In a No. 1 scholar's mansion in the mountains of Henan, there lived an old beggar who refused social assistance and said he would stick to his ancestral home.

The imperial examination system, as an important system for the selection of officials in ancient China, has been followed for more than 1,200 years in the history of our country. Although the imperial examination system has been abolished long ago, this system still has a profound impact on later generations. For example, in today's college entrance examination, there is also the term "gold list", and the first place in each province is also called the "top scholar". These students are the best among their peers.

The term "Zhuangyuan" comes from the ancient imperial examinations, and refers to the first place winner in all previous imperial examinations. In Chinese history, there have been millions of successful candidates and more than 100,000 Jinshi, but the number one scholar is very rare. During the imperial examination era in the span of 1283 years, 592 literary champions were produced in one year. In addition, there were 185 martial arts champions, totaling 777 people. It can be seen how "rare" the number one scholar is, and how rare it is to be the number one scholar in Wu.

Everyone must be very familiar with Wu Zhuangyuan. There are many film and television works about this type, such as Stephen Chow's "Wu Zhuangyuan Su Qier", which has become a childhood memory for many people. The martial arts examination system emerged during the reign of Wu Zetian and was abolished at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Nowadays, although there is no longer the number one scholar in the imperial examination, there are still "number one scholars" in many areas. Generally speaking, these Zhuangyuan mansions have become attractions in various regions. However, in a scholar's mansion in a deep mountain in Henan, there lived an old beggar. He not only refused people's help, but also claimed to stick to his ancestral home. What is going on?

In the deep mountains of Mingyue Slope in Guandian Village, Heluo Town, Gongyi City, Henan Province, there is a Number One Scholar's Mansion. However, it is more of a dilapidated cave dwelling than a Number One Scholar's Mansion. According to data research, this is the residence of Niu Fengshan, the number one scholar in military affairs during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. Niu Fengshan was born in 1806 to a poor family. He learned martial arts from his uncle since he was a child. Facts have proved that Niu Fengshan does have extraordinary talent in martial arts.

At the age of 27, Niu Fengshan, who had achieved great success in his studies, went to Beijing to take the exam. Sure enough, hard work paid off, Niu Fengshan performed well in the martial arts examination and became the number one scholar in martial arts appointed by Emperor Daoguang. Officials confer first-class bodyguards, Jinshi rank, and martial arts generals. After that, Niu Fengshan became the commander-in-chief and was awarded the title of fourth generation and first rank. Later, Niu Fengshan returned to his hometown due to illness. Although he was the number one scholar, Niu Fengshan was still humble and polite to his neighbors and often helped the poor solve their difficulties. Therefore, the local people love him very much.

Niu Fengshan became famous, and his descendants also achieved extraordinary achievements. The eldest son Niu Xuandian ranked first in the second class and served as editor of the Hanlin Academy. He was also loved by everyone. Since Niu Fengshan, the Niu family has It also prospered and became a big local family. However, with the continuous development of society and the gradual decline of the Qing government, many families also gradually declined, and the Niu family was one of them. The once glorious No. 1 Scholar's Mansion has now become a ruin and dilapidated building. But in this dilapidated cave dwelling, a descendant of the Niu family still lives. He is the old beggar we mentioned before.

This old beggar’s name is Niu Shijing, and he is now over seventy years old. The old man is a well-known legend in the village. He wears self-made clothes and a hat all year round. Although he is seventy years old, the old man is still alone. He has no wife and no descendants. He only lives alone in his ancestral home.

Many years ago, the old man had several relatives who lived with him in the Number One Scholar's Mansion. However, they all died one after another, leaving only Niu Shijing. In order to make ends meet, he would even walk dozens of miles to beg for food from people. For such an inconvenient and lonely old man, many people in the society offered help, but the old man refused one by one. Because Niu Shijing believes that he has no need for money at all, as long as he can beg for food, and he also asks people to donate the money to those who really need help.

Nowadays, due to the remote location and imperfect infrastructure, many residents have moved away from the village. However, Niu Shijing still sticks to her ancestral home, living a life without water or electricity. Perhaps in the old man's heart, although the desolate scene is already in front of him, there is still a world that he needs to guard.