Chapter 310 121: Don't Want to Owe You a Favor, Imperial Extreme Creation Pill, So You Weren't Executed After All?

"How did you know?"

Emperor Xia didn't deny it.

"That's hardly the point."

Jiang Lan just smiled again. "Besides, that didn't sound much like a question..."

Emperor Xia paused, seeming to only just realize her tone was off.

She calmed her emotions slightly and retracted the powerful aura she had inadvertently revealed.

In that moment, a thousand thoughts raced through her mind. 'He might even know my true identity.'

'Why else would he be so certain I wanted to ask about the Exotic Stone?'

"I do indeed wish to ask about the Exotic Stone from the auction..."

"I missed that auction some time ago." Emperor Xia sat back down.

Jiang Lan replied unhurriedly, "That Exotic Stone isn't some Immortal Embryo. It likely contains something related to the Ancient Celestial Emperor, but as for what that is, even if you ask me, I can't give you a definite answer."

"After all, the Exotic Stone didn't end up in my hands."

Emperor Xia's gaze suddenly grew much deeper as she watched for any change in Jiang Lan's expression.

'If he were trying to hide something or deceive me, I would definitely be able to sense it.'

'And from the looks of it, Jiang Lan probably isn't lying.'

"The Ancient Celestial Emperor?"

She seemed to mutter those words, her delicate hand beneath her wide sleeve instantly clenching into a fist. 'No wonder my divinations gave me a premonition that the Exotic Stone and I shared a significant connection.'

As the current Emperor, she ruled the Great Xia, with the Hundred Kingdoms paying tribute. She had, in the unseen course of things, already gathered the corresponding Human Emperor's Fortune upon herself.

'What a shame I didn't know this sooner,' Emperor Xia sighed inwardly, filled with regret. 'And I was never able to find any information on that mysterious woman from that day.'

"And how do you know all this?"

She looked at Jiang Lan, a new doubt surfacing in her mind. 'What does he mean by telling me this so directly?'

'Did he tell the Prime Minister about the Blood Immortal Sect ambush on the painted boat, and mention my presence as well?'

'Is that how the Prime Minister figured out who I am?'

'Or did Jiang Lan... figure it out himself?'

At that moment, Emperor Xia felt a direct impulse to ask Jiang Lan if he knew her identity.

But... she suppressed the impulse.

As the ruler of Great Xia, the uproar and shock that would result from news of her appearing in disguise at the Desire Immortal Pavilion would be no small matter.

Besides, when Jiang Lan had directly mentioned the "Ancient Celestial Emperor," she already had her answer.

"I found out by chance."

"My father was originally determined to acquire that Exotic Stone, but unfortunately, there was an unexpected incident..."

Jiang Lan sighed, shaking his head gently.

He only needed to drop a few hints, and someone as smart as Emperor Xia would connect the dots just as he wanted.

"The Prime Minister was also determined to get the Exotic Stone?"

Emperor Xia raised an eyebrow slightly. The moment she heard Jiang Lan mention his father, countless thoughts flashed through her mind.

'Is he telling me this on purpose? Is this information he got from Prime Minister Jiang Lintian?'

'But why would he choose to tell me?'

'Was it on Prime Minister Jiang Lintian's orders? Or for some other reason...'

"It is, after all, something related to the Ancient Emperor. Who wouldn't be tempted by the slightest rumor?"

"Hao Xinren, what would you have done if you had known this information sooner?" Jiang Lan asked in return, a faint smile on his face.

Emperor Xia did not answer the question.

"Since that Exotic Stone is so important, aren't you afraid the Prime Minister will blame you for telling me about it?" she asked.

At the same time, she was probing him, trying to determine if this was his own idea or an instruction from the Prime Minister.

"As long as you don't tell, my father will never know." Jiang Lan still wore a smile.

Emperor Xia froze again, her heart instantly in turmoil.

"Are you so certain I won't tell anyone about this?"

She despised the way Jiang Lan seemed to see right through her and let out a cold snort.

"Since I've chosen to tell you, it must be because I trust you. You... won't let me down." Jiang Lan looked at her, his tone growing heavier toward the end.

Emperor Xia was now certain: Jiang Lan definitely knew her identity.

It was just that, for the moment, neither of them was willing to expose the truth.

She didn't know how she'd been exposed, but Jiang Lan was far more intelligent than she had ever imagined.

All those people who had dismissed Jiang Lan as a useless, profligate heir all these years were the ones who were truly blind.

"You should take this Jade Pendant back. I think you'll have use for it later."

Jiang Lan ignored the shifting emotions on Emperor Xia's face and pushed the Jade Pendant she had just offered back toward her.

Emperor Xia merely glanced at the Jade Pendant and made no move to take it.

Her heart was far from as calm as her expression suggested.

From the moment she had entered the private room, met Jiang Lan, and asked her question, he had been leading her by the nose. The feeling was deeply unsettling, and it was the first time in her life she had ever experienced it.

He knew she was the Ruler of Great Xia, yet his attitude remained so casual. Forget reverence; he couldn't even be bothered to stand up.

While Emperor Xia didn't care for such formalities, she still felt an indescribable annoyance, as if the Jiang Lan before her knew everything about her, down to the last detail.