Chapter Thirty-One

Page 1 of 3

Chapter 31

On the main road from Tie City to Gu City.

Although Wei Ge was a resourceful general of the Qiu Kingdom, he was terrified of death. When Gu Yusheng held the tip of his Lou family sword against his dark, thick neck, Wei Ge was so frightened he could not speak.

Gu Yusheng glared at Wei Ge and cursed inwardly: "A coward like this is worthy of Princess Chongwen! The Empress Dowager Liang must be a blind old hag to have betrothed her own precious jewel to him just to reclaim seven fortresses!"

The soldiers stepped forward together, pinned Wei Ge to the ground, bound him tightly, and loaded him onto a carriage.

Lying on the carriage, Wei Ge wept, "Vanguard General Gu, look, my right hand is still bleeding. I beg you to have the physician stop the bleeding immediately! Otherwise, I will die!"

Gu Yusheng waved to the nearby physician and then turned to curse at Wei Ge, "It would be better if a coward like you died; you are nothing but a scourge to others while you live!"

The person Gu Yusheng referred to was Princess Chongwen, Yi Mo, who had been escorted back to the Qiu Kingdom by Empress Dowager Liang.

Gu City.

Yang Wenhua had been attacking Gu City for three days. On the evening the day Gu Yusheng captured Wei Ge, Marshal Yang Wenhua received the news sent by Gu Yusheng and ordered the assault on Gu City. This was a plan previously agreed upon by Marshal Yang Wenhua and Vanguard General Gu Yusheng.

The reason Empress Dowager Liang felt secure enough to hold Gu City was because she had her prospective son-in-law, Wei Ge, with her—a man capable of commanding battles. She had promised to accept Wei Ge as her son-in-law and had agreed that they would marry upon returning to their country. However, Yi Mo had declared that she would rather die than marry Wei Ge. The Empress Dowager had no choice but to have Yi Mo escorted back to the Qiu Kingdom.

Marshal Yang Wenhua’s suspension of Vanguard General Gu Yusheng’s duties was also a ruse. The Qiu army’s provisions were exhausted, and grain was the best bait. Wei Ge was a passionate hunter, and throwing bait on the path to the hunting grounds made it easier to lure the snake out of its hole. The goal was to capture Wei Ge and cut off Empress Dowager Liang’s right hand. Her left hand was Yi Mo, and her right hand was Wei Ge. Without their command, the Qiu army would fall into panic and disorder.

Now, the dozen or so fortresses surrounding Gu City had been occupied by the Southern Han troops, and the connection between Gu City and Qing City had been severed.

Empress Dowager Liang had sent men multiple times to seek help from Qing City—this played right into the "besiege a point to strike the reinforcements" strategy formulated by Yang Wenhua and Gu Yusheng.

The waves of reinforcements sent from Qing City to rescue Gu City were all annihilated by the fifty thousand soldiers Yang Wenhua had placed in ambush along the road.

Soon, these fifty thousand Southern Han soldiers took advantage of Qing City’s emptiness and recaptured it.

Gu City had now become an isolated city. Marshal Yang Wenhua ordered a full-scale assault.

The Qiu army’s most lethal weapons were their siege towers. Consequently, the Southern Han troops met with fierce resistance.

That evening, a gale blew with great force, and all the siege towers within Gu City were destroyed by the wind.

Watching the siege towers being demolished one by one, Empress Dowager Liang wept bitterly: "This is Heaven wanting to destroy my Liang clan!"

At midnight, the Empress Dowager ordered the entire army to retreat. The whole force withdrew to the Qiu Kingdom.

A few days later, Marshal Yang Wenhua also led his troops back to the capital.

When leaving Gu City, Marshal Yang ordered the soldiers to place Wei Ge in shackles and transport him to the capital in a prisoner cart. Not long after, following peace negotiations between the Southern Han and the Qiu Kingdom, Wei Ge was sent back, as the Qiu Kingdom had made his return one of the conditions for peace.

The war had lasted exactly seven months. The brilliant victory delighted the current Emperor, who not only richly rewarded Prime Minister Tan, who had originally advocated for the war, but also appointed Wang Wuliang as Minister of War and promoted Yang Wenhua and Gu Yusheng to Senior and Junior Vice Ministers of the Ministry of War.

The Emperor also sent officials to Tie City to collect the remains of General Tan Qinglong for a grand burial and bestowed titles upon his eldest son.

Osmanthus Garden.

After the victory banquet, Gu Yusheng rode a tall, powerful horse toward home, brimming with joy. Before he even reached the gate, he saw Qi Yaoyao rushing out to meet him from afar, followed by his brother Gu Yuren, his sister-in-law Qi Qiongqiong, and others. The Gu Yuren family had arrived in the capital three months prior.

Gu Yusheng dismounted, but stopped after a few steps—he did not know whether to embrace Qi Yaoyao first or his brother Gu Yuren. He truly wanted to hold his brother, sister-in-law, and Qi Yaoyao all in his arms at once. Fortunately, Dabao and Erbao ran out from behind them, calling out in unison: "Second Uncle!"

Gu Yusheng quickly handed his reins and whip to Qi Yaoyao, crouched down, opened his arms to embrace the two boys, and asked, "You two must be Dabao and Erbao, right? Tell Second Uncle, how old are you?"

Dabao quickly said, "Second Uncle, Dabao is five this year, and Erbao is three."

Gu Yuren walked closer and said, "Second brother, let’s go inside. There are two elders waiting for you!"

Gu Yusheng stood up with one boy in each arm and asked as they walked, "Big brother, you just said there are two elders at home, who are they?"

Gu Yuren smiled and said, "Second brother, take a guess. Who could they be?"

Just as Gu Yusheng was about to speak, he heard a familiar, long-missed voice come from under the osmanthus tree: "Yusheng, stop guessing! It’s your Uncle Tianjian and Aunt Rouya!"

Gu Yusheng looked toward the tree, quickly set the boys down, hurried over, and gripped one of Zhao Rouya’s hands tightly, asking happily, "Aunt, why have you come? When did you arrive in the capital?"

Zhao Rouya smiled and said to Gu Yusheng, "Yusheng, you are as impatient as ever, asking me two questions at once! I will answer you now: the first question is because your Uncle Tianjian and I haven’t seen you and that stubborn girl Guimu for years, and we missed you so much that we couldn't sit still at home, so we took a carriage to the capital to visit! As for the second question... I’ll put it this way! We met Yuren on the road, so we traveled to the capital with his family, entered Osmanthus Garden together, and today makes exactly one hundred days! Tell me, Yusheng, we’ve been here so long, and I am such a sickly person; your wife Yao’er has been busy not only serving us good food and drink every day but also fetching and boiling medicine for me. After all this time, do you think she resents me?"

Gu Yusheng led Zhao Rouya toward the house, saying, "Aunt, please don't think that way! Yao’er and I have been waiting for you and Uncle like stars in the sky! Not to mention serving you for one hundred days, we would be happy to serve you for one hundred years!" He turned and looked affectionately at Qi Yaoyao, "My lady, would you be willing?"

Qi Yaoyao came over to support Zhao Rouya: "I would be willing for ten thousand years!"

Zhao Rouya squinted and said, "You’ve learned to be smooth-tongued like Yusheng!"

Gu Yusheng laughed: "Aunt, Yao’er is right to learn from me! Look at how cheerful, radiant, and beautiful she is now! That cold 'Miss Qi' from before is long gone!"

Qi Yaoyao rolled her eyes at Gu Yusheng and pouted: "I was just keeping to myself back then." She turned to Zhao Rouya: "Aunt, look, do I seem like a cold person?"

Zhao Rouya walked over and took Qi Yaoyao’s hand, saying, "Our Yao’er is as warm as fire! Your Uncle Tianjian and I felt that the moment we stepped through the door!"

Qi Yaoyao turned to glare at Gu Yusheng: "Did you hear that? Stop being so blind and deaf!"

Page 2 of 3

That evening, Qi Yaoyao prepared a sumptuous feast to welcome them.

As Zhao Rouya ate, tears began to fall. This left the young couple, Gu Yusheng and Qi Yaoyao, completely bewildered—

"Aunt, is the food not to your liking?"

"Aunt, did Yusheng do something wrong?..."

As it turned out, Zhao Rouya was overcome by emotion. Since the day they left the salt field, the old couple had spent over half a year bumping along the road, suffering from the hardships of travel, sleeping in the open, and then falling ill for over three months in Hutang Village. If they hadn’t happened to meet Gu Yuren’s family on the road, they might have already perished or been left wandering in misery.

Knowing their identities, the couple had not stepped outside since arriving at Osmanthus Garden. Xiao Tianjian, familiar with the court’s structure, had quietly gone out to inquire about Xiao Guimu. He soon learned that his daughter had been ordered to the Jingnan Military Commission.

Zhao Rouya still dared not reveal her and Xiao Tianjian’s true identities to Gu Yuren, Qi Qiongqiong, and Qi Yaoyao, fearing it would bring unnecessary trouble. The couple wanted to go to Jingnan immediately to persuade Xiao Guimu to resign and retire, as saving her life was paramount. But Zhao Rouya was so sickly, how could she make the journey?

Anxiety only made Zhao Rouya’s illness worse, and as it worsened, she could only lie in bed and weep.

After the welcoming banquet, Qi Yaoyao called for her maid, Baiyun, and said in front of Gu Yusheng: "Baiyun, Uncle Gu has returned from the war. You are a senior maid now; you cannot stay in the side room anymore. From today on, move to the main room and dedicate yourself to serving the two elders!"

"Yes, Mistress." Baiyun and Caiyun now called Qi Yaoyao "Mistress," though sometimes "Mistress Master," but mostly just "Mistress."

Zhao Rouya understood Qi Yaoyao’s intention and quickly stopped her: "Yao’er, this won't do! We don't need Baiyun to serve us!"

Gu Yusheng, unaware of his wife’s hidden meaning, quickly asked, "Aunt, why won't it do? ...Oh, do you think Baiyun is clumsy? Caiyun is quick and capable, how about we switch to her instead?"

"You don't understand!" Zhao Rouya glared at Gu Yusheng, then looked back at Baiyun: "Miss Baiyun, please step out for a moment; I have something to discuss privately with your master and mistress." Baiyun withdrew.

Zhao Rouya bit her lip and said to Gu Yusheng and Qi Yaoyao: "Aunt was once a minor princess of the Southern Han. When I was at an innocent and carefree age, the capital fell, and I was captured and taken to Northern Zhen as a sex slave; your Uncle Tianjian was once a fierce general under Marshal Wu..." Zhao Rouya dropped a bombshell, recounting her background and the decades of suffering and experiences that followed to the young couple.

Gu Yusheng was stunned, struck by shock, and muttered to himself: "No wonder my father never dared to reveal his origins all these years..."

Qi Yaoyao was shocked beyond words. The four of them sat in the room in silence.

Qi Yaoyao suddenly realized and said, "Aunt, you can now recognize your ancestors and return to your clan, becoming a princess again!"

Xiao Tianjian said: "That would be walking into a trap—it’s suicide!"

Qi Yaoyao asked in confusion: "Why is that?"

Xiao Tianjian said with a trembling voice: "The current Emperor’s birth mother, Empress Dowager Pi, was also captured and taken to Northern Zhen as a sex slave when the capital fell. And your Aunt Rouya knows everything that happened to her during that time. After we returned to the Southern Han, the Empress Dowager was also sent back. Fearing her history would be exposed, Empress Dowager Pi wanted to kill Rouya to silence her. To protect his mother’s reputation, the Emperor posted notices with portraits on city walls everywhere, claiming that the real Princess Zhao Rouya had frozen to death in the North, and that this woman in the portrait is an impostor, to be killed by anyone on sight, with a reward of ten thousand taels of silver..."

Before Xiao Tianjian could finish, Zhao Rouya asked with tear-filled eyes: "Yusheng, Yao’er, your aunt is a wanted criminal. Do you dare keep me in your home?"

Gu Yusheng and Qi Yaoyao said in unison: "Our father has been hiding you for over twenty years, so we aren't afraid! At the worst, we will go to the execution grounds with you!"

Zhao Rouya said: "You aren't afraid, but I am! First, I fear that you, at such a young age, will be implicated by me; second, I still have many good sisters who are currently slaves in Northern Zhen. When I escaped, I promised to help them return home, a promise I have yet to fulfill. If I die now, I will not be able to close my eyes in peace!"

Gu Yusheng said: "What you say is admirable, Aunt! Then what are your future plans?"

Zhao Rouya said: "Please lend us some traveling money. Uncle Tianjian and I will first find a remote place to rest for a few days, recover our health, and then continue toward Jingnan to meet Guimu."

Gu Yusheng said: "That might be for the best..."

Qi Yaoyao said: "What’s best about that? I’ve seen that portrait on the city wall; it doesn't look like Aunt at all! They are hunting a fake princess, and Aunt is the real one. No one will recognize you, so you can rest assured and stay here."

Zhao Rouya laughed: "Silly girl, they drew the portrait of what I looked like when I was young. Most people wouldn't be able to tell. But from childhood to old age, there is always a resemblance. Those chasing the case, especially seasoned bailiffs, have very sharp eyes. Unless we never run into them, once we do, it’s all over!"

Qi Yaoyao sighed: "Leaving again! In that case, you and Uncle must leave tomorrow?"

Zhao Rouya said: "Caution is the parent of safety. We will leave before dawn tomorrow."

Tears welled up in Qi Yaoyao’s eyes. She wiped them away and went to her room to prepare traveling funds for her aunt. That night, Gu Yuren and Qi Qiongqiong also learned the true identities of their parents and Aunt Rouya for the first time, and they were stunned!

At dawn, Gu Yusheng and Gu Yuren went to court. Xiao Tianjian tried to wake Zhao Rouya, but she couldn't get out of bed—she had a fever and a headache. This panicked Qi Yaoyao and Qi Qiongqiong. They sent for a physician to diagnose her and prescribe medicine. They also quietly went to the Guan Yu Temple to pray for Aunt Rouya’s speedy recovery. However, after taking the medicine, Rouya fell into a deep, unconscious sleep. Xiao Tianjian, Qi Qiongqiong, and Yao’er stayed by her bedside without leaving. By the afternoon, when Gu Yuren and Gu Yusheng returned from their duties, Aunt Rouya finally woke up. Her fever had broken, though her head still ached. She lay in bed, holding the brothers' hands, and said: "Yuren, Yusheng, your aunt truly does not want to implicate you, but now that I am ill, I must trouble you for a few more days!"

Gu Yusheng said: "Aunt, just focus on recovering. My brother and I are now court officials; everything will be taken care of."

Zhao Rouya was an elderly woman, and combined with her inner anxiety, this illness was quite severe. She lay in bed while the sisters Qi Qiongqiong and Qi Yaoyao took care of her meticulously every day, fetching physicians and medicine. Soon, Zhao Rouya’s illness was cured, and after resting for half a month, she fully recovered.

One day, Zhao Rouya said to Xiao Tianjian: "Guimu’s father, my health has been restored for some time now, and we should leave Osmanthus Garden and set off for Jingnan..." Before she could finish, she suddenly heard Caiyun outside the window saying: "Old Mistress, Old Master, a beautiful woman has come to see you!"

"A beautiful woman? Could it be Pi..." Zhao Rouya turned ashen instantly.

"Imperial sister, don't be afraid! It is me, your Imperial sister..." The beautiful woman had already walked in.

"So it is Imperial sister Zhuoyun..." Zhao Rouya’s face slowly regained some color.

Xiao Tianjian bowed.

Meizhou.

That morning, the flat-bottomed passenger boat slowly docked at the Meizhou wharf.

The landlady of the boat stood at the cabin door, directing the workers in unloading the cargo. Her fair, slender fingers pointed at a pile of luggage as she instructed: "These are the parcels belonging to Master Qi’s family. They contain bottles and jars, so handle them with care! I’m telling you now, if anyone breaks a single piece, you will pay double!" The workers knew the landlady’s temper—that she meant what she said—so they did not dare to be careless, carefully moving each piece of luggage to the dock and loading them onto a carriage.

Over the sixty-plus days spent on the boat, Qi Guang not only learned that the landlady’s name was Gui Fufu, but his wife, Sima Jiannan, had become sworn sisters with her. Sima Jiannan, being five years younger, called Gui Fufu "Sister Fu," and Gui Fufu called Sima Jiannan "Sister Jiannan." Sister Fu was tall and handsome, born into a martial arts family from Guiyang, and possessed martial arts skills herself. She was very capable, managing over a dozen boats, both passenger and cargo, traveling along the various waterways of the Yangtze River. Sima Jiannan admired Sister Fu’s bold, heroic spirit, while Sister Fu preferred Sima Jiannan’s quirky and clever personality.

Page 3 of 3

The two carriages at the dock had been hired earlier by Chunhua and Qiumei. The first carriage was for passengers; Chunhua sat inside holding the young master, Qi You, occasionally lifting the curtain to peer out at the boat on the river. Qiumei stood by the second carriage, counting the luggage as the workers unloaded it and loading it onto the cart.

Sima Jiannan went into the cabin to wake Qi Guang: "Husband, we have arrived in Meizhou!"

Qi Guang stretched, sat up, and asked: "We’re here already?"

"Is it fast?" Sima Jiannan glared at her husband, then turned and crouched behind him, tidying his hair as she said, "We departed from our hometown in Yangcheng shortly after the Dragon Boat Festival, and we have only just arrived; the day after tomorrow is the Double Ninth Festival. You do the math—how many days have we been on the road?"

Qi Guang counted the days on his fingers and said in shock: "Oh my, without realizing it, have we been on the road for almost four months?"

Sima Jiannan said: "It’s five days shy of four months!"

Qi Guang asked: "My lady, how much further is it to your parents' home from here?"

Sima Jiannan said: "It’s another day and a half by land."

Qi Guang leaned in and said: "Hey, my lady, why don't we go to Bashu first to pay our respects to my father-in-law, and then return to Meizhou to report for duty?"

Sima Jiannan had been away from home for several years and missed her aging father, Sima Xi, dearly. She opened her mouth and said: "This..."

Qi Guang said: "Really, I’m being serious. Since we haven't reached four months on the road yet, let’s just make it a full four months! I want to go to Bashu to ask my father-in-law for advice on swordsmanship for two days, and with three days for the trip, that’s just five days."

Sima Jiannan shook her head and said: "Husband, that won't do."

Qi Guang asked: "My lady, why not?"

Sima Jiannan said: "Husband, you are a court official, and you know the court’s rules better than I do! Since we have arrived at our destination, we must report! How can there be any reason to continue on and then return?"

Qi Guang said: "We will go and return quickly, five days at most, or even three; these five days can be accounted for as delays during our journey."

Sima Jiannan said: "That might be a valid excuse, but we cannot do this!"

Qi Guang persisted: "Besides, no one knows we have already arrived in Meizhou."

Sima Jiannan pressed her hands to her chest and said: "Husband, listen to your heart! Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, and I know!"

Sister Fu walked into the cabin and said: "Why are you two still dawdling? Get off the boat quickly; my boat needs to turn around and head downstream!"

Sima Jiannan froze for a moment, then smiled and said: "Husband, let’s get ashore. Time is money, let’s not delay Sister Fu’s business..."

Qi Guang reluctantly got off the boat, muttering to himself: "How can business be done like this? ...Chasing the guests off the boat..."

Gui Fufu stood on the deck and heard Qi Guang’s muttering clearly, but she ignored it. The flat-bottomed wooden boat had already turned around, drifting away with the current.

In the eighth month, the capital was shrouded in dense morning mist.

In the Wende Hall, the ministers stood in orderly rows for the morning court. Some had cunning smiles, some were expressionless, and some kept their dim, old eyes closed...

Today was the first time the current Emperor’s adopted son, Prince Zhao Yuan, officially attended the morning court. Although he held no rank or title, the protocol officer had arranged for him to stand on the right side of the first row. In the center of the first row stood Prime Minister Tan.

At this moment, there was only one voice in the hall—Prime Minister Tan, who was above all others except the Emperor, was facing the throne and reporting on state affairs. None of the officials wanted to know what he was reporting; they only wanted the court to end quickly so they could go home and sleep. But Prime Minister Tan grew more and more spirited, his words filled with emotion, while the Emperor sat on his golden chair, his eyes narrowed, his mouth silent. His Majesty understood that in this Wende Hall, he was merely a puppet; the true emperor was this Prime Minister Tan. Whether he spoke or not made no difference. Most of the officials were Tan's people; even if the Emperor spoke, no one would execute his orders—everything was decided by Prime Minister Tan. The Emperor narrowed his eyes and glanced sideways at his adopted son before the hall: "I truly hope that after I pass away, he can change this situation..."

Gu Yusheng’s current position was Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and he stood in the last row. From the column he stood in, the person standing in the first row was exactly Prince Zhao Yuan. A while ago, Gu Yusheng had qualified as a "Double Top Scholar" and became Prince Zhao Yuan’s teacher, teaching him both the Five Classics and archery and horsemanship. The two had known each other since childhood, and now Gu Yusheng felt that Prince Zhao Yuan not only had the appearance of a future ruler but also possessed great ambition and magnanimity. A few days ago, while practicing swordsmanship with him in Yujin Garden, he discovered that the Prince’s sword technique was identical to his own—the Lou family sword style. Gu Yusheng was a clever man and knew that few people understood the Lou family style, so he quickly guessed who his teacher was, though he wasn't entirely certain. Sure enough, when he dared to ask the day before while practicing in Yujin Garden, it turned out that his swordsmanship was taught to him by his aunt, the Princess of Bashu, Zhao Zhuoyun. Prince Zhao Yuan gripped Gu Yusheng’s hand and said: "Although I have not formally taken my aunt as my teacher, the sword techniques I learned were taught by her. In fact, we could be considered fellow disciples! This is truly wonderful! You know, I have just been named an adopted son by the Emperor, and I have no friends in this court; I have always been very lonely. Now that I have you, a young man skilled in both literature and martial arts, as my teacher, I am truly overjoyed!" Prince Zhao Yuan was one year older than Gu Yusheng, so he called Gu Yusheng "Junior Brother."

In fact, Gu Yusheng’s ability to become Prince Yuan’s teacher was also due to the Princess of Bashu, Zhao Zhuoyun, seeking help from the current Empress Dowager Pi, who then had the Emperor appoint him.

Why did Zhao Zhuoyun want Gu Yusheng to be Prince Zhao Yuan’s teacher? It was because—

Gu Yusheng looked as robust as his father, Gu Datong, and as refined as his mother, Lou Mingxuan. For a long time, the man hidden deep in Zhao Zhuoyun’s heart was neither Sima Xi nor the Duan Emperor of the Dali Kingdom, but Gu Yusheng’s father, Gu Datong.

Back then, if Gu Datong hadn't fallen in love with Lou Mingxuan, she would never have married Sima Xi. If she had been able to marry Gu Datong, she would not have abandoned her husband and daughter to run off to the Dali Kingdom with the playboy Duan Emperor.

However, that "running off" actually saved Zhao Zhuoyun’s life. If Zhao Zhuoyun hadn't gone to Dali, she would have been like Empress Dowager Pi and Zhao Rouya in the Southern Han, sent to the Northern Zhen Kingdom to be a sex slave. Was Zhao Zhuoyun the type of woman to be a slave? No, she would have died in battle!

Empress Dowager Pi was the current Emperor’s birth mother, redeemed by the Emperor from the hands of the Northern Zhen people. Empress Dowager Pi knew that Zhao Rouya had been saved by the couple Gu Datong and Lou Mingxuan, so she had always sent men to hunt them down. Because Zhao Rouya knew too many of Empress Dowager Pi’s secrets, the four people—Zhao Rouya, Xiao Tianjian, Gu Datong, and Lou Mingxuan—had to die.

During these days, Zhao Zhuoyun had been close to the Empress Dowager with the intention of paving the way for Zhao Yuan, ensuring that Prince Wei, Zhao Yuan, would smoothly ascend as the Crown Prince.

All of Zhao Zhuoyun’s actions currently served the future of Zhao Yuan. She knew Zhao Rouya had arrived in the capital, and fearing complications, she hinted that Zhao Rouya should leave Osmanthus Garden immediately and become a nun in a convent.

Empress Dowager Pi had once wanted to see Prince Zhao Yuan’s teacher, but Zhao Zhuoyun had cleverly dispelled that idea. How could she let the Empress Dowager see Gu Yusheng! Zhao Zhuoyun was a heroine among heroines, having spent her life striving for the Southern Han.

Everything had gone smoothly, but she feared the unexpected. Zhao Zhuoyun would certainly never let Empress Dowager Pi know that Gu Yusheng’s birth parents were Gu Datong and Lou Mingxuan.

At this moment, Zhao Zhuoyun was already scouting for a Prime Minister for her nephew. The candidate was Gu Yusheng.

...

Inside Wende Hall, Prime Minister Tan’s report concluded.

The protocol officer shouted: "Court dismissed."