In the letter, the writer expressed his respect and loyalty to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, praised her ability in handling government affairs, and was full of confidence and expectations for the future of House Targaryen.
But when Rhaenyra reads these letters, her fingers will search for something in those gorgeous words and piled-up rhetoric - those things that are really important between the lines and hidden behind the polite words.
What she is looking for is not loyalty, but attitude. Loyalty is proven by actions, not words.
Attitude is what these letters really convey - how far is this lord willing to support her? How far is she willing to offend her opponents?
How much real money, soldiers, horses, food and political capital are you willing to pay for her?
The lord's letter was written passionately, but his son married a daughter of the Tarth family, and his sister married a nephew of the Lannister family. The largest business store in his territory was opened by someone from Otto·Hai Tarth.
The lord's letter was written smoothly, but he did not mention any specific things in the letter, and did not promise any specific support. He just kept repeating "Your Highness is wise," "Your Highness is wise," and "I support all your Highness's decisions." There is no difference between saying this ten thousand times and not saying it at all.
The lord's letter was very short, with only a few lines, but he added at the end of the letter, "If Your Highness needs it, I can recruit two thousand soldiers and horses after the harvest season, and they are at your disposal at any time."
This is the attitude. Not empty words, not clichés, not those words that look good when written on paper and sound good when spoken, but real political chips that can jump out from the paper, make people feel the weight, and can be weighed, calculated, and exchanged for real money.
Rhaenyra classified these lords into categories. Those who supported her, those who opposed her, those who sat on the fence, waiting for her to offer a higher price, and those who supported her on the surface but were already writing to Alicent secretly.
She wrote their names on different pieces of parchment and posted them on the wall of her study. She would look at them every day, reevaluate them every day, and adjust the placement of those names based on new information every day.
This wall is the map of Seven Kingdoms. Every name is a city, and what she is fighting is a war without smoke or swords, but more cruel than any other war.
Among these names, there was one name that she circled and drew again and again with a red pen, and wrote it in the most conspicuous position. No other names around her dared to be juxtaposed with it.
Velaryon.
Driftmark. Rhaenys·Velaryon.
The richest, most powerful and shrewd lord in Seven Kingdoms is currently sitting in the stone castle of Driftmark, watching every move of King's Landing with his eyes that read countless people.
His fleet suffered heavy losses in the naval battle of Stepstones. The sunken battleships, the sailors buried at the bottom of the sea, and the wood and canvas burned to ashes by the dragon's breath, together were a huge loss that could bankrupt any family.
But House Velaryon is not bankrupt.
It's not because their wealth is inexhaustible, but because Rhaenys·Velaryon's brain is better than the combined account books of any Seven Kingdoms accountant.
While everyone was still lamenting the losses, she had already begun to calculate how to make up for those losses at the minimum cost, how to occupy the most advantageous position in the post-disaster reconstruction process, and how to strive for the greatest benefits for House Velaryon in the future power structure.
More importantly, House Velaryon has two Dragonrider and two adult Dragon. Sea Snake's daughter - the nominal stepsister of Rhaenyra? No, Sea Snake's daughter is much younger than her and is another child.
The daughter of Sea Snake, Rhaenyra quickly went through the family tree of House Velaryon in her mind.
Sea Snake's son Laenor was her previous engagement partner, but that engagement ended due to the strong intervention of Redd.
Laenor later died without marriage. Only Laena gave birth to children. Those children gradually grew up. After a while, they may become Dragonrider.
Now there are two adult Dragon, two Dragonrider, and there may be two more Dragonrider in the future - this power, in the entire Westeros, only House Targaryen and House Milasis can match it.
She must pull House Velaryon into her camp. It's not "if possible", it's not "try your best", it's "must".
But what to exchange for? House Velaryon is not short of money, and Driftmark's treasury is filled with wealth shipped back from the other side of the Narrow Sea.
House Velaryon has no shortage of territory. Although Driftmark is not big, it has a unique position and controls the throat of Blackwater Bay.
House Velaryon has no shortage of troops. Even if the fleet suffered heavy losses, they are still the most powerful maritime force in Seven Kingdoms besides the Dragon King fleet. What do they lack?
Rhaenyra thought for a long time and came up with an answer. What they lacked was recognition. A formal and unquestionable recognition from Iron Throne.
Acknowledge the status of House Velaryon on the Narrow Sea, acknowledge their control over certain waterways, and acknowledge that their lineage is as ancient, as noble, and as worthy of being remembered by history as House Targaryen.
Rhaenys is a proud person, she doesn't care about money, territory, or military strength.
What she cares about is that the surname Velaryon will not be mentioned by future generations a thousand or ten thousand years later, without the words "vassal of House Targaryen" in front of it.
Rhaenyra wrote a letter to Rhaenys. The letter was very short, with only one sentence. "The flag of Driftmark should fly on the same wall as the flag of Targaryen."
She didn't write "If you are willing to support me", she didn't write "What kind of reward I will give you", she didn't write any specific conditions. She didn't need to write.
Rhaenys is a smart person. When a smart person reads a letter, what he reads is not the words written on the paper, but the meaning behind the words.
The meaning of this sentence is - I will not regard Velaryon as a vassal, I will regard Velaryon as an ally.
Not masters and subordinates, not monarchs and ministers, not superiors and subordinates, but flags flying side by side on the same wall, sitting on equal footing and respecting each other.
She handed the letter to the messenger and watched the man leave the courtyard of Red Keep on horseback. The horse's hooves made a series of crisp and rapid sounds on the stone floor, getting farther and farther, and finally disappeared in the direction of the city gate.
After that letter was sent, she waited for a reply every day. The reply from Rhaenys did not come, but another news came.
Viserys is going to attend Small Council again.