Guan Chibei did not say whether he could or could not do it. He also did not say whether he wanted to or not. He only said, "How old were the scholars when they first started? They had to study hard for many years before they could take the examinations. Am I too old now?"
Speaking of Guan Chibei's age, he was indeed quite old, but Ye Lulu felt that he could still study.
It was not like he had to be promoted to an official. At the very least, he had to try and see if he could pass the examinations at a county level. Even if he didn't, he would be more useful than now.
This was even more so if there were few scholars in Yuan City.
Although many people had been studying hard since they were young, studying depended on talent.
Moreover, Ye Lulu wasn't asking Guan Chibei to be a scholar. She just wanted him to try it out first.
Anything was possible.