During the Tang Dynasty, Wang Lingran, although having passed the imperial examination to become a 'jinshi', had not yet been appointed an official position. He pondered day and night on how to enter officialdom.

He recalled that he had once interacted with Gao Changyu, who was now a Censor-in-chief. However, it seemed Gao Changyu had forgotten him since becoming an official.

So, Wang Lingran wrote a letter to him, using a somewhat threatening tone. In the letter, he suggested that if one, upon becoming an important person, forgets their friends, those friends, when they eventually gain power, might return the favor in kind.