Not leaving

Banou wakes up with a start. She panic and wonder where she is. Did she get dragged back to Persian? She try to focus and she sees the Chinese style bedroom. She sigh a relive and attempt to get up. She walk to the small table which have cups and a tea pot. She pour herself a cup of tea. 

It's chaos in her mind. She is thinking of the law in Ottoman and Tang. There must be a loop in it that she can be a free person and be away from people who wants to control and own her. Banou just want to live as a free person. Even if she is a poor woman, she have her ways to live another day. If it's her fate to die early, so be it. However now, she wants to break free from all the chains that are chain to her. Also the chains that are reaching Li Xing, she have to break it before they chain on to him. 

That evening, She asked the maids who send in her dinner. They inform Banou she is in the palace. The emperor have order that Banou will be staying in the palace till her matter is resolved. She have her dinner in solitude. She slowly chew and look out the window. The moon is high and it's windy again. The door open, Li Jun walk in. Banou get up and bow to him. 

"How are you feeling now?"

"I am fine, master."

"Stop calling me master. Base on our social status, we are on equal."

Banou push her sleeves up to show the branding on her arm. 

"My status is a traitor. My status have condemned me to become a slave. When before i can meet a horrible fate, you took me away. You gave me a life that i am enjoying. I don't care for my past. I just care for my future. I used to be Princess Banou. Now i am just Banou, the slave."

Li Jun reach out to touch her branding. He have seen her branding so many times but he never ask her. He feels that it's a pain in the past that should be buried and never bring it up. 

"Ban Nu, i will try my best to keep you. Don't worry. Come eat your dinner. Don't get hungry." He pick up the chopstick and pick up some dishes to put on her plate. She look at Li Jun, she wants him to know she won't blame him if she is still send back to Ottoman. 

The following days, Demir meet Banou in the law bureau. They speak in Arabic as it's nothing about Tang's law. 

"Princess Banou. The marriage was a mistake."

"There is no mistake, i married accordingly to the command. If it is a mistake, who will be responsible for this branding of a traitor on my arm?"

"Those who are involved are punished."

"Who"

"Let me tell you from the start. The mistake started long ago before the wedding. When the papers are draft up for the marriage, Prince Bardiya and Princess Azedeh, they had made the switch on the marriage paper. You were supposed to marry scholar Bahman. He is selected by the Sultan as he felt that you will be more comfortable with a man who have knowledge. However The prince and princess made the switch with you. Princess Azedeh married scholar Bahman while you married the late Marquis. They did this without anyone knowing. Prince Bardiya did not like the late Marquis thus he so boldly made the changes. Even the Sultan did not noticed this. By the time he only noticed that when he saw scholar Bahman is unhappy in the office. The Sultan realised the wrong daughter is married to him. The Sultan checked through his records that he had decree that Princess Banou to marry Scholar Bahman. So he locked up Princess Azedeh for an answer. She finally confessed and Prince Bardiya is arrested."

"But locking them up doesn't help me."

"The marriage of the Princess Azedeh is cancelled. She is now still locked in the cell. Her brother Prince Bardiya is send to the army as a scout never to raise on the ranks. His title and richness is stripped from him."

Banou remain silence. She look at the branding on her arm through the sleeves. 

"The Sultan ordered that you to bring back to the Ottoman Empire and you should marry Scholar Bahman to correct the mistake. We have search through a long ten years. Now i have told you the entire story, we can make plans to return to the Ottoman Empire! The Sultan is must eager to see you again!"

" I cannot leave Great Tang, you know that."

"You can bring your son with you!"

"I can't leave here. This country have given me a lot. I am not leaving."

Envoy Demir is not happy with what she said. He started to speak loudly that those working in the law bureau turn to look over the two foreigners. 

"Look here! Envoy De Ri, please lower your voice. We have to work here." 

"I apologise. I am trying to talk sense into Princess Banou."

"Well talk sense shouldn't be so loud."

"Sir Demir, is it possible that you inform my father, the Sultan. I am not leaving. I am happy at where i am."

The envoy Demir looks unhappy. He knows he is not going home after finding the Princess. He decided that he should write a letter back to inform the Sultan and he have to remain near her. He needs to get back her status as a princess. 

"Princess Banou i need to inform you of this." He looks gravely at her. 

"The crown prince, he is unwell for a long time. You are one of the three remaining children who is unmarried. According to the law of our great empire, if the children of the Sultan is unmarried and the crown prince doesn't live to ascend on the throne, he will get to choose his successor within any of the siblings. Regardless male or female. Now the remaining three are Princess Farah age five, Princess Mina age eight and you, Princess Banou age twenty five. Now who do you think the crown prince will choose?"

"What about the children of the crown prince?"

"He is married but there is no children. His wife will be deposit once he is dead."

"My other other brothers?"

"The Sultan had some banished from succeeding the throne. The remaining doesn't wish to have anything to do with the royal family."

"Is that why my father, the Sultan search for me? So that i can succeed as a ruler for Ottoman?" Banou feels sad at that but it's how the world works. 

" It is one of the many reasons why he order the search for you. As a father, i understand his anxiety for a missing child. He expected you to marry a scholar to have a safe and stable life. However fate have other plans for you." 

Banou's tears fall with the last line he said. Her father wants her to be safe and have a stable life. "Then tell him, i am now safe. I have a stable life. I am surrounded by people who respect me. They treat me like family. Please go back and tell him that. Don't come back and look for me. Leave me."