Oh, also, I had an idea for another component of the game:
What if there was an influence mechanic? So at the beginning of the game, all families have equal power over the realm, the original patriarch and matriarch of the family beginning as minor nobility (or perhaps even peasants). However, as the game progresses, you gain influence via the increasing of three stats: money, political power and popularity. You gain these via two ways: either through gaining more members, thus gaining a higher chance of one of your offspring gaining a higher rank (tying back into the noble rank feature that I previously suggested, or events - randomised occurrences that either benefit you, benefit the rival families, debuff you, or debuff the rival families (EGS: A member of your family becomes an explorer, and either discovers a new continent, or is found out to be a fraud). This is where the long-awaited advantage of the Salestor family emerges, as thanks to their intelligence, they have a higher chance of earning positive events.