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On the sun-drenched square, Jon distributed the "gold and silver" by the item with remarkable speed, much to the delight of the gathered lords.
Part of what he gave was reward, but the other part was "orders" and "loans."
The Queen's Men around Stannis believed that since Jon's legitimacy to rule the West came entirely from the Iron Throne, they could take whatever they wanted from him. Jon was determined not to let them take advantage of him.
He felt fortunate that Varys had proven so useful.
Jon then looked at Paxter Redwyne. "Count Paxter, I have decided to give you five hundred items as well!"
"Lord Duke, that is too much," Paxter demurred, though he knew Jon would likely attach conditions, just as he had with Black Walder.
"Not at all. If you think it's too much, just figure out a way to send me some of that Arbor Gold," Jon said with a smile.
"Wine? I reckon you're planning to empty my cellars," Paxter replied. The businessman in him couldn't help but show. Now that Jon was a "major client," he couldn't hide his grin.
In truth, even emptying the cellars of the Arbor wouldn't be enough to match the value of the extra items.
In the end, the two negotiated other agreements, such as Redwyne sending captains to help Jon build his fleet.
Jon didn't feel the need to remind Paxter about the depreciation; the man controlled a trade route to the Free Cities and would sell off a large portion of the treasures himself when the time came.
Jon distributed another one or two hundred items to meritorious officers around him. For the soldiers, giving them rare treasures was impractical, so he distributed the gold coins from the treasury instead.
In Westeros, soldiering was a "live for today" profession; they would spend the money quickly.
Since they were in the West, they would spend the money in the West. For Jon, it was like meat dissolving in the pot—he suffered no real loss.
He then added a few hundred more items for the Tyrells, requesting they send more grain, artisans, and supplies in return.
Looking at what remained—about half the hoard—Jon set aside a portion for Stannis, who had, after all, sent real support.
After a moment's thought, Jon said, "Ser Loras, take another three hundred items. Consider it my betrothal gift for Lady Margaery!"
Others, like the poorer Gawen Westerling, shook their heads at Jon's spendthrift ways. Once these treasures were scattered, getting them back would be impossible.
In this manner, Jon gave away more than half of the six thousand-plus items under various pretexts, leaving a fixed quota of one thousand for Stannis.
Although the vault was essentially emptied, these treasures were converted into various tangible and intangible assets for Jon. The Queen's Men would never be able to snatch them back from these lords.
Moreover, Jon's approach had another benefit: by using these treasures to buy grain from the lords, and the lords using their gold to buy grain, the price of grain would inevitably rise for a time.
This would incentivize farmers and estate owners to plant more crops, meaning more people might survive the coming winter and Long Night.
Furthermore, dumping thousands of treasures into the market would increase the currency in circulation, stimulating economic activity and speeding up the recovery of the war-torn Seven Kingdoms.
Jon didn't know if the Seven had a "merit system," but if they did, he felt he was on the verge of canonization.
Addam Marbrand, who had remained silent, was anxious. His own reward was settled; he was worried about Jon.
While the lords lined up to move their treasures, Addam approached Jon and whispered, "My Lord, you still have to hold a wedding with Lady Margaery. You've spent all the money. Although there are some treasures left, they can't be turned into coin immediately."
Jon looked at Addam, pleased that the man had noticed this detail.
"You don't need to worry about that, Earl Addam. I plan to go directly to Highgarden to marry Margaery. Won't that save money?"
Addam: "!!!"
"Casterly Rock is just my spoil of war. It is neither my home nor Margaery's. It would be inconvenient to hold the wedding here, so I intend to do it at Highgarden," Jon added another reason.
A wedding was a troublesome affair requiring many people to organize, and they had to be trustworthy.
Although Jon had followers, they were rough men; he couldn't trust them to handle such delicate matters.
The Lannisters had been entrenched here for thousands of years. They were like a colossus that had crashed down—rubble flying, dust choking the air. If he held the wedding at Casterly Rock, someone might try to cause trouble.
Highgarden, on the other hand, was a fortress the Tyrells had managed for three hundred years, and before that, they had served the Gardener kings as stewards for countless ages.
Highgarden was an absolutely safe base. A wedding there would be foolproof.
Then Jon said to Addam, "Addam, don't rush to the Wall yet. While I am at Highgarden, stay here and guard Casterly Rock with Ser Brynden. You can leave after I return. Take this time to settle your family."
"Th-thank you, my Lord." Addam felt a lump in his throat.
Not long after Jon finished distributing the treasures, the lords began to withdraw. Loras took the treasures and his army back to Highgarden first, escorted, of course, by Paxter's fleet.
Loras was quite happy that Jon proposed holding the wedding at Highgarden. Paxter decided to stay and wait for Jon to deal with the affairs of the West before leaving with him.
Black Walder also led his troops out of the West. This time, House Frey didn't leave empty-handed as they had before; they gained significant wealth and a powerful ally in Jon.
After the others left, Jon conducted a trial for the soldiers who had committed atrocities in the Riverlands. It wasn't as strict as the one in King's Landing, but he still singled out a few dozen of the worst offenders.
Jon wrote to the Wall, asking them to send Alliser Thorne—who had once chased him through the Wolfswood—to come and collect them.
Jon didn't summon Alliser to gloat.
When Tywin tricked his way into King's Landing, Alliser was still fighting for Aerys. He eventually laid down his arms and surrendered, but Tywin still forced him to choose between death and the Wall.
That was unfair to Alliser.
While Jon didn't intend to pull him off the Wall immediately, he could offer him a promise—perhaps a return with Addam in a few years.
This would make Alliser willing to be Jon's eyes and ears at the Wall.
Most importantly, Jon planned to take Maester Aemon away when the time was right. Aemon's Targaryen blood was far purer than Jon's own. Jon needed to prevent anyone from using the old man for blood magic sacrifices.
Furthermore, if Jon failed to hatch dragons in the future and needed to ally with Daenerys, Aemon would be an excellent bridge.
Learning that Casterly Rock had changed hands, the lords of the West submitted their letters of fealty to Jon and would soon arrive at Casterly Rock to swear their oaths in person.