Chapter 132

Lord Rickard certainly planted some nails, and not just a few. Brother Chariel remained patient, seeming to notice that Mei Yi was growing impatient, so he slightly sped up his speech. "Actually, even if Lanno lacks inheritance rights to the Barrowlands, Lady Aelinda's other children would still have them. Ah, that's another story."

That's natural. Lanno Stark's inheritance comes from his mother; he might lose it due to his bastard status, but his mother's other sons would not.

You've already said this much; I'll naturally keep listening, but I hope these messy matters will actually be useful for later decisions." Mei Yi found the inheritance squabbles boring; perhaps defeating them with an army would be simpler and more direct.

After Lady Aelinda was sent back to the Barrow Hall, Count Kaivin married her off to the second son of Lord Feilinte, Gavin Feilinte, who lost a leg fighting pirates and subsequently took to drinking, so no noble would want to give their daughter to such a man as wife.

But Earl Dasitin still agreed to marry his poorly regarded daughter to him." Mei Yi curled her lips; she could already guess roughly what came next.

Quite so. But Lady Aelinda would have to be separated from her newborn child if she married into Feilinte, which she naturally resisted. So she sent someone to Winterfell to ask Duke Rickard for help. At first the duke didn't want to get involved, but later, for some unknown reason, he agreed to mediate. Yet his mediation resulted in Lady Aelinda still having to marry the lame Feilinte, and I don't know what the duke promised.

Whatever he promised, it became unfulfillable after Duke Rickard's death.

Hmm, maybe! After Lady Aelinda married Gavin Feilinte, she bore three children. By rights, all of them should have inheritance to the Barrowlands. However, the eldest son she bore for Gavin is simple-minded, the second son died in an accident, and only the youngest grew up to adulthood—this is today's Earl Feilinte, Jon Feilinte.

And his drunkard father?

During the Usurper's War… Robert's Rebellion, Gavin Feilinte's brother died on the battlefield, making him the lame Earl of Feilinte. Yet after marrying Lady Aelinda, his bad habits improved considerably. He is poorly regarded in the North, and his conversion to the Faith is related; I heard from the church that it is precisely because of his piety that the Mother has granted him two healthy sons after a simple-minded child." Brother Chariel smiled and said, "Although I believe in the Seven, I think the reason he got two healthy sons isn't the Seven, but his willingness to quit drinking for his descendants and his duty."

In that case, if Earl Jon Feilinte denies the inheritance claim of his bastard half-brother, couldn't he simultaneously inherit the Barrowlands' territory?" Mei Yi couldn't believe that Earl Jon would rather give up his own inheritance than support his half-brother by the same mother.

Your Grace, if it were you, would you agree that the Fingers and the Barrowlands should be under the rule of a single earl?

Only a madman would.

The earldoms in the North are already large enough; if these two places were merged, wouldn't that create another Barrowland king?

Exactly. So Lord Eddard flatly rejected Jon Feilinte's claim to Barrow Hall after the war, and without hesitation refused his request to marry Lady Dasitin." Brother Chariel spread his hands.

The Feilintes of the Fingers wouldn't bear a grudge against the Starks over such old business, which is why they'd turn to Bolton, right?" Mei Yi gasped; perhaps every family she couldn't understand siding with Bolton had its own reasons.

That's certainly an important reason." Brother Chariel gave a strange smile. "A mother's influence on her children can be huge.

Just say what you suspect, monk.

Heh, I suspect Lord Lanno Stark is the child your uncle Brandon Stark left behind; there's too much suspicious evidence. But I think today isn't the time to discuss that—you just need to know they might harbor a grudge against the Starks.

If all this is true, the reality probably isn't just 'a little' resentment.

I finally understand why the Feilinte of the Fingers, despite hating the bloody wedding, would still pledge to Bolton." Mei Yi suddenly laughed. "Would Bolton really allow Jon Feilinte to marry Lady Dasitin? If the Riverlands, the Barrowlands, and the Fingers united, the Seven Kingdoms would become eight, and his northern realm might face division—I don't think he'd do that. Moreover, Jon Feilinte hasn't taken a wife in over ten years?

Jon is currently a widower," said the marshlander's steward En, pausing meaningfully. "To defeat the Starks, Bolton might not hesitate to make such a promise; to him, all the western coast families and lands are insignificant.

If Feilinte could also field ten thousand soldiers, I might consider a marriage between Sansa and this earl. Now, if he wants to play the aggrieved avenger seeking revenge on the Starks, let him be—after all, there are plenty of Feilintes in Westeros; we're not lacking this branch.

The Fingers govern the vast lands south of the Saltspring and west of the Neckmarsh, guarding the western gate of Saltwater Bay. Mei Yi feels that Victorion could lead the ironborn along the Salt Flats straight to Saltwater Bay and succeed, possibly because Earl Jon deliberately 'let the water flow'.

Besides, whether or not they intentionally let the water through, theoretically they should bear responsibility for the resulting neglect. But Stark's hold over the North is now weak, and they have no spare hands to investigate.

Besides hatred, it's also hard to say whether they turned to Bolton out of fear of punishment.

Generally, if a lord fails in his defensive duty and causes serious consequences, he will likely be stripped of his guardianship lands. Earl Jon Feilinte's castle lies along the coast from Brightflame Bay to the Hotwave River, inherently tasked with warning both shores. Like the Widow's Watch Feilintes, their family motto is 'Ever Vigilant.' Clearly, during the ironborn raid on Saltwater Bay, they failed to maintain sufficient vigilance.

If they are punished, the castle bearing the warning duty—likely named Burnt Hall—will most likely be stripped away, and once that castle is taken, they will become third-rate nobles in the North.

This principle is just like the castle Wolf's Den at the mouth of the Whiteblade River, which has changed hands repeatedly over hundreds of years.

Because Wolf's Den has repeatedly fallen to foreign enemies and pirates, the families enfeoffed there have been frequently replaced.

Until the Starks accepted the fealty of the southern Mandelker family at the mouth of the Whiteblade River, allowing the experienced Mandelkers to garrison there and handle defense, the area only gradually became stable.

It is well known that the Mandelkers, after years of governance, developed Wolf's Den into the North's largest city—a true win-win for both the Mandelkers and the Starks. Hence, a good vassal family means a great deal to its liege.

The Starks' acceptance of the Mandelkers' fealty was also due to river-mouth defense needs, not because of the Mandelkers' gold. Before the Mandelkers took over, the families nearest Wolf's Den—Lann, Locke, and Feilinte—had all ruled it in turn, but they ultimately failed to fulfill their defensive duty and were thus stripped of governing authority.

Unlike Wolf's Den, the Feilintes' Burnt Hall has not changed hands in nearly eight hundred years, but that doesn't mean they differ from families like the Lockes that once ruled Wolf's Den.

Mei Yi could use this as grounds to kick them out.

Moreover, in defending against the ironborn invasion, the families of the Rocky Coast and the Riverlands also share blame for negligence.

But given the current situation, talking about this is pointless. After victory in the war, the Feilintes' two mistakes combined will likely result in them being completely stripped of their titles and lands.

So, Lady Aelinda's two children actually don't need to be considered, right?" Rolger Kaison concluded.

That naturally depends on your will, Your Grace. As long as you're willing to make a promise, those old nails and nasty past can be pulled out and moved past." Brother Chariel drank his sour wine. "Your Grace, I can now speak of the second heir.

Ah, go on—I hope the second heir isn't so complicated." Mei Yi waved her hand; every family that abandoned the Starks has its own internal reasons, and she didn't know what further complications the second might bring.

The second heir is much simpler. His name is Piers Waterman, son of Lady Aelinda's sister Lady Lyra and Sir Waterman Waterman, who swore fealty to the Locke family. However, I've heard rumors that Sir Waterman himself was pressed into Bolton's army—I don't know if he already serves Bolton or took part in the Red Wedding.

If Piers Waterman's father participated in the slaughter, then he himself naturally has no qualification to become heir of Barrow Hall." Ser Rodrik spoke.

Where is Piers Waterman now?" Mei Yi asked.

He should still be at the old seat of the Locke family; he's twenty-five now, an age at which one would expect to have a keep." Brother Chariel set down his cup. "This heir's origins don't match Earl Jon Feilinte's, so he's long been overlooked and never treated as a candidate for Barrow Hall.

And how do you know all this so clearly?

Your Grace, I haven't devoted as much time to serving the Seven as other devout believers, so I have the leisure to monitor this sort of information.

You're not devout?

Since the Seven are all-knowing and all-powerful, surely I needn't pray or mortify myself for them to understand my heart.

Interesting.

Heh, so I have more time to learn the information nobody wants to know.

You'd make a fine Hand of the King—if only you could give me some advice, that would be even better." Mei Yi laughed. "Monk, would you consider giving up your clerical status to serve the divine? No special form is needed. I could take back your papers as master of Winterfell, and after victory grant you a castle or a sept of the Seven—how does that sound?

Would shedding the status let me serve better? I'm not sure. I am a monk, but I can still serve Your Grace all the same.

Even so, can a monk hold other worldly offices?" Mei Yi was uncertain.

In the North, it doesn't matter at all." Ser Rodrik glanced at Mei Yi then turned to Brother Chariel. "Whether the Seven or monks matter to us is irrelevant, and no one will care if the King's Hand is also a septon; if your idea works, that's enough.

There's no king in the North. Just be an advisor for now!" Mei Yi laughed, looking at Brother Chariel, whose hair was already gray—indeed he looked wise. "We've talked so long about the Dasitin, but I still have no clue what to do concretely; I don't know what notions an advisor might have.

Your Grace, I've said all this just to make you see that the Barrowlands lack a strongly advantageous heir. Since the Dasitin clan has already turned to Bolton, such a fine point should be Bolton's concern; we can instead cause them some trouble.

Come on, tell us—what sort of trouble can we stir up?

We could split the Dasitin family, establishing separate heads." Brother Chariel saw the adults' confusion and hurriedly added, "They aren't natural heirs anyway, so even if they might seem dissatisfied on the surface, deep down they'd likely be relieved and pleased—heh, the one or ones not recognized by Bolton would be especially satisfied.

Mei Yi instantly felt it was workable.

Normally, a territory has only one ancestral stronghold, and whoever occupies it is clearly the head. In such a place, even if split, the one holding the stronghold would stand out like the moon in the night sky, constantly suppressing the other 'stars' set up alongside it—but the Barrowlands have no such issue.

Because the Ancestor King and the Wasteland Tomb King themselves established several "clan forts" in the Wasteland Tomb Village.

Terms: Ancestor King (Ancestor King?), Wasteland Tomb King (Wasteland Tomb King?), Wasteland Tomb Village (Wasteland Tomb Village?), clan forts (clan forts). Are these considered names? Ancestor King and Wasteland Tomb King are titles? They might be proper names (like "Ancestor King" and "Wasteland Tomb King") but they are titles. According to rules: official & sect rank/title should be included. So we include Ancestor King, Wasteland Tomb King as titles. Also Wasteland Tomb Village is a place name. clan forts is generic term "clan forts" maybe not a specific name; it's a common noun, exclude.

Mei Yi turned her gaze toward the map before her.

Term: Mei Yi (a person's name). So include Mei Yi.

The boundary between the Stream Land and the Wasteland Tomb Village is the Honey Wine River — the Leswir Family also calls this river the Long Stream River — the Honey Wine River extends northward to its farthest point at Tolun Lake; on the map, Tolun Lake is made from another kind of animal skin sewn together, presenting a gray‑blue appearance, indeed looking like a lake. The lake and the hills along its shore form the boundary between Tolun Fangcheng and the Wasteland Tomb Village.

Terms: Stream Land (maybe a region name? "Stream Land"? Could be a place). Wasteland Tomb Village (already). Honey Wine River (Honey Wine River). Leswir Family (Leswir Family). Long Stream River (Long Stream River). Tolun Lake (Tolun Lake). Tolun Fangcheng (Tolun Fangcheng? maybe "Tolun Square City"?). So include these as place names. Also maybe Stream Land is a place name. We'll include.

Another river flowing north from the Hot Wave River is called the Brewing River, which divides the Wasteland Tomb Village into left and right. The Brewing River has two upstream sources to the north, the western one called the Beer River and the eastern one called the Fruit Wine River. The Wasteland Tomb Hall is built at the confluence of these two rivers, where the Dustin family governs the entire Wasteland Tomb Village; this pattern has only recently formed in the past century.

Terms: Hot Wave River, Brewing River, Beer River, Fruit Wine River, Wasteland Tomb Hall, Dustin Family. Also maybe 'pattern' generic.

During the confrontation between the Wasteland Tomb King and Stark, the Wasteland Tomb King's clan fort was located west of the Brewing River on the plains east of the Honey Wine River, utilizing the river to defend against Stark's attacks; this clan fort was named the Ancestor Fort, vast in scale and exalted in status.

Terms: Wasteland King, Stark, Ancestor Fort. Also maybe 'clan stronghold' generic.

Although that is so, there is still a castle of higher status, namely the Ancestors' Gate, which is located among the Ancestors' Tombs; it is said to have been initially built by the Children of the Forest, later occupied by the Ancestors, and was the castle when the Ancestor King reigned; this castle serves as the eastern gateway defending against foreign enemies entering the Wasteland Tomb Village.

Terms: Ancestors' Gate (Ancestors' Gate). Children of the Forest (Children of the Forest). Ancestors (maybe "First Men"? but could be generic). We'll treat Children of the Forest as a group name (people). Ancestors maybe generic "ancients". Might be a faction. We'll include Children of the Forest as a people/faction. Also Ancestors maybe also a faction but ambiguous. We'll include Ancestors as a people? Might be generic. Safer to include Children of the Forest only.

"Because rivers and mountains block access, the entire Wasteland Tomb Village has three distinct regions," Chai'er Xiu Shi smiled at the senior officials, "This is enough to accommodate three earl lords."

Terms: Chai'er Xiu Shi, all senior officials, Earl Lords, Earl.

If the Wasteland Tomb Village could be divided into three parts, Bolton could only win over one of them no matter what; as for whether the two resulting parties would face backlash, that has nothing to do with Mei Yi.

Terms: Bolton (Bolton). Also Mei Yi already.

"You only just mentioned two heirs," Luo Fu also saw that this plan was quite interesting.

Terms: Luo Fu, heir.

"Sir, I will mention it shortly. Your Highness, there are two methods here, see how you choose." He refreshed his spirit, pointed at the map, "The first is, you can send a message to Lord Lan Nuo Shitao, appoint him as Earl of the Ancestor Village, occupy the Wasteland Tomb Hall and the Ancestor Fort; send a message to Pei'er Shui Man, appoint him as Earl of the First Men Village, occupy the Wasteland Tomb Hall and the Ancestors' Gate."

Terms: sir, Your Highness, Lannuo Shitao, Ancestor Village Earl, First Men Village Earl, Pei'er Shuiman, Wasteland Tomb Hall.

"Do you want the two to argue endlessly over the ownership of the Wasteland Tomb Hall, or simply deliberately create conflict? If Bolton gets involved, I worry one side will be quickly defeated. What do you think, among the heirs, which will Bolton choose?"

Terms: Bolton already. Wasteland Tomb Hall already.

"It might be Pei'er Shui Man. His identity is unquestionable, and his father may have already turned toward Bolton, so he has no choice but to rely on Bolton; if he is willing to marry the widow of Earl William, Lady Dustin, he could easily secure the earl's position, and furthermore, he wouldn't have to worry about his vassals opposing him."

Terms: Pei'er Shuiman, Bolton, William Earl, Dustin lady, vassal.

"This two‑part division is not stable, as Your Highness said, one side could easily be quickly subdued by the other." Luo Delike evaluated.

line: "Terms: Luo Delike (Luo Delike? a person's name). Also Your Highness generic." Parentheses fine.

Most likely, Lan Nuo Shitao was defeated by Pei'er Shui Man.

line: "Terms: Lan Nuo Shitao (Lannuo Shitao? maybe same as Lan Nuo Shitao but different char). Pei'er Shui Man already." Parentheses fine.

"Indeed, that is the case, so there is still a second method. The second method requires examining the third heir; if Pei'er Shui Man's father participated in the Red Wedding, his inheritance rights can indeed be challenged, at which point we can look to the daughter of Earl Kevin, Leanna Dustin Lady, who married into the Fisher family of the Rocky Shore; because too much time has passed, we cannot clarify the parent‑child relationship, so we can arbitrarily choose a descendant from the Fisher family to let him participate in the competition for the Wasteland Tomb Village. This unexpected gain, surely Fisher Sir will not refuse."

Terms: third heir, Pei'er Shuiman, Red Wedding, Kevin Earl, Leanna Dustin lady, Rocky Coast, Fisher Family, Fisher sir, descendants.

"The three castles are each granted to three people. How do they correspond?"

No new names.

line: no parentheses.

line: "Terms: Ancestor Fort (already). Phelint Family (Felint Family). Phelint Earl (Felint Earl). Lan Nuo Shitao (already). Fisher Family (already). Wasteland Tomb Hall (already). Ancestors' Gate (already). Also maybe Stream Land (already)." Parentheses fine.

"Then let's go with the second option. If Pei'er Shui Man obtains the Ancestors' Gate, it would easily invite Bolton's troops, so his fiefdom and Lan Nuo Shitao's should be swapped. Ah, all things considered, I still feel confused about this plan, but taking action is better than passively waiting for them to bring their armies; as for the result, we'll see after we do it, let's see what our layout can actually reap."

line: "Terms: Pei'er Shui Man already. Ancestors' Gate already. Bolton already. Lan Nuo Shitao already." No parentheses.

line: no parentheses.

line: "Terms:

"Yeah, since the Dustin family refuses to pledge loyalty to the Stark family, I'll give them a bit of trouble in the name of the enfeoffed lord— that's not impolite, is it?" Mei Yi signaled that the matter was settled, "Everyone, now let's look at the map and discuss strategy! The inheritance business is really boring!"