A Pharaoh and Her Beloved Queen - Chapter 28

The golden longbow shimmered with a dazzling metallic glow under the scorching sun, as long, powerful arms bent into a steady and graceful arc in the air.

Whoosh, whoosh— The sharp sound of wind breaking seemed to tear the air apart as several streaks of light cut across the sky.

The Queen shot arrows toward the four directions, symbolizing Egypt’s destruction of enemies on all sides.

As the clamor from the riverbanks gradually faded into the distance, the majority of today’s ceremony was considered complete. One after another, people returned to the ship’s cabins; without any shade, the steadily rising temperature was becoming unbearable.

Edith maintained her upright posture, not moving an inch. Ye Zhiqing likewise remained on the deck, a spark of unreadable brilliance swirling in her eyes as she watched Edith in silence.

She failed to notice Manefertiti walking up behind her until a deceptively mild voice spoke: “Miss Ye, aren’t you going back to the cabin to rest for a while? There is still a long way to the Mortuary Temple.”

Ye Zhiqing lowered her eyes and gathered her thoughts. Manefertiti was standing too close; Ye Zhiqing instinctively took a step back. “Your Highness, I will go in a moment.”

Manefertiti smiled unbothered, brushing her wind-tossed hair to one side. “Miss Ye, it seems your relationship with the Queen is very good?” Her tone slowed at the end, perfectly balanced so as not to feel offensive.

Flickers of light appeared in her dark eyes. Ye Zhiqing nodded slightly, a silent admission.

Manefertiti hadn’t expected Ye Zhiqing to admit it so directly. She froze for an instant before recovering her composure, standing quietly beside Ye Zhiqing. The smile on her face deepened, but she didn’t press further.

Only a few months had passed since the fall of Punt. If Ye Zhiqing had denied the question, Manefertiti would have been unable to confirm if Ye Zhiqing stayed in Egypt out of affection for Edith. Now that she had admitted it so bluntly, Manefertiti was certain Ye Zhiqing remained in Egypt for a specific purpose.

If she could discover Ye Zhiqing’s purpose in Thebes, she would have a chance to take her back to the Hittite Empire.

One had to understand that Edith was far from the only person coveting Ye Zhiqing. During these negotiations, Egypt had proposed several unexpected treaty clauses; Manefertiti’s intuition told her Ye Zhiqing’s hand was behind them.

Through years of warfare, Egypt and the Hittites had already learned each other’s patterns inside and out.

The sky was as clear as if it had been washed, with the sun hanging high in the firmament, occasionally accompanied by the cry of an eagle from above.

Backing against the jagged limestone cliffs, the Mortuary Temple—structured with elegance and precision—gradually revealed its silhouette in the bright, ample light, striking and sacred.

The priests and officials of the Mortuary Temple had been waiting outside for a long time. The group disembarked and walked toward the temple.

Edith led the way, followed by the religious officials of Thebes in the middle, while the rest of the people brought up the rear.

Given Ye Zhiqing’s status, she should have been at the very end, but Manefertiti insisted on walking with her, so the others naturally fell in line behind them.

“Nothing but a lowly concubine…”

“No sense of rank, greedy for life and afraid of death…”

“…”

Derisive whispers drifted over from time to time throughout the walk. The volume was not lowered at all, allowing the group in the rear to hear them clearly.

Among the accompanying Egyptian nobles were many sons of prominent families who had picked up various profligate habits. Ye Zhiqing’s expression remained indifferent; she didn’t care.

A flash of coldness crossed Manefertiti’s face, but she also remained silent. On the contrary, Lamassu was very indignant, her tone somewhat complaining about Ye Zhiqing’s disregard for these remarks.

During this time, the relationship between Ye Zhiqing and Lamassu had grown closer. On the surface, Lamassu appeared steady and capable, knowing when to advance and retreat, but once close, one would realize she still had the heart of a young girl—simple and sensitive.

Ye Zhiqing found it quite amusing and soothed her: “Lamassu, some of what they say is not wrong. My status as a prisoner of war and a concubine cannot be changed. As long as what they say doesn’t affect me, why should I make myself unhappy?”

Lamassu silently made a note of those who were talking loudly, and under Ye Zhiqing’s quiet gaze, she nodded reluctantly.

Edith still had to personally go to the sanctuary of the Mortuary Temple to pay homage to the Nile god, Hapi. Hapi is depicted as a man with female breasts; the full breasts symbolize the fertility of the land in the Nile Valley and Hapi’s ability to nourish the soil during the annual flood. Meanwhile, the others were led in an orderly fashion to the inner chambers to rest.

Halfway there, Ye Zhiqing was led into a separate small courtyard. Judging by the furnishings, she was likely staying with Edith tonight.

After finishing her evening meal, Ye Zhiqing looked up at the sky. She estimated from their walk earlier that the courtyard where Priest Saul was staying was not far. Seizing the moment while Lamassu was away, Ye Zhiqing left the courtyard alone without hesitation and headed straight for Saul’s residence.

The light of the setting sun condensed into a beam through the massive circular marble pillars, scattering against the inner walls and breaking into petals. It ignited the exquisite and vivid murals like fire—exquisite and magnificent.

Unknowingly slowing her pace, Ye Zhiqing studied the inner murals carefully.

Ye Zhiqing was surprised to find that from left to right, the content of these murals was continuous. As she looked through them bit by bit, the astonishment in her eyes grew.

The murals recorded a great drought of the Nile during the Old Kingdom. The Pharaoh at the time, Ramebis, led the priests in day and night sacrifices, after which the Sun God Amun sent down a “Star Stone,” and the Nile waters followed, saving Egypt from the drought.

The “Star Stone” was actually a meteorite. It landed on the site where the Mortuary Temple now stands, and the temple was subsequently built there to worship the Nile god, Hapi.

What truly captured Ye Zhiqing’s heart, however, was the whereabouts of that meteorite. The meteorite occupied only a small portion of the mural, yet Ye Zhiqing discovered traces of that golden scepter within it.

As early as 3,500 years ago, Ancient Egyptians knew how to use meteorites to craft various objects. Ye Zhiqing followed the murals all the way forward, turned right, and only at the very end did she find the mural recording the process of smelting this meteorite.

She traced the uneven outlines of the mural inch by inch. Suddenly, Ye Zhiqing’s gaze converged on one spot, as if she wanted to stare a hole through it.

At the top of the mural, it could be clearly seen that the meteorite was finally smelted into a small obelisk and one other object. The obelisk was undeniably the one Ye Zhiqing had seen in Priest Saul’s hand. However, the remaining content vanished at the top of the wall, as if it had been deliberately cut off.

Further ahead was a stone door. Without hesitation, Ye Zhiqing pushed it open.

The first thing to meet her eyes were two strictly separated pools of water. One side was planted with white water lilies, and the other with papyrus flowers, separated in the middle by a pure white alabaster altar.

“You have come,” said Priest Saul. His back was to the door, and his familiar, pure voice spoke without him turning around, yet he seemed to already know who it was.

The wind blew and leaves stirred, but a barrier seemed to rise around Saul. Before the wind could reach him, it dissipated into nothingness. His robes remained as motionless as if they were frozen in time.

Ye Zhiqing approached slowly, her nerves strained to the limit. She deliberately raised her voice: “Priest Saul, you knew I would come here.”

“All things have a trajectory of motion. Within a specific timeframe, it can be foreseen,” Saul said with a shallow clarity, giving a metaphysical answer as if he could guess Ye Zhiqing’s thoughts.

Ye Zhiqing knit her brows. It was that feeling of being scrutinized again; even with Saul’s back to her, the sensation of being seen through perfectly was particularly strong.

Unconsciously rubbing the patterns on her robe, Ye Zhiqing steadied her mind. Not wanting to go in circles further, she asked bluntly: “Since Priest Saul could foresee my arrival, you must also foresee the purpose of my visit. What did you mean by your words before the Palace of Ra?”

An eerie silence followed. Ye Zhiqing waited patiently, but even after a long while, Saul showed no intention of speaking.

Just as Ye Zhiqing was about to step forward, Saul suddenly spoke, giving a seemingly unrelated answer: “Miss Ye, this is the true purpose of your stay in Thebes.”

“Yes,” Ye Zhiqing answered candidly. The real reason she was willing to stay in Egypt was to find a way back to the 21st century, and currently, all relevant clues pointed to the person before her—Priest Saul.

There was no need to hide it from Saul. Furthermore, judging by the current situation, Saul not only knew her origin but very likely knew the way back to the 21st century.

Ye Zhiqing, her focus entirely on Saul, failed to notice the stone door behind her tremble slightly.

An emotionless, faint laugh sounded. “Miss Ye, I have nothing here that you wish to know.”

An unexpected answer. Ye Zhiqing’s brows knit tightly, and her heart beat rapidly. Clearly, everything so far seemed to have been arranged by this mysterious priest—deliberately pointing out her origin before the Palace of Ra, and deliberately waiting for her arrival here.

Yet, just as the answer was about to be revealed, everything came to an abrupt halt.

The development of the situation was entirely illogical.

Ye Zhiqing wanted to ask more, but Saul blocked her words before she could speak: “Miss Ye, please return.”

In an instant, he disappeared from her sight. The place was empty, as if no one had ever stayed there.

The doubts in her heart piled higher. Ye Zhiqing moved to head back in frustration, but the moment she pushed open the stone door, she was immediately pinned against the wall by a massive force.

The rough lines of the relief crashed against her back. Ye Zhiqing’s vision went dark from the pain. Before a cry of agony could escape, it was blocked in her throat by a warm, soft sensation on her lips.

Edith pressed her into the corner behind the stone door without ceremony—a forceful move that left no room for refusal. The sharp golden flecks swirling in the depths of her eyes seemed as if they would pierce through Ye Zhiqing.

The true purpose of staying in Thebes?

One of Edith’s hands gripped Ye Zhiqing’s shoulder, while the other reached behind her back to prevent her from hitting the protruding relief again.

Amidst Ye Zhiqing’s shock, Edith increased the pressure on her lips, pressing her body forward until they were flush against each other, trapping Ye Zhiqing’s attempt to escape.

An aggressive,

teasing,

kiss.