A Pharaoh and Her Beloved Queen - Chapter 16

The night sky was clear, and the gentle undulations of the desert were stretched to their limit by the power of the darkness.

The two shared a single horse just as they had on the way there. Edith held one arm around Ye Zhiqing’s waist while pulling the reins with the other, heading slowly back toward the city to the sound of rhythmic hooves. The royal guards followed at a distance, and the atmosphere was unusually harmonious.

“We will prepare to set out for Thebes in half a month at the latest,” Edith said. Soft curls slid down her shoulder and neck, smelling as fragrant and tender as the person in her arms.

“Half a month…” Ye Zhiqing murmured. Since mounting the horse, Edith had held her with her usual dominance. Having done this before, Ye Zhiqing was no longer stiff; instead, she leaned naturally into Edith’s embrace.

Edith’s shoulder wound certainly wouldn’t be healed in half a month. If she continued to ignore it for the sake of that ceasefire agreement as she had these past few days, the injury would almost certainly worsen.

Regardless of the circumstances, Ye Zhiqing could not set her mind at ease. Although everything seemed calm now, until they left the Mediterranean, Ye Zhiqing could not be certain if Edith’s survival at the Battle of Kadesh was a permitted deviation from the historical trajectory.

With a thousand thoughts swirling, Ye Zhiqing lightly placed her hand over Edith’s hand on the reins. “Your Majesty Edith, would you be willing to make a trade with me?”

A warm touch came from the back of her hand—soft and gentle, like a feather falling onto water, creating light ripples. Edith looked at Ye Zhiqing’s porcelain-white wrist, her lips moving slightly. “What trade?”

“Majesty, the ceasefire agreement to be signed between Egypt and the Hittites requires mutual discussion; it cannot be finalized in a moment. Furthermore, Egypt has not fully grasped the extent of the Hittite influence infiltrating Nusya. The current priority should be rest and reorganization.”

A very faint smile flickered across Edith’s face. She didn’t comment on what Ye Zhiqing said, but asked instead, “So, what are you trying to tell me?”

Her tone rose slightly at the end, and it wasn’t hard to hear the teasing within it. She naturally knew everything Ye Zhiqing was saying, but there were some things she had no choice but to face; certain people in Thebes were starting to become restless again.

“Your Majesty Edith, Zhiqing believes that for the remaining half-month, you need to stay in the courtyard and properly nurse your wounds.” Her tone was light, like a casual reminder.

A low, husky laugh came from behind. Ye Zhiqing could almost feel the vibration from Edith’s chest against her back. Her eyes flickered, but she instantly regained her usual composure.

She continued, “If my bargaining chip is a solution to the dispute between Egypt and the Hittites over the mineral and port resources in Nusya, would Your Majesty be willing to consider trading with me?”

The hand Edith had across Ye Zhiqing’s waist tightened. They were pressed very close; as Ye Zhiqing moved, her soft hair brushed against the tip of Edith’s nose. “What do you want in exchange?” Edith’s voice dropped lower, grazing against Ye Zhiqing’s ear.

Based on the experience of the war between Egypt and Punt over the past few years, the intelligence gathered by “dead agents” who infiltrated Punt, and the magnificent wall of fire and torrential rain Edith had witnessed herself in this campaign, she had no reason to doubt the reliability of Ye Zhiqing’s methods.

Edith knew better than Ye Zhiqing that the only person Ye Zhiqing could rely on in Egypt was her. Therefore, she was willing to grant Ye Zhiqing a small measure of trust.

“Majesty, I have already made it clear. For the next half-month, you must remain in the courtyard to recover,” Ye Zhiqing stated with abnormal calmness.

Edith froze for a moment, a smile surfacing on her face that no one could see. Without hesitation, she agreed, “Fine. You seem to have been paying a lot of attention to me lately.”

“Your Majesty Edith, you understand that everything I do is for myself.”

Edith was noncommittal toward this statement. Among all the monarchs she had fought, the Queen of Punt was the only one who had taken the initiative to surrender for the sake of her civilians and artisans.

Casting her gaze toward the distant city walls being slowly swallowed by the night, Edith pulled the person in her arms even tighter. “Ye Zhiqing, I also want to make a trade with you. After returning to Thebes, I want your unreserved trust and assistance. As for the reward you want—as long as I can give it, it is yours.”

The night wind carried a trace of seductive allure, yet her words were a naked, unmasked scheme.

“Your Majesty Edith, we have already reached a transaction. According to the agreement, I will fulfill everything I am supposed to do.” Her calm tone held a trace of coldness. Unreservedly trust Edith? A mocking arc curved Ye Zhiqing’s lips, and she spoke no more.

Indifferent to Ye Zhiqing’s sudden coldness, Edith continued, “The Nile’s flood season has been slow to recede this year, leading to excessively high water levels. The river has destroyed the grain on both banks and everything there. Once the tide recedes, what follows will be famine, plague, and even riots.”

“Some ill-intentioned people in Thebes have already drafted so-called oracles, claiming the Pharaoh is intoxicated with her own selfish desires and has neglected the service of the gods; that heavy oppression has turned the Egyptian people into slaves; that the great Nile brings the warning of Nemesis, the goddess of retribution; that the brilliance of the Sun God will fall from the sky, and darkness will reign forever.”

Edith’s contemptuous tone slightly surprised Ye Zhiqing. To the ancient Egyptians, the gods were high above, existences that did not allow for the slightest profanation. Yet Edith’s attitude did not seem that devout.

Pursing her lips, Ye Zhiqing thought back to the documents she had seen later. If she had been defeated, Edith would have chosen to abandon the city of Kadesh. She had no clue why then, but hearing Edith say this now, Ye Zhiqing suddenly understood.

She had only thought that Edith’s personal expedition to Punt was to solve the shortage of military supplies on the Mediterranean front, but she hadn’t delved deeper. Egypt’s wars of expansion had lasted ten years, and there should have been ample wealth and grain to support them. A sudden problem with military supplies could only mean there was a problem with Egypt’s internal administration.

Combining what Edith had said with the rumors circulating about this Pharaoh along the Nile, it was clear that Edith’s current situation in Egypt was cause for concern.

Without any hesitation, Ye Zhiqing blurted out, “Your Majesty Edith, are you taking the clergy in the temples too lightly? In the hearts of the Egyptian people, they are the messengers of the gods, and the oracles they deliver determine the fate of Egypt.”

Although Ye Zhiqing was a staunch materialist, the immense influence that divine power could wield in Ancient Egypt thousands of years ago could not be ignored.

Edith sneered. “Oracles that determine the fate of Egypt? Those so-called oracles have never determined Egypt’s fate. Egypt’s fate, from beginning to end, has been held firmly in my hands.”

It was an overbearing, arrogant madness. Even the night could not strip her of her dazzling golden brilliance—a regal aura that made one instinctively want to kneel and look up.

Her palms grew moist. Ye Zhiqing withdrew her hand from Edith’s arm. She couldn’t quite define her own attitude toward Edith.

From a modern perspective, Edith was undoubtedly a bold, visionary, and outstanding monarch. Inevitably, Ye Zhiqing often measured her from an upward-looking perspective. If not for the accumulation of her 21st-century knowledge and experience, she would undoubtedly have no power to fight back before Edith. Even now, in her encounters with Edith, she could only manage to protect herself with effort.

However, hidden beneath that awe was a deep-seated fear—fear of the cruel methods beneath Edith’s violent temperament, and fear of Edith’s indifference to life. This was diametrically opposed to the respect and reverence for life engraved in Ye Zhiqing’s bones from her time in the 21st century.

She was not merciful to everyone. When defending Punt, she did not fear war; death was the most direct means of manifesting royal power.

But with Edith, she wanted to draw closer, yet did not dare.

Gathering her thoughts, her complex emotions dissipated in a soft sigh. Ye Zhiqing turned and asked, “Your Majesty Edith, do the majority of the priests and high officials in Thebes support you?”

“No, the majority oppose me. They just never dare to oppose me openly,” she said in a nonchalant tone.

“General Heshi’s father is the Chief High Priest of Thebes?”

“Mm. You seem to have a lot to say tonight.”

“It was Your Majesty who proposed a trade. Naturally, I should learn more about Thebes.”

Allowing Ye Zhiqing’s soft long hair to slide through her fingers, Edith smiled and said unbotheredly, “Heshi’s father is the Chief High Priest of Thebes, Karnak. He is the highest-ranking clergyman in the temple.”

“Your Majesty Edith, are High Priest Karnak and General Heshi both your staunch supporters?” Ye Zhiqing was certain she had heard correctly—that woman had said the word “betrayal” to Heshi.

“Ten years ago, after I slaughtered all the priests and officials in Thebes who opposed me, High Priest Karnak was the first clergyman to step forward and support me. And Heshi has been my study companion in the palace since she was a child.”

Although Edith didn’t say it explicitly, the implication was clear. Ye Zhiqing silently kept the incident of running into Heshi to herself and asked instead, “Since High Priest Karnak is the highest-ranking high priest in Thebes, why is the conflict between you and the temple so deep?”

Edith appeared very patient. A cold light mixed with killing intent surfaced on her golden pupils, only to vanish the moment they landed on Ye Zhiqing.

She explained further, “Although Karnak is the highest-ranking high priest in Thebes, the majority of the officials and priests in the temple hold the opposite opinion. The various forces behind the priests are complex and intertwined, so Karnak does not have absolute authority in the temple. He serves more to balance the Egyptian royal power and divine power.”

“The impact of the bloody massacre of the temple ten years ago remains to this day. Among those at the center of power in Thebes, the voices opposing me are the loudest and have never ceased for ten years. But in all of Egypt, I have created a stable and wealthy life for the Egyptian subjects on both banks of the Nile, so they will not oppose me. In their hearts, I am an existence equal to the god Amun.”

Arrogant and cold. When Edith spoke of these things, Ye Zhiqing could feel the pride and contempt she radiated, as well as the domineering confidence settled over many years.

Ye Zhiqing spoke no more, pulling her shoulders back a bit to find a more comfortable position in Edith’s embrace.

The moonlight spilled over the white brick walls, and their shadows grew longer as they drew closer.

Edith was the first to dismount and extended her hand to Ye Zhiqing, clearly intending to help her down.

A heavy weariness had already surfaced in her eyes. Ye Zhiqing briskly took Edith’s hand and dismounted. After landing steadily, she wanted to pull her hand away, only to find it held tightly by Edith.

With an extremely faint smile, Edith ignored Ye Zhiqing’s slightly shocked expression and led her unhurriedly into the inner courtyard. They walked through the courtyard path lit by clear, sparse lamplight, which scattered sporadic, faint warmth.