Marriage Envoy
The golden chariot of the Hittite envoy raised a cloud of dust outside the city of Thebes, like a beast breaking into an oasis.
The beeswax seal on the letter of credence bore the arrogance of the new Hittite king, Muwatalli II. The list of betrothal gifts was so long that it stretched from the throne to the temple entrance, but every word was like a poisoned needle, piercing the dignity of Egypt - they demanded to marry Pharaoh Ramses' only sister, Princess Hathor, who was known as the "Morning Star of the Nile".
Inside the throne room, the air was as heavy as a tomb deep within a pyramid.
"This is a humiliation! A complete humiliation!" The old general Seti of the pro-war faction was furious, and his fists pounded on the breastplate.
"Has the Hittites forgotten how the warriors of the Nile routed their army even before the blood of Kadesh dried? They're not sending a betrothal gift, they're sending a declaration of war!"
"General, calm down!" The finance minister, who advocated peace, stepped out tremblingly.
"The border has just been pacified, and any spark could ignite the Sinai Peninsula into flames again. The national treasury...cannot afford another protracted war."
The quarrels continued one after another, like the most chaotic bargaining in a market.
Ramses sat on the golden throne, his face expressionless, his deep eyes like the starless night sky, without a trace of emotion.
His eyes slowly swept across the faces that were either angry or frightened, and finally, like a hawk locking onto its prey, they landed on Ding Wei.
The entire hall knew that this princess from another world was no longer the fragile flower that could only hide under the Pharaoh's wings.
Her wisdom shines brighter than gold in every crisis.
Feeling the heavy gaze, Ding Wei slowly stood up.
She did not wear a complicated royal dress. Instead, a simple white linen dress made her figure stand tall and straight, like a papyrus standing proudly in the raging sand.
"The peace treaty can be signed, but the marriage cannot be agreed upon."
Her voice was not loud, but it was like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, instantly silencing the entire hall from the exploding noise.
"We can give the Hittites the peace they desire, but we can never surrender Egypt's dignity."
As soon as these words were spoken, even Princess Hathor, who was being used as a bargaining chip, suddenly raised her head and looked at her unique sister-in-law in shock.
She thought that she would become a sacrifice to consolidate the dynasty like countless princesses in the past, but she didn't expect that the first person to stand up and speak for her would be Ding Wei.
That night, in a secret room deep in the palace, candlelight flickered.
Spread out in front of Ding Wei were all the battle reports on border conflicts in the past decade, as well as the Hittite tribal genealogy chart that several generations of Egyptian spies had paid for with their lives.
Ramses sat quietly beside her, sharpening the reed pen for her writing, without saying a word, but giving her the most firm support with his actions.
"Look here." Ding Wei pointed her finger at a parchment scroll, on which the spheres of influence of several major families were scribbled in Hittite cuneiform.
"Muwatari II ascended the throne through a bloody coup, and his uncle and several cousins are still plotting on the border. What he needs most now isn't war, but recognition from a powerful nation to stabilize his shaky throne. This marriage is more like a political gamble, a bluff."
Her eyes gleamed with a clarity that seemed to see through everything, as if they could penetrate thousands of miles of yellow sand and see the turbulent undercurrents in the Hittite royal city.
"So, we don't have to follow his lead." Ding Wei picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and quickly wrote three lines of clear ancient Egyptian text on the brand new papyrus.
"First, divide them. We will immediately organize a large caravan, carrying a large sum of money and exquisite artifacts, and head directly to the eastern Hittites. In the name of the Egyptian Pharaoh, we will 'reward' those old nobles who are dissatisfied with the new king. Let them know that Egypt's friendship is more valuable than the king's promises."
"Second, deterrence. Order General Seti to immediately conduct an unprecedented large-scale military exercise on the eastern border of the Sinai Peninsula. Let the Hittite spies see clearly that our swords are still sharp."
"Third, substitution. We sent envoys to righteously reject the marriage proposal, but at the same time proposed a more sincere plan—'mutual hostage exchange.' Each side would exchange a distinguished prince or royal relative to study and live in the other's capital for five years. This would demonstrate our resolve to maintain peace, preserve the dignity of Princess Hathor and the royal family, and secure a key Hittite figure."
After writing, she gently pushed the text in front of Ramses.
Ramses read it word by word, and the icy coldness in his deep eyes gradually melted, replaced by burning appreciation and pride.
He stared at Ding Wei for a long time, as if he wanted to imprint the soul in front of him into his own life.
Finally, he nodded solemnly, his voice low and powerful: "Tomorrow, you will come with me to the temple to discuss politics."
Thebes, Karnak Temple.
In the secret stone chamber underground, there is no sunlight all year round, only the eternal lamp casting eerie light and shadows.
Amenhotep, the high priest of the god Amun, was stroking a huge scarab statue, and the touch of the cold stone gave him a sense of pleasure.
In front of him, a messenger covered in a black robe knelt on one knee.
"High Priest, General Anubis has gathered three thousand of his former troops in the south, and the Nubian mercenaries are also in place. He asked me to tell you that he always believes in the truth that 'divine power is superior to royal power.'"
"Very good." Amenhotep's mouth curled up into a sinister sneer.
The more Ramses relied on that otherworldly princess, the more he weakened the authority of the temple, which he could not tolerate.
"The Pharaoh is now pushed to the brink by the Hittites," he drawled, his voice echoing in the chamber with an ominous resonance.
"If he refuses the marriage, the ministers who favor peace and the merchants along the border will complain bitterly, and the people will be in chaos. If he agrees to the marriage, the royal family's prestige will plummet, and Seti's veteran generals will regard him as a coward. No matter which path he takes, it will create an unbridgeable rift."
He turned and ordered the messenger, "Pass on my secret order. Immediately close the three royal granaries in the east, west, and south of Thebes. At the same time, have the priests spread the oracle—the Nile's flooding this year will bring disaster. It's the god Amun's angry warning to the Pharaoh for his favoritism towards his evil concubine!"
He would offer hunger and terror as a sacrifice to Pharaoh and his wise queen.
In the darkest alley of the market, the maid Isis wrapped her face tightly with a headscarf and looked around nervously.
When she saw the tall figure of General Seti appear at the entrance of the alley, she rushed over as if she was grabbing a life-saving straw.
"General!" She trembled and took out a papyrus scroll written in code from her bosom.
"This...this is a secret letter between the high priest and the southern military camp."
Isis was originally a spy placed by Amenhotep next to Ding Wei, but what she saw was completely different from the "evil concubine" described by the high priest.
"They forced me to eavesdrop on the princess... but I saw with my own eyes her researching prescriptions late at night, preparing medicine for the sick in the city's slums. I saw her plead with the Pharaoh to pardon the prisoners who were nearly dead from exhaustion in the mines... She is the true messenger of God!"
Tears welled up in Isis' eyes: "I don't want to be a lackey who hurts good people anymore!"
Seti took the scroll, took a quick glance at it, and his face turned as dark as iron.
He asked in a deep voice, "Are you willing to testify against Amenhotep in front of everyone at the temple assembly tomorrow?"
This was a decision that could break her to pieces.
Isis bit her lip, the taste of blood filling her mouth.
After a long moment, she raised her head, her eyes filled with an unprecedented determination: "I believe in the princess more than I believe in the vague oracles."
The next day, temple meeting.
Hundreds of nobles and priests gathered under the solemn forest of pillars.
Amenhotep, holding a golden scepter, stood upon the altar. His voice boomed like a divine decree: "Pharaoh! This letter from the Hittites is a test from the god Amun! For the sake of Egypt's peace and to appease the god's wrath, please obey the will of heaven and agree to the marriage!"
Behind him, dozens of priests echoed in unison, with such momentum that it seemed as if refusing to agree would mean becoming an enemy of the entire divine realm.
Before Ramses could speak, Ding Wei had already taken a step forward.
"High Priest!" she suddenly raised her voice, holding an identical copy of the scroll in her hand.
"If the god Amun is truly angry, why did the stars still shine clearly over Thebes last night? If the Nile River is destined to bring disaster, why are the ears of wheat along its banks this year more abundant than ever before, like waves of gold?"
Her voice was clear and sharp, instantly piercing through the hypocritical sacred atmosphere.
She suddenly turned to the silent priests and demanded, "You call yourselves God's servants on earth, yet you sealed the granaries before the oracle arrived. Do you want the great Egyptian people to pray to your so-called gods while starving? Tell us, is this God's will, or is it your own ambition? This is the greatest blasphemy against God!"
The crowd erupted in an uproar! The fear of hunger was far more real than the illusory divine punishment!
At this moment, the temple gate suddenly opened, and General Seti led a team of elite guards and escorted a gagged messenger to the front of the altar.
Seti unfolded the original scroll in his hand and compared it with the copy in Ding Wei's hand. The coded content on it was cracked on the spot, pointing directly to the conspiracy between the high priest and the southern rebels!
The evidence is irrefutable!
Amenhotep's face turned pale in an instant.
Ramses slowly stood up from the throne and walked down the stairs step by step, each step seeming to step on the hearts of all the conspirators.
His gaze swept across the entire audience like a tempered blade.
"From this day forward, temple priests are forbidden from interfering in the affairs of the dynasty—anyone who violates this will be charged with treason!"
His voice resounded throughout the temple, leaving no room for doubt.
The guards stepped forward, confiscated Amenhotep's scepter, and arrested him and his accomplices.
A huge crisis that could have overthrown the royal power was completely crushed by Ding Wei's wisdom and courage.
The sunlight passed through the towering window panes of the temple and turned into golden beams of light. One of them happened to cover Ding Wei, who stood with her head held high in front of the steps, giving her a sacred glow that could not be looked at directly.
However, no one saw that on the top of the endless sand dunes south of Thebes, a swift black shadow was spurring his horse and galloping towards the rolling yellow sand in the north.
Behind him, on the horizon, an ominous cloud of dust was slowly rising, like an approaching sandstorm, silent and deadly.
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