Chapter 189 A Woman Chasing a Man is Like Wearing a Thin Veil

It was a sweltering summer day, but Yongning was dressed in red.

Because Du Zhengming was the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a fourth-rank official, his official robes were crimson.

Yongning deliberately chose a color to match it.

Yuan Xi has been very interested in red these past two months, grabbing at anything she sees, and just happened to grab the clothes in her hand.

"Sister-in-law, look, Yuanxi grabbed my clothes!" Yongning was pleasantly surprised.

Xie Yunyu smiled and said, "That means she likes you."

Yongning laughed when he heard this.

Xie Yunyu thought to herself, "This child is really easy to coax."

At noon, Xie Yunyu asked Shuangjiang to watch over the kitchen and prepare a large table of summer dishes.

Yongning enjoyed the meal very much.

"Wow, no wonder Auntie said the food at our mansion is better than the food in the palace, it really is good."

Xie Yunyu smiled and said, "My maid has been with me since she was a child, and she likes to think about food."

If you like it, send someone over to learn how to make it, and they can cook it for you when they get back.

Yongning was delighted to hear this: "That's great! I'll send someone over to learn in a couple of days."

The two ate happily, and Yongning said that they would first go to Dali Temple in the afternoon, and then go to Tianxing Tower for a stroll.

Xie Yunyu asked, puzzled, "Why go to Dali Temple?"

Yongning suddenly blushed slightly, her cheeks turning slightly red, then looked up and blinked her big eyes, asking:

"Does sister-in-law know Du Shaoqing?"

Xie Yunyu knew exactly what was going on when she saw Yongning like this.

I know him, I know him all too well...

Your brother Ling gets jealous of this person every time he's drunk.

He considered his words for a moment and then asked, "Your Highness, when did you meet Minister Du?"

"It was after the Dragon Boat Festival, when I was poisoned. He was in charge of investigating the case, and that's when we started to get in touch."

Yongning took a sip of the chilled plum drink and comfortably relaxed his eyebrows.

Xie Yunyu suddenly realized.

"Oh, then what brings you to see Du Shaoqing today?"

Xie Yunyu had no choice but to pretend she didn't understand and continued to ask.

"Ahem, sister-in-law... I... I... I'd like to recruit him as my son-in-law, what do you think?"

Xie Yunyu was puzzled. Why are you asking me this? Shouldn't you be asking the Empress and His Majesty?

What Xie Yunyu didn't know was that because she had saved Yongning, the Emperor, and the Empress Dowager in succession, the Empress kept telling Yongning to learn from Xie Yunyu.

Yongning likes Du Zhengming, but the Empress clearly doesn't approve, so she thinks Xie Yunyu is clever and asks her to help her think of a way.

Xie Yunyu, not understanding at the moment, considered it carefully and said:

"Du Shaoqing is a good person, but His Majesty and the Empress should already have plans for your marriage."

Upon hearing this, Yongning immediately became dejected.

"It's because my mother disagrees that I thought of asking you, sister-in-law."

"You're so smart, Father and Mother both praise you. Could you give me some advice?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Yunyu thought, "Well, the Empress disagrees, so you're asking me for advice?"

He was sizing me up, thinking, "Can't the Empress kill me?"

Xie Yunyu immediately didn't want to get involved in this matter anymore, but she needed to get an explanation from this little ancestor.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "What about Du Shaoqing? What did he mean?"

Mentioning Yongning only made him more disheartened:

"He's even harder to guess."

"You could say he doesn't like me, but when he saw my appearance he was completely stunned, unable to look away."

You say he likes me, but he keeps making up all sorts of reasons and excuses.

Finally, they passed the buck to their father and mother.

Xie Yunyu laughed when she heard this.

Based on her understanding of Du Zhengming, he was the most upright person, and he knew the principle of "do not look at what is improper" best.

From what Yongning said, it seemed that Du Zhengming had taken a liking to her.

However, due to her own circumstances, she felt that she was not a good match for Yongning.

Seeing Xie Yunyu smile, Yongning asked, "Sister-in-law, what are you smiling about?"

Xie Yunyu mentally drafted her thoughts and organized her words before speaking:

"It's easier for a man to pursue a woman than for a woman to pursue a man."

Yongning was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Bai Zhi said from the side, "Your Highness, it's easy for a woman to pursue a man."

Yongning had never heard of this phrase before and was now savoring it in detail.

Xie Yunyu added, "Actually, the best way is to ask His Majesty to grant you a marriage decree; it's simple and hassle-free."

Upon hearing this, Yongning shook his head vigorously, saying, "No, no."

My mother disagrees, and I fear that if I speak rashly, my father will also disagree.

Xie Yunyu then laughed and said, "In this matter, who can influence your mother? And who can influence your father?"

Yongning's brain finally came online.

“My elder brother, the Crown Prince, can influence my mother, and my grandmother can influence my father.”

Xie Yunyu thought to herself, "He's not that stupid."

So he said, "Your Highness, you said all of this. I didn't say anything."

Yongning smiled and said, "Yes, yes, it was all my clever brain that came up with it, it has nothing to do with my sister-in-law."

He raised his plum drink and clinked glasses with Xie Yunyu.

Then, smacking his lips, he thought for a moment and asked again:

"Then, sister-in-law, I'm not sure about Du Shaoqing's feelings right now, what should we do?"

Xie Yunyu coughed twice, thinking to herself that this made things much easier.

"Your Highness, do you know how many days it takes for a person to form a habit?"

Yongning was taken aback by the question and shook his head.

"It takes as little as twenty-one days to form a habit."

Xie Yunyu picked up her flower tea, took a sip, and said.

"I fled to Qingliang Mountain to escape the marriage arranged by my family."

My grandfather didn't want me to stay, but I said I would only stay for a month and leave when the month was up, and my grandfather agreed.

But with my excellent cooking skills, I prepared different dishes for my grandfather every day.

Twenty-odd days later, my grandfather didn't want me to leave.

So, naturally, I stayed on Qingliang Mountain.

"So?" Yongning asked, frowning.

"So, if someone receives a gift every day at a fixed time—tea, inkstone, writing brush, painting, or even just a flower—it would be wonderful."

Stick to this habit for a month.

A month later, he suddenly received something. What would he think?

After listening, Yongning replied thoughtfully:

"As for me, I'm wondering why we didn't send it?"

Is something wrong with this person?

Xie Yunyu then asked, "If I sent you for three months, and we met several times in between, and you seemed very interested in me each time..."

Then suddenly they stopped seeing me off and even attended a blind date banquet!

There are even rumors that she's going to marry someone else.

Yongning thought about the scene: "I would feel uncomfortable if I thought that."

Then, looking at Xie Yunyu, he scratched his head and said, "Don't laugh at me, sister-in-law."

I feel uncomfortable when something or someone that should have been mine suddenly becomes someone else's.

Xie Yunyu laughed: "This child is teachable."

Try this method. I can't say for sure what else you'll understand about Du Zhengming's intentions after three months.

Or perhaps, he will understand his feelings.

Bai Zhi, who was listening nearby, nodded: "Your Highness, this is what they mean by 'a woman pursuing a man is like piercing a thin veil'."

Yongning carefully straightened it out and gave Xie Yunyu a thumbs up.

"No wonder everyone says you're smart; your ideas are indeed extraordinary."

Yongning happily chatted with Xie Yunyu, then suddenly asked:

"Sister-in-law, I heard that Du Shaoqing proposed to your family before."

Xie Yunyu paused slightly in her teacup, almost spilling the water:

"Oh, that was hundreds of years ago."

Du Shaoqing got drunk at Tianxing Tower, and I and the others from Dali Temple happened to pass by. After that, Huan Shaoqing started making connections.

Don't take it to heart, my love for your brother Ling is stronger than gold.

At this moment, Xie Yunyu had no choice but to talk nonsense in order to save her life.

Yongning laughed and said, "Yes, I know about you and Brother Ling. Were you two secretly contacting each other back then?"

Xie Yunyu blushed and nodded.