Wu Mingche
Therefore, when Zhou Di officially rebelled in winter 562, although the imperial officials largely recommended that Hou be put in command of the troops against Zhou, Emperor Wen sent Wu Mingche instead, and further began to investigate Hou's protection of criminals. Hou began to sense that something was wrong, and he sent his assistant Zhou Hongshi () to try to get information from the Cai Jingli. Cai recorded details of Zhou Hongshi's contact and secretly accused Hou of planning a rebellion. Emperor Wen, worried that if he simply summoned Hou that Hou would refuse, issued an edict transferring Hou from being the governor of Southern Xu Province (南徐州, roughly modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu) to being the governor of Jiang Province. Hou, believing this to be a routine transfer, stopped at Jiankang before going to Jiang Province. Emperor Wen invited him to a feast and arrested him there; he also arrested Hou's officers, but released them after confiscating their horses and weapons. Emperor Wen then issued an edict announcing Hou's crimes, and the next day ordered Hou to commit suicide, but spared his wife and children and buried Hou at imperial expense. In 571, Emperor Wen's brother Emperor Xuan posthumously created Hou the Marquess of Chenji and allowed his son Hou Dan () to inherit the title.