SURPRISE FROM THE IMPERIAL PALACE

All the girls immediately obeyed the order as they stopped their activities and gathered in the center of the hall.

The girls looked very obedient, and there were only two people in Tiantang who had the power to command them. The first person, of course, was their boss, and the second person was Yi Xue.

Yi Xue might not be the oldest courtesan in Tiantang, but she somehow became the most respectable courtesan there. It was probably due to her incomparable talent and looks, and even annoying people like He Ehuang didn't dare to cause trouble despite their ages being older than the girl surnamed Yi.

However, Yi Xue had not returned to Tiantang after she went to Fang Delun's house last night, so it meant that there was only one person who had the power to gather all the girls in the center of the hall. And that person was Duan Shuchun.

The boss of the Tiantang House was wearing pink clothes today, and she wasn't even wearing heavy makeup, unlike last night when her face was covered in thick powder.

There were no guests during the day in Tiantang, so maybe that was the reason why the boss dared to appear barefaced in front of the young girls in the hall. She didn't need to please anyone during the day, and she didn't care if the girls saw the wrinkles on her face.

"You all have heard the rumors about the Imperial Palace that was going to invite our Tiantang House to perform in the palace to celebrate the Lantern Festival, right?" The boss started, and the girls politely nodded their heads to answer the question.

"Even if some people from the Imperial Palace almost closed our place a few years ago, I still want to show our flawless performance in the palace during the event," the boss continued after seeing the response, and the girls who gathered in front of her carefully listened to every word that left her lips.

Xia Qiao managed to escape He Ehuang's verbal torment after Duan Shuchun clapped her hands to attract the attention of the girls in the hall, and she was eager to hear the announcement as she quickly left the three bullies.

Duan Shuchun's presence in the hall managed to stop He Ehuang and the other two girls, and now they could only forget their evil plans and chose to solemnly listen to their boss's announcement.

Duan Shuchun was just talking about how some people from the Imperial Palace almost closed Tiantang's business a few years ago, and when Xia Qiao saw the expressions of the other girls, they didn't seem surprised by the information.

It was only last night Xia Qiao found out about the matter related to Fang Delun that caused Duan Shuchun to willingly bow in front of the arrogant man, but the other girls in Tiantang who had joined the house before her had known everything before they heard the boss's statement this morning.

"The Imperial Palace has sent the formal invitation letter to us to perform on the day of the Lantern Festival, and that means we only have five days to prepare,"

Duan Shuchun continued to explain the situation, and now the girls in the hall looked shocked after learning that they only had five days before the event in the palace.

"I know five days is too short, but we have to be professional during the event. Tiantang is known not only for its beauty but also for its talent, and that's why I don't want you to just rely on your face and body without preparing your performance."

It seemed that Duan Shuchun didn't want to allow the slightest mistake during their performance in the Imperial Palace, and she even carefully looked at the girls one by one as if to make sure that the girls wouldn't slack off during the five days of their preparation.

"And there's an unpleasant surprise I just received from the palace representative, and that's the main reason why I'm gathering all of you now."

Duan Shuchun was known for her confidence and resolute character, but she somehow seemed hesitant as she glanced at the girls who were still gathered in front of her.

The girls also looked confused after hearing that statement, but they could only wait for the boss to continue her explanation.

"Without any of us noticing, two people from the Imperial Palace secretly visited us to observe our activity last night, and they evaluated us without notifying me beforehand. And the results of the evaluation managed to surprise me."

The girls were shocked, and they even started whispering to each other after hearing the information from the boss. There were more than two dozen guests who came to Tiantang last night, but they didn't even notice that there were two representatives from the Imperial Palace among the guests.

'I shouldn't be surprised by that. The people in the Imperial Palace are not ordinary, and all of them are dragons with power. It won't be difficult for them to disguise themselves as humans and purposely hide their dragon aura,' Xia Qiao thought to herself as she gritted her teeth.

She couldn't even detect the appearance of the dragons last night, so it was no wonder if the humans in Tiantang couldn't detect them either.

"Unfortunately, the representatives from the Imperial Palace also witnessed the chaos in Tiantang last night," Duan Shuchun continued, and the girls' gazes automatically fell on Xia Qiao right after the boss finished speaking.

Xia Qiao stood behind the other girls, but the girls managed to find her and immediately threw her a strange look. She was used to such stares, and it wouldn't be difficult for her to ignore them, but today was not the same because Duan Shuchun also cast an identical gaze at her.

Maybe Duan Shuchun didn't directly scold her, but it was clear that her boss also blamed her for the mess in Tiantang last night.

"Because of last night's chaos, the palace doesn't want the girls playing the musical instruments to come to the palace, and instead, they just want our dancers to attend the events at the palace."

And Xia Qiao's hopes were dashed after she heard the unpleasant surprise that just came out of Duan Shuchun's lips.