I Became the Mother of Dragons

          With the six kings united, the realm became one. In a time when concubines and princes' descendants took their seats in the lower hall, singing songs at night in the Qin palace, it seemed that tranquility reigned.

Even when the royal family, nobility, concubines, and heirs were all relocated to Xianyang City, totaling more than a few hundred thousand people, there was never a whisper of assassination plots by the "sons of the six kingdoms" against the ministers of the Qin Dynasty. Not until the reign of the Second Emperor of Qin, Qin Ershi.

In truth, none of the people dared to rise up and cause trouble until the passing of the First Emperor Qin.

Leaving the Qin Dynasty aside, no dynasty in China's history had ever experienced a rebellion by its own capital's personnel, nearly driving the emperor to his death.

In Dany's perspective, governing Slaver's Bay seemed almost too easy. The Ghiscari people were a blend of various races, long removed from their early-stage bloodline.

Furthermore, they were not a population in surplus, with the Ghiscari in Slaver's Bay comprising only one-fifth of the total population.

Slaver's Bay consisted of three city-states, and it only required the assignment of three competent Magistrates to oversee them.

Unlike the original Daenerys, who had faced countless challenges and hardships, the current Dany found her days rather uneventful. Instead of being weighed down by the affairs of the city, she often ventured outside to engage in farming and sword practice.

The Sons of the Harpy had made their move, but before Dany could even inquire, Cleon had uprooted them effortlessly.

"Ser Cleon, who are the individuals involved, and how many of them are there?" Dany inquired calmly, her right hand resting on the wide armrest, her chin propped up by her palm as she handled the pressing matters at hand.

"A total of 743 individuals were arrested," Cleon replied. "Among them, 25 key figures are Ghiscari merchants and minor nobles who have retained considerable wealth. The rest are ordinary Ghiscari citizens. However, I suspect that some may have ties to the descendants of Great Masters and even the Green Graces. They're just well-hidden, and there's no direct evidence of their involvement."

Cleon let out a sigh, voicing a complaint. "Your Majesty, you are still too kind. Aside from the Great Masters who participated in the Ghis Alliance and had their properties confiscated, the small and medium-sized wealthy merchants and nobles only lost their slaves and pyramids. They were then fined, and the temples of the Graces in the three cities remained completely untouched... It's too lenient on them!"

"I have stated that the property of citizens is sacred and inviolable," Dany responded. "While those merchants engage in the buying and selling of slaves, they primarily employ slave labor in legitimate industries. As for the temples, they consist of a group of feeble individuals with no genuine beliefs..."

Dany sighed and continued with a note of helplessness, "I can't simply confiscate all of their property just because a cloth merchant purchased a slave to become a weaver and then sent the entire family to hard labor camps, can I?"

Cleon shook his head and said respectfully but candidly, "Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, I believe you are headed in the wrong direction."

Dany expressed her curiosity, asking, "Where did I go wrong?"

Cleon responded with eloquence, "In this world, our enemies are the slave masters and the slave-catchers. But in Slaver's Bay, the hostile class can be pinpointed as the Ghiscari. Your Majesty, you must understand that the Ghiscari will never love you, nor will they love our new peasants. Therefore, we must consistently and resolutely pursue a policy that combats the upper echelons of the Ghiscari."

He continued, drawing from her previous teachings, "As you once instructed me, the Ghiscari slave masters are the class enemy, and their individual components are naturally tainted."

Dany blushed slightly, rubbing her cheek awkwardly, and asked in a soft voice, "Did you really have to remember those words?"

"Of course," Cleon replied. "I believe Your Majesty's words are very reasonable. Only by completely dismantling the corrupt slave system can we realize a free and beautiful feudal system."

She couldn't help but wonder if her words had inspired a martyr.

After conquering Astapor, Dany knew that a conflict with the Ghiscari slave masters was inevitable. To arm her followers with the right ideology, she had repeatedly gathered her lieutenants, making a few adjustments—replacing "anti-imperialism and feudalism" with "anti-slave system" and "building a beautiful society" with "building a peaceful, free, and advanced feudal society."

She couldn't remember all the details, so she decided to improvise. Looking back now, she realized that she had been in no hurry to speak, but to her surprise, almost a year later, Cleon seemed to have drawn some insightful conclusions from her words. Did this man truly possess talent?

"Cleon, your thinking is... progressive and radical," Dany commented, searching for the right words. "However, we have enemies all around us, with the whole world waiting to be liberated beyond. If we indiscriminately slaughter the Ghiscari people, will anyone be willing to surrender to us in the future? Therefore, we must adhere to the implementation of the 'legal code' as our core development concept. Neither Lords nor Queens can arbitrarily violate the 'legal code.'"

Finally, Dany winked at the Butcher, who wore a thoughtful expression. In a hushed voice that only the two of them could hear, she said, "So, do you understand now?"

Cleon responded in a whisper, "I understand a bit, but I'm still not entirely clear."

"Why are you so clueless? We can't violate the 'legal code,' and that applies to Ghis nobles and wealthy businessmen as well. If they dare to violate it, you can conduct a trial according to the 'legal code,'" Dany scolded with a touch of frustration.

"But..." Cleon hesitated, "I can't get any evidence to arrest those behind-the-scenes individuals!"

Dany sighed and motioned for Cleon to come closer. "Let me tell you another story, from over six thousand years ago, a few decades after the Andals invaded Westeros. It's about the Westerlands. The Lannisters' ancestors were the First Men, and their subjects and nobles were also First Men. But the Andals' Iron Armored Knights were too powerful. The King of the Rock, Gerold III Lannister, suffered defeat after defeat. In the end, he couldn't bear it, so he crowned his son-in-law, an Andal named Ser Joffrey Lydden, as the next King of the Rock, bringing an end to the war between the Westerlands and the Andals."

Cleon listened attentively, trying to draw parallels. "It's somewhat similar to the situation in Slaver's Bay now. The Ghiscari are like the First Men, powerful, and we are like the Andals. The 'First Men' are opposing the Andals' king."

"Exactly!" Dany nodded in approval. "Later, a Maester from the Westeros Citadel named 'Maester Lai' happened upon the King of the Rock..."

Dany went on to narrate a story, drawing from the deeds of a fictitious Maester Lai, tailored to fit the narrative. The Butcher listened with great interest, eager to learn.

Regrettably, she sighed at the end. "Unfortunately, the magnificent work of Maester Lai, 'The Accusation,' has been lost. Otherwise..."

"Oh, what a pity!" Cleon exclaimed in regret.

Dany continued, expressing her nostalgia. "Maester Lai helped the King of the Rock suppress the rebellion of the First Men's descendants, but over time, his story has been forgotten, and Maester Lai no longer holds paper within these lands."

Cleon couldn't contain his excitement and said, "Your Majesty, I would like to be your 'Maester Lai'!"

"That's very good, but don't rush," Dany cautioned, lowering her voice. "As you know, we can't afford to be on the defensive. We must seek allies. So, in time, I'll leave Slaver's Bay and ride a Dragon to the western continent for a 'visit'—to Qohor, Braavos, for maybe... half a month to a month."

"So, do you understand now?" Dany gave him a significant look.

"I don't quite understand," He admitted.

"Ah..." Dany rubbed her face in exasperation. Why couldn't these people even catch a simple wink? This courtier was terribly unqualified if they couldn't even share the Queen's concerns.

She asked, puzzled, "Why don't you understand?"

"I understand the part about seeking allies, but..." Cleon's face, oily face was filled with confusion. "How is this different from dealing with those Ghiscari rebels?"

Dany's iron-clad hand reached out and firmly grasped Cleon's golden boar clasp, giving it a forceful tug to bring the bewildered butcher closer. She pointed to her right ear and whispered, "Do you know why Maester Lai began his purge while the King of the Rock was away? Because the King, His Majesty, is kind and noble. I may wish for the Ghiscari to eliminate their own kind, but I cannot do that. Kindness, innocence, nobility, grace—those qualities are not suited for such actions. So, Maester Lai decided that he would rather not have the King present when those actions were taken. Now, Maester Lai, do you understand?"

Ser Butcher averted his gaze, his voice trembling. "I... I understand."

It was too terrifying!

I've quietly shamed the Queen as a soft-hearted woman many times before, but now I understand why she's the Queen and why I've worked so hard to become a Lord...

Ding dong, your subordinate Cleon's fear rating has increased by +40 (maximum value), and his loyalty has increased by +20 (maximum value)—if Dany had such ability, she would surely hear as such.

Dany's iron hand had slightly deformed the boar's head clasp as she continued, speaking calmly, "Only you know about this, and I don't want anyone else to find out, do you understand?"

"I Understood, Your Majesty, I understand very well!" Ser Butcher nodded vigorously.

"Hah, Ser Cleon, I'm very pleased that you caught the assassins." Dany smiled and patted his shoulder armor, producing a series of metallic clinks, before inviting him gently, "It's almost noon. Let's have a drink and celebrate."

Half a month later, a Volantis merchant who had come to Astapor to buy white sugar brought news from Westeros: Lords Renly, Robb, and Joffrey had all fallen.

"Prince Renly died in the first half of last year," A man named Duzimu reported with a strange expression, speaking in a hushed tone. "It is said that he was captured by his older brother with Blood Magic."

The grain merchant whom Dany had captured in the White Poplar Slope had returned to Astapor to stock up.

Initially, when the merchants heard that the Queen was willing to buy their cattle, horses, grain, oil, and other goods at "battlefield prices," they shouted "Long Live the Queen" in excitement. However, when they learned that the difference between the "battlefield price" and Astapor's market price would be compensated to them in the form of goods, the merchants cursed "damn butchers" through gritted teeth.

In the end, they reluctantly traveled over 20 kilometers to reach Astapor's Commercial Street.

"Gods above, is this... sugar? Fine white sugar? So fine, so white, so pure, such exquisite white granulated sugar! I want it, I want it all... What? I've used up my subsidy amount. This..."

"The fragrance is so delightful, pure as water. One bottle can be exchanged for ten bottles of fruit wine. It's worth it. I want it, I want it all..."

"How is your bronze so shiny and gold-like? So cheap? I want it, I want it all!"

"Astapor is also selling the likes of glass? It is not as pure as what is sold in Myr, though.... why is it so cheap?!"