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

Chapter 542

After arranging things in Datong, the grain supplies from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War had arrived in Xi'an. Zhou Chu was preparing to enter Tibet via the Tang-Tibet Ancient Road, the starting point of which was Xi'an.

The route passes through Xining, Riyue Mountain, Bayan Gala Mountain, Tongtian River and other places, and finally enters Tibet.

The journey was destined to be extremely arduous. Even though the Xuanwu Army had undergone extremely rigorous training, Zhou Chu could not guarantee that they would not suffer from altitude sickness. Therefore, Zhou Chu planned to march slowly, training his troops on the plateau while entering the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

As for logistics and provisions, apart from the first batch, Zhou Chu had already written a memorial to Jiajing, instructing them to collect provisions in Xi'an.

The Xuanwu Army, with its two to three thousand men, did not require much food, and Xi'an could fully meet its food needs.

Besides training the troops, Zhou Chu also had to instill in the Xuanwu Army how to treat the lowest-ranking Tibetans. Only by making those Tibetans feel respected and by killing the nobles they considered high and mighty in front of them would these Tibetans truly stand up and stand firmly on the side of the Ming Dynasty.

These are all Zhou Chu's plans, and the implementation and completion of these plans are destined to be a relatively long process.

Hu Zongxian and others were casually incorporated into the Xuanwu Army by Zhou Chu. Their training in the Datong Garrison Army had already shown initial results, and they were now able to adapt to the training intensity of the Xuanwu Army.

Although they would lie motionless like dead dogs after each training session, they were already much better than before.

In the first month after Zhou Chu led the Xuanwu Army into Tibet, Shen Qing went into labor and gave birth to a big, healthy baby boy weighing eight pounds and six ounces.

This made Shen Qing and Fang Hong very happy. For Fang Hong, the child was nominally their family's child, and he could be considered to be carrying on the Fang family line.

For Shen Qing, this child is the bond between her and Zhou Chu, and she will pour all her love into this child.

After discussing it, Shen Qing and Fang Hong named the child Fang Heng.

Fang Heng's birth was quiet, but it couldn't be hidden from some people, such as Princess Deqing.

Princess Deqing had long since realized that Fang Hong was a woman. She even asked Jiajing about it, and that's when she learned that Shen Qing's child was actually Zhou Chu's. Shen Qing was also Princess Deqing's goddaughter, so Princess Deqing naturally wouldn't fail to make a statement when the child was born.

That very day, Princess Deqing had lavish gifts prepared and arrived at the Fang residence.

Princess Deqing carefully took Fang Heng from the midwife, held him in her arms, and tapped him gently. The newborn's face was all scrunched up, so it was impossible to tell who he looked like. It would only be clear who he resembled after a few days when his face opened up.

However, Princess Deqing already had the answer in her heart.

"I never expected that my two good-for-nothing children wouldn't have any, but you've given me a wonderful grandson first."

Princess Deqing teased Fang Hengdao in her arms with her finger.

Shen Qing blushed upon hearing this. She knew very well that Princess Deqing could not hide the child's father from her.

"You all go down."

Fang Hong, who was standing nearby, was also shrewd and dismissed the midwife and maids in the room.

"Do you have anything to say to me?"

Princess Deqing held Fang Heng in her arms, looked at the two people in front of her, and said with a smile.

"Your Highness, I dare not deceive you. I am actually a woman, and the child's father is Lord Zhou."

Fang Hong bowed to Princess Deqing.

Princess Deqing was not surprised at all upon hearing this, and simply nodded.

"You are quite honest, very good. From now on, this child will be my godchild. You really shouldn't have kept it from me."

Princess Deqing looked at Fang Hong and nodded with some satisfaction.

Fang Hong was a smart woman. She knew very well that her true identity had been no secret to the Emperor since the moment she married Shen Qing. Before, the Emperor might not have noticed such a small person as herself, but once he did, she would be thoroughly investigated.