The rising sun in the east symbolized life, and the east was where the living resided. The temples, palaces, and residential areas of Thebes were built on the east bank of the Nile, while the west bank was dedicated to structures for the deceased. Compared to the prosperity of the east bank, the cluster of mausoleum temples appeared distant and desolate in the morning light.
The newly risen sun shone directly onto the majestic peaks of the Theban mountains. The completely silent mortal world suddenly began to tremble from all directions. Several golden-red war banners adorned with ibis totems were raised, unfolding in wave-like ripples with the wind, obscuring the sun.
The bronze wheels of the gilded chariot crushed over the gravel, emitting a dull roar. Finally, with a sharp screech, the chariot stopped at the very front of the military formation.
The new king stepped onto the high lookout platform. He removed the white crown and put on the war helmet symbolizing command in battle. Even the light of the rising sun suddenly felt cold on his long sword.
At the head of the phalanx formation, a soldier raised a sickle-shaped curved sword. The bronze blade, repeatedly sharpened by craftsmen before the expedition, showed serrated wave patterns. The curved sword wielder suddenly flipped his wrist!
“Fight for the master of the land of Upper Egypt!”
From one cry, it gathered into a powerful chorus of voices…
“Fight for the master of the land of Upper Egypt! Fight for the master of the land of Upper Egypt!”
“My steps belong to the Pharaoh, my glory to Egypt!”
The wave of sound was enough to shake the entire golden desert, startling beetles in distant crevices into sudden movement, causing them to burrow into the swirling quicksand below.
Rahotep looked down at the orderly formation. In the royal city behind these soldiers, the granaries were filled with grains, flowing like a golden molten stream.
He would personally lead this campaign whose banners were directed towards Libya.
After reviewing the troops, he descended step by step from the lookout platform, to a spot shaded by brick walls, hidden from the sun and out of the public’s sight.
“Pharaoh?”
Xin Hexue asked in confusion, looking at Rahotep who had stopped here and did not move forward.
Suddenly, a warm body pressed close against him. The distance was so near that he felt the burning breath scorching his earlobe. Xin Hexue controlled the instinctive urge to flinch away due to the heat.
Rahotep raised both hands and firmly cupped Xin Hexue’s jaw.
His gaze lingered on those lips for a long time, so long that Xin Hexue pursed his lips, squeezing out a faint, barely noticeable red from the light pink.
Rahotep lowered his head and tilted his jaw slightly, as if aiming for the direction of those lips.
Then he abruptly released his hands, his expression changing several times.
“…”
Xin Hexue tried his best not to show an impatient expression. His eyes curved as if smiling, like a fennec fox, “Your Majesty, what is the matter?”
Rahotep stared at him for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Over there, when zhi ji face separation, would they be reluctant to part?”
Xin Hexue suddenly understood.
After all that posturing, it was actually that he was reluctant to let him go.
He walked side by side with Rahotep down the lookout tower, accompanying him until he boarded the war chariot.
“I will await the good news of Your Majesty’s return in the royal city.” Xin Hexue stood below the war chariot,his back against the large surface of the Theban walls stained pink by the rising sun.
Rahotep whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Keep an eye on the old priest and my royal brother.”
Xin Hexue’s pink eyes shifted.
……
Seto was also in this campaign, after all, he had experience fighting Libyan rebels.
Rahotep indeed had many brothers, but aside from those who were already married and independent, those sent to the nomes as administrative officials, and those who were insignificant, yet had connections with the old priests, that left only Anket, who had been under house arrest for a long time.
Many in the palace no longer directed their words and gazes towards this royal family member. The long house arrest had faded him from the minds of the public.
There was no unusual activity, as if he had truly ceased all operations.
Xin Hexue would not make his surveillance so obvious. He only ordered Nub to pay extra attention to the comings and goings at Ankhet’s palace during his daily inspections of the palace.
Apart from these matters, Xin Hexue’s daily work returned to its normal routine after Rahotep and Seto left.
For nearly half a month, he still made offerings at the sanctuary of the temple in the early morning. The Vizier, who handled government affairs, occasionally came in the morning to ask for his opinion. After noon, Xin Hexue would go to Deir el-Medina village to discuss new tool improvements with the craftsmen. Only when night approached could he fully free up his time to enjoy dinner and post-meal fruits.
The unprocessed coconut juice had only a very faint sweetness.
Amra…a region that had poor tax revenues in previous years and lacked tribute due to poor harvests was now able to send generous gifts of gratitude to Thebes after this campaign against the rebels.
The natural environment of ancient Egypt was predominantly desert, with only the areas along the Nile River having large habitable oases. It lacked the high temperature and high humidity conditions required for coconuts, so coconuts could only be imported from other regions through trade networks.
Even the nobles of Upper Egypt’s royal city could only consume them on special occasions.
Yet a small city like Amra was able to offer coconuts in large quantities, along with precious woods, kohl, resins, ointments, and gums, as tribute to the city of Thebes. Was that not very strange?
Leaving aside the gold and silver minerals, both coconuts and kohl were exotic specialties, with little connection to Upper Egypt itself.
Amra clearly had other channels, and to obtain these specialties as well as things from even more distant places…they could only do that through trade routes connecting to the Arabian Peninsula.
Egypt’s foreign trade was almost entirely monopolized by the kingdom. Things that were rare even in Upper Egypt’s royal city were so abundant in Amra, yet Amra was closer to Lower Egypt downstream of the Nile than Thebes was.
The silver spoon in Xin Hexue’s hand swayed slightly in the soup, stirring the fish at the bottom of the bowl.
Such a wealthy Amra…no wonder it attracted the covetous eyes of Libya and the rebels.
When deep in thought, his eyelashes habitually drooped, casting a faint shadow under his eyes. Just then, someone ran over to his palace. It was the Vizier, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. “Divine Envoy! Refugees from the town of Coptos have been spotted outside the city!”
The town of Coptos was only about forty kilometers north of Thebes, the only route for any Lower Egyptian army advancing on Thebes.
And now, several refugees from Coptos, their dusty linen clothes soaked in dark red blood, tearfully described how their homes had been ambushed by the Lower Egyptian army in a night attack, when they were completely unprepared.
Fire attacks had turned the water-scarce town into a living hell. Mud-brick houses collapsed, leaving only rubble behind. Trampled by the army, it was nearly reduced to ruins overnight.
The Vizier’s heart almost stopped.
To deal with the war against Libya, over eighty percent of Thebes’ military forces had been deployed. Now, with the Lower Egyptian army marching south, the numerical difference meant that Thebes was practically an empty city.
At such a special time…could it have been the Red King’s conspiracy from the very beginning?!
The Vizier was skilled at handling administrative affairs, but his military talent was almost zero. He turned his gaze to Xin Hexue. “Lord Iah…”
As if waiting for Xin Hexue to make a decision.
Xin Hexue looked at the refugees. “Settle them first.”
He turned to the Vizier. “Now, write a letter. Have Jeter deliver the message to His Majesty, to return to Thebes.”
Jeter was the hawk Rahotep had raised since childhood. After Rahotep led the army away, he had left it with Xin Hexue.
The Vizier seemed somewhat reassured, as if given a calming pill. He immediately called for someone to bring ink and began writing.
As he wrote, his reed pen paused.
Those refugees had trekked with immense difficulty from Coptos to Thebes, not daring to rest or slacken along the way, precisely because the Lower Egyptian army was still behind them, destroying their homes…
But, they had been ordered to flee at the outbreak of the war, relying on their feet to deliver the message. The Lower Egyptian army, however, had chariots and four-legged horses…
Thebes’ army was far south of Amra. Even if they rushed back at full speed, it would take eight hours.
Could they hold out until the king returned?
The Vizier became a little panicked, and a large drop of ink fell onto the papyrus. He quickly called for someone to replace it, then wrote swiftly and decisively. He hurriedly rolled the papyrus into a scroll, tied it with string to Jeter’s leg, and sent it off.
The hawk spread its golden-black wings, let out a clear cry, and flew toward the border between Amra and Libya.
The refugees were taken away to be settled. Even if efforts were made to conceal the situation, the news of Lower Egypt’s southern invasion spread quickly and everyone in Thebes, from top to bottom, was on edge.
Finally, they sank into a state of panic and chaos.
Chaos was the best mask. Those officials who were already dissatisfied with the new king’s rule began to grow restless, unable to hold back any longer.
Despite it being night, they left their residences and crowded outside the palace, demanding to see the Divine Envoy and the Vizier.
“Where is the Vizier?!”
“We demand to see Lord Iah!”
“For the safety of the nobles and people of the royal city, Thebes should not put up a futile resistance now…!”
The Vizier followed closely beside Xin Hexue. They stood under the corridor eaves, looking toward the group of ministers being held back by guards in the distance. Among those ministers, some were loyal officials who wanted to discuss strategies with the Vizier, some were generals volunteering to resist the Lower Egyptian army, and others were mixed in, urging surrender.
Xin Hexue did not know much about the ministers under Rahotep’s command. He said to the Vizier, “Record the names of those who are stirring up trouble. They will be dealt with after the king returns.”
He then turned to speak to Nub, intending to have him keep a close watch on Ankhet.
But when he turned around, the guard who usually followed him closely was nowhere to be seen.
“Nub?”
Xin Hexue subconsciously searched among the guards for his figure.
From the direction of Ankhet’s palace, a servant came stumbling and rolling over, prostrating himself at Xin Hexue’s feet. Blood spread out around him from his body. “Guard Captain Nub…! Guard Captain killed His Highness Ankhet!”
Xin Hexue’s expression changed. “What?”
This night was destined to be a sleepless one.
Inside the luxuriously decorated palace, large expanses of gold and red carpets were laid out, making it hard to distinguish whether it was blood or the dyed fabric of the carpets themselves.
The strong smell of blood assaulted the nostrils, mingling with the burning incense in the palace, creating a chaotic and unpleasant odor.
Several soldiers lay around the palace, clutching their wounds and moaning. In the center of the palace, Ankhet’s condition was unknown, a cold dagger embedded in his chest.
Servants and physicians swarmed in.
Amid the shadowy figures, the crumpled paper clutched in the royal’s hand caught Xin Hexue’s attention.
He covered his mouth and nose. His sense of smell was high and the chaotic smells in the environment made him uncomfortable. He coughed softly a few times and raised his hand, signaling a servant to retrieve those few crumpled pieces of paper.
When he unfolded those pieces of papyrus, Xin Hexue raised his eyebrows slightly.
They were just a few blank pieces of papyrus that had not yet been written on.
Moreover, the other sword in the room, probably belonging to Ankhet, seemed to have been knocked aside and thrown to the ground. After losing his weapon, a person’s first reaction should be to look for something that could serve as a shield or protective weapon. Why would he pick up a few light pieces of paper?
And then there was Nub, who suddenly attacked the royal…
What was Nub trying to tell him?
