Chapter 93: What Are You Doing to My Fiancée?

Zhu Biao hid inside the restroom, caught between laughter and tears. Zhang Yi deliberately provoked his thoughts, and he was well aware of it. Yet, he was not a sycophant and naturally did not take it to heart.

Initially, he had been somewhat flustered, fearing his identity might be exposed, but now that the coast was clear, he finally relaxed.

Inside the restroom, Zhu Biao had expected a foul stench, but to his relief, the place was clean and free of any unpleasant odor.

“So this is the restroom that the younger brother of the Zhang family put together? Quite an impressive undertaking!”

It was only then that Zhu Biao noticed that the toilet in the Zhang family’s Taoist temple was actually a porcelain commode. Outside, the young lady of the Chang family and Zhang Yi were chatting casually, while he studied this contraption.

It was clearly custom-made. Although the quality of such a privately fired piece wasn’t top-tier, Zhu Biao understood it must have cost a considerable sum.

“The younger brother of the Zhang family lives even better than I do!”

“Brother, you know why sister came...” The voices outside finally drew Zhu Biao’s attention away from the porcelain throne to Zhang Yi and Miss Chang themselves.

At that moment, Miss Chang had dismissed her maidservants, and Deng Zhongxiu had quietly withdrawn.

“Sister, you came to ask for a way to change your fate?”

Zhang Yi naturally knew the young lady’s purpose, and she nodded.

“If not for your promise to help me alter my destiny, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have had the courage to face His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. His favor determines the fate of the Ming Empire...” The Chang family maiden only dared reveal her worries in front of Zhang Yi.

Hearing this, Zhu Biao’s heart softened. The anxieties weighing on Miss Chang were no different from the pressures he himself bore.

Especially when Zhang Yi, with his usual brashness, blurted out, “You don’t need to worry about him; after all, your eldest brother shouldn’t laugh at the second...” He quickly shut his mouth, and even Miss Chang didn’t catch what he had said. But Zhu Biao, hidden in the restroom, felt a chill run through his body.

This was the first time Zhang Yi had “confirmed” Zhu Biao’s suspicions. Indeed, he had seen a glimpse of Zhu Biao’s future.

Zhu Biao wanted to rush out and confront Zhang Yi, but he restrained himself with reason.

“What is big brother laughing at?”

“Nothing. Sister, let’s talk about your future instead!”

Zhang Yi promptly changed the subject, diverting Miss Chang’s attention.

He said, “Sister, your death probably relates to having a second child. Although it won’t be from a difficult labor, the celestial signs I glimpsed suggest something similar... So, if you want to change your fate, you must focus on this aspect!”

Miss Chang, a refined young lady, blushed deeply at Zhang Yi’s blunt mention of childbirth. But for the sake of survival, she listened earnestly.

“The best method is to avoid having a second child...”

Zhang Yi gave his suggestion, though he knew that in the Ming Dynasty, this was nearly impossible for women. There were no effective means of contraception, and the decision to bear children was rarely solely the woman’s.

As long as Zhu Biao and Miss Chang loved each other, they would undoubtedly have Zhu Yunxu.

Sure enough, she hesitated.

“Brother, you say I am destined to have two sons, but the eldest may face disaster. If I don’t have the second, how can I be at peace with—”

Her unfinished words already spoke volumes.

Fortunately, Zhang Yi never expected Miss Chang to accept his advice, for even if she did, she could decide little.

“Then, sister, from today onward, you must strengthen your body to withstand the calamity meant for you!”

“How do I do that?”

“Exercise and some specialized training...”

Zhang Yi had long since formulated his plan. Seeing his confidence, Miss Chang felt somewhat reassured.

“Actually, difficult labor is often due less to a small pelvis than to a woman’s physical condition, sister Chang...” Zhang Yi appraised her carefully; her pelvis seemed adequate.

But even a single child’s birth made her uncomfortable with the idea.

“So what we can change is to strengthen your constitution. Though you hold yourself to the standards of a noble lady, to survive, you must train your body.”

Miss Chang nodded at this.

“I will follow your advice. My family is descended from military commanders—I even learned some skills from my father. But later, my mother said our family was different now and that as a noble lady, I should not learn such things.”

Zhang Yi inwardly cursed Lady Lan as both incompetent and obstructive.

She desperately wanted to shed her commoner origins, but that was precisely the mistake.

Unlike other dynasties, most Ming empresses were chosen from the common folk, except for a few noble-born ladies like Xu Miaoyun.

In other words, what Lady Lan prized most was precisely what Zhu Yuanzhang dreaded. His ancestral decree reflected his fear of powerful in-laws.

History proved that even empresses selected from commoners performed no worse than noble ladies.

Moreover, the Chang family had yet to cleanse their muddy reputation—how could they claim the status of an elite household?

Chang Yuchun’s wife was a frail woman, cautious to the point of fear that Zhu Yuanzhang would disapprove of the Chang family’s ways, always stepping on thin ice.

Yet Zhang Yi knew that if Lady Lan disliked Miss Chang’s martial training, he, a lowly Taoist, couldn’t change her mind. An idea suddenly struck him.

“Sister, let me teach you Tai Chi. Practice for half an hour daily to work up a sweat and strengthen your body!”

Zhang Yi’s Tai Chi was ethereal and graceful, part martial art, part dance—hardly something crude.

Miss Chang had long wished to learn; she readily agreed.

So, they practiced in the courtyard—one teaching, the other learning.

Zhang Yi’s Tai Chi wasn’t complicated; the sixty-four forms were quickly mastered.

When she finished, Zhang Yi said, “With Tai Chi to strengthen your body, you can now learn the specialized techniques!”

“What are they?”

Miss Chang was eager after the Tai Chi lesson.

Zhang Yi’s expression grew strange. The next thing he wanted to teach her was something he had stumbled upon in a gym back in his past life: childbirth preparation exercises. Teaching this to a refined young lady seemed... awkward.

But to change the fate of the Ming Empire, Zhang Yi was determined.

“This technique comes from ancient scriptures, a secret art from India called ‘Childbirth Yoga’...”

He casually coined a pleasant name for the childbirth exercises.

“Childbirth?”

Miss Chang’s face and neck flushed crimson. She glared at Zhang Yi, speechless for a long while.

If not for Zhang Yi’s godlike reputation in her mind and his youth, she would have slapped him and called for the authorities to bind him.

Zhu Biao, in the restroom, was equally dumbfounded.

Zhang Yi wanted to teach his fiancée what—Childbirth Yoga?

Friend, that sounds hardly respectable!

If it had been any other man, he would have rushed out, but Zhang Yi was different.

Zhu Biao comforted himself, thinking the Zhang family’s younger brother was a little immortal, sincerely trying to save his betrothed!

“Zhang family younger brother, how can a noble maiden like me learn this?”

If not for her life at stake, Miss Chang would have turned and left immediately.

Zhang Yi, afraid she might bolt, hurriedly explained:

“Sister, this Childbirth Yoga is a secret technique from the ancient Buddha. I wouldn’t teach it to ordinary people. Trust me, if you practice diligently, you won’t just have children—you could even send Nezha flying to the Western Heavens!”

Miss Chang didn’t know who Nezha was, but after some persuasion, she agreed to learn the Childbirth Yoga.

“How do I learn?”

Still embarrassed, she asked.

Zhang Yi said, “Wait a moment,” then fetched a clean quilt from another room and handed it to her.

“To practice this, you must be alone. Hold this quilt and go lay it down in the alchemy chamber!”

“Ah?”

Miss Chang was again stunned.

Zhang Yi gave her a side glance.

“Sister, I’m serious about teaching you. What do you think I’m capable of? Oh, and bring your maid along, so no one can accuse me falsely if rumors spread!”

“The alchemy chamber is over there. Hurry!”

Half shy, half curious, Miss Chang led her maid toward the alchemy chamber.

Zhang Yi, seeing her take the maid and the area clear, hurried back to the restroom and knocked on the door.

“Brother Huang, I’ve distracted them. You must leave quickly. If the Chang family catches you, it won’t just be you; your whole family will suffer!”

Without waiting for Zhu Biao’s reaction, Zhang Yi turned and ran toward the alchemy chamber.

Once he was far enough, Zhu Biao sheepishly opened the restroom door.

“Sister, spread the quilt on the floor, just like that... What are you looking at? Help your mistress spread it! Now lie down...”

“Zhang family younger brother, are you really going to...”

“Trust me, deep breath...”

Zhu Biao was about to leave when he faintly heard Zhang Yi and Miss Chang’s voices from afar.

His feet felt rooted to the spot. Though he trusted Zhang Yi, he wondered about those sounds.

He gritted his teeth—he wasn’t going anywhere.

He had to see what that rascal Zhang Yi was doing to his fiancée.

Carefully, he tiptoed, avoiding a door left ajar, and peered inside.

There lay Miss Chang, in a strange posture.

Zhu Biao’s mind reeled. That pose hardly looked dignified.

If she weren’t alone, he might have thought he was being cuckolded.

Regaining his senses, he spotted Zhang Yi nearby, mirroring the same movements, earnestly guiding her breathing.

“Exhale... good. Inhale... hold it... hmm, again...”

“Zhang family younger brother, is this really an ancient Buddhist secret technique?”

“Sister Chang, authentic to the core!”

Miss Chang endured her embarrassment, practicing the childbirth exercises under Zhang Yi’s stern tutelage.

The training was tough, but she was diligent.

Time passed bit by bit until Miss Chang mastered the birthing techniques, planks, and the Mao-style breathing exercises.

Only then did Zhang Yi see her out.

“Sister, practice quietly in your room. Don’t let this leak out!”

Once Miss Chang left, Zhang Yi exhaled in relief. Being a good person wasn’t easy.

Before he could collect himself, someone grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to a corner.

“Brother, you’re still here?”

“What are you teaching her?”

“Ancient...”

“Don’t use ‘ancient Buddhist secret technique Childbirth Yoga’ to fool me...”

“Fine, it’s actually childbirth training I learned from the Heavenly Scriptures!”

Zhu Biao’s mind exploded upon hearing this.

So just now, Zhang Yi was teaching his fiancée how to give birth?

Zhu Biao was about to confront Zhang Yi when a small fist suddenly struck his eye.

He screamed in pain.

(End of chapter)