Chapter 43 Chapter Forty-One

Queen Duya of the royal family presided over the selection ceremony of the female musicians to participate in the sacrifice at the Great Temple of Hathor in Memphis.These girls from all provinces of the country, whether they are singers, dancers or instrumentalists, have undergone strict selection. With majestic and focused eyes, full cheeks, a straight nose, a small, almost square chin, and a vulture-like haircut without the symbol of motherhood, Duja left all the candidates Deeply impressed, many of them performed abnormally as a result.The Empress, who was put to the same test in her youth, did not advocate indulgence: composure was the first virtue if they wished to serve the gods.

She felt that the quality of these musicians was too poor, so she decided to punish the teachers in the apse. They had obviously let go in the past few months.The only girl who performed well in this promotion test has a solemn, quiet face and stunning beauty.When she played the Xisi Chuqin, she was so focused, as if nothing in the outside world existed. There were refreshments in the gardens of the temple for happy or frustrated candidates, some moaning, others laughing excitedly.They were very young and looked like children.Only Nefertari, the Academy of Traditional Priestess decided to let her be the conductor of the female temple orchestra, her mood was calm and calm, as if this matter had nothing to do with her.

The queen came to her. "You are outstanding." The luthier bowed to the queen. "What's your name? Where are you from?" "Nefetari. I was born in Thebes and educated at the House of Plum." "You don't seem at all satisfied with this achievement." "I don't want to stay in Memphis, but I want to go back to Thebes and become a part of the Temple of Amun." "To become a hermit?" "It is my greatest wish to be accepted into the mystical ritual, but I am still too young." "It's not an ordinary thought at your age. Are you disappointed in life, Nefertari?"

"No, Your Majesty. It's the religious offerings that appeal to me." "Don't you want to get married and have kids?" "I haven't thought about it yet." "Life in the temple was grim." "I love the stones of immortality, their mystery seems to invite people to explore." "Would you like to leave the temple for a while?" Nefertari dared to stare at the queen, Duya appreciated her bright and straightforward eyes. "The conductor of the Temple Girl Orchestra is an excellent job, but I have arranged another position for you. Would you like to be the director of my family?"

The Housekeeper of the Great Queen of the Royal Family!I don't know how many aristocratic women dream of getting this position that symbolizes the queen's close friend? "An old friend who was in charge of this job passed away last month," Du Ya revealed. "There are a lot of people in the palace applying for jobs. They slander each other to reduce competitors." "I have no experience, I..." "I'm only interested in good people. There is no difficulty that a good person can't overcome. What do you think?" "May I think about it?"

The queen thought it was very interesting, no other noble lady in the palace dared to ask the same question. "I'm afraid not. If you drink too much of the temple's fragrance, you will forget me." Nefertari clasped her hands in front of her chest and bent over to thank her. "I will obey His Majesty's orders." Queen Duya got up before dawn, she prefers this kind of morning light.As soon as the first light shines into the darkness, for her, that is the birth of a daily mysterious life.Nefertari would share the queen's morning work, and while eating breakfast together, Duya explained to her the whole day's work schedule.

On the third day after making this decision, Du Ya knew that she had read the right person: under Nefertari's beautiful appearance, there was also a keen intelligence, and she could distinguish the priority of the situation with an admirable ability.From the first job, a deep rapport was established between the queen and her housekeeper.They understand each other without elaborating, and sometimes they even communicate with each other only with thoughts.As soon as their morning conversation was over, Du Ya walked into her bathroom. The hairdresser had just finished putting perfume on the queen's wig when Shayna appeared in front of his mother.

"Remove your maids," he demanded, "and keep our conversation out of the way of any restless ear." "Is it that serious?" "I'm afraid so." The hairdresser leaves.Shane looked genuinely concerned. "Speak, son." "I was hesitant to relate to you a dreadful tragedy." This time, Du Ya was worried. "Something unfortunate happened?" "Seti, Ramses and the rescue army are all missing." "Is your news reliable?" "They've been going into the desert for a long time, looking for gold prospectors. There's a lot of pessimistic gossip going around."

"Don't listen to them. If Seti dies, I'll feel it." "why……" "There is an invisible connection between your father and me. Even if we are separated, we are still together, so you don't have to worry." "You should realize the fact that the king and his expedition are long overdue. We cannot leave our country behind." "The Prime Minister and I run the day-to-day affairs." "Do you need my assistance?" "Doing your job well and keeping yourself safe is a great blessing in this world. If you are still worried, why not lead an expedition to find them like your father and younger brother?"

"Legend has it that something we can't understand happened: monsters in the desert devoured those who tried to dig for gold. Isn't it my duty to stay here?" "Listen to your inner voice." Seti's two heralds departed four days apart, but neither returned to Egypt.On the path leading to the valley, several desert veterans were waiting for them, killed them, stole their clothes, and destroyed the wooden writing boards on which Ramses had written.Written on the board was something to inform the queen that the expedition had found the gold mines and had drawn up plans for the miners' temple and the foundations of the city.

The emissary of the desert veteran told Xie Na that Pharaoh and the regent were safe and sound, and the king found a clear spring with abundant water in the center of the desert through the descending of the Holy Spirit.So the Bedouins who were responsible for poisoning the well fell short. In the palace, many believed that Seti and Ramesses had fallen victim to monsters, but how to take advantage of the absence of the king?Duja is tightly controlling the monarchy, and she can only appoint Xie Na as regent if her husband and young son really disappear. Once the expedition team returns, Xie Na will lose a great opportunity to get close to the monarchy.An unlikely chance, but... may the scorching heat, the snake, or the scorpion do what the Bedouin could not. Amene could no longer sleep. Rumors grew that even the expedition led by Seti and Ramesses disappeared.At first the young clerk didn't believe the gossip; then, inquiring in the royal herald's central office, he learned the worrying truth. There is really no news of the Pharaoh and the Regent, and nothing can be done to remedy it! Only one person could save the situation and send a rescue army to the Eastern Desert, so Yameni went to the Great Queen's Palace.There he met a young woman of striking appearance.Although he had no interest in women and their sorcery, the young clerk admired Nefertari's flawless face, the charm of her deep eyes, and her soft voice. "I beg to see His Majesty." "Because Pharaoh is away, she is very busy. May I understand the purpose of your visit?" "Sorry, but..." "My name is Nefertari, and the queen appointed me as the head of her family. I assure you, I will faithfully convey your words to her." Despite her alertness, she seemed genuine. "As the confidential secretary of the Prince Regent, I think it is necessary to immediately dispatch an elite team to find them." Nefertari smiled slightly. "Don't worry, the queen has been informed about the expedition." "Told...but it's not enough!" "Pharaoh is not in danger." "Then, there should be news sent back to the officials." "I can't give you any more explanation, but don't worry." "Please stick to the end with the Queen, I beg you." "She shares your concern for the safety of her husband and son, trust me. If their lives were in danger, she would act." What a chore to ride on the back of a big, strong-footed donkey!Although Yameni hated traveling, he still went to meet Sai Dawu.This snake wizard lives on the desert frontier far from Memphis.The dirt road along the irrigation channel never ends, and fortunately a few residents living along the river have heard the names of Sai Dawu and his Nubian wife Lianhua, and know where they live. When Amene arrived safely at her destination, she was exhausted.His body shook from a sneeze, and he rubbed his red, sore eyes in the dust. Lianhua was refining a mixture with a strange smell outside, which could even stimulate the clerk's sense of smell, and she asked him to come inside.Just as he was about to step into the threshold of this big white house, he flinched. A cobra frightened him. "This is an old snake that can't bite." Lianhua said. She stroked the head of the swaying snake, which seemed to enjoy the gesture of concern.Yamenes took the opportunity to sneak into the house. The living room was full of small glass bottles of different sizes and all kinds of strange objects used to hold poison. Sai Dawu bent over and was pouring a viscous red liquid. "Are you out of your wits, Yamenes? It's a miracle to see you outside your office." "It's more like a disaster." "Which wizard let you out of your lair?" "Ramesses became the victim of a conspiracy." "Your imagination will pay you back." "He disappeared in the eastern part of the desert. On the small road exploring the gold mine, Seti was with him." "Ramesses is missing?" "It's been more than ten days, and there is still no news." "Administrative delay?" "No, I checked it out myself...and that's not all." "What else?" "The female accomplice in the conspiracy is Queen Duya." Sai Dawu almost knocked over his small cup, and he turned to face the young clerk. "Are you out of your mind?" "I asked to speak to her but was refused." "No surprises." "I'm told the Queen thinks the situation is completely normal and she's not worried at all and doesn't want to call in a rescue force." "Gossip..." "I heard about this decision from Nefertari, the new head of her family." Sai Dawu looked embarrassed. "So you think Duya wants to get rid of her husband and take over the power...it's unbelievable!" "Facts are facts." "Seti and Duja are a perfect couple." "Why did she refuse to save him? She wanted him to die so she could take the throne." "Even if you're right, what's the point?" "Go to Ramses." "What weapon do you bring?" "You and I are enough." Sai Dawu stood up. "You? Walking for hours in the desert? You are really crazy. My poor Yameni!" "Do you want to?" "Of course not." "Don't you care about Ramses?" "If your guess is right, he would have died long ago. Why risk his life?" "I've got a donkey and some water, give me a little antidote to snakes." "You can't use it." "Thank you very much." "Wait... your idea is crazy." "I am a servant of Ramses. Once I say a word, it is hard to follow." Amene got on the back of the donkey and headed towards the eastern desert.He was soon compelled to stop, and lay flat on the donkey's back, with his feet folded together, in order to relax his waist, for the four-legged animal stopped in the shade of a Persian tree, gnawing leisurely at a clump of hay, refusing to go any further. When he was at a loss, the young clerk regretted that he didn't bring a stick, maybe it could be used for fighting? "Have you given up?" Sai Dawu followed up with five donkeys, carrying a sheepskin bag and some necessary tools to fight against the desert, and teased him.