Prinzessin Xiangsi

Kapitel 8

You Tong then noticed that although Wen Yan was also wearing a fox fur cloak, it was made of yellowish-brown fur, which was not as good as the one You Tong was wearing. She couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have dressed so conspicuously. Not to mention what others might say, if she ran into Wen Qing later, she would be glared at by her.

She couldn't help but smile wryly and said in a low voice, "I just got it this year too. I should have known better than to wear it."

"Why aren't you wearing it?" Wen Yan's eyes sparkled. "This dress is so beautiful! This leather is something you can't buy even if you have money." As she spoke, her eyes lit up, and a mischievous look appeared on her face. She whispered with a smile, "Could this cloak have been a gift from the third brother of the Shen family?"

"Don't talk nonsense." You Tong's face immediately turned bright red, her face full of embarrassment. She murmured in a barely audible voice, "Don't say such things carelessly. Otherwise, you know some people in the manor are always stirring up trouble. Who knows what kind of nasty things they might say? If they say we're having an affair, wouldn't I be..." As she spoke, she was almost in tears.

Wen Yan was startled and quickly comforted her, "Ninth Sister, don't be angry. I was being presumptuous. I won't ask anymore."

You Tong then appeared relieved.

The two sisters then linked arms affectionately and went inside to pay their respects to the old lady.

Just as You Tong had predicted, her fox fur coat was truly eye-catching, especially the ladies and young women, who couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. The Fourth Madam even said half-jokingly, "Our young ladies are indeed very elegant. Look at Ninth Miss, her whole demeanor is no less impressive than that of the princesses and noblewomen in the palace. Ninth Miss's coat must be quite expensive, even more so than the fox fur coat worn by Tenth Miss last time. I heard it cost two thousand taels of silver."

You Tong simply smiled and muttered, "Fourth Aunt, you flatter me," skipping over her subsequent questions. The Fourth Madam, displeased that she had so easily dismissed her by avoiding the main point, was about to speak again when the old lady at the head of the table interrupted her, saying, "Why hasn't Wei Yuan arrived yet?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Cui Weiyuan entered the room with a livid face. Upon seeing the old lady, he immediately put on a smiling face, respectfully greeted her, and said with a smile, "It was my fault. I was delayed outside for a while."

"It's good that you've come, it's good that you've come." The old lady smiled and invited him to sit down beside her. She had Zheng Mama bring him hot tea and spoke to him softly. The second madam looked on from below with a face full of love and pride. The fourth madam's face was a little unpleasant. Her round face was stiff with a smile. She whispered a few words to the maid next to her, and then the maid quickly lowered her head and left the room.

You Tong then realized that the sixth young master of the fourth branch of the family had not yet arrived. To be honest, she had been in the Cui family for so long, but she had never seen this sixth young master's face. She had only heard the maids talk about his great deeds: bullying the villagers, oppressing men and women, and being a lecher. No wonder everyone in the family avoided him like the plague.

With Fourth Master Cui away from the manor, Second Master Cui secured him a position in the middle of last year. In the latter half of the year, he took his concubine, Xia, to Cangzhou to assume his post. At the end of the year, he even sent over a generous New Year's gift. Because Fourth Master Cui was away, and Fourth Madam was concerned about her reputation, she would definitely suppress and hide any trouble that might arise. This Sixth Young Master became even more unscrupulous. The Old Madam, however, had long since lost faith in him and simply treated him as if he didn't have such a grandson. She was too lazy to discipline him and only instructed the stewards of the manor to ensure that the Sixth Young Master did not use the Cui family's name to cause trouble outside.

In the end, the Sixth Young Master still failed to arrive. The Fourth Madam was somewhat uneasy, while the Third Madam looked on with amusement. The Second Madam sat upright and dignified below the Old Madam.

After a period of laughter and conversation, the banquet began. You Tong sat down with several of her sisters of similar age. Besides Wen Yan and Wen Qing, there were also two illegitimate daughters from the fourth branch of the family, Wen Xian and Wen Lan. Since they had just returned from the villa and were meeting You Tong for the first time, they were a little awkward. Fortunately, Wen Yan was there to smooth things over, so the atmosphere wasn't too embarrassing.

Wenqing kept a straight face, as if everyone owed her something, making Wenxian and Wenlan very reserved. Youtong ignored her and only chatted and laughed with Wenyan, occasionally asking Wenxian and Wenlan a few questions, clearly leaving Wenqing out.

Wenqing was petty to begin with, and she had been jealous and resentful when she saw Youtong come out wearing that fox fur coat today. Now, being ignored by her like this, she was even more furious, gritting her teeth and wishing she could leave immediately. However, the old lady had not yet left, so how could she dare to act rashly? She could only endure it, and the chopsticks in her hand were almost broken in two.

Just then, a servant came to serve the dishes. The clay pot was filled to the brim with some kind of soup. Wen Qing had a sudden idea. Just as the maid raised the pot halfway up, she suddenly turned and slammed her elbow into the maid's arm. Caught off guard, the maid lost her balance, and the entire pot of boiling soup flew straight towards You Tong's face.

You Tong, being a martial artist, possessed keen hearing and eyesight, and was already wary of Wen Qing. In a flash, just as the soup was about to splash onto her face, she slightly shifted her body, executing a graceful turn that pulled Wen Yan and the other person away together. The boiling soup slid forward, heading straight for the third young master, Wei Qing, who was standing next to Wen Yan…

A scream rang out, and the Third Young Master collapsed to the ground, clutching his face.

The room erupted into chaos. Seeing her beloved son injured, the Third Madam was heartbroken and forgot all about decorum. She cried out, "My son—!" and rushed over.

Everyone at the table recoiled in fright. Wenxian and Wenlan, who were already timid, turned deathly pale. Wenyan, however, remained clear-headed. After a moment of stunned silence, she reacted instantly, pointing at Wenqing and shouting angrily, "You...you vicious woman!"

Wenqing never expected that her scheme would backfire and implicate her own brother. If her guilt were proven, how could the old lady forgive her? As she retreated, she protested, "Tenth Sister, don't make false accusations! It's clearly this girl who failed in her duties—"

"You're the one spouting nonsense! I saw it clearly, you were obviously after Ninth Sister and me. If we hadn't dodged quickly, we would be the two of us lying on the ground right now. You—" Wen Yan pointed at the maid who was already kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear, and said, "Tell me, did she push you on purpose just now?"

The maid dared not reply, and only kowtowed repeatedly, crying as she secretly glanced at Wen Qing. Although she did not say it aloud, everyone understood her meaning.

You Tong lowered her head, pulled back Wen Yan who seemed about to rush forward and fight at any moment, and whispered to add fuel to the fire, "Tenth Sister, calm down, maybe Eighth Sister just didn't mean it."

“You saw it too!” Wen Yan immediately seized on the “loophole” in her words.

You Tong glanced at Wen Qing with a troubled expression and then fell silent.

"What are you all arguing about!" The old lady finally lost her temper and shouted, "Weiqing is still injured, and you're all making a scene. Get back inside right now!"

The room fell silent. Wen Yan's eyes were red, and she wanted to say something more, but You Tong pinched her and dragged her away, forcibly taking her leave from the old lady.

Once outside, Wenyan couldn't help but complain, "Ninth Sister, why did you drag me out? It was clearly—"

“Don’t be silly,” You Tong squeezed her hand and whispered, “This is not the time to settle scores. Third Brother is injured like that, how can the Old Madam be in the mood to deal with this matter? Once Third Brother’s injury stabilizes, even if you and I don’t say anything, Third Madam will come out and make a scene. She has always been at odds with Aunt Jiang, and now that she has finally found fault with Eighth Sister, how can she let it go so easily? Just wait and see the show.”

Wen Yan suddenly realized what was happening. After thinking for a moment, she patted her head and said, "I was just too impulsive. Luckily, Ninth Sister stopped me. Otherwise, Grandma would definitely be angry with me." She then solemnly thanked You Tong for saving her before taking her leave with a serious expression and returning to her own courtyard.

Author's Note: I'll continue posting on my colleague's computer; I'm really not used to this keyboard.

Hopefully the internet will be fixed tomorrow.

Wen Qing was punished

Seventeen

Regardless of Wei Qing's injuries, early the next morning, when You Tong went to pay her respects to the old lady, she heard a sobbing coming from inside before she even entered the room. The voice sounded like the Third Madam, so You Tong wisely stopped outside the door. Seeing this, Hui Ru, the old lady's maid, led You Tong to a side hall to wait, saying that she would come to inform her after the Third Madam left.

After drinking a cup of tea, Huiru still hadn't come over. Instead, she heard Wenyan's chattering outside. She quickly got up, went to the door, and gestured to Wenyan. Seeing her, Wenyan immediately perked up, lifted her skirt, and ran over, whispering mysteriously, "Third Aunt is complaining to the Old Madam! Let's go listen!" She then pulled Youtong to eavesdrop.

You Tong hurriedly said, "What should we do?"

Wen Yan disagreed, "It's alright. Auntie is crying so loudly, she's afraid others won't hear her. If we go over to listen, it will just suit her wishes."

You Tong couldn't think of any more excuses to refuse, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow her to hide behind the door to eavesdrop.

The Third Madam sobbed in the room, her voice clearly audible. "...Every time something happens, the Third Master blames me, his legal wife, for neglecting to discipline her. The Old Madam knows perfectly well that I can't control her at all. The Third Master dotes on her like the apple of his eye, and she's even more arrogant than the legitimate daughters of the household. Look at Wenxian and Wenlan, and then look at her. I'm not saying this to be mean, but which illegitimate daughter in any household is as disrespectful as her? Putting on airs like a young lady is one thing, but she's also so vicious. Even now, Ying'er is still appearing in my dreams, blaming me for not standing up for her back then. But the Third Master insists on protecting her, what can I do? They're both his daughters, how can he be so biased?" After saying this, she cried sadly for a while.

The old lady sighed, but didn't say anything.

The Third Madam continued, "The Old Madam saw it yesterday too. I'm not making this up; Wenyan and Wenfeng both confirmed it themselves. She's so vicious, trying to poison Weiqing. Don't say it was an accident; why is it always her who makes mistakes? I've been married into the Cui family for so many years, and I've only had this one son, whom I value more than my own life. If she tries to poison Weiqing, isn't she targeting me? This time, I don't care about anything else, I don't care about face anymore. If the Old Madam doesn't give me justice, I'll—I'll just pack my things and take Weiqing back to Yizhou. At least that way, I can save his life..." Then she burst into tears.

You Tong and Wen Yan exchanged a glance and silently retreated to the side hall. Once inside, Wen Yan patted her chest and said, "This time, Third Aunt is truly enraged. She even said she was packing her things to go back to her parents' home. The old lady will definitely not stand idly by, and even if Third Uncle comes in person, he won't be able to save her."

You Tong frowned, somewhat puzzled. "If Third Uncle has several older sisters, why does he dote on her so much? Judging from what Third Aunt said, it seems that Seventh Sister's death was Wen Qing's doing?" The Ying-jie'er mentioned by Third Madam was named Cui Wenying. She was born to Third Master's concubine, Cao Shi, and was only two days older than Wen Qing, ranking seventh. When Cui Weiyuan mentioned her before, he only said that she died at the age of ten, and You Tong didn't ask any further questions. But now it seems that it is related to Wen Qing.

Wen Yan spat indignantly and said angrily, "It's her! Although Seventh Sister is two days older than her, she's frail, thin, and small, and Third Uncle doesn't like her. Yet Third Aunt treats her like her own daughter. That winter, Third Aunt's family had guests, and seeing Seventh Sister's obedience, they gave her a jade mouse. But Wen Qing saw it and insisted on having it. Seventh Sister refused to give it up, and then, taking advantage of the servants' inattention, she not only snatched the item but also pushed Seventh Sister into the pond. It was freezing cold that day, and Seventh Sister, who was already weak, couldn't withstand it. She died within two days of being rescued. Third Aunt was furious and wanted to punish her according to family rules, but Third Uncle stopped her. Only two maids were punished, while she was completely unharmed. After committing such a heinous act, she acted as if nothing had happened. She's shameless!"

You Tong never expected that Wen Qing had another life on his hands. She suddenly recalled her experiences in the Yu family mansion. Old Master Yu favored his concubine over his wife, and she was just as disliked. If it weren't for her alertness, she would have been killed countless times over. Even if she had arranged for Yu Wanran to be the murderer, the old man wouldn't have protected her, and she could have continued to live under an assumed name.

She couldn't help but get angry and said, "Such a ruthless person is only a menace to the world. Third Uncle—" She was about to speak when she suddenly remembered that they were in the Cui family mansion. How could she, as a junior, speak ill of her elders? She quickly suppressed her anger and said in a low voice, "After all, Third Brother is the legitimate son of the third branch. Even if Third Uncle is biased, it won't be right with the old lady."

Wen Yan nodded and said, "That's what I think too. There's still the old lady around, and besides, Third Aunt's family isn't to be trifled with. If Third Uncle really goes too far, people from Yizhou will definitely come and make trouble." After thinking for a moment, she lowered her voice and whispered, "Even Aunt Jiang will probably make trouble. My mother said that she's really something else. She looks gentle and weak, but she's the most shrewd. Otherwise, why would she give up being a proper young lady and become Third Uncle's concubine, and raise such a bad daughter?"

You Tong was taken aback, and for a moment she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She looked around for a while to make sure no one was around before she whispered, "How could you say such a thing outside? If someone else hears it, they might go and complain to your second aunt."

Wen Yan chuckled and said, "I'm not that stupid, why would I tell everyone?" Then she added with a grin, "You're just like Fifth Brother said, you all say the same thing."

The two talked for a while until they heard the voices of the Second Madam and the Fourth Madam outside. The old lady invited them into the house, and Wenyan thought for a moment and then pulled Youtong into the house to pay her respects to the old lady.

Everyone's expressions were not very good. Wen Yan was not stupid. After paying her respects, she and You Tong tactfully took their leave.

After the two women had gone far away, the fourth lady said to the old lady, "We are late. This morning, Xiuqiao, who was by Wenxian's side, came over and said that the eleventh young lady was not feeling well again. My second sister-in-law and I went to see her, which is why we were delayed."

Upon hearing this, the old lady immediately asked with concern, "What happened? Is it bad again? Have you called a doctor?"

Fourth Madam glanced at Third Madam casually and replied, "We've already invited Doctor Lin to come and take a look. He said she was frightened and restless, and prescribed a few days' worth of medicine for her to take first. Luckily, Second Sister-in-law sent over an old ginseng, otherwise, we only have a few three- to five-year-old ones left, and even if we used them, I'm afraid they wouldn't be very effective."

The old lady nodded and said to the second madam, "Thank you for your hard work." She then asked Zheng Mama to fetch two old ginseng roots from the room for the fourth madam, saying, "Please keep a close eye on Eleventh Girl. She's a pitiful child. Not only did her mother pass away early, but she's also never been in good health since she was a child."

Fourth Madam quickly agreed, stood up to take the ginseng, and thanked the old lady on behalf of Wenxian.

The third wife had stopped crying, but her eyes were still red, and she had her head down, looking very aggrieved. The old lady had someone bring over hot water and a handkerchief, and comforted her, saying, "Look at you, you're already so old, and you still cry at the drop of a hat. Luckily, Wenyan and Wenfeng are sensible and quickly said goodbye and left. Otherwise, if you cried and made a scene in front of them, wouldn't you be afraid that these younger generation would laugh at you?"

The third wife wiped her face with a hot handkerchief and choked out, "My son is almost gone, what do I care about face? If anything happens to Weiqing, I won't live either."

Seeing her throwing a tantrum, the old lady was neither angry nor annoyed. She turned to the second and fourth wives and said, "Since you two sisters-in-law are here, let's discuss it together and see how to handle this matter."

The fourth wife smiled and said, "Well... we're afraid it's not appropriate for us to interfere. After all, it's a matter for the third wife's family, so Third Sister-in-law can handle it as she sees fit." This was clearly an attempt to distance herself from the situation.

Just as the second wife was about to speak, the third wife immediately interjected, "Second sister-in-law, don't say this has nothing to do with you. Everyone saw it clearly; that girl was clearly targeting Wen Feng and Wen Yan. It's just that those two girls were quick-witted and dodged fast, otherwise, it wouldn't just be our Wei Qing lying in bed right now. Wei Qing is a boy after all, so his skin is thicker and tougher. Even if he has a scar on his face, it won't be a big deal. But these two girls are so delicate and pretty. If their appearances were really ruined, they might not only try to kill themselves, but their marriages might also be in jeopardy."

The second wife smiled awkwardly. She also harbored deep hatred for Wenqing. Anyone with eyes could see clearly that Wenqing had targeted her daughter and Wenfeng with poison. If the two of them had dodged quickly, she would be the one crying and making a scene right now. If it weren't for the Third Master, she probably would have lost her temper then and there.

She then said in a low voice, "I'm not trying to refuse. Wenqing is really ignorant, but no matter what, she is still a young lady of our Cui family. How can we punish such a delicate and weak girl? If Third Master finds out, he will definitely be angry with me, his sister-in-law, when he comes back."

The third wife snorted coldly and said, "If a daughter is not taught, it is the father's fault. He has spoiled this girl like this, and he doesn't even allow others to say anything? For what she has done, even family discipline is too lenient."

The second wife looked at the old lady with a troubled expression and said nothing more. In any case, Aunt Jiang was still a distant relative of the old lady, and the old lady had to speak on how to deal with her.

The room was quiet for a while, with only the sound of the Third Madam sobbing. The Second Madam sipped her tea slowly, her gaze fixed on the small table in front of her, seemingly very focused. The Fourth Madam lowered her head, lost in thought, her expression shifting between light and shadow.

"Alright," the old lady finally spoke. "Eighth girl is such a troublemaker. Judging from her behavior lately, she doesn't seem like the type to behave properly. Let's send her to Nanshan Temple to meditate and chant with Huian. If she can learn even a little bit of Ninth girl's composure, it'll save us a lot of worry in the future. As for Third Brother, just push all the blame onto me. I want to see if he really dares to defy me for a concubine's daughter." The old lady's voice held a hint of sternness at the end. No one dared to say another word and readily agreed.

Upon learning that she had been sent to a temple, Wenqing made a huge scene, and Aunt Jiang knelt before the old lady all night begging. The old lady remained unmoved and on the third day of the Lunar New Year, she had Wenqing sent away.

You Tong had initially thought that the Third Master would definitely come back to support Wen Qing, but to her surprise, the Third Master remained completely quiet. Not only did he not return, but there wasn't even anyone to deliver a message. Only then did Aunt Jiang calm down.

Several days later, the matter was no longer mentioned in the manor. However, Cui Weiyuan suddenly appeared at Yueying Hall and solemnly thanked Youtong for saving Wenyan that day.

The servants in the room had long been dismissed, so the two spoke without restraint. You Tong then smiled and said, "Wen Yan is simple and kind, a good girl. She and I are like sisters. It was only my duty to save her. Young Master Cui, there is no need to thank me."

Cui Weiyuan replied, "You have your duty, but I have my stance. Wenyan is my sister. If you hadn't saved her, she would have suffered greatly." After all, they were about to get married, and if she really lost face, the marriage would be affected to some extent. Whenever he thought of this, Cui Weiyuan felt a little scared.

Since he insisted on thanking her, You Tong didn't bother to stop him anymore and accepted his greeting without hesitation.

On the day of the Shangsi Festival, a major incident occurred at the Cui residence. A peddler who traveled from street to street angrily berated the Cui family at the gate, and then smashed his head against the stone lion at the gate and died.

The household immediately tensed up. You Tong had only vaguely heard that it was Cui Weitai, the sixth young master of the Cui family, who had done this outside, but she didn't know the specifics.

Author's Note: Okay, considering Lao Xu's popularity, I'll let him come out for a stroll tomorrow.

The network is still not fixed, so I'm continuing to hog my colleague's computer.

Beauty can lead one astray.

eighteen

With most of the elders in the household absent, all these matters fell to Cui Weiyuan. He dealt with the officials in charge while contacting the aggrieved party, trying every means to suppress the matter. Although Longxi was Cui's territory, these were extraordinary times, and the situation in the court was unstable. If someone used this matter to their advantage, the Cui family would inevitably be accused of lax household management.

After all that work, Cui Weiyuan was exhausted and had clearly lost a lot of weight. The second wife and Wenyan were very distressed and tried all sorts of ways to help him recover.

Sixth Young Master Weitai was confined at home and not allowed to go out. According to the old lady, he was originally to be sent to the estate in the west of the city to be properly disciplined, but unexpectedly he suddenly fell ill, vomiting and having diarrhea, and was unable to get out of bed, so the plan was temporarily abandoned.

After the first month of the lunar calendar, the Sun family sent someone to discuss the marriage, setting the date for the eighth day of the third month. The Shen family, however, remained silent. The old lady remained unmoved, but Cui Weiyuan began to grow anxious. He had many connections in the capital, and rumors had already begun to circulate that the Shen family wanted to annul the engagement. Although it wasn't mentioned openly, letting things continue like this was probably not a good idea.

While the Cui family was still making grand preparations for the wedding, a major event occurred in the capital: the emperor passed away.

The political situation in the court became even more unpredictable. Although the Sun family was not of high status, one of their daughters had entered the palace years ago and become one of the Nine Concubines. Although she had not left any children, she could still be considered a relative of the emperor. According to ancestral rules, imperial relatives could not marry within a year during the period of national mourning, so the marriage between the Sun and Cui families had to be postponed.

Not long after, another letter arrived from the capital. Master Cui had secured a position as a second-class imperial guard for Wei Yuan, urging him to come to the capital immediately. Although the rank of a second-class imperial guard was not high, it was still a close guard of the emperor, dozens of times better than the minor position of Commandant of Longxi. Once Cui Wei Yuan was pleased, he immediately began preparations for his journey to the capital.

It's unclear how the elders discussed it, but originally Weiyuan was going to the capital alone. Later, it turned into Youtong and Wenyan going with him. Then, the old lady gave the order for the second madam to also pack up and go to the capital together.

Because there were female relatives accompanying them, and Wen Feng and Wen Yan were already engaged in the capital, they would naturally have to marry into the Cui family in the capital. Therefore, they would have to transport some dowry and luggage from here. So this trip was very grand, with dozens of maids and servants and more than twenty carriages, which stretched for several miles.

However, things are not peaceful everywhere these days, and the Cui family's ostentatious display is bound to attract unwanted attention. Although the mansion has guards, their numbers are limited, and with such a large family at home, a large portion of them must remain to guard the estate. Therefore, Cui Weiyuan had no choice but to hire a caravan from a local security agency in the city.

Finally, they settled on Yongxing Escort Agency, the largest escort agency in Longxi County, with the chief escort personally leading the team, which consisted of more than twenty men. Cui Weiyuan was slightly relieved and turned to explain to everyone. You Tong remained silent; she was skilled enough to protect herself even if they encountered bandits, so she just listened casually. Wen Yan, however, looked worried and said, "I heard there are rebels in the south of Longxi County. We only have so many people; how can we possibly defeat them?"

Cui Weiyuan comforted him, "Those rebels are just a bunch of rabble who specialize in robbing small merchant groups that pass by. They don't dare to cause us any trouble. Chief镖头 Nie is known as the Divine Fist of the Northwest. His martial arts skills are so great that he is invulnerable to swords and spears. Each of his镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) can take on ten men. With them around, there's nothing to worry about."

Wen Yan was still somewhat uneasy, and seeing her like this, the Second Madam could only offer kind words of comfort. As they were speaking, a servant came forward to announce, "Fifth Young Master, Young Master Xu has sent someone with a letter."

Upon hearing the name "Young Master Xu," You Tong's ears perked up immediately, and she stared intently outside. Cui Weiyuan seemed to notice her unusual behavior, glanced at her with slight surprise, turned around, took the letter from the servant, opened it, and read it quickly. A look of delight immediately appeared on his face.

"That's wonderful," Cui Weiyuan said, handing the letter to the second wife. "The new emperor urgently summoned Awei to the capital. When he heard that we were also going back, he wrote to ask if we wanted to come along. With him protecting us, we have nothing to fear, no matter how many rebels there are."

"Is that really so?" The second wife was also delighted. She took the letter and read it carefully. Her brows immediately relaxed. "I heard that his soldiers are brave and strong. They can even take on ten barbarians at once. It would be best to have him with us."

You Tong frowned and remained silent, her mind racing with thoughts. With the late emperor's passing and the capital in chaos, Xu Wei, who had always guarded the northwest and rarely entangled with court factions, was suddenly transferred to the capital at this time. Either the new emperor valued him highly and entrusted him with important responsibilities, or he intended to strip him of his military power and render him idle. She wondered if his return to the capital was a cause for joy or sorrow.