The more she thought about it, the more she felt that this matter was critical, and Lady Catelyn grew hesitant.
Seeing the uncertainty on her face, Jason Liu gritted his teeth, feeling like he was about to bleed.
So, he played his final bargaining chip. "My lady, if you agree, I'm willing to pay one-twentieth of the annual commercial income of the port to Winterfell!"
Hearing this, everyone present was truly astonished.
Everyone knew that Lord Jason's store brought in profits every single day. If Winterfell received one-twentieth of his yearly business income—it would amount to an enormous sum!
It could even rival the revenue from the lumber mill's timber sales!
Robb's face flushed with excitement, and he could hardly wait to agree on the spot.
But Lady Catelyn spoke first. "Lord Jason, I can feel your sincerity. But I cannot give you an immediate answer on this matter. Please allow me a week to send a letter to Eddard to ask for his opinion.
"As for whether or not we agree, it will depend on his decision.
"This is all I can do. Please understand."
Although Jason Liu was a bit disappointed, he had anticipated this outcome.
Even though Eddard Stark had gone to King's Landing, such important affairs of Winterfell still needed to be reported to him and decided by him.
Jason Liu put on a calm expression, smiled politely at Lady Catelyn, Robb, and Maester Luwin, and then took his leave.
Watching Jason Liu walk away, Robb said impatiently, "Mother, why didn't you just agree with Lord Jason? That's one-twentieth of his yearly income! I'm afraid that's more than what we make from selling timber..."
Lady Catelyn looked sternly at her impatient son. "Robb, don't forget who you are now. You are the Lord of Winterfell, managing the entire North in your father's absence. As the ruler of the North, you must never be blinded by immediate gain. You must learn to think calmly.
"This is a basic quality that any qualified lord should possess."
Chastened by his mother's words, Robb's impatience faded, and he quickly lowered his head in acknowledgment of his mistake.
Catelyn had simply wanted to use this opportunity to teach Robb how to be a proper lord. She held no objection to Jason Liu leasing the wasteland near Lake Sayer.
Seeing that her son had understood her intentions, Catelyn turned to Maester Luwin and said, "Maester Luwin, let's go to your tower. I will write to Eddard about this and hear his opinion."
"Yes, my lady," Maester Luwin replied with a slight bow. He then followed Lady Catelyn back to the Maester's Tower, where she sent a letter to Lord Eddard, far away in King's Landing.
Once his mother was gone, Robb's previously straight posture relaxed. He turned to look at his good friend Theon and asked casually, "Theon, what do you think of the wasteland beyond Lake Sayer? Should we rent it to Lord Jason?"
Theon, of course, knew Robb was quite in favor of leasing the land to Lord Jason in exchange for five percent of his annual income.
So, he gave the answer Robb wanted to hear. "I think it's too good an offer for Winterfell to refuse! Just think about it, Robb—we're trading a patch of wasteland where not even a single grain of wheat grows, and in return, we get a yearly sum. Is there any business more profitable than that?"
As he spoke, Theon sneered slightly and added in a contemptuous tone, "That Lord Jason really knows how to please people. Not only is he willing to spend heavily to buy timber from Winterfell, but now he's offering you a large sum of gold dragons. I'd say he's clearly trying to curry favor with your family.
"After all, he's a foreigner, with no roots in Westeros."
With that, Theon shrugged smugly. He believed he had seen through Jason Liu's intentions: constantly trying to win over House Stark to gain their protection.
Otherwise, once the northern lords realized how much profit Jason was making, they'd surely move to seize it!
Only Lord Eddard, known for his integrity and sense of justice, could resist preying on such an easy target.
Thinking this, Theon privately mocked Eddard Stark's supposed naivety. If it were up to him, he would have sent soldiers to arrest Jason Liu on any fabricated charge and confiscated all his wealth.
After all, Jason was just a foreigner with no power base in Westeros. Wasn't he at the mercy of others?
Robb, however, had no idea what ugly thoughts his "brother" harbored.
Raised and educated by his father, Robb had inherited Eddard's sense of righteousness and justice. He never entertained the idea of seizing the wealth of the East family. It could only be said that Eddard had raised his children far too honorably.
Integrity is a noble trait for most knights.
But for Robb—heir to House Stark and future Lord of the North—it wasn't necessarily an asset.
A truly competent family head and lord should understand tactics, and even master schemes and manipulation, to safeguard the interests of their house. That's the only way to stay strong while dealing with cunning lords and nobles.
Thus, Robb's eventual tragic ending in the original timeline can be seen as a failure of Eddard's education.
Of course, it wasn't entirely Eddard's fault. As the second son of House Stark, he was never meant to inherit the lordship. Their father, Rickard Stark, had taught the family's secrets and political strategies to his eldest son. Eddard was trained merely as a loyal knight.
As a result, Eddard never learned the strategic cunning required of a family head. He only inherited a knight's rigid sense of honor, with little understanding of realpolitik.
Naturally, he couldn't pass down what he didn't know to his own son.
Jason Liu, however, was very grateful for the integrity of the Stark family. If he hadn't known they were among the rare decent houses in Westeros, he would never have dared sell goods so openly for profit.
Besides, he had saved Bran and changed the boy's tragic fate—consider it a small return to House Stark.
Lady Catelyn tied the letter to a raven's leg and sent it off to King's Landing.
Four days later, Eddard Stark—already handling state affairs as the new Hand of the King—received the letter from Winterfell, delivered by Grand Maester Pycelle, who managed the ravens of the Red Keep.
Pycelle was bald, his skin mottled with age spots, and his long white beard draped down to his chest.
Around his neck hung a heavy chain of twenty-four different metals—his maester's chain—so weighty that it seemed to hunch his back.
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