Abstract: The textual research of the ancient writers is an important aspect of the study of the ancient novels. We have made great achievements in such field in recent 100 years in addition to the puzzlement which can be summarized into two words - “trust” and “doubt”. Such textual research is important. And it is important as well to make clear the writers’ life and the time they lived in. Therefore, when examining the relevant documents, we should have a tolerant attitude - we should not neglect the ancient people and heavily depend on the contemporary. The records made by the ancient are often relatively trustworthy, but the contemporary study is very often doubtful.