Chapter 25 Chapter Twenty-Three

Yamenes did not give up. As Ramses' confidential secretary, he was able to enter and exit many administrative departments with ease, and made some friends who could assist him in handling the case.So he checked the list of factories that made ink sticks and got some information.Just as Queen Duya told Ramses, the whereabouts of the archives about the suspicious factory were indeed unknown. Now that this clue was broken, Yamenes adopted the method of working like ants: identifying the nobles who were directly related to the activities of the clerks, checking their finances, hoping to find the factory from them.After searching all day, there is still no result.

There was only one way left, and that was to systematically search the dump, starting from the point where Amene was almost utterly distraught.Before writing something on papyrus, a conscientious scribe would sketch on a lime fragment, which would be thrown away, along with many other fragments, in a place filled with accumulated administrative documents. full of pits. Yameni wasn't even sure if there was a copy of the factory director's certificate, yet he launched an investigation anyway, two hours a day, regardless of the chances of success. Esther dislikes the friendship between Moses and Ramses.She thinks that Moses, a Hebronite, can pester people and has an unstable personality, which has a bad influence on Ramses.Besides, the young woman was seducing her lover step by step into a vortex of pleasure, taking care not to speak to him of her marriage plans.Ramesses fell into the trap and wandered from one villa to another, enjoyed himself from one garden to another, and rushed from one banquet to another. He lived a leisurely life like an aristocrat. Routine affairs are all handed over to his confidential secretary.

Egypt is a practical dream, a paradise that daily offers all its wonders with the kindness of a tireless mother.For those who know how to appreciate the shade of a palm grove, the nectar of a date, the sound of the wind, the beauty of a lotus, or the fragrance of a lily, there is infinite happiness, and if you add the passion of a mistress, is it not perfect? Esther believed that Ramses' heart already belonged to her, and that her lover was in a good mood and with unparalleled passion.Their love games are uninterrupted, and their shared joy inspires them.As for the night watchman, his taste for food was put to good use in the exquisite dishes prepared by the upper-class Memphis home cooks.

Obviously, fate has already arranged for Seti's two sons their respective paths: what was handed over to Xie Na was a national event, and what was given to Ramses was an ordinary and glorious existence.Esther fits right in the middle of this assignment. She awoke one morning to find that the room was empty, and Ramses had risen before her.Distraught, she ran into the garden without makeup, calling for her lover, but he didn't answer, and she was going mad with anxiety.At last she found him, sitting by the well, brooding among the bandits of irises. "What's the matter with you? You scared me to death!" She knelt beside him, "What new troubles are bothering you?"

"I'm not living for the life you made for me." "You're mistaken, aren't we very happy?" "For me, this happiness is not enough." "Don't be too hard on life, or it will eventually bite you back." "The future looks like it's going to be a big challenge." "Is pride a virtue?" "If it's strict and extraordinary, then it should be. I should go talk to my father." Since the truce with the Hittites, criticism has diminished.It was agreed that Seti would call a temporary truce in the face of uncertainty, even though the Egyptian army might defeat the Hittite forces.

Despite Shane's publicity, no one believed he would be the only one given a pivotal role.According to the senior officers, the king's eldest son did not participate in any action, but only watched the battle from a distance. Pharaoh has been busy listening to opinions from all sides. He was good at listening to his advisers, some of whom were outspoken, focused on verifying the truth of the news, distinguishing the pros and cons, and not jumping to conclusions hastily. The pharaoh worked in his spacious office with large shutters on three sides, surrounded by gray walls and no decoration, in the grand palace of Memphis.The interior is simple and unpretentious, with office furniture including a large table, a straight-back sofa chair for a monarch, several straw mat chairs for hospitality, and a chest of papyrus.

There, in solitude and silence, the Lord of Two Lands plans the future of the world's most powerful nation, setting it on the path revealed by Maat, who is like the incarnation of the omnipotent law. The silence was disturbed by a hissing from the courtyard where the carriages of the King and his advisors were parked. From one of the windows, Seti saw a horse suddenly go berserk, tear the ropes that tied it to the stone pillars at the foot of the wall, and scurry about, threatening anyone who got close to it.With one hoof lift, it kicked over a staff member of the security department, and with another hoof lift, an elderly clerk had no time to dodge being overturned by it.

While the horse was panting for a while, Ramses jumped out from behind a stone pillar unexpectedly, jumped onto the horse's back, and fastened the reins.The mad horse raised its front hooves and struggled to throw the rider off the horse, but it was soon tamed, gasping for breath, and finally quieted down. Ramses jumped down, and a royal guard walked towards him. "Your father wants to see you." For the first time, Ramses was granted access to the pharaoh's office.He was surprised at the simplicity and simplicity inside. He had expected to see a super luxurious scene, but found that there was only an almost empty hall in front of him, with no charm at all.The king sat with a scroll of papyrus spread before him.

Ramses stood at a distance of two meters away from his father, but the pharaoh didn't ask him to sit down. "You took a great risk." "Yes, and no. I know the horse well. It's not bad. It's the sun that makes it restless." "You still took a big risk. My guards can subdue it." "I think I'm doing pretty well." "Want to show off?" "Well...Taming a crazy horse is not an easy task." "Can I assert that this accident was deliberately arranged by you in order to profit from it?" Ramses was shy and anxious. "Father! How do you know..."

"Pharaoh was supposed to be a strategist." "Do you appreciate this strategy?" "In someone your age, I would expect to see duplicity and dishonesty, but your reaction convinces me that you are not lying." "I've tried my best to talk to you." "about what?" "When you set out for Syria, you reproached me for not being able to defeat a soldier; while you were away, I qualified as an officer." "It was hard to get, I heard." Ramses couldn't hide his surprise. "You...you already knew?" "So, you're an officer now."

"I can ride a horse, fight with a dagger, javelin or shield, and shoot an arrow." "Are you warlike, Ramses?" "War brings a lot of pain, do you want to increase the pain?" "Is there any other way to ensure the peace and prosperity of our country? We don't attack anyone, but when others threaten us, we will fight back, that's why. In the current situation, you will destroy Kadie What city?" The young man was lost in thought. "On what grounds should I speak? I know nothing of your campaign, only of maintaining peace so that the people of Egypt can breathe freely. It would be unwise to give you an opinion." "Is there anything else you want to talk about?" "Can growing older calm me down?" "Trust no one, trust yourself, life is kind sometimes." "What is life, my lord father?" "Think about this question carefully, and you will get the answer." Seti looked down at the papyrus on the table, and the conversation ended. Ramses bowed.When he was about to leave, his father's deep voice stopped him. "You showed up at the right time. Today I planned to summon you. After tomorrow's morning sacrifice, we will go to the turquoise mine in the Sinai Peninsula."