The empress and Banou is sitting in the garden talking and smiling when Banou notice a girl walking pass with maids following behind. The girl stop walking and she bow to them. The empress nod her head and Banou bow back. The girl who never seen a foreigner before is surprise. She stare for awhile and she turn back and continue to walk away.
"That is the new concubine from the country Wa. "
She is just a child..."
"Yes. Barely fifteen."
"She is tiny."
"Yes indeed, she cannot speak a word of Mandarin but she can write a good Chinese poem."
"She must be lonely."
"She must be... she only bring two maids with her to live in this palace."
"Her dressing..."
"It is the traditional dressing in her country. The dress is narrow at the bottom thus she walks slowly and never hurry. She is taught well with grace and elegance. She does nothing shocking. I thought that i can be mean to her but i cannot. She is a child who is now living without her own family and a different country. I cannot find any fault with her. If there is a person's fault it is that damn man!"
Banou look surprisingly at the empress. The empress who is looking straight with her eyes bows knitted together and fit clutch tight. Banou pour a cup of tea and offer to the empress. She soften down and take the cup. They continue to talk but hear soft music of a single string play.
"It must be her..."
"Your majestic, may i know her name?"
"She is Yuki. Daughter of the emperor Akira."
They continue to hear the music and enjoy it. It is soft and it carries a bit of sadness in it. Banou thinks that she must be lonely and miss her family.
The preparation of the wedding goes ahead after two months. The three sons are aware that they are getting married is acting odd in front of their own family. Banou constantly talk to them on how to be a good husband. In the end, she find them drunk with the other brothers and talking at the top of their voice of not wanting to get marry. She ask Li Cheng to go talk to the sons what is on their mind. He comes back saying there is nothing to worry about. It's normal for men. The wedding day come and go with a big celebration. Banou finally see three of her sons got married.
Another year pass, two more grandchildren are born. Another adopted son is married. Banou frequently goes into the palace to visit the empress. Sometimes, she will see Yuki, the girl from Wa. She is always alone and sometimes she walks with the concubine of the crown prince. They are the only girls from Wa. Together, they look like little girls who have lost their families. They rarely smile nor talk a lot. Banou try to communicate with them but they remain quiet. When they smile, they cover the lower part of their face. They are even more gentle than the noble Chinese girls. Since the language is different, they write it to convey their thoughts. Banou try to understand what they write. Even though it is written in Chinese characters, the words seems to be mixed up, Banou understand from their words that they miss home. Thus, she ask the empress if she can bring the the envoy of Wa to meet them. Maybe they won't feel so lonely.
The emperor approve the envoy of Wa to meet them. For the first time, the girls of Wa smile. They bow and give Banou a small gift of a hand fan and a hairpin in Wa style. At the same time, Li Ming Banou's adopted son appear in the royal gardens along side with the crown prince. Banou notice the look on Yuki's face when she look at Li Ming. It's the look of love. Li Ming too have a look of admiral but he is aware of her identity thus he stay in a distance. Back home, while having dinner together, Banou look at Li Ming. Quietly after dinner, she call him and walk the gardens together. She question him about the emperor's concubine. He remain quiet and later he look at his adopted mother.
"Mother... i never.... i cannot. I understand that i must not have any ideals nor fantasy."
"It is not only that. She is still a child.She is innocent with no ideal about anything outside the palace. Also she belong to the the emperor... don't over step your place."
"I understand mother."
Banou understands that the human heart cannot control the emotions that runs through a person thus she will leave it to him to know what to do. As long as the emperor doesn't gets angry. She won't do anything to make him upset.
On a hot summer, the concubine of the emperor, Yuki got sick. She is confine in her boudoir. Rumours that she is so sick that she is having fever. That summer, she passed away. Banou watch her son Li Ming wasting away for drinking every night alone. In the end, he is found dead in an alley. He was robbed and stabbed. Banou cry hard for her poor son who escape the XiongNu with her. A chance in life to study and work for the government. Just when everything is looking up for him, he suffer a heartache. A secret maybe only she knows. They buried him within the royal family plot of land. The killer is never found and Banou sent her own men to search. They found him and Banou silence him to revenge for her son.
That year, the XiongNu attack suddenly. The border with Prince LI Cheng guarding there. Fight hard to push them back. Ajax and his men who build up with the first line of defence push the attackers far with their style of combat. The number of casualties are lesser compare to the last round but Ajax and his men are badly injured, that include Li Nan and three brothers in it. His wife Yang Bai Lu rush to camp demanding to see her husband, Li Nan and she stayed in camp and take care of him. Li Xin rush to camp too to take care of Ajax. While a few noble families have sent in medical care and some volunteer to take care of injured soldiers. The emperor send in the best royal physicians to care for the soldiers. Li Cheng and Li Xing get away with a few cuts. Li Cheng have to start to plan his defence layout for the surprise attack again.