Chapter 9 queen of egypt

In 330 BC, the famous Macedonian king Alexander captured Egypt and established a city named after him at the northwestern end of the Nile Delta, which is the southern bank of the Mediterranean Sea. This is the origin of the city of Alexandria. She replaced the Athens became the center of maritime trade and cultural exchange between the East and the West.It was not until 330 AD that Emperor Constantine moved the capital to Byzantium that the status of Alexandria gradually declined. At this moment, along the Mediterranean Sea, walking on the rough sea at night, the roaring waves of the sea flooded into my ears, and my mood was even more difficult to calm down...

After more than ten days of sailing, I finally came to Alexandria from Rome. I stood quietly at the bow of the boat, letting the sea breeze blow gently on my cheeks, watching the stars shining all over the sky, I suddenly felt unreal. This place——is the Mediterranean Sea more than 2,000 years ago... Two thousand years later, the Mediterranean Sea has not changed at all, and the sound of the waves is still the same, but the people and things in the past have long been annihilated in the long river of history... Also includes--Agripa by my side. Strange, how can I be sentimental, is it because of the emotion?

"What are you thinking?" Agrippa leaned against the side of the boat and looked at me. I shook my head, "By the way, after arriving in Alexandria, are you going to meet the queen right away? But haven't you declared war? What if she doesn't want to see you?" He smiled, "Perhaps she is now worrying about which side is more beneficial to Egypt." "So you're sure she will meet you?" "Perhaps, she will be interested in the topic of Egypt's future," he stared forward. "If I were her, I would at least listen to what the other party wanted to say. Only in this way can I make a correct judgment."

"Then when will I be able to arrive in Alexandria?" I just finished asking, and suddenly I felt that my eyes suddenly opened up. The sea surface not far away was very clear under the light, and the boats coming and going kept shuttling through it... Lights...how could there be here?Could it be the legend... "Xiaowan, look, the one in front is the lighthouse of Alexandria." Agrippa pointed to a tall white marble building not far away. Sure enough, it is the Lighthouse of Alexandria. One of the Seven Wonders of the World, which has completely disappeared in modern times, appeared in front of me intact in the original time and space. The lighthouse was about 100 meters high, which was already the tallest building at that time. The top of the lighthouse Above, stands an 8-meter-high bronze statue of the sun god Helios in a standing posture. Bright and warm lights illuminate the entire Alexandria Port at night, quietly protecting ships passing by at sea.

"It is said that hundreds of years ago, the ship that greeted the bride of a certain pharaoh in Egypt hit a rock and sank here. When the pharaoh was sad, he ordered people to build this lighthouse. Since then, there has been no shipwreck accident here. .” Agrippa stared at the sea, “It seems like a sad story.” "But the king didn't expect that the lighthouse would become one of the seven wonders of the world." I blurted out. "You also know the Seven Wonders of the World?" He was a little surprised, "I've seen it in the book of the Phoenician traveler Antipaca before."

Oh, it’s not surprising that he knew, because the Phoenician traveler he mentioned, who also wrote the list of the seven wonders, lived more than 2,500 years ago. "Of course I know, if one day I can see all the seven wonders, wow, then life will be complete." I said casually. He raised the corner of his mouth slightly, showing a gentle smile under the bright light, "Maybe, there will be..." "Agrippa, look! We're coming to shore soon, great!" Before he finished speaking, I interrupted him and shouted excitedly, pointing to the shore. "As a slave, don't interrupt the master casually next time! Did you hear that!!" His depressed voice came from behind.

After spending the night in Alexander's temporary residence, Agrippa took me to the palace of Queen Cleopatra in the early morning of the next day. Since the queen was influenced by Greek culture since she was a child, this noble and gorgeous palace also incorporates a typical Athenian style. Sure enough, as Agrippa said, the queen quickly agreed to receive us after knowing his identity. Things seem to be developing in the direction he expected... Whether it is official history, unofficial history, or movies and novels, they all describe the beauty of the Egyptian queen without exception, so when I saw the queen herself with great anticipation, I was a little surprised.

She is undoubtedly elegant and noble, her curly light red hair adds a bit of charm to her, her silky skin exudes a faint luster, and although her facial features are not stunning, they are also very delicate and meaningful.It's just that it seems a little different from the coquettish beauty mentioned in the book. "Romans who came from afar, tell me, what news did Octavian bring you?" She sat down gracefully on the emerald-inlaid seat, raised her eyes and smiled, "Did he forget, He has declared war on me, Egypt." "Your Majesty, I am here for this purpose." Agrippa smiled slightly, and then repeated to her what Octavian meant.

The queen looked at him with a half-smile, "This sounds a little ridiculous, why should I form an alliance with you, if Anthony wins this war, then everything is over." "Your Majesty, you also said that it is an if. Then if we win, what is waiting for you? You will lose a lot of things, including your beloved Egypt, you and Caesar's children..." The queen's eyelashes quivered slightly when Agrippa spoke of Egypt and children. "Then, we each have half the chance, so there's no need for me to form an alliance with you." The queen kept an elegant smile on her face.

"Oh?" Agrippa narrowed his eyes, "Do you think you really have half the chance?" Before the queen could speak, he continued, "In order to raise troops, Antony forced young Greek men to serve in the military. No matter what their profession is, I heard that even donkey drivers were recruited. I'm afraid they even have oars. You haven’t seen it before. Your Majesty, maybe even you are beginning to doubt whether you have the ability to win this contest with Octavian. Otherwise, you won’t receive me,” his tone suddenly changed He became aggressive and raised his voice, "Your heart is shaking, isn't it? As long as you form an alliance with us, your Egypt, your children, all this will still be yours."

The queen looked at him calmly, lowered her eyes again, and a gentle smile slowly appeared on the corner of her mouth, "However, I think it's a coincidence that you have come here. Tomorrow, I will leave for Upper Egypt..." "If you don't mind, we can go with you. I think the time on the road is enough for you to think about it." Agrippa quickly interrupted her, with a bit of unshakable determination in his seemingly relaxed tone. The queen was slightly startled, looked at Agrippa for a few seconds, and laughed again, "Of course I don't mind, but I can't let everyone on board, so..." "I only take my maid on board." He pointed at me. "There won't be any more." "That's good," she stood up from her seat, "you can stay here tonight, and leave with my boat tomorrow." The maids led us to the side of the palace and settled us down.The queen's palace is really luxurious, such a casual house, the furnishings inside are also exquisite and luxurious. "Why did the queen go to Upper Egypt at this time?" After sitting down in his room, I asked inexplicably. Agrippa raised his lips and smiled, not surprised, "Because there is the Great Temple of Karnak there." "Temple..." I was stunned for a moment, and then realized, "Could it be that she went to the temple to pray for an oracle?" "It's probably like this. For the Egyptians, before going to war, the good or bad luck shown by the oracle is very important." He glanced at me, "She also wants to wait until she sees the oracle before making the final decision .” If this is the case, most of the oracle shows that it is unknown, otherwise, how could the Queen agree to cooperate with Octavian.But what I can't understand is why did the queen hate Agrippa when Octavian broke his promise?Perhaps, this trip to Egypt can see some clues? It's just that this trip to Egypt will take a lot of time. Fortunately, one month here is equal to one day there. Thinking of this, I feel a little relieved. "This woman who made Caesar and Antony so obsessed doesn't look like the Egyptian temptress in the Roman population. I thought she was so coquettish." He took a date palm from a silver plate and put it in his mouth inside. "External beauty is just a flash in the pan. I think she attracted them by inner charm." I shrugged, although I felt that the queen's appearance was not the same as I imagined, but she was still clearly recorded in history She is not only proficient in many languages, but also a mathematician, philosopher and chemist at that time. "Inner charm?" There was a bit of disdain in his eyes, "After all, it's just a woman." "A woman?" His tone made me a little uncomfortable. "Yes, she is a woman who is fighting against the entire mighty Rome. She used your army to quell the civil war in Egypt, unify the government orders, and at the same time try her best to repair it. The books and classics burned in the war. Whether it is Caesar or Antony, she is entwined between her fingers like soft oriental silk, isn't it?" He looked at me in surprise, "How do you know so much?" Ah, a slip of the tongue, said so much, it would be bad if it aroused his suspicion. "Actually, this is the reason why I want to come to Egypt," I immediately said, "Because I have always admired her since I heard her legend, so I want to follow you to Egypt to see her with my own eyes." "So it's like this..." He walked up to me with a smile, put his hand on my shoulder lightly, bent down, his warm breath lingered on my neck, and whispered to me with a somewhat ambiguous voice. ringing in my ears, "I don't know what kind of woman can make me a soft oriental silk?" My face became slightly hot, and I decided to ignore his words and ignore them. He smiled lightly and got closer, I just felt that the muscles in my whole body were tense, don't get closer, don't get closer... "Why don't you stay here tonight." Hearing him say this suddenly, I was shocked. When I subconsciously turned my face away, my lips touched his face impartially. My head exploded with a buzzing sound, and I jumped up from the chair as if electrocuted, staring at him angrily... "Why, so proactive?" He looked at my reaction with interest and smiled maliciously. He did it on purpose, absolutely on purpose! Calm down, calm down... the more intense I act, the more proud he is... "Aren't you going to answer?" He raised his eyebrows and chuckled, "My nights will be very lonely." I ignored him, opened the door without saying a word, and called towards the door. Soon, the two maids who brought us just now appeared in front of us. Agrippa looked at me slightly puzzled. "Excuse me, what are your orders?" one of the tall maids asked. "Oh, it's like this, can I ask Her Majesty the Queen to send some beautiful women here, otherwise I'm afraid that the master will not be able to sleep because of loneliness..." Before I could finish, Agrippa covered my mouth tightly, "Don't listen to her nonsense!" He growled angrily. The two maids obviously looked at Agrippa like a satyr, which drove him crazy even more. "I, I will report to the queen..." the tall maid said as she walked out quickly, "Wait a minute!" Agrippa let go of me in a hurry, stepped forward and grabbed the maid's hand, and the maid yelled in fright, "No, no, I can't do it, I'll hurry up Married!" Agrippa's face turned black immediately, "I didn't mean that..." "Master, don't be too impatient..." I blinked at him, and quickly slipped out, not forgetting to turn around and give the maid a bright smile, "By the way, a few may not be enough, at last I can send seventeen or eighteen..." Ha... Agrippa... Who told you to mess with me... Take it easy on your own. "Xiao Wan, come back to me!" Amidst his frantic voice, I had already let another maid lead me to the door of my room. "Your room is here." The little maid was also a little panicked when she led me to the room. She probably felt that her companion was in danger. I was about to open the door, but I saw a beautiful maid walking out of it. She looked a little strange when she saw me, but it was only for a moment, and she smiled at me again, "Everything inside is already gone. It's all set up, I hope you have a great evening." I thanked her and walked into the room. The whole room was filled with a strong fragrance, which made people feel a little dizzy. . That, Alexander the Great ranks second among the top ten historical figures that Xiong loves most (the first is of course Oda Nobunagaden), and next year I will write a long article dedicated to him. After tidying up my things, I asked the maid at the door to take me to the place where they bathed and cleaned it. When I returned to the room, I felt that the fragrance seemed to be stronger... The room was a bit stuffy, I got up and opened the window, and the salty sea breeze immediately floated into the room, bringing a bit of coolness to this exotic night. I changed into an Egyptian Casillas long skirt. This kind of skirt is cool to wear, and it is very good as a nightgown. Just as I closed my eyes, I recalled the embarrassing scene just now. I touched my lips depressedly. Is this my first kiss?It just disappeared out of nowhere...by accident, just by accident...just by accident, um, yes, by accident. Alas, what happened to my mother, where did she go?Dad, you should still be sleeping in the time preservation law. I hope you can find your mother sooner and go back sooner. I hope everything will be back to normal before Dad wakes up. At this moment, where will the train and the sound be? In my wild thoughts, I only felt that drowsiness was gradually hitting me. I was half asleep and half awake when I suddenly felt something cold and slippery crawling by my feet. When Moonlight saw the black shadow in front of him clearly, he couldn't help being stunned. Under the silvery moonlight, a ferocious-looking cobra coiled around the incense bottle, staring at me quietly, spitting out letters, as if it would launch an attack at any time... But, Cobra dude, you're unlucky to meet me today... I showed it a smile that you are finished, and when I was about to deal with it, the strange expression of the maid suddenly appeared in my mind, and this strong fragrance seemed to be different from other places in the palace. Same. Seeing the snake lingering beside the incense bottle, could it be that the scent attracts the poisonous snake? Maids, scents, poisonous snakes... Linking these together, I suddenly thought of a possibility. . Could it be that the queen is testing my reality?Maybe it's because Agrippa didn't want any guards, but took me to Egypt with her, so she had some doubts about me? It seems that I should make a normal reaction in order to completely dispel the queen's concerns... Thinking of this, I showed it another lucky smile and cleared my throat.Ah, I shouted loudly... In order to be more realistic, I added a sentence hoarsely, "There is a snake! Help!" Sure enough, there were disorderly footsteps in the corridor immediately, and a heavy footstep rushed to the door first, only to see Agrippa's low voice, "All of you are not allowed to go in! If too many people go in, the snake will Be disturbed and attack." I was a little surprised that it was Agrippa who arrived first... The door was slowly opened, and a tall figure came in quietly... "Xiaowan, are you okay?" He asked lightly. "I'm fine, the snake is next to the incense bottle on your right." I replied softly. As soon as my words fell, the cobra finally couldn't hold it back, bared its long fangs, and rushed towards me. It was too late to speak, but soon, Agrippa had already raised his sword and dropped it neatly. cut the cobra in two.When the second half of it flew to my side, the tail was still shaking... He arrived later, and quickly lifted the snake's body away with a sword. "Xiao Wan, I saved you again." He looked down at me with a smile in his blue eyes. Under the influence of the moonlight, his wheat-colored skin shone like gems, and his perfect figure like a Roman sculpture seemed to be a gift from the gods. very sexy. Drops of water?Only then did I realize that he was only wearing a bath towel around his lower body. Looking at him like this, could it be possible that he hasn't even finished taking a shower? Did he come just because he heard my cries for help? ? Inexplicably, a little emotion surged up in my heart. "Master Messenger, are you alright?" A familiar figure appeared beside the slightly opened door, and I recognized at a glance that it was the maid who was in my room before. So it seems that my inference is correct, the queen wants to test my reality... "It's okay, the snake has been killed by me..." "Master, I'm so scared!" Before he finished speaking, I threw myself into his arms and cried loudly, "That snake is really scary! It scared me to death..." Agrippa was a little baffled by me, but when he heard my howling, he sighed softly and hugged me tightly in his arms. "It's all right...it's all right..." His voice seemed to be coaxing a child, so I held back my smile and continued to perform. "It's fine, please rest early." After the maid finished speaking, she led the rest of the maids away. Hearing their footsteps disappear at the end of the corridor, I was relieved and stopped crying. "I didn't expect a woman who dared to kill a leopard to be afraid of a snake." There was a bit of gentle teasing in his voice, "Do you still want to be my bodyguard?" I pushed him away hard and raised my eyebrows, "Joke, I'm afraid of that snake. It's like this..." Then, I told him all my guesses. "So that's the case, but in this way, the Queen shouldn't suspect you." He looked at me a little funny, "I think everyone in the palace heard your cry just now." "I'm not trying to be realistic." I glared at him. "However, no matter what, I saved you once." He said relentlessly. "Tch, this..." I was about to refute him, when I suddenly saw his bath towel, I swallowed all the remaining words, and the one that came out of my mouth turned out to be: "Thank you, Agrippa." No matter what, I accepted the intention to help me. He seemed a little surprised by my reaction, trying to find out something on my face, but he happened to meet my eyes, and our eyes intertwined, as if something was surging in his water-blue eyes, Then, he turned his head slightly, and avoided my rare and sincere gaze in a very ignorant way... "Okay, you should go to bed earlier, we're leaving early tomorrow morning." Uncharacteristically, he didn't tease me, stood up and walked out. "Well, you too." I also felt a little unaccustomed to his serious attitude. When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped again, "Don't forget to close the window, I don't want to make another trip." Hearing his footsteps go away, I got up and closed the window, I don't want a poisonous snake to disturb my sleep anymore... For some reason, I felt that he suddenly became a little weird just now... Forget it, stop thinking about it... Solving tasks is king...