I'm coming clean: I'm the reincarnation of the God of Literature.

Gu Ci followed the crowd inside, walking on bluestone slabs. High walls stood on both sides, with wooden fences on top of them.

The guards at the gate, with stern faces, searched each person one by one.

"Open the basket!"

"Roll up your sleeves!"

"Check the soles too!"

Gu Ci stood in the line. In front of him was a middle-aged man in his forties who had been searched and forced to take off his outer shirt and loosen his belt.

The man's face turned red, and he mumbled something, but he didn't dare to resist.

When it was Gu Ci's turn, the yamen runner was taken aback.

"Kid? What are you doing here?"

"take an exam.

The yamen runner looked him up and down, then reached out and searched his examination basket. Inside were only writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and a few pieces of pastry.

"Alright, go in."

Gu Ci carried the exam basket and walked in, passing through door after door, and finally entered the exam room.

The examination room was a huge courtyard with rows of single desks on the ground, each three feet apart, covered with white cloth and with number plates on them.

Gu Ci found his seat and sat down.

The other test takers were whispering among themselves.

"Who is that child?"

"I don't know, she looks about seven or eight years old."

"So young to be taking the exam? Did someone send it to the wrong place?"

"I guess they're here to broaden their horizons; whether they pass the exam is another matter."

Gu Ci ignored them and took out the items from the basket one by one, arranging them neatly.

At that moment, the sound of drums "dong dong dong" came from the front of the examination room.

All the candidates immediately fell silent.

A row of officials walked in through the main gate. The one in the lead was a middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing a scarlet official robe, with no expression on his face.

This is the chief examiner, Shen Wendao.

He was followed by three assistant examiners, two of whom were instructors from the local prefectural school, and the other was wearing a dark blue official robe with a crane pattern embroidered on the chest.

The man in the dark blue official robe was named Han Weiqing, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, and an assistant examiner from the capital.

Han Weiqing's gaze swept across the examination room, landed on Gu Ci, paused for a second, and then looked away.

Gu Ci's heart tightened.

That look in your eyes is off.

Shen Wen walked to the high platform in front and cleared his throat.

"Dear candidates, this prefectural examination consists of three sessions."

"The first session tests the understanding of the classics, the second session tests policy essays, and the third session tests poetry and prose."

"Each session lasts three hours. No one may leave the examination room or whisper to each other during the session. Anyone who violates this rule will be expelled from the examination room and will be barred from taking the exam again for three years."

"Now, curl your hair."

The yamen runners carried a stack of exam papers and handed them out one by one.

Gu Ci took the test paper, unfolded it, and took a look.

The first three questions were all from the Analects of Confucius, and were quite standard.

Question 1: "Confucius said: 'Is it not pleasant to learn with constant perseverance and application?' Discuss the true meaning of 'practice'."

Question 2: Confucius said: "A gentleman is not a vessel."

What is a vessel? What is not a vessel?

Question 3: Confucius said, "When three people walk together, there must be one who can teach me."

'On the Way to Choose a Teacher'

Gu Ci glanced at them. These three questions were not difficult. As long as one was familiar with the Analects, one could answer them with a high degree of accuracy.

He looked down.

The fourth and final question was titled: "On the advantages and disadvantages of 'early success'."

Gu Ci paused, his pen still.

This question...

He looked up at the examiners on the platform.

Han Weiqing was talking to the local instructor next to him with his head down, and he was smiling.

Gu Ci withdrew his gaze and looked back at the exam paper.

This question was specifically designed to trap him.

If he talks at length about the benefits of "early success," saying things like becoming famous at a young age and having a bright future, he will be judged as "reckless, impetuous, and ignorant of his own limitations."

If he were to talk at length about the downsides of "early success," saying things like how it's easy to become arrogant and complacent and difficult to maintain, he would be described as "mature beyond his years, dull and lifeless, lacking vigor."

This is a dead end.

The other test-takers around me had already started writing.

Some people write very quickly, scribbling words across the paper.

Some people paused to think, pondering their words.

Several middle-aged test takers looked at each other as they stared at the last question.

They clearly realized that there was something wrong with the question.

But they are not Gu Ci, so no one will specifically set questions for them.

This question was simply difficult for them, but for Gu Ci, it was a trap.

Gu Ci closed his eyes.

My mind raced.

In his previous life, he had studied countless cases of children who achieved fame at a young age.

Wang Bo wrote "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" at the age of fourteen, which made him famous throughout the world, but he drowned in his early twenties.

Jia Yi became a Grand Master of the Palace at the age of twenty, but was demoted and died of depression at the age of thirty-three.

There are also countless examples of those who were top scholars in the imperial examinations, achieving great success at a young age and enjoying immense glory, but later faded into obscurity or even suffered disgrace.

But there are exceptions.

Wang Anshi passed the imperial examination at the age of 22 and later became prime minister, where he implemented reforms.

Fan Zhongyan passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty-seven and later became a famous minister, leaving behind the famous saying, "Be the first to worry about the world's troubles."

These people also achieved success at a young age, but they were not blinded by their success. Instead, they took their success as a starting point and went even further.

Gu Ci opened his eyes.

He figured it out.

The key to this question lies not in "youth" or "success," but in "ambition" itself.

What is ambition?

Ambition is a goal, a pursuit, and the height a person wants to reach.

If one's ambition is small, then achieving success is the end, and one is naturally prone to arrogance and complacency.

If one has great ambitions, then achieving success is merely the starting point, and one will instead work even harder.

Gu Ci picked up his pen and began to write.

Instead of discussing the pros and cons in the conventional way, he directly addressed the issue: "The attainment of ambition is not determined by age, but by one's character and temperament."

The pen tip glides across the paper, and the ink seeps into the paper.

When people talk about young people achieving success, they usually talk about it in terms of fame and fortune.

However, fame and fortune are merely external things; they are easy to gain and easy to lose.

True ambition lies in establishing virtue, establishing words, and establishing merit.

These three things constitute an immortal achievement.

He paused, then continued writing.

The Analects says: "A gentleman is not a vessel."

What is a tool? A tool is something that is useful but limited in its application.

If a young person's ambition is to achieve fame and success, then he is like a vessel that is useful but limited; once he obtains it, it becomes full, then overflows, and then fails.

"If a young person's ambition is to achieve immortality, then it is as vast as the heavens and the earth, as bright as the sun and the moon. What they achieve is not the end, but the beginning."

Gu Ci wrote very quickly, and his thoughts were extremely clear.

He quoted the proverb "A gentleman is not a vessel" to redefine "achieving success" as "enlightening one's mind and nature, establishing virtue and words," rather than worldly fame and fortune.

Then, he changed the subject.

"Therefore, it is not a bad thing for a young person to achieve success, but a good thing."

Why do I say this? Young people are full of energy and quick-witted, which is the perfect time for them to make a name for themselves.

If one succeeds at this time, one can serve the country and make a living for the people as soon as possible.

"In ancient times, Gan Luo became prime minister at the age of twelve and Huo Qubing was ennobled at the age of seventeen. These are examples of young people achieving success."

"However, there are also those who become arrogant after achieving success at a young age, such as Xiang Yu, who was made a king at a young age but failed because of his arrogance."

There are also those who achieve early success but remain humble, such as the Duke of Zhou, who served as regent at a young age but was able to treat others with humility and achieve great things for generations to come.

"Therefore, the advantages and disadvantages of achieving one's ambitions do not lie in age, but in one's character."

Gu Ci put down his pen and looked at the article he had written.

The article does not directly discuss the advantages and disadvantages, but elevates its theme to the level of "the way of the sage".

He distinguished between "achieving success" and "ambition," pointing out that the real issue was not "achieving success," but rather "the magnitude of one's ambition."

If one's ambition is only for fame and fortune, then regardless of age, one is prone to arrogance and complacency.

If one's ambition is to "establish a heart for heaven and earth, and to establish a destiny for the people," then no matter how young or old one is, one will not lose one's way.

In this way, he neither boasted nor belittled himself, and instead resolved the trap inherent in the question itself.

On the high platform.

An examiner walked past Gu Ci's desk and glanced down at his exam paper.

He was completely stunned by that one glance.

He stood there, staring at Gu Ci's article.

A fellow examinee looked up at him, but he didn't react.

It took him a while to come to his senses, and he quickly walked towards the platform.

"Lord Shen, you must take a look at this."

He handed Gu Ci's exam paper to Shen Wendao.

Shen Wendao took it, glanced at it, and frowned.

"Whose test paper is this?"

"It's that eight-year-old child."

Shen Wen looked up and gazed in Gu Ci's direction.

Gu Ci was focused on writing the first three questions.

Shen Wen looked at the exam paper again, this time very carefully.

The more he looked, the more his brows furrowed.

Finally, he put down the exam paper and let out a long sigh.

"Good article."

Han Weiqing, who was standing next to him, came over.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

Shen asked to hand him the test paper.

"See for yourself."

Han Weiqing took the test paper, glanced at it, and his face immediately darkened.

He read the entire article and slammed the exam paper on the table.

"This article... is indeed quite interesting."

He spoke through gritted teeth.

Shen Wen asked and smiled.

"It's more than just interesting; the article's conception is so profound that it's beyond the reach of ordinary people."

"Your question was meant to stump him, but it ended up allowing him to shine."

Han Weiqing's face turned ashen.

"My lord, this child is still young. Although his writing is good, there is a strong suspicion that it was written by someone else."

Shen asked, shaking his head.

"A ghostwriter? You mean someone can write the exam for him in the exam hall?"

"this……"

"Furthermore, this young man was the top scholar in the county-level examination in Qinghe County, personally recommended by Wang Chengen, and also appreciated by Princess Yong'an. Do you think someone like that would have someone else write his essay?"

Han Weiqing was speechless.

Shen Wendao stood up and stood with his hands behind his back.

"Alright, let's watch all three matches first. If this kid can maintain this level in all three matches, then he truly has talent and skill, and no one can find fault with him."

Han Weiqing gritted his teeth, turned around, and walked down from the platform.

In the examination room, Gu Ci had already finished answering the first three questions.

He put down his pen and stretched his wrists.

The other test takers were still engrossed in writing, some of them already on their second page.

Gu Ci glanced at the sky; the sun was already setting, and he estimated that he would be finishing the scroll in about an hour.

He tidied up the exam papers and sat there quietly.

Not far away, several middle-aged examinees secretly watched him, their eyes filled with disbelief.

This kid finished writing so quickly?

Or perhaps he simply couldn't write and just gave up?