Even faster than Seto, who ran like a wolf, returning to the Thebes palace was the hawk that had initially flown away from the palm tree.
When it spread its wings to fly, the golden-black feathers connected the sky above to the desert below, as if it were the unrivaled master of this land.
Finally, it circled two or three times above the administrative palace at the center of the royal complex. The shadow of its wings fell on the open space in the courtyard, and its high-pitched cry immediately alerted the servants below to its presence.
The servants had to lift their heads against the blinding sunlight to look up at the circling hawk, and soon after recognizing it, they shouted, “Lord Jeter!”
Then hurriedly entered the administrative palace.
The master of the palace finally emerged from the grand hall. His steps were steady as he entered the courtyard, his sturdy legs extending muscle lines from beneath the layers of folded linen wrapped around his waist.
Golden light passed through the circular complex of buildings, shining upon Rahotep’s wheat-toned body, making the braided hair adorned with gold ornaments and the crown embedded with carnelian, lapis lazuli, and turquoise resting on his full forehead gleam like shimmering water, radiant and sparkling.
The hawk shifted from its circling state in the sky. It dove rapidly from high above, its sharp eyes narrowing into slits filled with wildness and danger.
A servant approaching from the corridor gasped in surprise, overturning the golden plate they carried. The vibrant, fresh grapes on the plate scattered like a collapsing hill, rolling away across the ground.
“Jeter.”
Rahotep said.
The hawk named Jeter finally landed steadily on the Pharaoh’s raised arm.
Rahotep’s expression remained unchanged, merely saying in a deep voice, “You are too complacent and always forgetting the rules.”
The hawk lowered its head slightly. When the servant who had entered the palace to announce its arrival earlier brought out its golden perch shaped like a tree branch, it stepped onto it on its own in a rare obedient manner.
The servant who had overturned the fruit platter hurriedly apologized. Rahotep did not mind and waved his hand.
The servant specifically tasked with attending to Jeter also arrived, offering water to Lord Jeter upon his return from his flight and grooming its majestic golden-black feathers.
Rahotep had inherited some traditions from his father. Like the previous Pharaoh, he maintained a menagerie. However, unlike his father, he had no particular interest in watching beasts tear each other apart or humans fight beasts. Thus, he did not confine two male lions together or pit humans against lions.
Even this hawk, which had grown up with him since childhood, Rahotep never bound it with golden chains. It had the freedom to go out for flights at any time each day, soaring considerable distances to visit its family outside the palace.
Unlike cunning humans, Rahotep never doubted Jeter’s loyalty.
However, Jeter seemed unusual today.
It climbed the golden tree with its sharp talons, the force so great that the entire golden tree platform trembled with its every step.
“Did you see something interesting today?”
Rahotep stroked the hawk’s sharp beak, applying slight pressure to ensure it retained its wild edge…still capable of tearing through the bloody hide of prey with ease.
Jeter paced another circle with its talons.
Rahotep could not know its thoughts, nor what it had seen and heard. But, from the way Jeter’s claws mimicked capturing prey, he ventured a guess: “Perhaps you miss your old friend?”
Jeter had grown up with an Egyptian cobra.
The reason lay in their third birthday gifts: he had asked his father for a hawk, while his twin brother, born of the same parents, had requested a poisonous cobra.
The choice of gifts revealed much about the brothers’ contrasting temperaments and the nature of their relationship.
Whether it was a bird of prey or a venomous snake, they were both predators in the ecosystem, competing for food in this land of golden sands in a life-or-death struggle. If a hawk were to hunt a cobra, it would have to be wary of the venom that could swiftly paralyze muscles and deliver a fatal blow.
“But…”
“Soon.”
Rahotep murmured, his eyes gazing toward the north of the palace.
Egypt could not have two rulers for long. The soldiers and chariots of Upper Egypt would crush the palace of Lower Egypt, and only then would his reign be complete.
However, just like the fertile lands blessed by the gods, provisions must come before the sword.
Rahotep would ensure he was thoroughly prepared before the war arrived.
As he pondered this, hurried footsteps approached from the far end of the corridor. He turned and asked, “Where did the divine envoy go today, and what did he do?”
Rahotep commanded a force that monitored the entire court, down to every noble and official. The nobles remained unaware that their new pharaoh was unlike the aged, foolish ruler of the past. Under the watchful eyes of the pharaoh’s spies, they carried on with their petty schemes, ignorant of the blade hanging over their necks.
Naturally, the mysterious envoy was also under surveillance. Rahotep did not fully trust him yet…or perhaps, by nature, he was paranoid and controlling. Even after having a heart to heart, it was likely Rahotep would never withdraw his watchful gaze.
The servants had already discreetly withdrawn.
The guard, disguised as an ordinary commoner, stepped forward to report his findings.
—
“Ankhet?” Rahotep was surprised to hear that his overly arrogant and foolish brother had appeared around the Divine Envoy. “They were traveling together?”
The guard recalled something and informed him of everything that had happened after last night’s banquet, when Ankhet had actively sought out the Divine Envoy.
“Using beauty to serve the ruler?”
Rahotep sneered at this statement.
Was this idiot’s brain filled with nothing but mud from the bottom of the Nile?
Rahotep said, “This does remind me that the transfer order for him hasn’t been issued yet.”
This was why the other party was still clinging to the chief charioteer position in the guard unit. “Send him to build the obelisk outside the temple tomorrow.”
………
Before Ankhet could even return to the palace, an urgent transfer order had already been delivered to him from the scribes.
Of course, he couldn’t question the Pharaoh. This order was itself a punishment for spreading the news on the day of the Divine Envoy’s arrival that the Divine Envoy had been bitten by a cobra and cursed by its venom.
Ankhet could only storm back to his own palace in a rage.
His uncle, the High Priest of Osiris, the god of fertility, entered the room just in time to see Ankhet furiously sweep everything off the table. Metal objects clattered, and pottery bowls shattered into pieces with a crash, leaving a scene of utter chaos and mess.
The elderly High Priest shook his head, well aware that his nephew was a man developed in limbs but not so much when it came to a calm and clear head. Nevertheless, Ankhet shared the blood of his sister, and now the young Pharaoh was intent on replacing the priestly group with fresh blood, attempting to consolidate royal and divine authority into his own hands. In order to seize the power to interpret the divine will, he had not only pushed the Divine Envoy as the new High Priest but was also vigorously suppressing the original priestly group of Osiris.
Therefore, to change their circumstances, the High Priest would not abandon his plan to see his nephew ascend to the throne.
“Why such anger? Calm down, Ankhet.”
The High Priest tried to dissuade him.
Ankhet took a deep breath. “My brother knows perfectly well that I know nothing about construction and building matters!”
If he were put in charge of building the obelisk, he would have to behave like a puppet, obediently following the orders of the scribes beneath him.
The High Priest frowned, clearly also dissatisfied with the Pharaoh’s transfer order that stripped Ankhet of his real power. “This is exactly how he intends to punish you, to make you suffer, to reprimand you for your disrespect towards the royal authority and the Divine Envoy.”
When he mentioned the Divine Envoy, Ankhet suddenly fell into a strange silence. He paused for a moment before angrily saying, “Yes! Why is he the one who succeeded to the throne? I was Father’s most beloved son while he was alive!”
The High Priest did not notice Ankhet’s strange silence and deliberate change of topic regarding the “disrespect towards the Divine Envoy.”
“We must counterattack,” the High Priest said. His face, wrinkled with age, was no longer as kindly as in the past, finally revealing the underlying sinister nature hidden beneath. “He wants to elevate the Divine Envoy to a higher position and smoothly replace me. I will make sure that the Divine Envoy falls hard.”
Ankhet turned his head sharply and asked, “What do you mean?”
The High Priest’s mouth twitched into a smile, and the wrinkles on his face became prominent, making his once handsome young face now resemble a mummy before it was wrapped in white bandages.
“A Divine Envoy who, during his first time presiding over an important ceremony, behaves disgracefully in front of everyone, unable to maintain a pure mind and body…” the High Priest retorted, “…would he still be worthy of the title ‘Divine Envoy’ and competent for the position of High Priest?”
Ankhet pressed his lips together, his expression darkening. He seemed to want to say something but swallowed it back down his throat, only asking, “What are you going to do?”
The High Priest signaled for the slave woman outside to enter. She had black hair, and malachite powder was applied to the corners of her eyes to outline the arc. Her olive-colored skin was covered with scented oil for care, like honey mixed with gold powder, and her long skirt dragged on the ground.
Indeed, she was a beautiful woman.
Ankhet frowned and retorted without thinking,, “The Divine Envoy doesn’t seem like someone who would indulge in female charms.”
He didn’t know how to put it, but he felt that Xin Hexue was different from anyone he had ever met.
Suddenly recalling the scene under the palm tree before, where Xin Hexue had loosened his white robe…it was the first time Ankhet had seen his skin besides that of his face and neck, even though Xin Hexue had a wrapped cloth around his waist and below.
But in the areas not covered by the fabric, what met the eye was pure white, making it difficult to associate dirty desires with him. It was as if even imagining such things would be blasphemous.
Ankhet began to feel agitated because of his uncle’s plan. He tried to find points of impossibility through rebuttal to make his uncle abandon this plan, even seemingly forgetting that he and this High Priest were supposed to be on the same side.
“Before, you said that using the venom curse stunt to shake the Divine Envoy’s reputation was foolproof, but the cobra we released didn’t even bite him. Our people conveyed the wrong message, acted on their own initiative, and instead were outmaneuvered.”
Ankhet grabbed his hair. “If it weren’t for this, I wouldn’t have been transferred to build the obelisk!”
The High Priest remained calm. “That was just an accident. A temporary setback won’t overly affect the final victory.”
“Ankhet, if you think this is simply a matter of seduction by beauty, you are seriously underestimating your kinsman. You should ask me…” the High Priest said, “…what is so unique about this slave woman that would drive people mad for her.”
Ankhet looked up at his uncle.
The High Priest smiled. “She is from Assyria.”
Ankhet had heard the name. It was very far from Upper Egypt, requiring travel along the Nile all the way to Lower Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, then crossing the Sinai Peninsula and continuing north.
Assyria was adjacent to Babylon, but due to marital alliances with Babylon, their understanding of Babylon far exceeded that of Assyria.
To them, Assyria was still a rather mysterious country. Some said the people there all knew some kind of magical potions.
The slave woman from Assyria spoke Egyptian with a strange accent, but Ankhet understood. She was telling his uncle to have another slave come in to demonstrate for His Highness Ankhet.
The slave woman indeed brought out a bottle of a strange potion and mixed it into a cup of wine. Nothing seemed unusual under the cover of the turbid liquid, and there was no easily noticeable pungent smell.
However, after another Egyptian slave drank it, he began to exhibit an ugly behavior like a beast in heat.
Ankhet frowned tightly.
The High Priest said in a low, deep voice, “This potion will make the drinker reveal the most primal biological reactions.”
The most primal biological reactions?
Would that person… also have dirty desires?
Ankhet remained standing in place, but his thoughts had wandered somewhere else entirely.
………
By the time Rahotep and the Vizier finished discussing state affairs, the sun had already sunk below the dunes.
The diligent Pharaoh invited his trusted minister to stay for dinner, and even during the meal, their conversation did not stray far from governance.
The Vizier brought up the Divine Envoy’s new ideas regarding the plow that day, but then remembered something, and his expression was tinged with guilt. “However, I was too impatient and hurriedly took the Divine Envoy up to the dry land on the hillside to observe the conditions. The Divine Envoy seemed to be physically exhausted and nearly fainted.”
“Is that so?” Rahotep’s eyelids lowered slightly. “What happened after that?”
The Vizier: “Prince Seto was extremely worried. He picked up the Divine Envoy, left the rest of us behind, and ran back to the palace. Presumably, the Divine Envoy should be resting in his quarters now.”
The Vizier muttered a few more words, and his sincere concern seemed genuine, as if he had already been completely won over by the Divine Envoy in less than two days.
“The Divine Envoy’s face was extremely pale at the time. It must have been the excessive heat and sunlight that caused his physical discomfort. I wonder how he is now…”
His words seemed to carry a subtle hope that Rahotep would grant him permission to move within the palace grounds to visit the Divine Envoy.
However, Rahotep did not respond to this at all. He simply had the Vizier escorted out of the palace after the meal.
This left the Vizier, who had been convinced that the Divine Envoy enjoyed the Pharaoh’s deep trust, somewhat uncertain in his perception.
How exactly did the Pharaoh view this Divine Envoy who, according to prophecy, would lead to the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt?
As the servants were clearing away the dinner, Rahotep walked out of the palace.
The central palace of Thebes was a vast complex of buildings, with winding corridors and halls. Lotus columns and blooming papyrus-style pillars stood within the court.
The Divine Envoy’s palace was actually not far from the Pharaoh’s living quarters or even the administrative halls, truly adjacent to the center of royal power in this land.
Rahotep had to admit that Xin Hexue’s existence truly surprised him. The other party clearly possessed profound knowledge…
That knowledge made him feel that the other person did not belong to this mortal world.
During their conversations, there were moments when Rahotep almost believed the prophecy on the giant stone, almost believed that the other party was truly a messenger of the gods, or perhaps, was a true god himself.
However, Rahotep quickly dismissed this thought.
Although he was born into this world, Rahotep was an atheist. Though, not entirely.
He simply believed that if gods existed in this world, they were gods who did not care about humans. They would not bring instructions or punishments to mankind.
All conflicts in the mortal world were the results of power struggles. Priests fought for the power to interpret divine will to secure high positions, and Pharaohs legitimized their royal authority by “embodying the gods” to perpetuate their dynasties.
Rahotep only considered Xin Hexue to be a smart person.
Nefer-Iah…
Was a man so smart it made him wary.
Rahotep had never learned the Divine Envoy’s true name and could only address him with the name he himself had fabricated.
The incident with the cobra that day was a result of his intentional indulgence. When the boat returning from the Aswan quarry docked at Thebes, someone had already reported to him that the High Priest’s people might be planning something unusual.
Therefore, Rahotep had intentionally dismissed the guards behind him and walked ahead with Xin Hexue, creating distance between the guards and the two of them, giving the High Priest’s faction an opportunity to act.
He did have intentions to test the Divine Envoy with this opportunity, and of course, was confident in ensuring both their safety should a crisis arise.
Iah was even smarter than he had imagined.
When he drew his sword to kill the cobra and hurriedly caught the fainting Divine Envoy, Rahotep was sure the cobra had not bitten the other party. He thought he had fainted from fear.
But that was merely an act, and he had been deceived too.
Xin Hexue only wanted the instigators to see him fall, and to make the mastermind behind the plot believe their scheme had succeeded. In their triumph, they would inevitably reveal their tails, and thus their hidden intentions.
Rahotep couldn’t help but admire the other party’s ability to adapt to the situation.
He entered the Divine Envoy’s bedchamber and signaled the servants to be silent.
Xin Hexue was sleeping deeply on the bed in the center of the room.
Gold-leaf-embedded sheer gauze hung on both sides of the head and foot of the bed, and a delicate wool blanket with lotus patterns was spread over the bed surface.
As the night wind intruded, the bed curtains lifted gently, the flowing gauze resembling the gentle shimmering waves on the surface of the Nile River, reflecting upon the young man’s sleeping figure.
Rahotep stared silently.
Extremely contradictory.
This was the same young man who was so smart it made him wary…to think that he could show such vulnerability simply because of the shining sun…
Rahotep looked at Xin Hexue for a long time.
The skin as white and luminous as the mother-of-pearl-like seemed suited for adornment with colored gemstones like lapis lazuli, red jade, agate, and jasper. Beaded chains would loop around the slender, pure white neck and drape down the chest. A gold and jade waist chain would encircle the narrow, lean, and firm waist, leaving red marks.
Extremely beautiful, but also extremely fragile.
He suddenly couldn’t help but recall the statement of “using beauty to serve the ruler” that Ankhet had made. The moment this thought arose, he abruptly felt that he, too, was a vulgar man.
Rahotep actually had another matter he was more concerned about.
That day, after he killed the cobra, he had unrestrainedly caught the staggering, falling Divine Envoy.
When he picked him up, Rahotep seemed to have sensed that hidden within the white robe was some secret…something long, slender, soft, and furry to the touch, its length extending all the way down past the back of the knee…
What could it be?
It didn’t seem like a part a human should possess.
Rahotep looked at Xin Hexue’s loincloth. When asleep, the other party wouldn’t be wearing complex robes, so the mystery didn’t have much space to hide.
Where did it grow from?
His seeking gaze fell upon the loincloth.
