After listening to Yu Hong's words, Taihao fell into deep thought. He faced a dilemma: on the one hand, if he admitted that the gold bars belonged to him, it would be tantamount to throwing himself into the net and committing the great crime of taking bribes, and since then he has become a partner with Yu Hong, Hou Feng and others, and is tightly bound by the same rope of greed; On the other hand, if he firmly denies that the gold bars are related to him, then Niu Xing and Ah Lu will be acquitted due to lack of evidence, and the gold bars will become their accidental belongings, and the real criminals will go unpunished.

Taihao's heart is like a surging wave, undulating. His conscience and sense of justice are calling him to expose the truth and bring the criminals to justice; However, the pressures and temptations of reality are also testing his will and faith. He knows that whatever choice he makes, there will be huge risks and costs.

In the end, Tai Hao raised his head, looked at Yu Hong with a firm gaze, took a deep breath and said, "Yu Hong City Lord, these gold bars are not owned by me. Although I am an official of the imperial court, I will never dare to be corrupt and pervert the law. This case must be thoroughly investigated to the end, and Jiutu City will be given justice! His voice was not loud, but it was full of determination and strength.

Yu Hong showed a smug smile on his face, and slowly spoke: "Vice General Taihao, since you have expressed your attitude so resolutely, then this official can no longer forcibly impose the crime of stealing on Niu Xing and Ah Lu. There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone, as if he was mocking Taihao's stubbornness and innocence.

Taihao sighed helplessly and nodded slowly, but his heart was full of indignation and unwillingness. He knew very well that Yu Hong's move was just playing with power, trying to involve himself in this troubled water.

Then, Yu Hong turned to Niu Xing and Ah Lu, and said in a condescending tone: "Since there is no clear owner of these belongings, the crime of stealing cannot be established. Let what you have gained be counted as a gleaning. Ah Lu, you can hand over the property to the government, which can be regarded as a good deed of collecting money. Now, the officer has acquitted you, and you can go back. ”

When Ah Lu heard this, he was overjoyed, hurriedly knelt on the ground, and kowtowed again and again: "Thank you, little one, Lord Yuhong, and Vice Admiral Taihao!" Then he left the yamen.

Niu Xing saw that Ah Lu left unharmed, and secretly rejoiced in his heart. He put on a flattering smile and asked Yuhong flatteringly: "Brother-in-law, you see that Ah Lu is fine, can I also go?" There was a hint of pride and anticipation in his tone, as if he had foreseen that he was about to be free.

However, Yu Hong replied expressionlessly: "As for you, this official needs to avoid suspicion, and naturally there will be judicial officers to try your case." As he spoke, he instructed the two officials standing aside, "You two, put Niu Xing in prison and wait for his fate!" There was an unmistakable majesty in his voice.

When Niu Xing heard this, he immediately panicked and hurriedly begged Yu Hong for mercy: "Brother-in-law, you can't do this!" Ah Lu is not guilty, why do you want to lock me up? His voice was full of fear and unwillingness.

Yu Hong ignored him and turned to leave the court. The two officials did not delay at all, and took Niu Xing down one left and one right. Niu Xing's cries echoed in the empty courtroom, but no one responded.

In the prosperous and complicated place of Jiutu City, Niu Xing has always been under the banner of his brother-in-law Yu Hong, rampant and domineering, bullying the people. He thought that by relying on this relationship with Yu Hong, he could do whatever he wanted in the city, but he didn't know that doing so brought endless troubles and embarrassment to Yu Hong. Niu Xing's sister is not outstanding among Yu Hong's many concubines, and Yu Hong's contempt for Niu Xing is no secret.

This time, Yu Hong decided to teach Niu Xing a profound lesson. When Niu Xing was taken to prison, he may still be lucky, thinking that his brother-in-law would come to the rescue. However, he spent three long days in prison, during which time the judicial army deliberately delayed the trial according to Yu Hong's instructions. Three days later, when Niu Xing was brought to the court, what awaited him was not only the punishment of beating the 20th board, but also the ridicule and ridicule of the people of the city.

Yu Hong's move not only made Niu Xing taste the bitterness, but also established his prestige among the people. He treated his relatives with impartiality and won the respect and praise of the people. And Niu Xing became a laughing stock in the eyes of the people, his reputation plummeted in Jiutu City, and he no longer dared to mention his relationship with Yuhong.

Let's move on to the investigation of the case, as the interrogation of Ah Lu and Niu Xing ended, the already slim clues seemed to be interrupted, like a kite with a broken string, losing its direction in the vast night sky. But Yu Hong did not give up, his eyes flashed with determination, and with a group of capable officials, he continued to investigate deeply in the city, looking for the mysterious thief and the "secret book" of theft.

Yu Hong's actions were swift and decisive, and he vowed to investigate the case to the bottom of the matter, find the "secret book" and return it to the poor two. However, at the same time, Taihao's attitude towards this matter seemed a little indifferent. He knew very well that the secret book was not a real treasure, just a copy of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas". In his opinion, this turmoil was nothing more than a false alarm, and he was more concerned with how to expose the darkness and corruption of the officialdom of Jiutu City.

Yu Hong and Tai Hao, one is obsessed with pursuing the stolen "cheats", and the other is concerned with greater justice. Behind this seemingly ordinary theft, there seems to be a more complex and profound truth hidden waiting for them to uncover.

In Taihao's mind, the bigger worry was how to report the corruption of officials such as Yu Hong and Hou Feng to the imperial court, so that these pests could be punished by the law. But the practical predicament made him feel helpless and frustrated, because in the seemingly prosperous place of Jiutu City, the phenomenon of dark officialdom and official corruption has long been deeply rooted. Almost all officials are inextricably linked with Yu Hong and Hou Feng, and if the truth is to be completely revealed, I am afraid that the officialdom of the entire Jiutu City will be set off by a storm. This situation made Tai Hao feel a deep sense of powerlessness, and he understood that in order to change the status quo of Jiutu City, a more violent wind of change was needed.

For seven consecutive days, Taihao seemed to be firmly bound by the walls of Jiutu City, and he couldn't get out because he assisted Yuhong in investigating the case. In the past seven days, Yu Hong's eyes have been like the brightest stars in the night sky, always focusing on the theft of the "cheats". Like a tireless hound, he left footprints in every corner of Nine Earth City, but those clues were like being swallowed by the sea, and they never surfaced.

During these long and short seven days, the only thing they could be sure of was that the thief had used Ecstasy incense to stun Tai Hao on the night the "cheats" were lost. The aroma of this exotic spice from the northern land can make people fall into a deep sleep, and they are not aware of all the sounds and movements of the outside world. This also explains why Taihao did not notice the thief's intrusion that night, and was not awakened by any unusual noise in his deep sleep.

In the early morning of this day, the sky had just turned white, so Taihao left the inn early and walked in the direction of the yamen. Before he could step into the antechamber, he heard a deep man's voice echoing in the morning air. The voice was full of energy, and when you heard it, you knew that it was poor. Taihao's heart moved, as if he felt the call of some kind of fate, and his feet unconsciously quickened his pace.

When Tai Hao walked into the front hall, Yu Hong and Poor Liang were standing there, as if they were talking about something important. When they saw Taihao coming, Yu Hong showed a smile on his face and said, "Vice General Taihao, we are waiting for you." The good news is that the cheats are already missing, and we may not need to look into them anymore. ”

When Tai Hao heard this, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he said curiously: "There are already whereabouts?" Where did you find it? ”

The poor two took over the conversation, and there was a trace of helplessness and regret in his voice: "Taihao, I heard from the Yuhong City Lord that the secret book was lost, so I hurriedly rushed down from Kunwu Mountain. Seven days ago, my disciple suddenly disappeared, and I thought it was strange. Now it seems that he is the one who stole the cheats. ”

Taihao had actually guessed this result a long time ago, but what the halberd male stole was a fake cheatbook after all. He didn't want the fake cheats to be found, because if they did, the fake cheats would be exposed. At that point, it will be a bad situation for him. Therefore, he silently prayed in his heart, hoping that the fake secret book would never be found.

Tai Hao pretended to be surprised and asked, "You said that the halberd male stole the cheats?" In that case, why didn't he give you the cheats? ”

The poor two sighed and explained, "That halberd hero has always longed for the martial art of 'Tanuki Worship God', but we have never taught it to him. So, he secretly studied while we were practicing, and now that he finally got his hands on the cheats of "Tanuki Worship God", he naturally won't hand it over again, but chooses to go away and pursue his own martial arts path. ”

Tai Hao pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Is that halberd male literate?" ”

Qian Liang replied: "He followed those heroines in Liuding Mountain until he was ten years old, and he should know some words. Moreover, the cheats book is mainly illustrated with martial arts routines, and even if you are illiterate, you can practice through the action drawings on it. ”

Tai Hao nodded, and suddenly said: "I see, no wonder that the halberd is good at using long swords, it seems that they are all influenced by those women on Liuding Mountain." ”

The two of them changed the topic and said to Tai Hao: "By the way, Tai Hao, how did you rescue Miss Coriander last time, and you were able to get the cheats?" I've always been curious. ”

Tai Hao sneered and asked, "You should know this better than me, right?" Why do you want to ask me? ”

In fact, the poor two only knew that Tai Hao had successfully obtained the cheats and rescued Coriander Zhi, but he did not know the specific process and details. Tai Hao continued: "Poor two, does it surprise you that I am still alive today? If I had really climbed the Chivalry Tower that night, I am afraid that I would have died in Huangquan. ”

After hearing this, the poor two were silent for a moment and said, "Taihao, let the past pass, we don't need to mention it again." I was also seriously injured that day, and my disciple, the halberd male, touched the mechanism in the back mountain of Liuding Mountain, and in order to escape for his life, he jumped down the mountain and was seriously injured in one leg. You're lucky, at least not injured. He looked at Yu Hong and continued, "Yu Hong City Lord, you have also seen my apprentice before, I hope you can pay more attention. Once you find his traces, be sure to catch him and send him to Kunwu Mountain. As for your goods, I will send my disciples to deliver them to you tomorrow. ”

After hearing this, Yu Hong thanked again and again: "Thank you to the poor two heroes, thank you to the poor two heroes!" ”