Li Ang wrote the answers on the examination paper swiftly. The preliminary test at the Academic Palace was divided into three parts: Scriptures, Strategies, and Poetry.
There were fifteen questions in the Scripture section, excerpts from the "Spring and Autumn Annals," the "Chief of Staff," and other examination texts that required filling in the context and annotations.
Li Ang was confident he could correctly fill in twelve of them. The remaining three questions, derived from "Yili" and "Zhou Yi," he was unsure if he had answered right.
There was only one question in the Strategy section: "The matter of prison and market affairs has been a long-standing difficulty; weighing leniency against severity is not simple in current times. If too lax, deceit will prevail; if too harsh, schemers will find no refuge. Light or heavy, shallow or deep, I await your esteemed advice."
