Chapter 091 The wise man who takes advantage of the situation
Chapter 091 The wise man who takes advantage of the situation
Prince Ali's blood-stained robe wrapped Aguli's beautiful figure. The embarrassment of being naked faded away, and Aguli's expression became peaceful. She slowly sat down on the ground, moved her injured leg and sat cross-legged
There, he stretched his elegant and long swan-like neck forward and said calmly: "You can do it now."
Yang Hao stared at her for a while, and then sat down cross-legged opposite her. Aguli was stretching her neck to wait for death. What he could see was his naked, strong thighs, and his legs, which were only wrapped with a fig leaf.
..., her face could not help but heat up with embarrassment. She raised her bright eyes and looked at Yang Hao, not understanding his intentions.
Yang Hao held the sword across his knees, flicked the sword lightly and muttered: "It's easy to kill you, but... Master Aguli died inexplicably, there must be a reason, not to mention, I came to Ganzhou secretly this time, for no reason.
It is inconvenient to show up. This reason...how can I find out?"
Aguli stared at him coldly without saying a word. Yang Hao raised his eyebrows suddenly and said happily: "Yes, I can kill you first, and then take your and Prince Ali's bodies out to find a place to dispose of them."
The corpses were lying on the ground. Master Aguli deeply hated Yeluohe and his son, and had settled an sworn feud with them. No one in Ganzhou knew about this. If Prince Ali sneaks back to Ganzhou to try to do harm to you, both of them will die in the end.
The result was by no means unexpected.”
Aguli was heartbroken: when she attacked Yang Hao, she also tried to blame Prince Ali. Now Yang Hao is thinking of the same method. Retribution in this world comes quickly.
"Master Aguli died, Ganzhou must have a new master, and your tribe must have a new leader. In this way, my opportunity will come. Suman must want to compete for the position of the lord of Ganzhou, and
I can use Mr. Hu and the new leader of your department to provoke a dispute between the three departments. When the three departments are exhausted and exhausted, Suman's use value will be gone. At that time, I will
Suman's tribe can be annihilated in one fell swoop. As for your tribe and Hu Laowen's tribe, the remaining defeated troops will no longer pose any threat. I can completely disintegrate them without any blood and eliminate future troubles forever. Do you think this is a good idea?"
Aguli's delicate body trembled, and a pair of slightly resentful eyes instantly turned into a pleading expression: "Aguli tried to assassinate the king, and deserves death, but my people are not guilty, and Hu Laowen, he...
Completely unaware, they are all your subjects, Your Majesty, please..."
"You know how to beg me now?"
Yang Hao's face turned gloomy: "When Suman asked you to conspire against me, your only consideration was probably the consequences of failure. Have you ever regarded me as your king? When you stabbed me with the knife two or three times,
When you wanted to kill me, you probably only thought about killing me and saving you and your people. Have you ever regarded you as a member of my Xixia country? Can I trust you? Can I trust your people?"
Yang Hao slapped the ground with one palm, and stood up, standing firmly on the ground, raising the sword in his hand.
"Your Majesty, Aguli is aware of her crime. Aguli is willing to shoulder the full responsibility. I beg your Majesty to be merciful and spare my innocent people!"
Aguli only thought that his sword was about to fall. In desperation, regardless of the huge pain in his leg, he rushed forward, knelt on the ground, hugged his thigh, and begged with tears: "Please have mercy, your Majesty, my people."
Innocent. Fourteen years ago, there was a natural disaster and a great plague spread throughout Ganzhou. Aguli’s parents and relatives were all killed in this plague, and Aguli became an orphan..."
Aguli burst into tears and said: "My people regard me as their leader, but I was still a minor at that time. I couldn't lead the people at all, let alone give them anything. They protected me and raised me, just like my parents were alive."
They always respect me. Without them, Aguli would have starved to death or become a slave. Your Majesty, please have mercy..."
In desperation, Aguli desperately held onto Yang Hao's thigh and pressed her cheek against his skin. Yang Hao couldn't help but feel his heart pounding when he thought of her enchanting figure and the smooth and elastic skin when he carried her on his back.
Suddenly, a strange taste made him react. Yang Hao was afraid that she would find something strange about him, so he got up and said in embarrassment: "Let me go!"
Aguli suddenly noticed that his lower body was slightly bulging, and an idea flashed in her heart, and she suddenly said: "If the king is willing to have mercy on you, Aguli... Aguli is willing to serve the king, I just ask... I just ask the king to be merciful and spare my people."
Yang Hao said in a deep voice: "Even if I am willing to promise you, do you believe that I will not regret it later?"
Aguli was suddenly startled and froze. Yang Hao said again: "Ganzhou belongs to the Uighur people. Even if I appoint a few officials, it will not help. If I cannot guarantee that the Uighur people in Ganzhou will be loyal to me, if
...I cannot eradicate those like Suleman who have ulterior motives against me. Do you think I will drag more people into the abyss of war for your people? You are too naive!"
Aguli's hand slipped down weakly, and her whole body slumped to the ground. Yang Hao said: "In order to understand the siege of Ganzhou, you pretended to be Ye Luohe's daughter and presented your beauty to me. Now, you want to use your body again."
?That time, if
If you really succeed in your assassination, you will be buried in my military camp. Did Ye Luohe have the slightest hesitation? Four days later, Ye Luohe attacked you from east to west, betrayed you again, and took advantage of your entire clan.
In his eyes, the country is rich and noble,
Which one is not more important than you? Do you look down on me, Yang Hao, or do you believe that I am a lustful person, knowing that there are so many hidden dangers in Ganzhou, but you will be so lustful that you let the threat exist for the sake of a woman?
?I
Admit it, you are beautiful, enough to make a normal man's heart beat, including me, but if you think that I, Yang Hao, are worse than that defeated general Ye Luohe, and can use the great cause of the country to win the joy of women, that is a big mistake.
Wrong."
Yang Hao's cold words made Aguli smell the coldness and bloodiness contained in them. She knew that what Yang Hao said was true. His shyness and self-sacrifice had shattered the last trace of self-esteem in her heart.
Hao's cold refusal destroyed her only hope. As a leader, she always felt only responsibility and obligation to her clan. This heavy burden weighed her down, so when she thought she would
When she was buried in a crypt with no way out, she didn't have much sadness or despair, but instead felt an indescribable sense of relief. In the darkness, she softly hummed the shepherd song she sang as a girl, and her whole heart was lifted up to the blue sky and white clouds.
Next, she waved the shepherd's whip lightly, carefree and innocent. That feeling had been gone for a long time. Even if she died, she could regain her childhood dreams and become a woman who didn't need a strong shell.
But Yang Hao shattered her dream. He told her personally that he would kill her and use her death to drag all her people into the war. Without her, her people would have to fight with Mr. Hu
In the struggle for power between Wen and Sullman, all the warriors were killed and injured, the old and the weak became slaves, and then..., he
All those who have lost their ability to resist will be resettled by Yang Hao. The tribesmen who have lost their youth will not be able to make a living by grazing and farming in a relatively difficult place like the northwest, and will eventually become the slaves of others. This
Everything started from her disloyalty to Yang Hao and her sin of wanting to kill the king.
Extreme self-blame, despair and pessimism made Aguli, who had always been strong and fierce in front of others, tremble like a fallen leaf in the wind. She suddenly grabbed Yang Hao's sword with both hands, raised her neck, and closed her beautiful eyes.
, wants to cut his own throat with that sharp sword. Since it can't be changed no matter what, then... just choose to escape!
But in front of that hateful man, even death became a luxury. Yang Hao raised his wrist and raised the sword high, avoiding her hands. Agul murmured: "Kill me, please.
Let me die!"
She struggled to stand up, but Yang Hao said one word, which revived her despair: "If you really want to save your people, only one person can do it."
Aguli's hands reaching into the air stopped. She knelt in front of Yang Hao and raised her head, like a devout believer looking up to her god: "Who is he?"
Yang Hao seemed to have really become a magic stick, and he said with all his might, "Youself!"
Princess Aguli is missing.
That night, the Ganzhou prefecture's Yamen felt something strange, but when Aguli left, she said she was going hunting outside the city. Although Ganzhou also established a Yamen based on the official system of the imperial court, its way of life and governance did not change so quickly.
In the past, this state and city with extremely strong autonomy basically still lived according to the original habits of the nomadic people. What changed was only the official names and organizational structures of the chiefs.
Therefore, Aguli, the prefect and commander of the capital, performs the same duties as the former tribal leader. All aspects of tax payment, governance, and justice in the city basically follow the habits of the original tribe. Therefore, she does not need to be promoted to the Yamen every day.
, to deal with official affairs, so it is normal to occasionally go on patrol. Although Ganzhou is not rich, it is
It is actually a city with a large population. There are not many wild animals nearby outside the city. If you want to hunt gerbils and flying foxes, you have to travel dozens or hundreds of miles. This is a very big thing in the vast world of the Western Region.
It's a normal thing. So she didn't come back that night, but it doesn't necessarily mean that something happened. It's also possible that she stayed in the wild overnight.
But by the afternoon of the next day, there was still no news from Aguli, and the members of the Aguli tribe began to panic. It was normal for him to not return from hunting for three to five days, or even ten days and a half, but as the leader of a state
, there was no special explanation in advance, so it was a bit abnormal. The Ganzhou flying cavalry went out and searched everywhere. Soon, they found more than a dozen people in the ruins of Heishui City northwest of Ganzhou City.
There were corpses, including several of Aguli's personal guards. They followed the dried blood on the ground and found that the blood continued to extend to the northwest. From time to time, they could always find some clues, or abandoned weapons, or...
Fragments of clothing scraped on thorns, or a corpse, were traced for forty miles, and all traces were completely lost.
After Suman and Hu Laowen heard about it, they were both shocked. They sent out their own troops to join the search. The search lasted for three days, and the furthest search reached a place two hundred miles away from Ganzhou. No one was found.
It was discovered that although Aguli's body was not found, everyone knew that she was in danger.
Hu Laowen, Sullman and several leaders of the Aguli tribe sat down and discussed. Hu Laowen and Suman jointly took charge of Ganzhou government affairs temporarily. While continuing to strengthen the search, they ordered people to fly to report to the leader of the country, Yang Hao.
Ganzhou, which had just lived a peaceful life for a few days, has once again been shrouded in an invisible haze.
Suman has been feeling a little uneasy these days. That day he introduced Li Lingxiao to Aguli. After Wei Zhongzheng, Aguli did not express his position on the spot. He only agreed with them to give a reply within three days.
In the eyes of the people of Ganzhou, the Seventh Princess is fierce and fierce, a fierce tiger among women. Although Suman is not
He is Aguli's confidant, but they have been together for many years, and he knows her true temperament better than most people. He knows that Aguli must be hesitant about this important matter, and he must give her time to think about it.
Time. However, Suleman still has considerable confidence that he can use both soft and hard tactics to force her to submit.
Unexpectedly, Aguli disappeared inexplicably the next day. Suman didn't know whether her disappearance was related to his conspiracy, so he hurriedly sent Li Lingxiao and Wei Zhongzheng out of his mansion and placed them in a remote place outside Ganzhou City.
In the small village, many guards were arranged in the palace. They wore soft armor with hidden sharp blades when entering and leaving. At the same time, they secretly ordered their tribe's henchmen to be ready for any contingency.
After a few days, he watched with cold eyes and found that Aguli's disappearance had nothing to do with him. Everyone's reaction was absolutely not directed at him. He still didn't know who attacked Aguli and whether he was alive or dead now, but he knew that this pair
He is definitely a good opportunity. If he can seize this opportunity, take Ganzhou into his own hands, and at least expand his power and influence, then whether Aguli can come back alive or not, it will be greatly beneficial to his plans.
Moreover, the hope of Aguli's return can be said to be very slim. Since the other party has killed all her trusted guards, whether it is because of personal vendetta against her or for any other purpose, they have not taken advantage of this person who controls 200,000 horses and soldiers.
The reason for the release of the princess of Huihe in a powerful city. However, when he wanted to take control of the power, the biggest obstacle was Hu Laowen.
Aguli takes really good care of her people. She fights for them everything she can. Everything she can do for them, she rushes to do for them. So her
The older generation of the tribe is dying, and none of the younger generation can stand alone. Therefore, once Aguli is gone, her tribe will have no threat.
But Hu Laowen was different. He wanted to gain power mainly to deal with Yang Hao, but Hu Laowen was more enthusiastic about power than he was. In terms of bravery, qualifications, and the strength of the tribe, Hu Laowen was not above him.
Next, this person is slippery, and his popularity and prestige are better than his own. If he competes with him, he may not be his opponent.
Back then, when they were squeezed out by Yeluohe's direct tribes, they formed an alliance to fight against each other and were friends who fought side by side. Now that the Yeluohe family has moved to Qinghai Lake, Aguli's life and death are uncertain, and the ruling power of the 200,000 Uighur tribesmen in Ganzhou has been lost.
Turning them into competitors. In the struggle for power, there was never bargaining or tenderness. The former comrades-in-arms had been placed in the position of enemies in Sullman's heart.
At noon, Suman made an excuse to go out of the city to search for the whereabouts of Princess Aguli, and went to the small village where Li Lingxiao and Wei Zhongzheng were resettled. After a secret discussion between the three, Suman returned to Ganzhou City. He was still wavering.
His uncertain mind was completely firmed by the persuasion of Li Lingxiao and Wei Zhongzheng. He wanted to use the opportunity of Aguli's assassination and disappearance to get rid of Hu Laowen, a potential and inevitable competitor once Aguli's death was confirmed.
.
Once Hu Laowen dies, he will be the only person qualified to control Ganzhou. At that time, in order to maintain the stability of Ganzhou, the court can only appoint him as the leader of Ganzhou, so that he can mobilize the greatest strength and calmly deploy his own forces.
Plan. Originally, he just wanted to use Li Jiyun's power to take revenge. Now, with Aguli's life and death uncertain, he has an additional ideal in his heart: perhaps, he will also have the opportunity to divide Hexi equally with Li Jiyun and establish himself as the Khan of Huihe!
As for the cause of Hu Laowen's death, it can be entirely attributed to the murderer who abducted or killed Aguli. In order to make the trick realistic, he had even thought that he would be stabbed when the time came.
Suman returned to the house and was about to send his servant to deliver a message to Hu Laowen. They did not pay much attention to greetings and invitations from the Central Plains. They wanted to meet and negotiate, so they sent a servant to inform them. Everyone made an appointment.
It was a good time and place. Unexpectedly, Hu Laowen sent someone first and was waiting for him at the house. When he asked the reason, it was because he wanted to meet him.
Now that Ganzhou is the master, the two of them jointly control the power, and everything must be discussed. Princess Aguli's whereabouts are unknown, so it is not easy for the two of them to go to the prefect's Yamen to handle official business openly, and no matter whose mansion they go to, it will be unavoidable.
There was a sense of being condescending to others, which meant that they were a head lower than others. Neither of them said this explicitly, but they knew it in their minds, so they kept meeting each other at Bafanglou opposite the Zhifu Yamen. Bafanglou is Gan
Apart from the Khan Palace and the pagoda, it is the only building in the state.
Someone gave him a pillow just as he was dozing off. Suman readily agreed and made some arrangements secretly. When the time came, he took his entourage and bodyguards to the Bafang Building for the appointment. In order to make the trick realistic and not let anyone suspect him,
After properly arranging the hands, he took off his soft armor for the first time since Aguli disappeared.
When Suman left the mansion, Hu Laowen had just left the mansion. He looked up at the gloomy weather, turned over and mounted his horse.
"Lord Hu Laowen, those who do big things don't stick to trivial matters. When Yang Hao came to the city and was surrounded by a large army, if we didn't act more realistically, how could we attract his troops and show a glimmer of hope in the encirclement? The Great Khan used you as bait.
It was out of necessity. In order to make the drama real enough, didn't the Great Khan also hook up with his own princess? This is what the hero did. I believe that if it were Mr. Hu Laowen, with your talents and strategies, you would also do this.
choose.
But a family is still a family after all. Broken bones and connected tendons are closer than Yang Hao, right? Now the Great Khan has occupied a large area of grassland west of Qinghai Lake in Hexi, and his territory is even larger than the barren land of Ganzhou.
Wealthy, it can be said that we have strong soldiers and horses, and our strength is even better than when we were in Ganzhou. The Great Khan is now competing with Shang Boqian for the right of Longyi. He neither can nor wants to return to his old territory. As the eldest son of my father Khan, I, Ali, will be willing to do so this time.
He took a strange risk and returned to Ganzhou, but he couldn't worry about the 200,000 tribesmen who stayed here.
Father Khan had no choice but to abandon so many people, and he felt guilty. If possible, of course he would take care of his people. There is a saying among the Han people, if you are poor, you can benefit yourself, and if you are rich, you can benefit the world. I believe you can understand me.
Father Khan’s wishes. Of course, I don’t have to hide it from you. Killing Aguli is also an important purpose of my trip.
She was too compromising with Yang Hao and blindly obeyed orders, which would harm the interests of our Huihe people. There are 200,000 Huihe people in Ganzhou. I think you are far more suitable to be this big-headed person than Aguli. This is one reason. Another reason.
One reason is that this woman is narrow-minded and will retaliate. She will not understand Father Khan's good intentions. She will spare no effort to seek revenge. If that day comes, she will become Yang Hao's greatest help, but you, Mr. Hu
Wen has to be her pawn, no matter success or failure, what good will it do to you, Lord Wen?"
There is another main reason why Prince Ali came here, that is, Ye Luohe treated his woman as an abandoned pawn that day, and everyone knew the more than ten thousand soldiers he took away. Although in Qinghai Lake, the name of the seventh princess Aguli is
It is an absolute taboo, but this matter is still circulated in secret, which greatly damages Ye Luohe's reputation. This is a fatal injury that cannot be concealed for Ye Luohe, who is using the noble status of the Uighur king's bloodline to recruit troops.
If this person dies, especially creating the illusion that he died in the hands of Yang Hao, it will be of great help to repair his reputation. However, for this reason and the detailed operation after the peace is completed, Prince Ali will of course
I won’t tell him that Prince Ali just wants to take advantage of this incident and create the most profits.
Hu Laowen's eyes narrowed and he asked: "So..., what do you want?"
"Longyou in Hexi Province is far from being stable and peaceful. Shang Boqian, Luo Dan, Li Jijun, and Yang Hao are all ambitious. In any case, Ganzhou with a population of 200,000 should not become our enemy. I just want
If the tribesmen in Ganzhou are not used by Yang Hao, they will not become our enemies in the future, and fellow tribesmen will not kill each other!"
"What do you want from me?"
"If I want to take action, I need to know her whereabouts. I only need you to provide me with information. You don't need to do anything else. When rumors spread that Aguli died at Yang Hao's poisonous hands, you can also vigorously refute the rumors.
In order to protect Yang Hao and gain his trust. I just want to give you a great wealth. All you need to do is remember this love. We will always meet each other in the future."
Hu Laowen wanted to ask him again, "Why did you choose me instead of Suleman?", but he didn't need to ask, he knew the reason. Suleman's two sons both died in the hands of Yang Hao, but they were still considered dead.
In the hands of Ye Luohe, several times, he knew that Yang Hao's Mo Dao formation and armored cavalry were unstoppable, but he repeatedly tried to break out. The cannon fodder used to break out was the Hunbu. Suman hated Yang Hao, and hated Ye Luohe even more.
.
Then, after being silent for a few days, Hu Laowen sent a sentence to Prince Ali as agreed. The news of this sentence decided Aguli's life or death. When the news of Aguli's disappearance came back,
Hu Laowen was the most surprised and the least surprised person.
Aguli's whereabouts were unknown. He was not surprised but forced himself to be surprised. However, many corpses were later found, but Aguli himself was never found. Moreover, Prince Ali seemed to have disappeared from the world. As an insider, he was not aware of this strange situation.
But it was the most unexpected thing and he had to force himself to be normal. No matter what, he originally just wanted to talk and get a chance to become a master, but now he had to take action even if he didn't want to.
Although Aguli's body was not found, in his estimation, there was a greater chance of disaster. If the situation changes at this time, God knows how Xingzhou will react? If the governor of Ganzhou and the commander-in-chief of Ganzhou
If the position falls into the hands of others... it will be too late to regret it.
The mysterious disappearance of Aguli, the death of her personal bodyguard, and the unidentifiable corpses of several assassins made everyone know that there is an external force that intends to harm Aguli. Where are these people hiding now? What else is there?
No one knows his intentions, and so far, no one has ever doubted Hu Laowen.
So, if he kills one of these assassins who everyone knows about its existence but doesn't know where it is, can he clear the obstacles on his way to power with a clear conscience?
Today's invitation is the choice he made.
In the east of Ganzhou City, there is a fur shop owned by Han people. There is a shop in the front and a house in the back. Although it is not crowded, it is very spacious. There are many animal furs that have not been cleaned and tanned in the yard, and there is an unpleasant stench in the air.
It smells so good that as soon as a person walks over, a swarm of flies start buzzing around.
When we arrived at the small courtyard at the back, the smell was much weaker, especially the cabin we entered last. The room was small, with white walls and newly-papered windows. The sunlight filtered in, making it very bright but not dazzling.
An old woman was sitting by the couch, carefully untying the bandages, one by one, and taking off the splint. A long, straight, pink thigh was revealed. The thigh was round and plump, as if
Yuzhu, the calves are slender and beautiful, the skin is tight, the knees
There is no darker color or protruding bones on the cover. It connects the thighs and lower legs very smoothly, revealing a heart-stirring and fascinating beauty. Only one side of the calf is exposed with bruises and edema.
It ruins the overall beauty of long legs.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, look at these legs. I have never seen such beautiful legs before. Let alone men, women should be careful."
"Auntie, you are joking." Aguli smiled shyly and pursed her lips again.
There was no external injury to her leg, but her left calf was broken. Now the bone is straightened and splinted. However, in order to recover faster, external medicine is needed. The medicine penetrates the bones and nourishes the injured area, so that it can recover as soon as possible.
The old woman carefully applied the ointment to the injured area, bandaged it again, picked up the medicine tray and left.
Agul gently stroked her thigh, and the affected area felt cool and cool, and then itched slightly, making people want to twist and scratch, but she could only endure it. She didn't wear much, just a small bed clothes, because
The weather is still hot, legs and feet
The inconvenience saves you the trouble of taking a break and changing clothes. The thin and close-fitting underwear fully shows the curves of the body. The breasts are firm and plump, the waist is round and slender, especially the two slender thighs with no trace of hair, radiating unlimited sensual charm.
.
Slender thighs, delicate calves, and then a pair of white jade-like feet, delicate and delicate...
"Really, not only men, but also women should be fascinated by such a pair of legs, right?"
Agul stared at her thighs obsessively. The sunlight filtered in through the window and had become soft. The soft sunlight shone on her legs. It seemed that there was not a single hair in sight. The skin was crystal clear and as moist as jade.
The light makes the room seem brighter and more charming.
The slender fingers gently slide down the thigh, delicate and plump, as greasy as jade, how seductive and charming is this?
In Aguli's eyes, she didn't pay attention to the gently folded waist and the more spectacular jade breasts between the raised arms, which were far more lethal than the slender and round thighs.
"I admit that you are beautiful, enough to make a normal man's heart beat, including me..."
These words suddenly rang in Aguli's ears, and her cheeks felt hot. What was the difference between then... and being naked? Everything was looked at. When had she ever been so embarrassed in her life?
There was a moment of wandering that made her eyes blur. In the past few days, she had only been here to meditate. She didn't have to think about anything, and she didn't have to do anything. She had always been the one to consider, decide, and direct everything for others.
For her, this kind of life now is a happiness she has not enjoyed for many years. It also makes her mentality weak, as if she has turned into a sad Lin Daiyu.
The slender fingers gently stroked the cheek, and when they landed on the delicate collarbone, a long sigh came out of the red lips: "Aren't you... unmoved?"
A few gentle knocks on the door woke up Aguli, who was lost in thought. She hurriedly pulled the thin quilt over her body, and then called out: "Please come in!"
Yang Hao came in in response, with a confident smile on his face: "Agul, as expected, there is indeed a traitor taking care of you, so Ali can keep an eye on you. Hey, your life is uncertain, and he will jump out as expected.
Already."
Agul suddenly grasped the sheets tightly, her joints turning white from the exertion: "Who is he?"
"Let your people tell you." Yang Hao clasped his hands and stepped aside leisurely. Behind him, a lean and short man wearing Huihe shepherd's clothes appeared. Aguli said hurriedly: "Take off the fungus.
Who is that person?"
That time the man in He Mu uniform bowed and replied: "It's... Mr. Hu Laowen..."
"It's him, it's him?"
How could she have the slightest doubt when her confidant said this? Agul's face turned pale: "We used to share weal and woe, but now we all have our own agendas. Who can I... trust?"
Yang Hao pointed to his nose and leisurely introduced himself: "Of course it's me. Now, are you willing to do what I say?"