Maybe you might get more information from movies and TV series. It gives the impression that he is clever and eccentric. He often came up with some ghost ideas, which seemed a bit outrageous. However, from some details, we can also see that Ji Xiaolan is definitely a knowledgeable official. In fact, Ji Xiaolan is a versatile talent, and his knowledge far exceeds that of movies and TV series.
In the eighth year of Yongzheng, Ji Xiaolan took the boys' examination, and his excellent results were called prodigies. From then on, Ji Xiaolan began to focus on learning knowledge. When Qianlong participated in the township examination in the twelfth year, he won the first place. Since then, he has also entered an official career, becoming an official in the DPRK.
At first, however, the Qianlong Emperor did not attach importance to Ji Xiaolan. After all, the civil and military officials of the dynasty were rarely mediocre, so Ji Xiaolan was not so prominent and eye-catching. Fortunately, later with the help of nobles, this person was Liu Yong's father Liu Tongxun. At his recommendation, Ji Xiaolan was known to the Qianlong Emperor, who was said to be very knowledgeable. Although he did not say he was talented, he was also a student full of poetry and books. Therefore, Qianlong ordered him to compile the largest encyclopedia of the time, that is, the "Four Libraries Encyclopedia" that has survived to this day.
Later, he became the editor-in-chief and editor of the book, because his talent and knowledge were unmatched by ordinary people. Thanks to the efforts of many civil servants, the book took 13 years to complete, and Ji Xiaolan became famous in one fell swoop. For such a rare talent, Qianlong naturally wanted to reuse it. In addition, he also likes to recite poems against others, so he takes Ji Xiaolan with him on his travels, especially on his way to Jiangnan. When he was free, he could also discuss some poems and songs with him. It was for this reason that he later had the story of a confrontation with Hezhen.