In the 23rd year of Daoguang (1843), Li Hongzhang was selected as an excellent tribute to Luzhou official school. At that time, the father of the Beijing official wanted his son to become a dragon, so he sent a letter urging Hong Zhang to go to Beijing to prepare for the rural examination in Shuntianfu next year. Hong Zhang obeyed his father's orders and resolutely went north, writing 10 poems to express his feelings in Beijing. A cloud: My husband only praises Wu Gou, and his spirit is higher than 100 feet. Who has written a history of 10,000 years, and wants to seal the Hou 3,000 miles away, I will definitely follow the footsteps. How can you have leisure to chase water gulls? The Lugou Bridge points to the moon. How many people have been to Yingzhou since then?
In the 24th year of Daoguang (1844), he failed in the first scientific examination and was taught at Zeng Guofan Mansion in Beijing. In the twenty-seventh year of Daoguang (1847), Li Hongzhang, 24, was admitted to imperial academy and elected as Jishi Shu. At the same time, Zeng Guofan emphasized the study of the world when he was a student. Three years later, imperial academy dissolved and remained as editor of imperial academy.