Hiding the sword at the banquet
The night breeze from the Nile River, carrying the fragrance of water vapor and sedge, blows on every face in the Karnak Temple Square, some of which are awe-inspiring and some are unpredictable.
The afterglow of the fire purification ceremony had not yet dissipated, but Ding Wei had already placed her first chess piece at the center of this power.
"To celebrate the divine grace and the successful completion of the ceremony, I propose that the royal family hold a 'Double Kings' Banquet', inviting the chiefs and important officials of the thirty-six major tribes to drink together on the banks of the Nile to demonstrate the unity of Upper and Lower Egypt."
Her voice was clear and firm, and could be heard clearly in the silent square.
As soon as these words were spoken, the nobles began to whisper to each other, and their eyes involuntarily glanced at Queen Mother Nefert who was sitting beside the throne.
Everyone knows that a state banquet of this scale has always been the best stage for the Queen Mother to demonstrate her majesty and win over the hearts of the people.
As expected, a barely perceptible smile curved the corners of Nefer's lips. Just as she was about to respond, Ding Wei turned and bowed deeply to her, her gesture of utmost humility. "My mother is the wife of the late king and the biological mother of Your Majesty. Your status is unmatched. Such a grand event should be personally overseen by you to embody its solemnity. However, as a new princess, I still need experience. I humbly ask that you temporarily hand over the presiding role to me, while you sit high above and oversee the ceremony, supporting us younger generations. Would Your Majesty be willing to grant this?"
These words were flawless. They not only praised Nefert highly, but also used the title of "celebrant" to firmly nail her to the highest position in the public eye.
The person in charge of the ceremony only needs to observe the ceremony and cannot interfere.
This was equivalent to depriving her of the power to form alliances and manipulate matters secretly at the banquet.
Ding Wei actually wanted her to be a glamorous living decoration!
The graceful smile on Nefert's well-maintained face instantly froze.
She took a deep breath, and a coldness flashed in her eyes.
reject?
She couldn't find any reason.
In the face of such high-sounding etiquette and rules, any refusal would be regarded as suppression of the princess and disrespect to the two kings.
She could only squeeze out a few words from between her teeth: "Princess, if you are willing, I will do as you say."
The "Double Kings' Banquet" arrived as scheduled.
The lights on the banks of the Nile were like dragons, and gold and gems shone brightly in the firelight. The luxurious scene was enough to make any envoy from another country feel ashamed.
Ding Wei was dressed in formal attire as a princess, standing side by side with Ramses, accepting the worship of everyone.
And Nefer, as she "wished", sat high on the main seat, with a smile on her face, but her eyes were scanning the entire venue like a hawk.
When the banquet started, Ding Wei did something that surprised everyone.
She ignored the most prominent position at the top, which belonged to Seti, the military minister of Thebes and the chief of the Seti clan.
Instead, he held up a wine glass and walked straight towards several patriarchs of medium-sized and wavering tribes, chatting and laughing with them. His words were friendly but dignified, which made the patriarchs flattered and raised their glasses again and again.
Seti's expression darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye.
He, the leader of the largest tribe in Upper Egypt, with a large army under his command, was so blatantly ignored!
This is not only a humiliation, but also a political signal.
Sure enough, after clinking glasses with a minor clan leader, Ding Wei glanced casually in Seti's direction. Her voice, neither loud nor soft, was loud enough for the nobles at the surrounding tables to hear clearly: "I heard that the war drum that Lord Seti gifted our royal family has resounded majestically during the fire purification ceremony. I wonder, though the drum sounds are in sync with ours, is Lord Seti's heart also in tune with ours?"
As soon as the words fell, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Countless gazes, some probing, some playful, were directed at Seti.
Everyone present knew the significance of the drum.
Ding Wei's question was like a sharp knife, piercing Seti's unclear position.
The staff member beside Seti turned pale and said anxiously in a low voice, "Sir, the princess is forcing you to swear an oath in public!"
Seti's fingers, gripping the golden cup, turned white from the force. He snorted coldly, "I may respect the gods, but I don't necessarily trust people. She's a foreign woman who just arrived, and she thinks she can make me bow down to her with just one word?"
Having said that, he felt that the gazes cast upon him gradually became more and more scrutinizing.
The human heart is the most subtle thing.
If he does not give a clear answer today, rumors will probably spread in Thebes tomorrow that the Seti clan has ulterior motives.
By then, he will completely lose the support of those neutrals.
At this tense moment, Nefert, who was sitting in the main seat, slowly stood up.
Her majestic gaze swept across the audience, and she said in a deep voice, "Tonight's feast is a gift from the two kings. But everyone must remember that Egypt's divinely granted power is unique and cannot be divided lightly! The power of the Pharaoh is supreme. Any thought of undermining the foundation of the country or sharing royal power is a blasphemy against the gods and traditions!"
These words, on the surface, were meant to admonish the officials, but in reality, every sentence was a subtle satire on the "co-governance" system of Ding Wei and Ramses, reminding everyone that the royal power can only have one core.
She was rescuing Seti and at the same time declaring war on Ding Wei.
The whole audience fell silent, and the atmosphere became even more tense than before.
However, Ding Wei did not get angry but laughed instead.
She stood up gracefully, holding the wine glass high in her hand. Her voice was even louder than Nefer's, "Mother, you are absolutely right! The king's power is one, and Your Majesty and I are of one mind and one body. How can we talk about separation?"
She changed the subject, her gaze blazing as she surveyed the crowd. "Today's banquet isn't about delegating power, but about uniting hearts and minds! Since my mother mentioned the foundation of our nation, let's discuss something more practical. The Hittite Empire is eyeing us covetously, and it's time for Upper and Lower Egypt to unite against this enemy. Rather than empty talk, I invite you nobles to speak frankly – who is willing to lead the two kings into battle against the Hittites, swearing to be Egypt's vanguard?"
The question was thrown out unexpectedly, sharper and more deadly than Nefert's attack!
It instantly escalated a covert struggle over power into an open statement of loyalty.
The whole place was dead silent.
Everyone knew that this was a trap set by Ding Wei. The first person to speak, regardless of whether he was sincere or not, would be completely tied to the chariot of the two kings.
All eyes were once again focused on Seti.
He knew that he had no way to escape.
Silence at this moment is betrayal.
Finally, in a suffocating silence, Seti suddenly stood up.
His tall figure cast a heavy shadow, and his eyes were red, like a lion cornered.
He raised the pure gold goblet in his hand and roared loudly with all his strength: "I, Seti! I am willing to lead the Seti clan and follow the two kings to fight to the death!"
"Bang!"
With a crisp sound, he threw the golden cup hard onto the smooth stone slab, and it deformed instantly, and the wine splashed everywhere.
The act of throwing the cup as a signal, in ancient tradition, symbolizes an irrevocable blood oath.
Ding Wei's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Without even giving anyone time to react, she immediately shouted, "Where is the historian?"
A historian standing nearby immediately stepped forward, holding papyrus and a pen.
"Write that down!" Ding Wei's voice was firm.
"Seti, the Theban military minister, swore an oath at a banquet given by the two kings to be a pioneer for his country. His oath will be recorded in the royal annals, shining as brightly as the sun and the moon! To honor his loyalty and bravery, I hereby declare that all direct descendants of Seti's family may serve as generals in the imperial guards, protecting the royal palace!"
When these words were spoken, everyone in the room was shocked.
Recording Seti's oath in history blocked his way to regret.
Allowing his sons to serve as generals in the Imperial Guards may seem like the highest honor and trust, but in reality... it is placing the most important bloodline of his entire family under the direct control of the palace!
This is an open conspiracy, a reward, and the most ingenious hostage strategy.
Even Nefert, who had been watching coldly, had to curse in his heart, "What a good trick!", then forced a stiff smile and nodded slightly to show his approval.
The banquet ended in a strange and warm atmosphere.
Late at night, the lights in Ding Wei's bedroom were still brightly lit.
She did not rest, but instead, under the lamp, personally sorted out the list that had just been copied by the historian and printed with Seti's oath.
There was a slight sound of footsteps, and the temple priestess Isis walked in quietly, her expression solemn.
She respectfully handed a torn papyrus scroll to Ding Wei.
"Your Highness, this is a fragment I found in the deepest secret room of the temple. It contains records about... the previous generation of Lord Seti."
Ding Wei unfolded the torn pages, and the ancient text appeared in the candlelight.
It is recorded above that Seti's father died in battle on the Sinai border, but his famous war drum was not lost. Instead, it was taken back to the temple and sealed by the high priest at that time.
At the end of the scroll, there was a line of red ink written by the high priest. The handwriting was sloppy but powerful enough to penetrate the paper: "The drum is not beating properly, the sound of killing is too strong. It is not the instrument of a king, and should not be played lightly."
Ding Wei's eyes suddenly focused. The drum wasn't beating properly? That drum Seti had given her...
She understood instantly.
What Seti gave her was a fake from the very beginning!
He used a false token to try to gain her trust, and at the critical moment, this drum might even become an excuse for him to shirk responsibility.
However……
Ding Wei looked at the oath with ink still wet on the table, and a deep and cold smile appeared on her lips.
"He gave me a fake drum, but I made him swear an oath in front of all the Egyptian nobles that couldn't be more true."
She gently put down the torn page and tapped the name "Seti" with her fingertips.
"It's not unfair that he lost this game."
Outside the palace, in the shadow of the corridor, Ramses stood quietly, his eyes through the window lattice, staring at the slender silhouette under the lamp, who was strategizing.
He was silent for a long time before he whispered an order to the captain of the guards behind him.
"Pass on my order. Immediately notify all border checkpoints—from today onwards, no envoys from the Hittite Empire, regardless of their status, will be allowed to set foot in the royal palace."
The guards took the order and left.
Ramses still looked at the lights. Seti's oath was like a huge rock thrown into the lake. Although it stirred up huge waves, it also made the undercurrent at the bottom of the lake even more unpredictable.
The verbal oath and the children who were passively recruited into the Imperial Guards were ultimately just ropes, not brands.
Ding Wei seemed to feel his gaze as well, raised her head and met his gaze.
She smiled at him, then lowered her head and returned her gaze to the long list of nobles.
A name, a family.
A promise, an ambition.
These things are too easily blown away by the wind and diluted by time.
She needs much more than that.
She needed a ceremony that would make all vows indelible, all loyalties irrefutable.
An ultimate contract that can completely bind everyone's fate to the Pharaoh's kingship and this sacred river.
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