"How about this, I can exempt you from tuition for three years, and also lend you a monthly allowance of two hundred coins to support your studies."
Upon hearing this, the child abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with surprise and disbelief, his voice trembling slightly, "Really...really?"
Meng Zhao smiled slightly, her tone firm, "Of course it's true!"
The child was stunned for a moment, then immediately asked, "How should I repay you?"
Hearing that his first reaction was to ask how he would repay the favor, Meng Zhao's smile deepened. "How about we make a bet? I'll give you three years. If you pass the county-level exam and become a Xiucai in three years, I'll lend you another ten taels of silver to help you take the Jinshi exam. What do you say?"
A glint flashed in the child's eyes, but then he hesitated, "What if I don't pass the exam?"
Meng Zhao smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "If you don't pass the exam, you can come and work for me. However, for the next three years, you can only receive half of your monthly salary. The rest will be used to pay off your loan."
The child pondered for a moment, then continued, "What if I fail the imperial examination the first time, but want to take it again?"
Meng Zhao raised an eyebrow. This kid is quite meticulous. "As long as you pay back what you owe me, you can take the test however you want."
"You'll be at a disadvantage if I do that. If I pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, it might take me many years to pay you back. I might even break my promise and refuse to pay you back. If I don't pass the exam, you'll have to give me a job. If I slack off while working, you can't fire me, because if you fire me, you won't get the money back."
The child kept frowning. Meng Zhao thought he was weighing the pros and cons, but she didn't expect him to be thinking about her.
This ten-year-old child is quite thoughtful. Meng Zhao stared into his eyes and asked, "Then can you?"
The child shook his head, his eyes resolute, his tone unwavering, "I won't!"
"That's fine then." Meng Zhao said with a smile.
The child seemed not to understand why Meng Zhao trusted him so much. Noticing his gaze, Meng Zhao said, "I am a businessman, and I know that there is no business in this world that is guaranteed to make a profit. For me, it is also an investment. Although there may be some risks, I hope you will not disappoint me."
After hearing what Meng Zhao said, the child made a move to kneel down, but Meng Zhao quickly stopped him, saying, "No, no, no, I don't like this."
The child paused for a moment, straightened up, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face. He really didn't know how he could express his gratitude now.
"You should not only thank me, but also your Master Wei. If he hadn't mentioned your situation to me, I wouldn't have known about it."
When Master Wei heard Meng Zhao say this, he also said to the child, "No need to thank me. From now on, you must study even harder and not let down Madam Meng's help."
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