Having finally absorbed all of Zhu Wushi's internal energy, Lin Bufan broke through his cultivation level again, officially reaching the late stage of the Earth Realm.

There's still one small realm to go. When you reach the peak of the Earth Realm, you can obtain a small world.

Lin Bufan was filled with anticipation and felt a sense of joy.

His joy and happiness were built upon Zhu Wushi's suffering.

Zhu Wushi lost his internal energy and was unable to resist, so he was captured by Cao Zhengchun's men.

Shangguan Haitang walked over and asked hesitantly, "Godfather, did you really participate in An Shigeng's rebellion?"

"What do you think?" Zhu Wushi said angrily, "I killed him with my own hands, and you still don't believe in my innocence? You've followed me for so many years, can't you see my loyalty to the Ming Dynasty and to the Emperor? We're called the Dragon Protector Manor, for protecting the dragon."

Shangguan Haitang was speechless, thinking to herself that she had wronged her adoptive father and should not have doubted him.

Young Master Lin was so confident, and his predictions were almost always correct.

For example, he correctly guessed that the emperor was being impersonated, and even directly pointed out the name Ruyan.

Not to mention An Shigeng, the mastermind behind it all.

Duan Tianya always believed in Zhu Wushi and reassured him that he would find a way to clear his name and get him out of prison as soon as possible.

Cao Zhengchun delivered a powerful punch, slamming it into Zhu Wushi's stomach, causing Zhu Wushi to bend over in pain.

"Using your position for personal revenge, Cao Zhengchun, you did this on purpose, didn't you?" Blood trickled from the corner of Zhu Wushi's mouth.

For someone who has lost all his internal strength, Cao Zhengchun's punch could be fatal.

Cao Zhengchun said smugly, "I've been waiting for this day for a long time. I've wanted to teach you, Divine Marquis, a lesson. Tell me, where did you hide the Emperor?"

Princess Yunluo also ran over, shaking Zhu Wushi anxiously, "Uncle, where is my brother?"

Zhu ignored the accusations and continued to feign madness: "I've said it many times, I'm innocent. The forced coup and the fake emperor's abdication were all orchestrated by An Shigeng. He's framing me. I know nothing about it."

"Still being stubborn." Cao Zhengchun punched Zhu Wushi in the stomach again.

Duan Tianya couldn't stand it anymore and stopped Cao Zhengchun: "The matter hasn't been investigated yet, and you're already taking revenge on my godfather. The most urgent thing is to find the Emperor."

"Aren't we interrogating the Emperor about his whereabouts? Don't you need to come? Are you going to torture him?" Cao Zhengchun sneered mockingly.

Duan Tianya gritted his teeth and couldn't help but curse, "Cao thief, don't be too presumptuous. My godfather's crime has not yet been established."

Lin Bufan used his mind-reading ability to sense Ji Yaohua's thoughts and learned where Zhu Houzhao was hiding. He said leisurely, "The Emperor is in a dry well in the inner palace. You should go and rescue him quickly."

In the dry well?

Cao Zhengchun's expression changed drastically, and he asked urgently, "Are you sure it's a dry well, not a well with water?"

“It’s a dry well.” Lin Bufan looked at Ji Yaohua and said, “There are still An Shigeng’s men here. I can sense their thoughts.”

Ji Yaohua quickly lowered her head, not daring to look Lin Bufan in the eye.

This man is terrifying; nothing can be hidden from him.

She was genuinely worried that she would die at Lin Bufan's hands.

No one paid attention to Ji Yaohua or suspected her; their focus was on words like "dry well" and "emperor."

"If the well is dry, the Emperor will be in trouble."

While serving as the head of the Eastern Depot, Cao Zhengchun also served as the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department. He frequently moved around the inner palace and knew a lot about its scandals.

For example, in the cold palace, every now and then, one of the concubines, talented women, or noble ladies would be poisoned to death and thrown into a dry well to cover up the crime.

Everyone was used to it. As long as the emperor, empress, and imperial concubines didn't ask questions or cause a big commotion, the eunuchs and palace maids pretended not to know and didn't care.

It smells bad? Just take a detour, or cover it up with incense.

No one can wake someone who is pretending to be asleep.

Who would have thought that today, even the Emperor would fall into a dry well?

This is terrible! The emperor is now surrounded by countless skeletons.

"Quickly, go and save the Emperor!" Cao Zhengchun shouted.

Everyone rushed towards the inner palace.

Lin Bufan also went over to join in the fun.

In the inner palace, at the bottom of a large, dry well, Zhu Houzhao's voice became hoarse from shouting.

"Help! Is anyone nearby? I'm at the bottom of a dry well!"

After shouting for more than an hour, they finally saw the large round wooden manhole cover above being moved aside, and Cao Zhengchun's head came out.

"Your Majesty, is that you?"

"It's me! Eunuch Cao, please save me!"

"Your Majesty, please wait here. We will prepare a rope for you. Grab the rope and come up."

"My hands and feet are tied, and it took a lot of effort to spit out the gag. Please come down and save me!"

"Your Majesty, please don't worry, this old servant will come down right away."

Cao Zhengchun personally took charge, grabbing a rope and going down into the dry well to rescue Zhu Houzhao.

The dry well is very deep, more than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) deep. People with claustrophobia would be scared to death if they stayed inside for less than half a day.

Zhu Houzhao did not suffer from claustrophobia, nor did Cao Zhengchun.

However, he has a phobia of skeletons.

At the bottom of this dry well, there were more than twenty skeletons...

Zhu Houzhao stepped on a skull with his left foot and another skull with his right foot.

"Is this one of my former favorite concubines, or the late emperor's favorite concubine?"

Zhu Houzhao was distraught, his face contorted with grief, and he could no longer distinguish who was who.

"Your Majesty, don't be afraid, this old servant will carry you up."