What will ancient scholars do in the end if they don't get fame?

If you can't become famous, you can only become a down-and-out teacher, storyteller, fortune teller and so on, but many times these can only be the second best choice.

In ancient times, the only way out for a scholar was to become famous, to be a small official, to return to his hometown when he was old, and to be safely sent to his ancestral grave. However, the imperial examination system is cruel, and even the most common college examinations are ten subjects, not to mention the more difficult provincial, public and palace examinations. How many scholars and teenagers have lost their heads and are unknown on the list. How many literati hope to sigh like Mencius that "the spring breeze is proud of horseshoe disease, and Chang 'an flowers will see you one day", but they can only sigh that "Emperor Taizong really planned ahead, and the hero made a bald head".

From the beginning of the college entrance examination, people have been failing the list. We don't know what the mood of the people who have fallen off the list now is. But what is certain is that most people will not be a humble teacher after studying hard for half their lives, and they will blush when asked what kind of fame they can get by immature boys below. I don't want to be down and out like Kong Yiji. Just eating a bowl of peanuts and drinking a glass of wine will attract the attack of the whole restaurant. Most scholars will continue to take exams and prepare for the second, third or even fourth year exams. Even some people wait until they are 70 years old, but they haven't been admitted yet when they are 50 or 60 years old. They can only sigh that "the young people are sad."

Those who win the list will not bear so many years of hard work. People who are too happy will even be as ugly as Jin Fan in the golden fan, too happy and even close to madness. It's really ukiyo-e.