Is “Liu Yan was recommended as a child prodigy in his early years and was appointed as a corrector of texts in the Palace Library.” true?
The Old Book of Tang, Biography of Liu Yan, Diwu Qi, Ban Hong, Ban Shao, and Li Xun, records: 'Liu Yan, courtesy name Shian, was a native of Nanhua, Caozhou. At the age of seven, he was recommended as a child prodigy and was appointed as a corrector of texts in the Palace Library.' In Chapter 086 of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it is dramatized that 'at that time there was a child prodigy Liu Yan, only nine years old, exceptionally intelligent,' who was summoned to the Diligent Government Hall to compose a poem on the spot about Lady Wang's long pole dance. The official history indeed confirms that he was appointed to an official post as a child prodigy in his early years.
In the official history, Liu Yan was recommended as a child prodigy at the age of seven and was appointed to an official post, while the novel dramatizes his talent at the age of nine in composing a poem about a long pole.
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