Winterfell and immediately ordered the City Watch of White Harbor to arrest the smugglers. In a few days, we caught nearly two hundred people, and the dungeons of the Wolf's Den are almost full, yet there are still many smugglers who have fled to the Three Sisters."

Eddard's gaze swept between Lord Wyman and Lord Roose, "Lord Wyman, Lord Roose accuses you of colluding with smugglers, using the White Harbor customs to smuggle, and transporting salt from the Three Sisters, the Vale, and even Braavos to White Harbor, mixing it into the salt from the Salt Ban to defraud Winterfell of its money."

The smile on Lord Wyman's face vanished, and he glared at Roose Bolton, "Lord Eddard, this is slander! White Harbor has always cracked down on smugglers, but smugglers are like poachers in the Wolfswood; there are always those who slip through the net."

"Smugglers are like rats in the street in White Harbor. Lord Eddard, it is the Dreadfort that uses the Salt Ban to make dirty money. Lord Roose's Bastard, that Ramsay Snow, not only collects salt within the Dreadfort's borders but also runs into White Harbor's territory to collect it. Ramsay Snow and that Reek also beat up my knights on White Harbor's land."

Roose Bolton said indifferently, "The smugglers fled to White Harbor's territory, and Ramsay went to pursue the smugglers, only to be beaten by White Harbor knights; that is the truth."

Lady Barbrey blinked, "What is the truth, then?"

Roose Bolton turned to Eddard, "Lord Eddard, the soldiers of the Dreadfort followed the Direwolf on Skagos and fought bloodily; I will absolutely not tolerate such slander from Lord Wyman!"

Lord Wyman patted his large belly and laughed, "The war against the Rockborn, didn't it begin because your Dreadfort coast was being raided by the Rockborn and Ironborn? Your Dreadfort sent troops, did my White Harbor not send troops? Don't forget, the ships were all provided by White Harbor. The White Harbor Knights fought bravely under the banner of the Direwolf!"

Roose Bolton gave Lord Wyman a mocking look, "A fine 'fought bravely'. Lord Wyman, if I recall correctly, your sons Wylis and Wendel were responsible for guarding the grain ships, but the grain ships were burned by the Ironborn Pirates of the Iron Bitch, and then Wendel and Wylis slept through the entire war in a dungeon like piglets. Is this what you call fighting bravely?"

Lord Wyman said angrily, "My sons Wylis and Wendel, they are Knights anointed with Holy Oil and bathed in the blessings of the seven-colored divine light; I will not allow you to slander them."

Lady Barbrey smirked, "Lord Wyman, knights are pearls and treasures north of the Neck! This is the land of the Old Gods; the Northmen will not worship the Seven just because knights are flashy and ostentatious. The Manderly family has been in the North for nearly a thousand years; do you still not understand this land?"

Lord Wyman ignored Lady Barbrey's retort and continued to say to Roose Bolton, "My sons performed heroically on the battlefield, and you dare to slander them! Roose Bolton, I can fully understand you; after all, you raised a Bastard like Ramsay Snow, who has no upbringing at all—how can he compare to my Wylis and Wendel?"

"If it comes to weight, Ramsay Snow certainly cannot compare to your two sons," Roose Bolton said coldly. "Lord Wyman, your noble Ser Wendel and Ser Wylis only know how to bully my Bastard? If you have the guts, have them compete with my Domeric; Domeric can easily defeat them, as he distinguished himself during the Rock-born War."

Lord Wyman was about to retort, but Eddard said, "Enough! The soldiers of White Harbor and the Dreadfort were both brave on the battlefield; I will not allow you to attack each other."

"Regarding your mutual accusations, once I verify that someone has colluded with smugglers and used the Salt Ban to defraud Winterfell of its money, whether it be the Dreadfort or White Harbor, I will not be lenient!"

Thanks to book friend "Watching the River and Cold Moon" for the monthly ticket, thank you for your support!

(End of chapter)