Undercurrent
The river breeze, carrying the warmth of thousands of lights, blew on the imperial boat. The cheers along the shore rose and fell, merging into a boiling river of public opinion.
Ding Wei stood at the bow of the ship, the night sky cast a layer of cool silver light on her. The hand that once held the mysterious crystal now felt only cold.
The crystal has been sealed by Isis in a special secret box, as if it is sealing a secret that can overthrow the dynasty.
However, although she won the support of the people of the river, she could not eliminate the deep-rooted hostility deep within the palace.
In the royal palace of Thebes, inside the temple, the smoke of incense curled up, shrouding the face of Princess Nefertir in a hazy haze.
With a solemn expression, she placed a bunch of precious blue lotus flowers in front of the statue of Amun with her own hands, muttering something that was more of a declaration than a prayer.
"Go and fetch the 'Princess Trial Scroll'." She coldly ordered the maid behind her, her voice devoid of any warmth.
Upon hearing this, the maid trembled uncontrollably.
The scroll has been covered in dust for a long time, and it records the most stringent laws of ancient times - any princess who intends to rule the world alongside the pharaoh must pass the three divine judgments before her name can be officially engraved after the title of Son of the Sun.
It was a test of blood and fire, the most direct interrogation of royal power by theocracy.
Nefer slowly turned, a poisonous glint in her eyes. She gazed at the bright moon outside the window, as if swearing an oath to the moon goddess: "Is a foreign soul of unknown origin worthy to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Son of the Sun and overlook this sacred land? The glory of Egypt must not be sullied."
The next morning, the atmosphere in the palace's council hall was as solemn as iron.
The celebration of last night was still ringing in our ears, but at this moment, every minister's face was filled with vigilance and scrutiny.
The Hittite envoy stood in the hall with his head held high and chest puffed out, holding the letter of credence in his hand.
What he brought was not only the will of the Hittite king, but also an extremely sharp knife that pierced the most sensitive nerve of the Egyptian power center.
The envoy unfolded the letter of credence and read a secret message in a rhythmic voice: "The wind of the steppe may flow with the water of the Nile."
As soon as the words fell, the whole room fell into dead silence.
Everyone present understood that this was an olive branch extended by the Hittites and a clear signal of alliance.
But what was fatal was that after the messenger finished reading, he bowed slightly, but his eyes were precisely cast on Ramses on the throne, and the woman beside him who put on the robe for him - Ding Wei.
He performed an ambiguous salute, and the object of his greeting was the "two kings".
"Heh." A cold laugh pierced the silence like an icicle.
Everyone's eyes instantly focused on the old Pharaoh Seti.
He stepped out of the procession, his face deeply wrinkled with anger. "What a joke! The temple rebellion hasn't even been quelled, and yet a woman is already openly exercising royal authority! Now, even foreign barbarians dare to act so presumptuously. Do they think Upper and Lower Egypt have become a no-man's land?"
As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a huge rock thrown into a lake, and the ministers were instantly in an uproar.
Seti's words were extremely vicious. He characterized Dingwei's behavior as "exercising royal power" and distorted the Hittites' goodwill as "regarding Egypt as having no master", which completely ignited the ancient, xenophobic pride and anxiety in the hearts of the nobles.
Ramses was already ill, and the pressure on him made his face paler. His chest heaved violently. He was about to force himself to open his mouth to refute, but a warm and strong hand gently pressed on the back of his hand.
It’s Ding Wei.
There was no panic in her eyes, only clear calmness.
She gave Ramses a soothing look, then slowly walked down the steps and stood in the center of the hall, facing Seti and all the questioning eyes.
"The Hittite envoys have come from afar, bringing not humiliation, but choice." Her voice was clear and firm, instantly drowning out all the discussions.
"The secret language says 'flow together,' not 'surrender.' This means the Hittites seek an equal dialogue. If we reject the title of 'Dual Kings' at this moment, it would be tantamount to rejecting this hard-earned opportunity for peace."
Her words were powerful, but how could Seti let it go?
He was about to attack again, but Ding Wei made a gesture.
"Come here, unfold the latest flood season map of the Nile River."
The servants immediately brought up a huge papyrus map.
Ding Wei walked over to the map and highlighted a spot with her slender finger. "Please look, everyone. South of Kadesh, three important valleys leading to our border were completely destroyed by a rare flash flood half a month ago, according to the latest military intelligence report. It will take at least three months for them to be accessible again."
She raised her head, her piercing gaze sweeping across everyone's face. "What does this mean? It means that if the Hittites truly wanted to start a war, their iron hooves would have crushed our border defenses by now, instead of sending envoys to Thebes to play tricks! They came with an olive branch, but also a test—they were testing whether Egypt today truly had a pair of kings capable of jointly wielding power and handling crises!"
Having said this, she suddenly turned and approached Seti. Her clear eyes shone with the dominance of a king. "Old Pharaoh, if you still stubbornly believe that women cannot participate in state affairs and that Egypt's future can only be decided by a single king, then why not ask this Hittite envoy now: Would they rather negotiate with a single king who could fall ill at any time and whose decisions are uncertain, or would they rather establish an unbreakable alliance with a pair of kings who can complement each other and share responsibilities?"
Seti was speechless by her question. He subconsciously glanced at the pale Ramses on the throne, then looked at the imposing woman in front of him. His old face turned ashen, his throat gurgled, but he could not refute a word.
The hall fell into dead silence again, but this time, the silence was filled with awe and shock.
At the lunch, undercurrents surged again.
Nefert seemed to have forgotten the unpleasantness of the morning, and with a smile on his face, he ordered the palace maid to serve a bowl of "Holy Lotus Soup" to Ding Wei alone.
She explained softly, "This soup is made with lotus seeds from the temple's sacred pond. Legend has it that eating it can help you gain divine insights. My sister, having just assumed power, surely hopes for divine guidance."
These words sound very reasonable and flawless.
But Ding Wei knew that this was definitely not a good intention.
This bowl of soup must contain trace amounts of hallucinogenic pollen, which is an ancient testing method within the royal family, specifically used to test whether the new princess is truly "blessed by God."
If any abnormality occurs after drinking it, it will be regarded as a weak mind and unworthy of the position.
There was a hint of coldness in Ding Wei's eyes, but a gentle smile hung on her face.
She didn't immediately take the bowl of soup. Instead, she turned to the High Priestess Isis and nodded slightly. "Such a sacred item cannot be tasted lightly. Please, High Priestess, pray for the divine grace to descend upon me."
Isis was hers, so she naturally understood.
She walked forward, solemnly took the soup, and whispered a complicated prayer. The whole process was full of sacred ritual.
After the blessing, Isis handed the soup back.
Ding Wei took it but didn't drink it.
In front of everyone, she ordered someone to bring another golden bowl and carefully divided the soup in the bowl into two halves.
Then, she picked up half of it, walked to Ramses' side, and said softly, "If this is truly a gift from heaven, Wei, I wish to share its blessing with my king."
As soon as this move was made, Nefer's eyes moved slightly.
Ramses looked at Ding Wei deeply, took the golden bowl without hesitation, and drank with her.
Upon seeing this, Isis immediately announced loudly, her voice filled with joy and piety: "A miracle! Our two hearts are of one mind, and the divine will is understood! The god Amun has witnessed the unity of purpose of the two kings!"
In one word, all of Nefer's plans were nipped in the bud.
What else can she say?
Does this mean that the oracle is only effective for half of the people?
She could only suppress the resentment in her heart, force out a stiff smile, and not pursue the matter any further.
The night is as deep as ink.
When everyone fell asleep, a dark shadow quietly avoided all the guards and sneaked into Ding Wei's bedroom.
It was Isis.
Her expression was more solemn than ever. She pulled a torn papyrus scroll from her sleeve and unfolded it in the candlelight. "This is the other half of the diagram for the 'Left Eye of Ra' mechanism. I found it in the deepest chamber of the Temple of the Moon. High Priest Amenhotep has been acting strangely lately. He secretly visits the temple almost every night. I'm afraid he's plotting something with someone."
Ding Wei's attention was instantly attracted by the fragments.
When put together with the half in her hand, a complete map of the palace's underground water network appeared.
Her eyes darted across the complex lines, and finally stopped at an extremely hidden branch of the underground waterway that had never been marked before.
Her heart suddenly sank.
That waterway bypassed all the checkpoints and mechanisms, and its final exit led right to the deep underground of the palace - the huge granary that stored the lifeblood of the entire Thebes.
In an instant, all the clues were connected.
The unusual movement in the temple, Amenhotep's conspiracy, Nefertiti and Seti's relentless pursuit...
Ding Wei slowly raised her head and looked at the heavy palace walls outside the window. Under the moonlight, they looked like a giant beast waiting to devour its prey.
She clenched the map in her hand and whispered to herself, her voice so cold that it seemed to freeze the air:
"They want to cut off food supplies and force the emperor to abdicate... But this time, there will be no miracles, only a carefully planned conspiracy."
The cold moon hung high in the sky, casting a pale light on the stone road leading to the Moon Temple.
Ding Wei stood in front of the window, staring in that direction. There was no tenderness in her eyes anymore, only a sharp determination.
The web of conspiracy has been woven, and the most vicious spider is hiding in the sacred temple.
She couldn't wait, and she couldn't just sit there and wait for death.
Since the enemy is doing evil things in the name of God, she must go to the temple herself, tear off the hypocritical sacrifices, and see what kind of snakes and scorpions are hidden in the cellar.
A bold and risky plan quickly took shape in her mind.
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