"Who says we're not brave enough to take this on?"
Before Li Wanming could respond, a short and slightly dark-skinned girl stepped forward from behind her.
She had broad shoulders and a fit figure. At the moment, her clenched fists looked like two small sandbags. There were healthy blushes on both sides of her cheeks, which showed that she was used to doing hard work at home.
"Sir, Headmistress, accept this bet. We can do it!"
Her name was Tian Erya. Her father had passed away early, and both her mother and grandmother were in poor health. There were also young siblings in the family, so the livelihood of the whole family fell on her shoulders.
She had to start looking for a way to make a living from a young age. However, because she was illiterate and couldn't do accounts, she had been bullied a lot.
For her, Zhaoyu Academy was hope. It was the hope that she could one day provide a good life for her mother, grandmother, younger brothers, and sisters.
The Imperial College had come in full force this time. Although she couldn't understand what they were arguing about, she sensed that these people had ill intentions. They were probably trying to force Zhaoyu Academy to close.
No way!
She hadn't learned anything yet. Zhaoyu Academy couldn't close!
So in a moment of desperation, she shouted out.
Su Xiaozhu also walked out from inside. Her voice was slightly trembling but very firm. "Lord Chen, if our Zhaoyu Academy wins, what then?"
Chen Jinde glanced at her contemptuously before slowly saying, "If you can really turn a profit within three months, then I'll admit that Zhaoyu Academy truly has talented scholars."
"However, let's talk about it after you win."
He handed the scroll in his hand to Li Wanming.
Li Wanming took it and saw that there were more than a dozen rules written densely on it.
For example: The operator was not allowed to use their own money for business; the original business format of the store was not allowed to be changed; the address of the store was not allowed to be changed; the storefront was not allowed to be expanded; the store name was not allowed to be changed; the original categories of goods sold in the store were not allowed to be reduced...
These conditions were very harsh for a bet.
Su Xiaozhu's face turned slightly pale after reading it. "Lord Chen, you're being a bit too much..."
Unlike Tian Erya, Su Xiaozhu could see the situation clearly today. These people were here to shut down Zhaoyu Academy.
If Zhaoyu Academy closed, she would be homeless!
She didn't want to go back to Yongzhou to marry that old prince. So achieving success in Zhaoyu Academy and having the skills to support herself was her only way out.
That's why she risked being arrested by the Jingzhao Prefecture and stood up to persuade Li Wanming to accept this bet.
But she didn't expect that Chen Jinde would be so vicious and come up with a contract that was simply impossible to fulfill.
"If you can use your own money to make up for the losses, how can it be considered your ability?"
"If you change the business format of the store and sell some popular goods on the market, then anyone could sell well. How can we see your skills then?"
"Only if you do what the store originally did and sell what it originally sold... can it be considered the ability of the students from Zhaoyu Academy!"
Chen Jinde stroked his beard, looking extremely smug.
"This contract is clearly written in black and white. It's fair and square, suitable for both the young and the old. How can it be considered too much? If Miss Cheng thinks she can't do it, she doesn't have to sign. It's just that your academy..."
"Sign it!"
Another girl shouted from behind Li Wanming.
She turned around and saw a group of blushing faces due to excitement.
"Sir, Headmistress, sign it!"
"Yes, we can do it!"
For these girls, Zhaoyu Academy was not only a school but also hope and a way out for the future.
Li Wanming had made up her mind. "Okay, I'll accept your bet."
She walked to the desk, picked up the pen, and dipped it in ink.
However, just before signing, she raised her head and stared at Chen Jinde with her dark eyes.
"Lord Jijiu, if we lose, we'll naturally close the academy. But if you lose, just admitting that Zhaoyu Academy has talented scholars is not enough."
"What do you want?"
For some reason, Chen Jinde felt a bit scared when met with her gaze.
Li Wanming tilted her head and slightly curled the corner of her mouth. "I only need Lord Jijiu to do one thing. That is, you and your wife should personally drive a carriage to send my eldest sister to Zhaoyu Academy to study!"
Chen Jinde thought for a while and felt that this matter wasn't difficult.
Moreover, he had already set traps in those three stores. There was no way Li Wanming could succeed.
Therefore, although he was a bit angry that Li Wanming had exposed his family matter in public, he didn't refuse.
"Fine!"
Without saying a word, Li Wanming turned around and signed her name.
For the sake of her sister, she would even dare to pierce a hole in the sky!
Moreover, since her students had stood up, what was there for her to be afraid of?
After Li Wanming signed, she slapped the contract in front of him. "It's a deal!"
Chen Jinde was a bit surprised.
He didn't expect that these girls in the academy were so brave. They actually signed such a harsh contract without hesitation.
This was a killer move that he had thought about for a long time.
In the current situation, he couldn't publicly say that women shouldn't go to school. This went against the popular thinking and the court's policy.
Although during this period, many scholars had been discussing this matter under his instruction, they mainly discussed why Zhaoyu Academy refused to recruit male students. They didn't dare to openly claim that women should just go home and do laundry, cook, and take care of children!
So, the final attack point he chose was that the teaching level of Zhaoyu Academy was not good. Although it had made a big fuss, it was just for fame!
Although Chen Jinde looked down on Li Wanming, he had been in the officialdom for many years and knew that he couldn't fight without preparation. Once he took action, he must defeat the opponent!
For this reason, he had carefully selected three stores, all of which were losing money badly. No matter how smart Li Wanming was, there was no way she could make a profit within three months.
Seeing Li Wanming's name and the bright red fingerprint on the contract, Chen Jinde felt at ease. He sneered and said, "It's a deal! I'll be waiting for good news from Miss Cheng!"
After saying that, he turned around and left.
That evening, Li Wanming looked at the contract and felt a bit worried.
She had been a bit impulsive during the day... It was too hasty.
Look at the three stores that Chen Jinde had chosen for her. What were they!
One was an inn, one was a pawnshop, and the other... was actually a paper-making shop that specialized in selling ingot candles and dealing with funeral items!
"Not to mention running these stores, I'm afraid just standing in the paper-making shop would scare these girls..."
Li Wanming lowered her head helplessly.
"Moreover, I'm not allowed to use my own money. If we want to take over these three stores first, we may have to borrow money from the bank... Ah, who would lend money to a paper-making shop!"
Xiao Jingnan picked up the contract and examined it carefully.
"Well, Lord Chen has clearly written down the addresses and store names. He must have visited these places many times."
"It seems that this time, Lord Chen has found the three least profitable stores in the whole capital. He has really gone to great lengths to defeat you, my lady."
"However, it doesn't matter. Let's go and take a look at the stores first tomorrow."