Chapter 63 - 58: Praying for Blessings
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."
The students were asked to discuss the criminal laws of Yu Country, to argue whether they should be lenient or strict.
The ideal answer, naturally, was that punishment should strike a balance between leniency and severity. However, crafting an impressive answer required considerable sophistication. It demanded prose that was both extravagant and smooth. The article needed to reference classics and integrate them with contemporary realities, presenting clear arguments supported by abundant and reliable evidence. The logical progression should be neither rushed nor slow, but rather steady and composed...
Li Ang cast a glance around using the corners of his eyes.
The same examination room held fifty candidates from various places and two proctoring officials—each candidate’s desk was separated from the others. Many were scratching their heads and shifting restlessly in their seats; some were even sweating profusely, repeatedly lifting their sleeves to wipe the sweat from their foreheads, fearing it might drip and stain their papers.
A solemn and forbidding atmosphere enveloped the examination hall, while the two supervising officials seemed unsurprised as they sat leisurely at the back of the room, sipping tea. Had it not been for the fear of making noise, these two might have already brought in a chessboard and started playing.
"RUSTLE—"
The sound of paper rubbing against the desk surface rang out. Li Ang saw the girl with willow-leaf eyebrows sitting next to him, expressionless and wearing a jade hairpin, quietly move her paper, filled with delicate ornamental script, farther away.
Hmm?