At this moment, he is a young scholar.

After a slight hesitation, Chu Wenju straightened his clothes and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "Since you all want to give me a reward, I, Chu, dare not be stingy. I will also contribute ten thousand coins to reward my nephew Zhu. Nephew Zhu's performance today was indeed remarkable and deserves encouragement."

Thus, the distribution of the rewards became: Liang Shanbo received a total of 40,000 coins from Zhu Tao, Chen Mao, Xiao Zhen, and Sun Datian. Zhu Yan received a total of 20,000 coins from Fan Zheng and Chu Wenju.

The young men in the pavilion began to whisper among themselves.

Forty thousand coins!

Forty thousand coins would be enough for a middle-class family to live on for three or four years.

This amount was also a considerable sum for some of the prominent families present.

Moreover, some of the attendees were disciples brought by local notables, not from prominent families. Forty thousand coins was a sum they could only dream of but never reach.

Some whispered among themselves, their voices tinged with envy; others stole glances at Liang Shanbo, their eyes filled with complex emotions; and still others harbored secret jealousy.

Chu Jing knelt behind Chu Wenju, a hint of frustration on his face, and even a touch of jealousy in his heart.

In terms of intellectual discourse, his words just now left Wang Shu speechless; in terms of poetry, his works were second only to Liang Shanbo. Yet in the end, the reward money went to Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yan, while he received nothing. Zhu Yan, whose performance was clearly inferior to his, received the reward money from Fan Zheng and his grandfather, Chu Wenju.

Zhu Yingtai was already extremely excited.

If Brother Liang gets these 40,000 coins today, he will no longer be troubled by poverty.

She turned her head and glanced at Brother Liang. Brother Liang remained calm, his head slightly lowered, seemingly lost in thought.

Chen Mao glanced at Zhu Tao. Zhu Tao leaned slightly forward and whispered something to him. Chen Mao nodded, then his gaze swept over the faces of the heads of the prominent families, and he smiled, "Since you all have this good intention, then so be it. However, there are still some points that need to be considered."

Today, those who have demonstrated outstanding talent are Liang Shanbo, Chu Jing, and Zhu Yan. Your nephew Chu's performance today is evident to all present; therefore, I, Chu's father, will reward my worthy grandson with ten thousand coins.

At this point, Chen Maochao smiled and nodded to Chu Jing.

Chu Jing hurriedly stood up, bowed, and thanked him.

Chu Wenju's expression relaxed a bit. He picked up his cup, took a sip of wine, and concealed his satisfaction behind the cup.

Chen Mao then said, "Fan Zhang's ten thousand coins were given to my nephew Zhu. My ten thousand coins, along with the ten thousand coins from Lord Zhu, Mr. Xiao, and Mr. Sun, totaling forty thousand coins, were all given to my nephew Liang."

His gaze turned to Liang Shanbo, and he greeted him with a smile, "Nephew Liang."

Liang Shanbo stood up from his seat, bowed to the elders, and remained composed, showing neither the awkwardness of being flattered nor the pretense of indifference.

Chen Mao looked at him and said solemnly, "Nephew Liang, you have shown exceptional talent in both your conversation and poetry today. Prefect Zhu, Elder Xiao, Elder Sun, and the county magistrate all believe that your talent should not be limited by your humble origins. You may accept this 40,000 coins. In the future, you should study even more diligently at the academy and not let down the high expectations of everyone here today."

Everyone looked at Liang Shanbo, waiting for him to speak.

Everyone thought that, given the circumstances, Liang Shanbo would surely say a few words of gratitude and then accept the 40,000 coins. Zhu Tao thought so, Chen Mao thought so, Xiao Zhen and Sun Datian thought so, and even Meng Wenlang thought that his disciple would respectfully thank him and accept the hefty reward.

After all, 40,000 coins was no small sum. For a poor student, this amount of money was enough to change his situation, improve his life, and support his studies for several years.

Who can refuse a child from a poor family?

However, after a brief silence, Liang Shanbo solemnly said, "I am deeply grateful for the kindness shown to me by the Prefect, the Magistrate, and all the elders. I am unworthy of such a favor. I cannot accept all 40,000 coins today."

"Can't we accept them all?" Upon hearing this, some people in the pavilion thought they had misheard.

Liang Shanbo continued, his tone becoming more earnest and earnest: "I would like to divide these forty thousand coins into four parts."

The first portion, ten thousand coins, is offered to my esteemed teacher, Mr. Meng. I dare not presume to repay his kindness; his grace is profound, how could a mere ten thousand coins possibly suffice? This ten thousand coins will be used for the daily expenses of Wansong Academy.

I know that the school's daily expenses are considerable. The books in the library need to be replenished, the windows and railings in the lecture hall need to be repaired, and the firewood and rice for the canteen need to be purchased. Mr. Meng has been spending money on this for many years. I have nothing of value, and all I can do is contribute this ten thousand coins to the school's expenses, in my humble capacity.

The second portion, ten thousand coins, was distributed among several impoverished students at Wansong Academy.

I know that they, like me, come from humble backgrounds and face great difficulties in their studies. In winter, their cotton-padded clothes are thin, and in summer, their straw sandals are worn out. When they run out of paper, they write on the back of old sheets. They dare not burn too many candles. This sum of ten thousand coins is not much, but if it can buy them some writing brushes, ink, paper, a warm coat, and a new pair of shoes, it will surely be of some use.

The third portion, ten thousand coins, will be kept by the younger generation for the time being, and will be given to my mother when I return home for the New Year.

After my father passed away, my mother stayed at home in Shanyin, weaving cloth day and night, working tirelessly. When I left home to study in Qiantang, she was left alone in our three thatched huts, spending countless cold nights weaving at her loom. I dare not say that this ten thousand coins can repay even a fraction of my mother's kindness; it is merely to give her a little more financial comfort, so she no longer has to weave until late at night every day.

As for the final ten thousand coins, I humbly accept them for future use. Just as the Prefect said, with this money, I will be free from the burden of making a living and can concentrate on my studies, thus living up to the high expectations of all my elders.”

After he finished speaking, he bowed respectfully to the elders and said, "This is just a small token of my respect. Please forgive me if there is anything inappropriate."

For a moment, the pavilion was silent, then a murmur arose.

Zhu Tao, Chen Mao, Xiao Zhen, and Sun Datian all looked at Liang Shanbo with admiration.

Meng Wenlang turned to look at Liang Shanbo, watching his disciple calmly handle the elder's reward and distribute the money. Though his face remained calm, his heart was filled with more than just satisfaction; he secretly praised, "To have this boy as my disciple is truly the greatest fortune of my life!"

I'll give 40,000 coins: 10,000 to my teacher, 10,000 to the poor students at the school, 10,000 to my mother, and 10,000 to myself.

Liang Shanbo's act of distributing money instantly elevated him from a figure of "talent" to one of "moral character." He embodied the four virtues of respecting teachers, helping friends, being filial to parents, and upholding one's principles. At that moment, he was not a poor scholar receiving charity and reward, but a young scholar who lightly set aside material possessions!

Zhu Yingtai turned her head and looked up at her brother Liang, who stood upright beside her, feeling both admiration and emotion.

She suddenly remembered that when she bought paper, ink, brushes, belts, headscarves, and robes for Brother Liang, he didn't refuse and just sincerely said "Thank you, my dear brother." Then, he went to a gambling den and won three thousand coins from Xiao Hu, returning the one thousand four hundred and ten coins to her without missing a single one.

She knew then that Brother Liang was a man of integrity despite his poverty.

Now, her brother Liang remains unmoved by money, and calmly distributes the generous rewards he has received. Each share of the money has its own purpose and meaning. Some is given to his teacher to show respect; some is shared with the poor students at the school to help them; some is given to his mother to fulfill his filial duty; and what he keeps for himself is to uphold his principles.

Brother Liang is really great!