Banou stand there and endure the echo of laughter in the courtyard. The Chinese entourage arrive shortly behind her. The ladies stop laughing and they bow. Each of them are staring at Li Jun who looks best among them. Shortly Halil comes in and lead those men to the room of the crown prince. Banou quietly follow behind.
"Well still like to follow the back of other people."
"She still thinks that she is special."
"After all these years, she still the same. Stupid."
"Wait, did i hear that she is exile? Why is she back? Is her skin so thick?"
Banou hear them talk loudly among themselves as she walk off. She never like to talk nor hear their conversations. Li Jun who see that she have an upset look on her face, walk beside her. In silence they walk. In silence he offer his companion in curtesy.
Inside the bedroom of the crown prince, the Chinese physicians and the royal doctors are coming to a conclusion. However Banou is not sure how to translate the medical term. Thus she describe what they think might be the problem.
"Princess Banou so in this case, will the needles that you mentioned help the crown prince?"
"Physician Hong, the royal doctors here are wondering if the needles will be enough to cure his problem?"
"Consort Princess Ban Nu, please tell them. This is temporary curing of his pain. Eventually, if we can find a way to cut open his chest to find the rotten part, he might be cure."
"What? Cut open? Physician Hong, are you sure?"
"Consort Princess Ban Nu, please translate. I will find the medical text book on this reference."
While Banou explain while perspiring and anxiety, physician Hong open another case with books in it. His assistance hurry to help his master. The royal doctors are in panic to hear what she said. However when the book of pictures are present to them, they seems to understand a bit of what she translate.
"We have saw a medical term in a western book about cutting away rotten parts of the body. It may cure a person."
At that moment, the crown prince who hear the royal doctors talking. He yell and scream that he is not going to take any medication nor see anyone. Thus the room is once again in chaos. The Chinese physicians take their cases and leave to the courtyard outside the room. While the royal doctors are trying to calm him down. Banou watch them forcing medicine down his throat and hold him. Slowly he is getting quiet and soon he falls asleep. His attend quietly pull down the curtains.The royal doctors walk out to the courtyard. Banou continue to translate till a man come walking in to inform that lunch is ready.
In the dining room, Banou enter to find her siblings are seated on their usual spot in the dining table. Banou inform the Chinese physicians and Li Jun to sit on the male side. While she take her usual spot Banou never expect that at this age and time, she is still going back in your youth days to sit with those sisters. Quietly she take her seat with unhappiness. The Sultan notice Banou's actions. He breath in deeply and wave his hand to start the reception. Today, the Sultan have order the Persian famous dance troops to entertain the lunch reception. Banou quietly enjoy her food while the men are entice with the dancers. Li Jun who see enough of this is looking at Banou.
While Banou is eating quietly, the little princess who is sitting beside her tag Banou's sleeves. Banou look at the little one. That girl smile and hand her a sweet under the table. Banou smile and take it. That little princess is the youngest daughter of her father. She knows nothing of the past what the other princess is like. She grows up together with another princess while every other older princesses are married off. Hence for the first time they meet in the dining hall.
The lunch ended rather well without the siblings ganging up on Banou. The princes whom haven seen Banou for a long time are stun to see that she grow up well. The other princesses who are married and have children have expended their waist line while Banou still looks like she haven't given birth. They all know that she is a mother of a grown up man. However she sitting opposite of them with a fresh look of a youth is unbeliever. They did not dare to walk up and talk to her as their blood sisters still hold a control over them throughout the years. Thus they can only look from a distance and will not engaged a conversation with her.
After lunch, the Chinese physicians are shown to a kitchen where they can make medicine for the crown prince. Aylin is there to lay out the herbs that is needed. the cutting and pounding begins. Banou too help out in cleaning and chopping the herbs. Eventually they start boiling it. The four Chinese physicians sit around to talk about how to check further and diagnose where is the problem is.
That early evening, they start to feed the crown prince with the bitter herbs medicine. He protest but later drink it due to the Sultan sitting on the chair watching him drink it. After a while he feels better but then again it got worst. His coughing comes back and blood is seen again. This time, the Chinese Physicians with the approval from the Sultan, they administrate acupuncture on the crown prince. At first he struggle with the help of his personal assistance, and the Chinese assistance they hold him down as the physicians apply the needles at the pressure point. Immediately he stop coughing and he stop moving. The crown prince is confused and wonder why he is feeling good all of a sudden. His eyes dart around to see who are the doctors and he see Banou. Growing up, he always hear that annoying little girl of a servant is up to no good according to Princess Azedeh.. Who knows she is here to help him. He refused to believe it but he is feeling relax without pain. Instead of his doctors forcing medicine down his throat, he is feeling better.
Banou translate to the doctors as well as her father that the crown prince is feeling the relive from pain is only temporally. They need to locate where is the source of problem and how to remove it. However the first step they need to do is that the crown prince have to put on some weight. He is too skinny and needs to feed. Banou is given the task to cook him non fattening but healthy food for him to slowly increase his weight.
Everyday, Banou and Aylin comes to the palace early to cook breakfast for the crown prince. Congee is easy to digest and healthy to consume. They put in some chicken shred, spring onions and sesame oil. At first he did not want to eat it but the smell is alluring and he saliva. His attendant feed him slowly and the crown prince rather enjoy it. Something different from the everyday. Banou stand away from his view so that the crown prince can eat in peace while she wait patiently for the return of the bowl. For lunch, she make him congee with fish and carrots. For dinner, lamb meat that is chopped finely and potatoes that are chopped into small cubes. Everyday Banou comes up with different combination of food for him. Everyday he eats it well sometimes he complain that the portion is not enough and he wants more.
In a month of acupuncture and feeding him with small portion of food. He is looking better than the past. The sultan feels that there is hope for his eldest son.