Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Institute of Winter's Breath

As Li Gui’s order was given, the army began to move westward toward Yiwu Commandery. Zhang Juntao, faithfully following Li Wenyuan’s instructions, trailed behind at a measured pace. Step by step, the two armies drew closer to the first stop on their journey to Yiwu—Zhangye Commandery.

Li Wenyuan stood atop the city wall of Wuwei Commandery with Qiuniang at his side, watching Li Gui’s forces fade into the distance. Tilting his head, he asked, “Among those listed in the document you uncovered, how many are Li Gui’s staunch confidants?”

With a flourish, Qiuniang produced a notebook from her person and handed it to Li Wenyuan. “The individuals recorded in the first five pages are Li Gui’s most trusted followers. The rest are those whom these confidants have drawn in through various interests, while the final pages list neutral officials, loyal not to Li Gui but to the Sui Dynasty.”

“There’s no need to trouble with the neutrals. As for those swayed by interests, we can just as easily win them over with our own. Take this list to inform Xue Renyue and have him arrest all these people on charges of plotting rebellion. Since you identified them as Li Gui’s confidants, it will fall to you and your associates to find evidence of their collusion. Detain them in the commandery prison for now, and hold a public trial at noon tomorrow in the marketplace,” Li Wenyuan said, leafing casually through the notebook before returning it to Qiuniang.

Watching Qiuniang’s departing figure, Li Wenyuan calculated silently: He and Xue Renyue had spent the entire winter reorganizing the Wuwei bureaucracy, and now, by eliminating Li Gui’s loyalists, he could finally establish a firm foothold in the Western Regions.

His gaze shifted again toward the direction of Zhangye Commandery, where Li Gui’s army was withdrawing, his heart burning with anticipation. Li Wenyuan descended the city wall and made his way to Hansheng Academy outside Wuwei.

This Hansheng Academy had been established the previous winter, when Li Wenyuan and Xue Renyue conducted the imperial examination, as a residence for the scholars who came to sit for the test. There had been some dispute over the name. Some wished to call it Kongsheng Academy, meaning the House of Confucius’ Disciples; others suggested the straightforward “Scholars’ Residence,” favoring an auspicious title. The disagreement eventually reached Li Wenyuan himself.

Observing the heated debate, Li Wenyuan smiled and said, “Our imperial examinations are meant for the scholars of humble birth. Let us name this place Hansheng Academy, to signify both the identity of its residents and to remind them always of their humble origins—that even as officials, they must serve the people with integrity, unswayed by wealth.”

Recalling that first examination last winter, Li Wenyuan was filled with emotion. An examination system he’d once taken for granted now, in an era where it was newly established, met with tremendous resistance. Some officials from noble families threatened resignation; Li Wenyuan was unconcerned, seizing the opportunity to eliminate redundant bureaucratic offices and increase administrative efficiency.

Others chose passive resistance—not mere silence, but a deliberate sluggishness, dragging out tasks that should have been completed in a day to two, three, even seven days. Yet this group posed little hindrance. With the successful implementation of the People’s Assembly in the official farms and subsequent refinements, Li Wenyuan extended the system to Wuwei Commandery. Many officials opposed this policy of returning power to the people, but were forcefully suppressed. Their opposition, buried at the time, now resurfaced alongside the new examination system.

Before their obstruction could become an issue, most of these procrastinating officials were impeached by the citizen-led assembly and lost their posts, replaced by alternates. Having witnessed this, the replacements dared not slack off, however dissatisfied they might be.

The third group, shrewder, adapted to the times—leveraging their connections and wealth to send their own sons to sit the examination, attempting to bribe invigilators and graders to secure advancement. But these actions were closely monitored by the Night Owls. For this first nationwide examination, Li Wenyuan was determined to prevent any scandal. Still, since he’d decreed that both the sons of great families and humble scholars could compete, he allowed those bent on cheating to proceed.

For these, Li Wenyuan had a better solution. On the day the results were posted, unlike previous examinations, three large boards were erected in the city center. The first, the largest, bore the names and rankings of the successful candidates. The other two, equally prominent, displayed the names of those who cheated and the officials who accepted bribes.

Scholars, past and present, are ever proud; some would sacrifice their very lives for honor. To see their names listed among the cheats brought them disgrace in the eyes of Wuwei’s people—far worse than death. As for the officials, they were fined double the bribe amount and reduced to reserve status.

Throughout this process, Li Wenyuan withstood pressure from nobility and bureaucrats alike, striving for true fairness and providing a path for those who had studied in poverty for years. Grateful, these scholars flocked to Wuwei with their families, intent on sitting the next examination. Even Yang Guang, upon learning the details, was full of praise: “To dare what others will not—truly the pillar on which I rely.”

The arrival of these scholars enriched the once-scarce pool of administrative talent at Li Wenyuan’s disposal. Thus, he dared to startle the snake, driving Li Gui to flee toward Yiwu. His present purpose in visiting Hansheng Academy was to select a group of young, capable scholars to accompany the army to Zhangye, to replace Li Gui’s confidants and strengthen his own control over the commandery.

This was a bold plan Li Wenyuan devised when he learned that Li Gui’s ultimate goal was to escape to Yiwu. He intended for Zhang Juntao’s forces to press Li Gui relentlessly westward, allowing him no respite along the way.