The entire Theban palace became a boiling pot, with people coming in and out like busy ants. Not only because of the news of the Lower Egyptian army’s southward advance, but also due to the sudden assassination attempt on Prince Ankhet. No one slept through the night and the palace was brightly lit.
The north wind carried sand and a murderous aura, blowing through the shutters and onto the few pieces of papyrus in Xin Hexue’s hands.
The corners of the paper pages flapped against each other in the wind, making a crackling sound.
The light and shadow in Xin Hexue’s eyes shifted. He released his hand covering his mouth and nose, beckoned to a nearby palace servant, and commanded, “Bring a candle.”
In the chaotic, noisy palace, his voice fell clearly on everyone’s ears, like jade striking jade…clear, bright, and warm, distinctly separate from the disorderly situation.
The servant who usually attended to him promptly and cleverly brought a candle.
The wind blew, causing the crimson flame to flicker. The flame’s core was held beneath the paper, and the red glow shone through the papyrus until hidden writing gradually began to appear.
The servant couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, “Lord Iah, this is…”
It was merely using alum’s color change when heated to transmit secret messages, but explaining such things to others at the moment was difficult. Xin Hexue simply smiled and said, “A little trick of the sorcerers.”
He then focused carefully on examining the few pieces of papyrus stained with dark red blood at the edges. Based on the content of the letters from the old priest to Ankhet, the rebellious intentions of both parties and their various backers were already clear.
They had even colluded with Lower Egypt to restore the power of the Osiris priest group, echoing each other’s sentiments.
Faint, pained gasps could be heard. Xin Hexue glanced at Ankhet, who was currently lying on the ground. Physicians were urgently stopping his bleeding and had summoned royal doctors with qualifications and experience in surgery.
Thinking about it, Ankhet’s previous intrusion into the administrative palace, which provoked Rahotep’s anger leading to his house arrest, was also intentional…allowing him to stay within the palace as an inside collaborator while keeping a low profile to reduce suspicion.
It’s just that Rahotep should have considered more when he placed Ankhet under house arrest.
The only thing Xin Hexue couldn’t figure out was what exactly Ankhet had done to provoke such anger in the usually suspicious Rahotep, leading to his dismissal from office and house arrest for reflection.
Just before Rahotep decided to match on to Libya, Xin Hexue had already pointed out the anomalies in the gifts presented by the Amra region…that behind them must be the handiwork of Lower Egypt, secretly transporting treasures to the Amra region via trade routes, making it exceptionally wealthy, attracting the covetous eyes of both Libya and the rebels, and directing Upper Egypt’s spear towards Libya.
He and the White King had discussed all night and their ideas coincided. They ultimately decided to deliberately create the appearance of falling into a “lure the tiger away from the mountain” trap, even leaving the Vizier completely unaware of the plan’s details. They aimed to take advantage of the chaos caused by the southward advance of the army to lure the snake out of its hole.
In such chaotic situations, those who overestimate themselves are most likely to reveal their flaws.
It seemed Ankhet was among the top of those arrogant ones. His old priest uncle had clearly instructed in the letter to burn it after reading, but Ankhet did not heed the advice and stubbornly kept it.
Now, these few pieces of papyrus letters had been obtained without any effort.
Xin Hexue concealed the glint in his eyes. He put away the letters and moved outside the hall, his chest feeling clearer.
The air in the courtyard corridor lacked the indescribable mix of incense and blood.
A team of patrol soldiers arrived in succession.
Xin Hexue turned back and asked the leader, “Have you found Nub?”
Soldier: “No. The last palace servant who saw Nub said he left the palace gate and jumped into the Nile River.”
The Pharaoh’s brother lay in the palace, his condition unknown, and the assassin was actually the guard captain they usually worked with in the patrol team.
The soldier’s face had a bewildered expression.
Xin Hexue looked at the moonlight; tonight was a full moon.
Did Nub find the letters in the palace, try to collect them to hand over to him, and then Ankhet discovered it, leading to the argument and fight?
But he felt Nub wasn’t the kind of person to pursue a fight to the death kind of struggle. This wasn’t a desperate situation; it shouldn’t have come to having to stab a dagger into Ankhet’s chest.
Unless there was some additional grudge between Nub and Ankhet that made Nub fight fiercely, and after succeeding, leaving behind evidence useful to Xin Hexue before fleeing Thebes.
Although it wasn’t the Nile Aket season now, even if the current wasn’t so strong, the probability of someone surviving in the night was still very small. Facing such a large river, it was no longer appropriate to send manpower to search laboriously, especially with the more severe situation of the Lower Egyptian army approaching.
Furthermore, if found and brought back, the crime of assassinating an Egyptian royal, even if this royal had rebellious intentions…the murder charge would not bring a good outcome for Nub.
It was better to hope that Nub’s swimming skills and physical condition were up to par, and that he could successfully escape and return to his Nubian homeland.
“Go ask the Vizier to come see me. I have important matters to discuss with him,” Xin Hexue said.
Compared to other things, the top priority now was facing the southward advancing army of Lower Egypt.
The hawk delivering the message and then the army’s rapid return to Thebes would take about eight hours.
This was the risk in the plan.
Xin Hexue glanced at the water clock; it was approximately 3 a.m. now. He had to delay this time difference. As long as the Lower Egyptian army delayed until noon to engage…
By then, it would be time to cleanse the palace inside and out, clean up the filth, and establish rule over the two lands.
[5:30]
K provided a more precise time report.
The administrative palace was already noisy and chaotic, like a pot of boiling hot porridge.
“I disagree! Why should wartime command be given to a priest? Besides offering sacrifices, does he even know how to conduct military campaigns?!”
“I volunteer to resist Lower Egypt!”
“Vizier, why are you silent? What is your opinion?”
There were vague figures outside the curtain, engaged in a fierce argument. Suddenly, someone suggested weakly,
“The Pharaoh and Prince Seto are absent, what about Prince Ankhet? He was the chief charioteer of the golden chariot army and the Pharaoh’s brother…”
As soon as he spoke, several loud and powerful voices suddenly echoed in agreement…
“We want to see Prince Ankhet!”
“But Prince Ankhet… I heard he was assassinated tonight? He is now seriously injured, his condition unknown.”
Xin Hexue listened to their discussions, from Ankhet’s assassination attempt to the fact that the assassin Nub was a guard brought to Thebes by the Divine Envoy.
“Then it’s even more reason not to let the Divine Envoy handle wartime deployment and command. Who knows if it’s…”
“Our duty during the Pharaoh’s absence is to defend the Pharaoh’s rule!”
The golden flail struck out with an ethereal sound, not loud but enough to silence the ministers familiar with this sound.
They turned in unison to find the source, which was behind them within the curtains.
Servants lifted the curtain, and Xin Hexue walked out. He moved towards the highest throne in the hall.
A line drawn with turquoise powder extended from the corner of his eye, curling into a small hook that vanished into his silver-white hair. The silver-white color was very unique, reminiscent of flawless white down, as if blessed by the moon goddess, with silver light lingering among the strands.
The golden flail made of gold and ebony in his hand shimmered with flowing light, and the crook staff displayed full authority.
The Pharaoh had entrusted the flail and staff, symbols of royal power, to him.
Until Xin Hexue ascended the steps and stood at the highest position, not one of the restless ministers below dared to make another sound.
[6:30]
Much earlier than estimated.
Under normal circumstances, the Lower Egyptian army should have rested overnight in Coptos. The distance between Coptos and Thebes was about twice that from Thebes to Amra, so the White King’s army returning from Amra to the royal city would have been more than sufficient.
But the Lower Egyptian army seemed forged of iron, leaving almost no time for rest.
Dense crowds of figures emerged at the distant end of the sand dunes. They appeared before the vast Theban mountains like a golden molten flow, the end of their formation unseen, wave upon wave.
The copper nails on the raised blue lotus patterns of the crocodile skin shields gleamed with cold, harsh light.
The scouts marching at the forefront quickly assessed the situation and rushed back to the army’s center.
“Sir! For some reason, the gates of Thebes are wide open. It looks like they’ve already given up resistance. Should the entire army advance?”
Huowen, the officer being addressed, was the general leading this campaign. He had the same wheat-colored skin and dark hair as other Egyptians.
He dismounted from his chariot and climbed a distant high slope to look out. Driven by intuitive caution, the army stopped on this sand dune.
The wind swept through the rolling weeds, carrying the scent of dust that warmed with the rising sun.
Golden light spread extensively over the city walls. As the scout reported, Thebes’ gates were wide open. Only a few dozen people were sweeping below the city towers, all dressed in simple civilian clothes but tall and sturdy.
In the distance, Huowen saw someone ascend to the high point of the city tower.
Sunlight reflected off the gold of the flail and staff.
Huowen’s eyes gradually narrowed, his suspicion growing.
‘The White King?’
But hasn’t the White King already marched to Libya?
Could the information be wrong?
His close aide beside him said, “Is that person the rumored Divine Envoy?”
Looking carefully, the one who ascended the city tower was indeed wearing white robes, matching the description of the Divine Envoy in the rumors.
Huowen frowned. He didn’t dare to be rash when it came to making military decisions. He commanded the soldiers behind him, “Go, bring that old priest over.”
[9:00]
The Lower Egyptian army hesitated in place. Unlike other generals, Huowen was cautious in his campaigns. Even in situations where intelligence clearly indicated a significant advantage in numbers, he still worried about deception, avoiding unnecessary losses and sacrifices after falling into a trap. He captured the old priest who had defected to Lower Egypt to confirm the accuracy of the intelligence.
Xin Hexue faced the sunlight; even wearing white robes, he was starting to feel somewhat uncomfortable. He was about to move to the shaded side to rest for a while when a sharp-eyed archer noticed something unusual and alerted Xin Hexue, “Lord Iah, they are sending someone!”
A scout escorted an elderly man, showing no regard for this hostage. After standing still outside the city, he forced him to his knees with a push and grabbed the hostage’s hair, ensuring his face was exposed to everyone. It was a wrinkled, sweat-drenched old face, but all Thebans were familiar with him.
“Your former high priest is in our hands. If you want us to release the prisoner, we request the current High priest to come alone to the tent to discuss terms.”
“Within half an hour. If the High priest refuses to come, we will kill the prisoner and storm Thebes.”
Xin Hexue, who was originally leaning against the wall, straightened up at these words and carefully examined the scout and his prisoner.
What was this about?
Did the Lower Egyptian army general intend to exchange hostages?
The said tent was set up at the midpoint between the city gate and the army. Yellow sand rolled, lifting the tent flaps.
[9:25]
Turning his back to the voices behind him…some dissuading, some worried, some suppressing dissatisfaction…the white robe floated in the yellow sand like a strand of moonlight gauze, moving slowly to the front of the tent. The scout at the entrance stopped him, “Are you sure you are the High Priest of Upper Egypt?”
A few strands of silver hair spilled out from under the white robe’s hood, brought out by a hand.
The hand had fair skin, prominent joints, and was thin and distinct.
“Has the commander confirmed it?”
Xin Hexue spoke.
The scout swallowed inexplicably, and his ears turned red, “Our commander has been waiting for you for a long time! Go in quickly!”
Xin Hexue rolled his eyes, and put his hand back into the white robe.
He was curious; what medicine was the Lower Egyptian army selling in its gourd? Were they so sure that the people in their royal city still believed in the former high priest, that the old priest’s prestige remained unshakable?
Xin Hexue had come to meet the Lower Egyptian commander with the intention of stalling for time, pretending to negotiate terms.
The moment he stepped inside the tent, his vision suddenly darkened as linen cloth descended over his head and face, and covered him completely.
Then, he felt someone hoist him over their shoulder without hesitation and shout, “Run!”
“Commander?!”
The scout turned back and saw Huowen already carrying the enemy priest. He lifted the tent flap and quickly ran back to the large army, making a retreat gesture.
The movements were as smooth as if they had been rehearsed countless times.
Banners fluttered, and shadows danced as they withdrew toward Lower Egypt.
Xin Hexue’s stomach was on the man’s shoulder, and the jolting from running even made him nauseous.
What did this mean?!
He was tightly restrained by the legs, unable to struggle.
Lower Egypt used Amra to set a trap, provoking conflict between Libya and Upper Egypt, and then ostentatiously mobilized a large army to press on the border…
Was the purpose to carry away the High Priest of Upper Egypt?!
In such an undignified manner?
Ridiculous!
Ridiculous!!
Ridiculous!!!
Xin Hexue scratched the general’s back, and demanded in a hoarse voice, “Let… ahem… let go!”
