Kui Xuan can't directly turn against Yu Hong, he knows that in Jiutu City, everything must be cautious. After Yu Hong stopped him from continuing to investigate the case, Kui Xuan left the yamen sullenly, and just walked not far when he met Hou Feng, the general who defended the city. Hou Feng said with a smile: "Kui Xuan joined the army, the general was looking for you, but I didn't expect to meet you here." ”

Kui Xuan said: "I don't know why General Houfeng is looking for me?" ”

Hou Feng's eyes were deep: "I heard that Kui Xuan joined the army from the imperial court, I have some questions and want to ask for advice from the army." ”

Kui Xuan was puzzled: "What did the general ask?" ”

Hou Feng smiled: "Dare to ask if you can join the army, can you come to the Humble House?" ”

Kui Xuan knew that Houfeng and Yuhong were both corrupt, but he still decided to go to Houfeng's appointment to find out.

Kui Xuan was invited to Houfeng's mansion, and what greeted him was a piece of magnificence. The furnishings in the house are all of the highest quality, and each piece shows power and status. Hou Feng personally poured a cup of fragrant tea for Kui Xuan, and they sat opposite each other, and the atmosphere was slightly tense.

Hou Feng took the lead in breaking the silence: "Kui Xuan joined the army, I heard that you just returned from the capital, I wonder if you have met the emperor's new Xuanwei General Hou Biao in the capital two months ago?" ”

Kui Xuan replied cautiously: "Hou Biao? The name sounds familiar, but I don't remember the exact circumstances. ”

Hou Feng said with a smile: "According to the seniority, Hou Biao is the uncle of my own family. He can be reused by the emperor, which is really the glory of our family. ”

Kui Xuan was shocked and said, "It turns out that General Houfeng was born in a family of military generals. ”

Hou Feng nodded with satisfaction: "Kui Xuan has won the award for joining the army." I didn't come from a family of military generals, but I did have a good relationship with General Hou Biao's family, and although he was not a few years older than me, we often exchanged letters. I don't know why Kui Xuan joined the army and was transferred to Jiutu City? ”

Kui Xuan responded modestly: "Maybe it's because what I did in the capital was approved by the emperor that I was transferred here." ”

After hearing this, Hou Feng smiled slightly and said, "Jiutu City is located in a remote area, and the weather is cold. The emperor transferred Kui Xuan to join the army here, which is really a condescending talent. Kui was elected to join the army, and I heard that the imperial court has recently vigorously cracked down on corruption, but is there such a thing? ”

Kui Xuan's face was solemn: "There are many corrupt officials in the Eastern Empire, and the emperor intends to crack down on them to curb the spread of corruption. ”

Hou Feng's expression changed slightly, and then returned to normal: "Oh? Are corrupt officials so rampant? To tell you the truth, I have also heard some rumors that some colleagues have been investigated for corruption. ”

Kui Xuan had a loud alarm bell in his heart, but he was still silent on the surface: "The emperor is wise, determined to eliminate corruption, and restore the court to a clear state." ”

Hou Feng chuckled: "What Kui Xuan said to join the army is extremely true. But in this Nine Earth City, everything is not trivial, and I hope to join the army and act carefully. ”

Kui Xuan Zhengse said: "I act above board, and I am naturally not afraid of any wind and waves. But General Houfeng, there are some things that need to be more careful......"

Hou Feng frowned: "Kui Xuan joined the army, what do you mean by this?" ”

Kui Xuan smiled meaningfully: "I'm just reminding the general to be careful of being framed by shameless villains." If you find famous paintings and treasures in this house, you will inevitably fall into the mouth. ”

Hou Feng hurriedly defended: "Kui was elected to join the army, don't misunderstand, I didn't have any illegal acts." I also feel sorry for Vice General Taihao. ”

Kui Xuan continued unhurriedly: "General Houfeng, the case of Vice General Taihao has not yet been closed, and the truth still needs to be investigated in depth." ”

Hou Feng laughed dryly: "Kui Xuan joined the army, you have just come to Jiutu City not long ago, and you don't know enough about Vice General Taihao." Since he was stationed in Jiutu City, he had hardly set foot in a large camp. As a lieutenant general defending the city, this is indeed unusual. So, I wasn't surprised to hear that he accepted bribes from businessmen. ”

Kui Xuan Zhengse said: "General Houfeng, this is a bad word. I heard that Adjutant General Taihao did not handle military affairs in a timely manner because he obeyed your orders. ”

When Hou Feng heard that Kui Xuan joined the army, he knew those rumors, and his face suddenly turned blue and white, and he was embarrassed. He thought that these words were just nonsense, but he didn't expect that Kui Xuan was actually a person who knew the inside story. He tried his best to hide the panic in his heart, trying to maintain a smile: "Kui Xuan joined the army is really well-informed, and even such rumors are known to you." ”

Kui Xuan smiled secretly in his heart, but his face remained silent: "General Houfeng is overrated, I just happened to hear some rumors." After all, I had just arrived in Jiutu City, and I didn't know much about the situation here. ”

Hou Feng's heart sank, and Kui Xuan's words seemed to imply that he was not an ordinary soldier, but came to Jiutu City with some purpose. He quickly adjusted his mentality and put on a relaxed smile: "Kui Xuan has just arrived in the army, and it is reasonable that he doesn't know anything about the situation in Jiutu City. The situation here is quite complicated, with various forces intertwined. But as long as we uphold the public spirit and jointly maintain the peace of Jiutu City, I believe that all problems can be solved. ”

Kui Xuan knew that Hou Feng was testing his attitude, so he decided to push the boat down the river and stabilize the other party temporarily: "What General Hou Feng said is extremely true. I will redouble my efforts to live up to the emperor's expectations. ”

Hou Feng's eyes rolled slightly, and he said tentatively: "Kui Xuan joined the army, I don't know when you will tell the court about Vice General Taihao?" ”

Kui Xuan's heart tightened, this was Hou Feng testing whether he would report the corruption of Jiutu City officials to the imperial court. He smiled faintly and avoided answering: "This is something that the Yuhong City Lord needs to deal with, and I am not qualified to report it to the imperial court." ”

A trace of doubt flashed in Hou Feng's eyes, and Kui Xuan's words seemed to imply that he was not going to investigate the officials of Jiutu City. The two chatted about some inconsequential topics again, and Kui Xuan got up to take his leave.

After leaving the Feng Mansion, Kui Xuan knew in his heart that in order to truly uncover the secrets of Jiutu City, further in-depth investigation was needed. And this meeting with Hou Feng undoubtedly provided valuable clues for his next actions.

Kui Xuan once again stepped into the cold prison, his heart full of doubts and determination. He wanted to see Taihao with his own eyes and learn more about the secrets of Nine Earth City. However, two jailers sneered at each other and blocked his way.

"The city lord has an order, and no official or citizen is allowed to see Deputy General Taihao." The jailer's voice was cold and hard, apparently conveying orders from his superiors.

Kui Xuan frowned, the doubts in his heart even worse, and he felt an invisible force preventing him from getting closer to the truth. In desperation, he had to leave the prison gloomily, with mixed feelings in his heart.

Back at the residence, Fushuang had been waiting for a long time, and greeted him with a worried face: "Joined the army, and found the bodies of several scholars, and the city lord of Yuhong is investigating." ”

Kui Xuan's heart sank, a touch of fierceness flashed between his frowning brows, and his eyes said firmly: "Go, go and see." ”

They walked through the dark alleys to a ditch on the outskirts. Four corpses lay there, and the miserable sight was unbearable to look at. A servant was carefully examining each of them, while the Yuhong City Lord was questioning an old man who was apparently the first to find the body.

Kui Xuan stood quietly aside, waiting for the Yuhong City Lord to finish asking. He walked forward slowly and bowed his hand to the Yuhong City Lord, "Meet the Yuhong City Lord." ”

The city lord of Yuhong glanced up at him, and asked lightly: "Why did you come to join the army, I will trouble you to investigate this case, it is all a small case, and the official will investigate it himself." ”

Kui Xuan frowned slightly, and asked rhetorically: "Yuhong City Lord, so many scholars have died one after another, do you say this is still a small case?" Could it be that there is a bigger case in Jiutu City than the murder of the people? ”

The Yuhong City Lord pointed to the corpses of the scholars on the ground and said, "Look at these scholars, they don't have the slightest injury on their bodies. They weren't killed, they froze to death. ”

Kui Xuan approached the corpse and took a closer look. He found that the scholars' faces were blue, apparently showing signs of freezing to death. But he still felt that something was wrong, and said suspiciously: "On this cold day, these scholars are not stupid, why would they rather freeze to death than go back to their homes?" Yuhong City Lord, the lower officials think that there must be something strange in it. ”

The Yuhong City Lord was silent for a moment after hearing this, and a trace of imperceptible doubt flashed in his eyes. He knew very well that Kui Xuan was not an ordinary judicial soldier, but a secret investigator from the capital. He said in a deep voice: "What Kui Xuan said to join the army is very true, and this official will find it out, and I also ask Kui Xuan to join the army not to interfere with this officer's investigation." ”

Kui Xuan left the scene of the murder with a heavy heart, and the night gradually shrouded, stretching his figure for a long time. He returned to his lodgings, which was dimly lit except for the faint flickering light of a candle. Kui Xuan silently ate some food, but the food was unpleasant, and then he collapsed on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, the first rays of sunlight shone through the window on Kui Xuan's face. He slowly opened his eyes and felt a hint of warmth. However, the warmth did not last long, and there was a knock on the door. Kui Xuan got up suspiciously, and when he opened the door, he found that it was Fushuang. Fu Shuang's expression was tense, and there was a hint of horror in his eyes.

"Joining the army, it's not a good thing." Fushuang said anxiously, "Miss Zili died in prison last night. ”

Kui Xuan's body was shocked, and his heart was suddenly full of doubts. He took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice, "What's going on?" ”

Fushuang shook his head: "The specific situation is not yet clear, it is said that the city lord has sent his men to investigate." ”

Kui Xuan's eyes were deep and his brows were furrowed. He had guessed that Zi Li's death was inextricably linked to the "Four Great Families". However, he didn't understand why the Yuhong City Lord had already helped them block their investigation, and they had to kill Zi Li.

At this moment, Fuquan arrived in a hurry, and reported to Kui Xuanyu with an anxious face: "Kui Xuan joined the army, and Ah Ugly is gone." ”

Kui Xuan's heart tightened, and responded: "How can you not see Ugly? Hurry up and find out where Ah Chou has been in the past two days. ”

Fu Quan replied: "Subordinates obey!" ”

As soon as Fu Quan's figure disappeared into the night, Fu Wen hurried over, and reported to Kui Xuanyu with a heavy face: "I just learned from a government official that Miss Tang Ming hanged herself last night, and her body has been picked up by her family. ”

Kui Xuan's heart was shocked, and he was overwhelmed by this series of news. Zi Li died in prison, Ah Chou disappeared, and Tang Ming hanged herself again. He knew that all this was no coincidence, but that the "Four Great Families" were engaged in a silent contest with him.

He knew in his heart that at this moment, Jiutu City was shrouded in darkness and was full of dangers.

Fuwen looked at Kui Xuan, waiting for his order. Kui Xuan took a deep breath and said with a firm look in his eyes: "Fuwen, you immediately go and investigate the cause of Tang Ming's death to see if you can find clues related to Zi Li's death." Fuwen took the order and left.