Many researchers believe that the preface of The Scholars is quite consistent with Wu's creative intention, and it is likely that Wu wrote the preface in the name of an old man with a leisurely life, but it is uncertain.

The old man living in seclusion is the preface author of The Scholars. Today, the earliest printed edition of The Scholars-the preface of The Scholars in the eighth year of Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty (1803), is engraved with the preface of the old man in a leisure village. Later, various versions of The Scholars in Qing Dynasty had this preface, which was published and commented as a part of this novel, which was helpful for future generations to understand and study The Scholars.