A KEY TO THE IMPERIAL PALACE

Even after Xia Qiao managed to prove her innocence last night, Duan Shuchun was still unwilling to open the door for her so that she would have a chance to go to the Imperial Palace.

Xia Qiao's shoulders dropped weakly, but she still opened her mouth to ask, "If you're worried that I'll cause trouble in the Imperial Palace, then I promise you that I won't do anything crazy like last night in the palace, jiejie. Even if people in the palace want to sleep with me, I won't refuse."

Xia Qiao continued to shock the people within the Tiantang hall as she confidently spoke the words in front of Duan Shuchun.

The people who heard that statement looked speechless, but for some reason, they had a look of disappointment on their faces when they heard a statement from the young girl.

The one who looked the most disappointed was Duan Shuchun, and she looked at the girl wearing the black dress in disbelief as she replied, "You said that you agree with me about a woman being proud and confident, and a woman can't lower herself in front of men. I admire you for that, so why did you suddenly change your mind? Just because you want to perform in the Imperial Palace, you're willing to drop your pride like that?"

The situation within the hall suddenly reversed. When Duan Shuchun realized that she was wrong when she lowered herself in front of Fang Delun, Xia Qiao suddenly said something that could be seen as a way for her to lower herself in front of men.

"I don't want to lower myself, but I have big goals that I want to achieve, jiejie," replied the veiled girl firmly. "If I refuse to sleep with the men in the palace, then it will only save my dignity as a woman, but maybe I won't be able to protect the people I love if I insist on doing that. To achieve my goal, I have to pay the price even if it means I have to pay for it with my body."

Xia Qiao suddenly sounded very serious, and even her hands that were slightly covered in her sleeves clenched into fists as her eyes filled with fire.

It was the fire of determination in the young girl's eyes, and Duan Shuchun could see it. Maybe Duan Shuchun didn't understand what goal Xia Qiao wanted to achieve, but it seemed that the girl's thinking was not simple, and to make such a determined decision, Duan Shuchun knew that Xia Qiao's mentality was not what it used to be.

The young girl had indeed said that she was willing to climb in a man's bed as long as she could go to the Imperial Palace, and at a glance, one would mistake the girl for being too desperate, but Duan Shuchun knew that it was not the case.

Instead of feeling hopeless, Duan Shuchun knew that Xia Qiao was truly committed to achieving her goals, and she didn't mind making sacrifices as long as she could hit a bigger target.

Duan Shuchun was a little worried, but she knew that Xia Qiao was an adult now, and she could decide for herself without anyone's interference.

With a heavy sigh, the Tiantang boss then said, "I won't ask further about your personal life, but you still can't join the dance team that will be performing at the Imperial Palace, Ah Qiao."

Again and again, Xia Qiao continued to receive a rejection from Duan Shuchun, and her brows furrowed at the older woman. Her face was covered by a black veil, and no one could see her expression, but everyone in the hall would know that the girl was dissatisfied.

"What's your reason now, jiejie?" Xia Qiao boldly asked again.

"The reason is simple," Duan Shuchun replied. "You joined Tiantang last month, and I know that during that period, you only practiced singing and playing your pipa, and sometimes you also composed songs. However, not once did you practice dancing, so do you think you will be able to dance in the palace?"

"..." This time, Xia Qiao couldn't answer as she realized that Duan Shuchun was only being realistic at the moment.

Xia Qiao had managed to convince Duan Shuchun not to worry about her if it was related to last night's incident, but if the matter was related to her dancing ability, then that was indeed a different case.

Duan Shuchun was right. Since joining Tiantang a month ago, Xia Qiao had never once practiced dancing. Instead, she only practiced singing, playing her pipa, and also composing songs all the time, and that was because Yi Xue had always told her that she had outstanding talent in those three areas.

Yi Xue was also the one who discovered her hidden talent, and as an obedient disciple, Xia Qiao only listened to her master and did as she was told. Yi Xue said that she should only focus on three areas without needing to shift her focus, and that was why she had never thought about dancing before.

Xia Qiao thought that there would never be a day when she would need to practice dancing, but that was proven wrong when she found out that dancing was the only key for her to open the door to the Imperial Palace.

Glancing at the other girls in the hall, Xia Qiao knew that she was far behind the girls, but she was still unwilling to give up. She had lived in misery for the past four years, and she didn't want to wait any longer to seek justice.

Hence, Xia Qiao focused her dark eyes on Duan Shuchun again as she said, "Please give me a chance to participate in the competition, jiejie. I'm willing to practice dancing from today, and whether you will choose me or not after five days is up, I won't regret it as long as you give me a chance for now."