Two months have already passed since the disappearance of the Empress of the East, founder of the Sultanate of Women and great love of Sultan Suleiman, Haseki Hürrem Sultan. Topkapi Palace is plunged into deep mourning. The Sultan has ordered the cessation of all celebrations and music, and the gold and diamond decorations have been removed. In Suleiman's room, the ornaments have disappeared and his large tables have been replaced by a simple tray placed on the floor.
Suleiman contemplated the sea view from his balcony.
- Hürrem, my beloved, I miss you so much. I think our last moments together were the only ones where we reconciled."

At the same time in the palace, Cafenda Hatun, Nurbanu Sultan's servant, returns from the funeral with a great secret.

- So Cafenda, did you find what I asked you to?, asks Nurbanu while putting on her earrings in front of her mirror.
- Yes, my sultana. It was difficult, but I succeeded. Here is Hürrem Sultan's ring.

Nurbanu, delighted, approaches her servant and takes the ring in her hands. This ring has given power to her mother-in-law and brought her luck. It is therefore quite logical that it should come back to her.

- Sultan Suleiman is a real jeweler, exclaims Nurbanu admiring the ring. This ring is of resplendent beauty.
- But my sultana, how are we going to hide our act? What we have done is of extreme gravity and could cause us serious trouble if we were unmasked, Cafenda worries to Nurbanu.

- What the Sultan does not know will not bother him. We are only two to know the hiding place of the ring, and I have great confidence in you, Cafenda, not to betray me. As for Selim, I will find a way to persuade him to keep the ring.
Nurbanu replied by putting the ring on her ring finger.

Unfortunately for the two women, Sumbul Aga, who was passing through the corridors, overheard their conversation. He decided to inform the Sultan's daughter, Mihrimah Sultan.
Mihrimah Sultan had been residing in the palace for two months to support her brothers and father. Her daughter Hümaşah accompanied her, while her husband Rüstem Pasha remained in their usual palace. A servant approached her and announced:

- My sultana, Sumbul Aga stands before the door and claims to have an urgent message to deliver to you.

Mihrimah wondered about the nature of this crucial message, but she trusted Sumbul Aga. Confidante of her mother for years, he had been present by her side since her birth, like a real uncle.

- Bring him in, it must be an important matter, Mihrimah Sultan replied to her servant.

Sumbul rushed into the room and exclaimed:

- My sultana, we have a problem, a disaster!
- Sumbul calm down, come sit down and tell me what the problem is. Mihrimah said calmly, used to the old man's eccentricities.

Sumbul sat down next to the sultana who offered him a beautiful smile. He then began to explain to her:

- I was on my way to the harem when I heard Nurbanu Sultan and Cafenda Hatun discussing. Nurbanu's servant went to the mortuary to take your poor mother's ring and give it to her mistress. Sumbul Aga explained.

"How dare she?" Was Mihrimah's first thought. Nurbanu was overstepping her bounds and becoming too zealous. Although she was a sultana, she had to respect the rules that had been taught to her. She could not allow herself such an insult.
She knew that she had to be careful in punishing her sister-in-law for her misdeed. Selim should not intervene, as he was so smitten with his concubine that he would not inflict a punishment commensurate with her fault.
Discussing with her father was a good idea. She would ask for his agreement to punish the sultana and present him with her plan. Unfortunately, killing the sultana was out of the question. Selim would be devastated and Mihrimah did not want to deprive her nephews, three of whom were five years old and one ten years old, of their mother, however unbearable she might be.

- Don't worry, Sumbul, I'll talk to the Sultan about it. Together, we'll find a way to bring down this woman of little virtue. Thank you for informing me, she told Sumbul.
He replied that it was his duty to watch over the family's well-being and to report such misdeeds.

After Sumbul Aga's departure, Mihrimah prepared to go to the Sultan. The guards informed the Sultan of her arrival and he agreed to let her in.

- My Mihrimah, my moon and sun, he said to his daughter with a smile veiled by sadness.

- Baba! she exclaimed, taking the hand he offered her, kissing it and placing it on her forehead. Her heart was heavy to tell him the news she had learned, but it was important that he knew before making any decisions about Nurbanu.

They sat down and began to talk. Suleiman discussed the recent war, which had been hard on the Janissaries and had cost the harem a lot of money. Mihrimah assured him that the harem was being well treated and that she was personally looking after its well-being. Not wanting to postpone the subject, she said to him:

- Baba, I didn't want to tell you about this because my Valide's death is still fresh in our hearts, but I can't ignore it and hide it from you. Nurbanu, with the help of her servant Cafenda, stole Mama's ring and is keeping it in her room.

- WHAT? Suleiman roared. "Who does this concubine think she is? Has Selim not taught his Hatun anything?" He was beside himself. His wife's ring, a token of his love for her, on the finger of this tramp? Mihrimah made him sit down, fearing that he might hurt himself. He was old and she feared that he might end up killing Selim and Nurbanu, so great was his anger.

- Don't worry, Baba. I have a plan to punish Nurbanu, but I would like your approval before implementing it," she told the Sultan.

- I trust you, my daughter, but I would first like to know your plan before giving you my approval, Suleiman replied.

- My plan would be to banish Nurbanu to the Old Palace, where she would be kept under close surveillance. Killing her would alienate Selim and deprive her children of their mother, which is not an option. She could stay there for three years, receiving her children once every five months. Her treatment as a sultana would be provided to her in reduced quantity and her correspondence would be limited to her children, with all letters being read before being sent. She would be strictly forbidden to write to Sehzade Selim before her release, Mihrimah explained.

Suleiman pondered Mihrimah's plan for a long time before replying:

- Your plan is well-crafted, my daughter, and I agree to it. However, the execution of Cafenda Hatun is non-negotiable. During Nurbanu's three years of exile, her son Murad will be sent to the provinces. Since she will not be able to accompany him, we will assign him another Hatun who will play the role of Cafenda at his side.

Mihrimah Sultan smiled at her father in gratitude and said:

- I had no intention of sparing Canfeda. Her major involvement in this crime condemns her to the death penalty. Moreover, it is crucial that my brother remain unaware of all this.

- Do not worry about that, my daughter. I will make sure to keep him away from this whole affair under the pretext of a hunting trip. We will both inform him of his concubine's crime in due time.

Mihrimah left her father's room, accompanied by Sumbul. Heading towards Nurbanu's chamber, she couldn't help but think:
"Let the downfall of this sultana begin."