Some bohemian literati and those who were down and out were basically people whose talents were not recognized in ancient times

People like the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, Li Shangyin, Wu Chengen, Wu Jingzi and others

Wu Cheng'en, the author of Journey to the West, was from the Ming Dynasty. His great-grandfather and grandfather were both officials, but in his father's generation he made a living selling lace and thread. Wu Cheng'en had a literary name when he was a child. He was a genius child in his hometown. He was "sensitive, intelligent and well-versed in books." Only when he was sixty did he become a small county magistrate. Soon, "I bowed my head in shame and returned home with a puff of my sleeves." He lived to be in his eighties before dying, and Journey to the West was probably his work after he returned home. He wrote a lot throughout his life, but the only literary works that have been handed down are Journey to the West and Mr. Sheyang's surviving manuscripts in four volumes.

Wu Jingzi, the author of The Scholars, was born in the Qing Dynasty. His ancestors were from a prominent family. He first worked as a farmer, then practiced medicine, and became an official in his father's generation. After his father's death, the family business declined. Wu Jingzi was a scholar at the age of twenty. At the age of thirty-six, he was unable to take the "Bo Xue Hong Ci" examination due to illness. From then on, he never took the exam again. His father died when he was twenty-three years old, and he squandered all the property left behind. People in his hometown said that he was a prodigal son. He was also a celebrity and did not like the poor folk customs in his hometown, so he moved to Nanjing. . He often ran out of food and had to rely on friends for charity. When he got the money, he would first buy wine and sometimes sell books to buy rice. It was cold in winter and there was no wine to drink, so he invited drinking friends to go around in circles outside the city, walking dozens of miles, singing and roaring all the way until dawn, which he called "warm feet".

Wu Jingzi hated the Eight-legged essay and looked down upon the scholars who wrote the Eight-part essay. In fact, he himself was also a diligent Eight-legged essayist, and his ancestors were also closely related to the Eight-legged essay. The Scholars is a novel that satirizes the stereotyped essay and denounces the imperial examination. So, isn’t Wu Jingzi a traitor to the stereotyped essay? The Scholars was probably written between the ages of forty and fifty, and he only lived to the age of fifty-four, so it can be considered a work in his later years. Before middle age, he was still obsessed with the imperial examinations, but seeing his contemporaries working hard for the imperial examinations and seeing all the ugliness they suffered after failing the examinations made him wake up, so in the novel, he mercilessly attacked and ridiculed the literati who were obsessed with the imperial examinations, making them full of ugliness. , when we see these literati who are disgraced in their elegance, we can't help but feel that the imperial examination system has too many drawbacks and is harmful to people, and we sympathize with the scholars for their loss.

In Wu Chengen's era, social and political conditions were dark, so there were many demons and ghosts on the way Monk Tang learned scriptures. The Sun Wukong he created was a hero born from heaven and earth. He had no choice but to be a minor official in charge of horses in the Heavenly Palace, and later protected Monk Tang in the West. While studying for the scriptures, he suffered many injustices, accusations, and grievances from his master. Not only did he fail to recognize his talents, but he also failed to realize his ambitions. It is not difficult for us to see the shadow of the author in him.

Wu Jingzi "comes from a prosperous family", but he is middle-aged and depressed. He faithfully records what he sees and hears in his life and writes it as a scholarly history. Cheng Jinfang, who wrote his biography, said: "I am This man is so sad that he actually spreads rumors about barnyard grass." Barnyard's unofficial history is just for people's entertainment, not a serious article. No matter Wu Cheng'en or Wu Jingzi, when they wrote their novels, they never thought that they would be passed down through the ages, nor did they think of the value of their works. No wonder Cheng Jinfang said, "I feel sad for these people."

From the perspective of his life, the passionate poet Li Shangyin spanned six generations of emperors including Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty, Muzong of the Tang Dynasty, Jingzong of the Tang Dynasty, Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty, Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty and Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. This shows the changes in the current situation. It is complicated, and in his prime, he was also deeply embedded in the political background of the late Tang Dynasty where feudal vassals and towns were separated, eunuchs had exclusive power, and cronies fought. However, judging from the laws of history, heroes emerge in troubled times, and dragons hide in deep pools. Isn't this a historical opportunity for ambitious and ambitious men to make achievements and show off their ambitions?