Chapter 99: The Attitude of the Rills

Eddard had no doubt that whether in White Harbor, the Dreadfort, or Barrowton, there were nobles colluding with smugglers to resell salt, mixing it into the salt at the salt depots, and then settling accounts at Winterfell or White Harbor at inflated market prices to defraud Winterfell of its wealth. Now that Eddard intended to investigate strictly, Roose Bolton, Lady Barbrey, and Lord Wyman all chose silence.

Eddard looked at Lord Wyman, "How do the people of White Harbor react to the Salt Ban?"

This was the most crucial point; Lord Wyman's answer would represent whether White Harbor supported the Salt Ban.

Although Roose Bolton and Lord Wyman were political rivals, Roose Bolton still hoped that White Harbor would oppose Winterfell. Once Eddard's Salt Ban was implemented, it meant that the production and management rights for salt across the entire North would be controlled by House Stark.

Roose Bolton and Lady Barbrey both stared at Lord Wyman, holding their breath in anticipation.

Lord Wyman revealed a hearty smile, "Lord Eddard, because some very individual lords in various parts of the North colluded with smugglers to drive up salt prices, the common folk of White Harbor were full of grievances. Once the Salt Ban was issued, salt prices fell rapidly, and the people have nothing but praise for the Salt Ban. I know some lords oppose the Salt Ban, but the Manderly family absolutely supports Lord Eddard's Salt Ban; otherwise, those smugglers and blackhearted merchants would use salt to squeeze the North dry."

Having obtained Lord Wyman's support, Eddard remained outwardly calm, but his heart was blooming with joy. Lord Wyman's support meant that the Manderlys and the one hundred Knighted Landed Knights under their banner would all support the Salt Ban.

Lady Barbrey and Roose Bolton were like frost-bitten leaves, wilting instantly.

As the only great noble family north of the Neck that followed the Seven, the Manderly family was always squeezed out by other ancient noble families of the North. The Manderly family had not forgotten that House Stark had taken them in back then and enfeoffed the Wolf's Den to them; nearly a thousand years later, this led to the existence of White Harbor. The Manderly family had not forgotten the kindness of the Starks.

A gale reveals the strength of the grass. Lord Wyman might be fat, but he was reliable at critical moments.

The steward Vayon Poole pushed open the door, "Lord Eddard, the guests from the Rills have arrived."

Roose Bolton's eyes lit up, "Lord Eddard, I believe Lord Roderick Ryswell of the Rills, just like the Dreadfort and Barrowton, opposes the Salt Ban. The Salt Ban should still be considered with caution!"

Barbrey chimed in, "Lord Eddard, my father is considered highly respected in the Rills and even the entire North. You must at least listen to the opinion of the Lord of the Rills, right?"

Eddard felt somewhat depressed. Roderick Ryswell was a kind old man with silver hair who seemed to have no desires, looking very much like a docile plow horse, but Roderick Ryswell was definitely a man with ambition.

Back then, Roderick Ryswell had once attempted to marry his daughter Barbrey to Eddard's brother Brandon, so that the heir to Winterfell would become his son-in-law, but unfortunately, he was refused by Duke Rickard.

Failing to form a marriage alliance with House Stark, Lord Roderick Ryswell was not discouraged. He married his daughter Bethany to Roose Bolton, who gave birth to the heir to the Dreadfort, Domeric, and married his other daughter Barbrey to Lord William Dustin of Barrowton. In this way, the alliance of the three houses—the Rills, Barrowton, and the Dreadfort—was achieved.

The Rills produced many fine horses and was an important production area for warhorses. At tourneys in the Reach, the Riverlands, the Stormlands, the Vale, and other places, Northern warhorses were always welcomed by Southern knights, especially those from the Rills. The Rills were located to the west of Barrowton.

Barrowton controlled the coast of the Salt Spear, the vast Barrowlands, and the town of Barrowton; this was once the region ruled by the ancient Barrow King.

In history, House Stark of Winterfell was originally the King of Winter. It was only after House Stark defeated the Barrow King of the Barrowlands that they took a solid step toward dominating the North.

Possessing vast territories in the Lonely Mountain, the Weeping Water, and the Last River basins, the Bolton family also held a pivotal position in the North. The Bolton family was once the Red King who sat in the Dreadfort. The Red King Bolton family and the King of Winter Stark family had begun competing for hegemony in the North as early as the Long Night, lasting for several centuries.

During this period, countless Starks, including the Kings of Winter, were flayed and skinned by the Red Kings of the Bolton family to be made into cloaks of human skin.

It was not until the Andals crossed the sea and launched a massive attack on the Red King's territory on the east coast that House Stark seized the opportunity to encroach upon the Bolton family's territory in the west. Eventually, the Red King retreated steadily under the pincer attack of the Andal pirates and Winterfell. The Bolton family was forced to abandon their crown and kneel in submission to the King of Winter, House Stark.

Whether it was the Dustin House behind Lady Barbrey or the Bolton family, both were descendants of the ancient First Men kings, ancient and proud. Facing Eddard's Salt Ban, the Dreadfort and Barrowton wanted to oppose it, and Lord Roderick Ryswell of the Rills was undoubtedly their important ally.

Roose Bolton said in a soft voice, "Steward, hurry and invite Lord Roderick Ryswell in!"

Vayon Poole said apologetically, "Lord Roose, Lord Roderick Ryswell did not come. The one who came is his son, Rill Ryswell. The Lord of the Rills is unable to come to Winterfell due to poor health."

Roose Bolton looked blank, and Lady Barbrey was completely stunned.

The stone that had been hanging in Eddard's heart fell to the ground. The Lord of the Rills had not come to Winterfell in person to protest; it seemed that a disagreement had arisen within the Rills regarding the issue of opposing Winterfell's Salt Ban.

Among the great families of the North, the Ryswell family of the Rills could be considered prosperous in terms of descendants. They had many branches. Lord Roderick Ryswell relied on marriage alliances to win the two great allies of Barrowton and the Dreadfort for the Rills in the North, but facing his cousins within the Rills, Lord Roderick Ryswell had tried every effort and was still at his wit's end.

Similar to Roderick Ryswell's cousins Mark, Luce, and Rickard, these people were all uncles of Lady Barbrey. They all had their own horse farms, their own pastures, and their own sigils. These cousins often quarreled over disputes regarding horse farms, horse prices, and village boundaries, and sometimes they would even run to Winterfell to complain to Eddard, hoping that Winterfell would provide a ruling.

The sigil of the Ryswell family was a horse head, but the colors were all different; some were black, some were gold, and some were brown.

Many residents of the Rills could not distinguish the differences between the sigils of these lords. There was a famous joke that said the internal disagreement within the Ryswell family was so great that they could not even reach an agreement on the color of the horse head sigil.

Domeric had previously received a letter sent by raven from the Rills. In the letter, his grandfather Lord Roderick Ryswell promised to come to Winterfell to celebrate his grandson's name day. In reality, it was to protest the Salt Ban together with Lady Barbrey and Roose Bolton.

Now that Lord Roderick was suddenly "indisposed" and unable to come, having only sent his second son Rill Ryswell, Eddard deduced that this was because the Lord of the Rills had failed to persuade his cousins to support him in opposing Winterfell's Salt Ban.

(End of this chapter)