The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 543

Fang Hong never thought his father could be so perfect as to deceive the emperor.

Moreover, the matter itself was full of loopholes, and many people within the Embroidered Uniform Guard knew about it, so it couldn't withstand scrutiny.

Fang Hong knew very well that Lord Zhou's child would be his talisman and a guarantee for his future career advancement.

Although Fang Hong did not deliberately plan these things, and everything happened naturally, he understood these principles.

"Shen Qing, this child is of utmost importance, you must raise him well."

Princess Deqing looked at Shen Qing on the bed and said.

"My daughter knows, thank you for your trouble, godmother."

Shen Qing said weakly.

Princess Deqing nodded upon hearing this. She knew that this child was Zhou Chu's only child in the world so far. Zhou Chu had done so much for the Ming Dynasty and for His Majesty. Even her two sons owed their advancement to Zhou Chu. Not to mention the relationship between Zhou Chu and Tang Bohu.

Princess Deqing had always felt unsure how to treat Zhou Chu any better. After all, she was a princess, and one couldn't always be too harsh on someone.

However, Zhou Chu's son was born at this time. He was born to Shen Qing, who was his goddaughter. Theoretically, this child was also his god-grandson.

In this way, Princess Deqing's desire to be good to Zhou Chu instantly found an outlet. With this status, Princess Deqing felt that no matter how good she was to the child, it was not too much.

After they finished their private conversation, they let the midwife and maid back in.

"Master, someone is coming from the palace."

The steward of the Fang family came to Fang Hong with a panicked expression and said.

Fang Hong and Shen Qing were quite surprised to hear this. Princess Deqing, though also surprised, understood after thinking about it. This child was Zhou Chu's first child, and the emperor had always known about it. Although he couldn't reveal the child's identity, he could still reward Fang Hong.

The one who came to deliver the imperial edict was a eunuch under Huang Jin. Given Fang Hong's status, he was not qualified to have Huang Jin deliver the edict. Even if Jiajing valued it, he could not go too far. If Huang Jin were to deliver the edict, it would probably arouse suspicion among many people.

"Fang Hong, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, receives the imperial decree!"

A group of people followed behind the eunuch, carrying boxes. They came up to Fang Hong and shouted loudly.

Upon hearing this, Fang Hong hurriedly knelt down in front of the eunuch.

"Fang Hong, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, has distinguished himself in battle against the Xuanwu Army and is hereby promoted to commander of a thousand, awarded a reward of one thousand taels of gold and five thousand taels of silver..."

The eunuch read out one item of wealth after another, making Fang Hong dizzy. Of course, this wasn't the first time she had seen so much money. She had seen countless riches when she accompanied Zhou Chu in confiscating property before, but this money and these items were a gift from the emperor.

As for why she was rewarded, Fang Hong knew perfectly well. What Fang Hong had done in the Xuanwu Army had always been kept secret, so there had been no public reward. This time, the emperor personally issued an imperial edict to promote Fang Hong from a centurion to a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. It was definitely not because of his previous military achievements, but because of Fang Heng's background. Fang Hong knew this very well.

Although it was only a promotion of one rank, that one rank was enough to stop countless people. The key was not the official position, but the fact that her title of commander of a thousand was personally bestowed by the emperor, making her completely different from other commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"I thank your Majesty for your kindness."

Fang Hong kowtowed.

"Congratulations, Lord Fang."

The eunuch, beaming, handed the imperial edict to Fang Hong. He knew that Fang Hong must have something special about him to be so highly regarded by the emperor, and that his future prospects were limitless. Naturally, he wanted to cultivate a good relationship with him.

"Thank you for your kind words, sir."

As Fang Hong spoke, he took out a five-tael silver coin and handed it to the eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree. The eunuch accepted the silver coin without making a sound, and his smile became even brighter.