Banou brings all the children into the palace with her. She bow deeply to pay respect for the emperor and empress. The older children before hand had inform of this thus they follow whatever Banou does in a presence of an important person.
Li Cheng and Li Xing walk into the hall and bow. A chair is given to Li Xing who can't stand. When he sit down, Xin run to him and wants to sit on his lap. Li Xing look at the emperor and he is granted to pick up the child. Ah Nan who see Li Xing struggle to get off from Banou. He crawl on the floor to Li Xing. The emperor is amused to see two babies attaching to Li Xing. The other children are shown outside by some eunuchs. They are shown to a room where there is food to eat and toys to play with. While the rest will talk in the hall.
"Princess Ban Nu, what are you planning to do with so many children? Are they all of Chinese descend?"
"Your majesty, they are children born in the XiongNu land. Some of them are there when i was a captive. They are equal pitiful as i am when we are there. I can't desert them when there is a chance to escape. Besides that i have teach them all the Chinese words i know. Also some soldiers have express their wanting to adopt them as their child. I had asked them to return home to ask the wives if they are agree with adopting a child. "
"Hmm, as long as you are not keeping so many children. Cheng'er might not able to handle."
Banou look at Li Cheng and look down to the floor.
"I have heard rumours that those two are your children."
"Your majesty, no just one. The other belongs to the daughter of Mehket."
"Where is the Mehket?"
"Your majesty, she is dead. Beaten to death... she entrust her daughter to me. I would like to handle over to Mehket when i see him."
"And the other child..."
"I was force... and... given birth to him."
She continue to stare at the floor and too shame to look up. She did not want to see what the expression of others are.
"My father, your majesty. Ban Nu is force and it's not her nor the baby's fault. I ..."
"It is the face of imperial family we are looking at my son. That child have to be raise somewhere else. Far away. He cannot address you nor princess Ban Nu as parents."
"Your majesty! He is just a ..."
"That is preciously why he needs to be send away. So that no one can talk about him and he won't remember a single thing. I will grant him as a citizen of our Tang dynasty. Hopefully he doesn't have any blood of XingNu in him. May he be alike princess Ban Nu. What is his name?"
"Your majesty. He doesn't have a name. I call him Ah Nan."
"Then in this case, i will be generous. I will allow him to use the surname Li. Thus his name will be Li Nan. If he later grows up to be useful citizen, i will consider him to be a free person to go anywhere he wish to. However if he display signs like a XiongNu does, he needed to be executed or exile. Do i make myself clear. "
"Where do you wish for him to move to, your majesty."
"He needs to be watch and care for. He will be raise in the palace here with the nobles. Raise in the shadow and not no one tell him of nothing."
Banou keep quiet the whole while with her eyes cast down. She pity her son that is not wanted anywhere. They almost have the same fate. She raise up her head and before she can ask. Li Cheng ask his question.
" Your majesty, please allow us to raise this child. It's not his fault nor Ban Nu. We will raise him quietly without anyone questing his parentage. We shall say that Xin and Nan are twins! No one will know this except for us who are now in this hall."
The emperor look at both the babies siting on the lap of LI Xing. In terms of sizes, they both look nearly alike. Also both have the same dark curly hair along with big eyes. However Nan have green eyes and Xin have blue eyes. Both of them like Li Xing have high long nose. The emperor sigh and look at the empress.
"So you have plan to keep both children in your living quarters?"
"Yes father. Please, i already had send dispatch to look for merchant Mehket but he is not in Tang. He must have left thus this baby girl is still going to live with us. So with Nan, i think it's best to say that they are twins to void people talking. Since Nan is as big as Xin, no one can tell they are not siblings."
The emperor upturn his lips in disapproval but he look at his wife who is look at him with pitiful eyes. He knows what his empress is thinking.
"Then this is the final talk on this child. Nan and Xin will be raised as siblings. They will be adopted into the royal household for the gracious nature we have. They are both given birth and that their birth mother is beaten to death. Princess Ban Nu have bought them back here in gracious of her tender heart. Let this be the story for now. For the wedding ..."
"Your majesty... i ..."
"Say it princess Ban Nu."
"I wish to push back the wedding..."
"What?! Why? This wedding have been push back too many times."
"I think it's better for ... us. I ..."
Banou stand there and weep. The emperor who hates to see woman cry get frustrated. Nan who is sensitive to his mother's emotion cry too. Li Xing pat the crying child in his arms. Xin move nearer and hug him while still sucking her thumb.
"No matter what you say Ban Nu, the wedding date will be set once the astronomical bureau have the date. That's it! No push back allow! Now im tired!" The emperor get up and leaves. The empress walk down the stairs to Banou. She take Banou's small cold hands and pat them gently.