The Cloud Princess, upon hearing her son’s words, became even more enraged. Her face pale, she pointed accusingly at him.
"Zhen'er, why, why don't even you understand your mother? Your father never let go, how could I? Don't you know he always had that woman in his heart? Without me, he wouldn't be so caught up, and I wouldn't be so fixated on Cloud Smile."
"Mother, Consort Yu has been dead for many years. What are you jealous of a dead person for? For so many years, Father hasn't taken any other concubines. There’s only you, Mother, isn't that enough?"
Cloud Zhen could never understand his mother. Perhaps he didn’t understand women. Clearly, his father only had her as his wife, and they treated each other with respect and lived harmoniously. Yet, his mother was never satisfied, always saying his father’s heart belonged to that woman.
Honestly, he understood his father. Consort Yu was a beautiful woman. Cloud Zhen, recalling that gentle woman from the past, fell into a daze.
He was only a few years old back then. Seeing a heavenly fairy-like consort in the house, he wasn’t displeased; on the contrary, he was happy. He often visited Consort Yu secretly, without his mother’s knowledge.
Consort Yu was truly a good woman, gentle as water. She treated him like her own child, her voice soft and tender, enough to fill a pond with water.
He still remembered how delighted Consort Yu was when Cloud Smile was born. She held his hand and softly pleaded.
"Zhen'er, this is your sister. From now on, Zhen'er will be the older brother. You must protect your sister well. Only then will Zhen'er become a man of integrity. Can Zhen'er promise your aunt?"
The young him, filled with ambition, nodded forcefully, as if making a promise. That promise lasted for many years. His aunt died soon after giving birth to Xiao'er.
Back then, he didn’t understand why such a beautiful woman like his aunt would die so easily.
Thinking back now, he realized his aunt was not from their Eastern Qin. She simply couldn’t adapt to life here. But she insisted on not leaving his father, choosing to die in the Cloud Estate instead.
How could his father forget such a devoted and affectionate woman? Unfortunately, this affection turned into hatred in his mother’s heart. For so many years, she had never let go.
Just as Cloud Zhen was lost in thought, the sharp voice of the Cloud Princess rang out.
"Cloud Zhen, are you still my son? Are you my son? Have you also been poisoned by that woman? If not, you are not my son, get out!"
The Cloud Princess seemed to have been provoked. Not only did she curse loudly, but she also shed her usual dignified and elegant demeanor, becoming no different from a shrew. Cloud Zhen stared at her motionlessly. In truth, he often felt his mother was also very pitiful.
In the room, the Cloud Princess was causing a commotion. At this moment, a maid hurried in to report.
"Princess, His Highness is here."
The maid's words were like a precious medicine, instantly stopping the Cloud Princess’s tears. She shed her previous sharpness and said repeatedly, "Quick, tidy up this room. Don’t let His Highness see anything."
She herself stood up and went to her dressing table to tidy her appearance, not forgetting to remind her son coldly, "Why are you still standing here?"
Cloud Zhen retreated from the Cloud Princess’s chambers and happened to pass by his father. Cloud Mo saw a hint of displeasure in his son’s eyes and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Zhen'er, what’s wrong?"
Upon hearing the conversation outside, the Cloud Princess, fearing her son might say something he shouldn't, quickly called out, "His Highness is here?"
Cloud Zhen, knowing his mother’s thoughts, curled his lips into a smile. "It’s nothing, just chatting with Mother for a while."
"Mm, then you should go back," Cloud Mo’s dark eyes flashed with a sharp, hidden glint, but he wisely did not expose it. Some things were better left unsaid; saying them would only lead to more awkwardness.
Cloud Zhen sighed. In reality, wasn't his mother the most foolish one of all? What could escape the eyes of the current Regent? It was just that he was smart enough not to mention it…
The next day, the weather was fair and the sun was bright.
The Cloud Prince Estate was exceptionally quiet. Apart from a few eunuchs and palace maids from the palace, there were only the two maids who had previously served Cloud Smile closely in Yuxuan. No one else was there, making it particularly serene.
The fragrance of flowers and grass wafted through the air in the morning, intoxicating and enchanting.
Cloud Smile had just woken up. After washing, she sat quietly on the soft couch in her room, playing with her fair jade fingers adorned with pink nail polish. Qiao’er led people to prepare breakfast, while Xiuxiu and Xiao He took advantage of the moment to report news.
"Your Highness, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Zhao have investigated the Li family’s situation. For some reason, although His Highness is the Regent, the Li family has not been heavily utilized.
Instead, they are merely ordinary minor figures. Li Ruoyun’s father is a petty official in the Ministry of Rites, and their family is ordinary. Li Ruoyun was brought to the Cloud Estate from a young age and grew up in the Cloud Estate."
Cloud Smile nodded. She actually knew why her father had made such arrangements. He likely knew that what she was doing was akin to seeking a tiger's skin, and to prevent harm, he wanted to minimize the damage.
If he had heavily employed the Li family, it was likely that someone in the court would have impeached the Cloud family, thus accelerating the Cloud family’s disaster.
With his current arrangements, although the Li family might suffer some harm now, if something were to happen to the Cloud family later, their lives would not be endangered. At most, they would be dismissed from office.
Seeing that her Highness remained silent, Xiuxiu continued with another matter.
"As for where Your Highness wants to forge soft weapons, the best place currently is Jinyin Tang. This establishment specializes in forging high-quality weapons and is a royal merchant’s shop. In theory, they do not accept private commissions.
However, that is only on the surface. They still take private jobs secretly, but the prices are exceptionally expensive."
Cloud Smile nodded upon hearing this, more interested in the latter part. As long as they accepted private commissions, the price was not an issue.
She wanted to forge surgical scalpels, as thin as cicada wings, capable of slicing through enemies like mud. They must be crafted from the finest Profound Jade Iron, and ordinary places likely did not possess such materials.
"Good, Jinyin Tang, right? Go and prepare the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone for me now," Cloud Smile waved her hand and commanded. She intended to draw blueprints.
"Yes," Xiuxiu nodded and walked out. Xiao He behind her looked suspiciously at her Highness sitting on the soft couch, wondering what her Highness was planning. What was she intending to do by forging weapons?
Her legs felt a little weak. Her master was becoming more and more unfathomable, not like ordinary people at all. After she woke up that night, everything seemed to have changed…
The two palace maids walked out. Qiao’er led the young maids from Yuxuan, and they came in to prepare breakfast.
Cloud Smile was in a very good mood, even eating several pastries. The Cloud Prince Estate’s cooks had excellent skills, not much inferior to those in the imperial palace. She had always advocated for good food, and not much could win her favor.
After breakfast, Xiuxiu and Xiao He carried the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone in.
Qiao’er had already cleared away the things. Cloud Smile took advantage of the lull to quickly sketch a blueprint: a superior, gleaming surgical scalpel, thin as a cicada's wing. As soon as she finished drawing, she put the blueprint away.
She also compiled a list of medicinal herbs and put that away too. Xiuxiu and Xiao He, who had craned their necks to look, ended up with nothing to see.
"Your Highness?"
Xiuxiu called out with dissatisfaction. Cloud Smile looked up at her askance. Xiuxiu immediately fell silent and said cautiously.
"Your Highness, this servant will put the things away."
"Mm, put them away. I will go out with you later. Xiao He will stay in the estate, and no one is allowed to enter. Tell them I am a little tired and resting."
"Yes," the two palace maids nodded and went their separate ways. Xiuxiu tidied up the things and went out, while Xiao He went to distract Qiao’er, assigning her another task. Otherwise, this girl would surely discover something.