MLMD -Chapter 405 The One Who Came to Deliver Silver

“Not this again!”

Chongzhen didn’t even need a mirror to know that his face must be full of helplessness. If anyone else said such things, he could simply laugh it off or muddle through. But this old man was like a piece of sticky gum—once he latched on, he would never let go, relentlessly pressing Chongzhen to arrest Yue Yang and bring him to justice.

Had anyone else pushed him this hard, Comrade Little Zhu would have exploded long ago. But this old gentleman was different. He was one of the rare moral exemplars of the Chongzhen reign. Having served as an official for over forty years, he had supported a family of four on nothing but his meager salary. His home was so poor that even a thief would leave in tears.

Yet it was precisely because of his rigid, unyielding character that he was so difficult to deal with. After work, his greatest pleasure was sitting in his small courtyard with a pile of wood, carving away. Once he finished a batch, he would have his elderly wife sell them at the market—and he had a rule: every carving sold for only ten cash, not a single coin more. Anyone who tried to give him favors would be turned away, cursing him as a stone from a latrine: smelly and stubborn.

Looking at the old man standing below, gazing up at him with unwavering eyes, Chongzhen sighed, lowered the hands rubbing his temples, and said helplessly, “Minister Zhong, I’ve told you long ago: the Zhongyong Marquis is implementing new policies in Shandong to ease the court’s burdens. The Ming treasury is exhausted. The Ministry of Revenue can barely hold on—almost every month Minister Cheng comes to complain to me. If we don’t implement reforms, what else can we do?”

For an emperor to lower himself this much, Zhong Can should have known when to stop. After all, the emperor’s dignity was not something to trample lightly. But the old man refused to budge, craning his neck stubbornly as he replied, “Your Majesty’s words are mistaken. The laws of the Great Ming were established by the Founder and his ancestors—how can they be changed at will? Moreover, the Zhongyong Marquis has wantonly slaughtered gentry and merchants. If such actions are not severely punished, would that not encourage such atrocities? If officials everywhere acted like this, would not the Great Ming descend into chaos?”

“Exactly—Minister Zhong is right. I support this!”

“I support it!”

“I also support it!”

As soon as Zhong Can finished speaking, more than a dozen officials stepped forward to stand behind him in support.

“I too implore Your Majesty to punish Yue Yang severely!”

“That’s right—Yue Yang must be severely punished!”

More and more officials stepped forward. Soon dozens were speaking in unison, demanding harsh punishment for Yue Yang. Looking at the sea of ministers before him, a wave of exhaustion surged through Chongzhen’s heart. He couldn’t understand what had come over them. Why did they all hate Yue Yang so much, determined to put him to death? Did these people know nothing besides preaching moral platitudes and impeaching this one or attacking that one?

Unlike the simmering Chongzhen, many in the hall were secretly delighted to see so many colleagues attacking Yue Yang. The Minister of Revenue, Cheng Guoxiang, was one of them. Seeing the chorus demanding punishment, he too felt tempted. After all, impeachment cost nothing—why not add another push? With that thought, he looked toward the foremost position, where the Grand Secretary Yang Sichang stood.

But to his disappointment, Yang Sichang stood there with hands tucked into his wide sleeves, eyes half-closed, face calm, as if the matter had nothing to do with him. Cheng Guoxiang was startled. Hadn’t Yang Sichang long wanted to bring Yue Yang down? Why was he silent today?

Cheng Guoxiang was a diehard confidant personally promoted by Yang Sichang. Naturally, he took his cues from his superior. Seeing his boss unmoved, he abandoned the idea of stepping forward and quietly retreated back into the crowd.

Many others shared the same calculation. All were Yang Sichang’s faction. Seeing their leader stay put, they too lost interest in joining the fray.

Meanwhile, more ministers stepped out—so many that even the Deputy Grand Secretary, Zhou Tingru, came forward. He spoke passionately: “Your Majesty, Yue Yang uses ‘new policies’ as a pretext, but in truth he lines his own pockets at the expense of the state. The court must not harbor evil. Even if he is not thoroughly investigated, he should at least be recalled to Shanxi, to return clarity and peace to the people of Shandong!”

Bang!

A sharp crack echoed through the hall as Chongzhen slammed his hand on the dragon desk, glaring at the crowd. “Enough! Yue Yang was dispatched to Shandong by me personally. He has been in office less than two months, yet you already can’t wait to attack him. What exactly are your intentions?”

“Bad!”

Hearing Chongzhen’s anger, many officials were jolted awake. Only then did they realize their mistake. Their boss had always been a mule—pull and he won’t move, beat him and he moves backward. Pressing him like this would only trigger his contrarian streak. Now he probably wouldn’t punish Yue Yang at all.

Sure enough, Chongzhen’s voice rang out again: “You all talk of Confucius and Mencius, of morality and virtue. But what the Great Ming needs now is not empty words! The court needs silver, needs grain and military pay. The people need stability and livelihood. Can you provide these?”

Silence fell. These days, officials could recite moral essays at will, but when it came to actually getting things done… better not mention it. Otherwise, in another world, they wouldn’t have ruined such a vast empire.

Most fell silent. Only Zhong Can still wanted to speak, but before he could, a voice interrupted him.

“Report—! The Zhongyong Marquis, Grand Scholar of Dongyang Pavilion, Governor-General of Xuan–Da, Governor of Shandong, and Superintendent of Shandong Grain Transport, Yue Yang, has sent a six-hundred-li urgent dispatch!”

“Oh!” Chongzhen’s heart jumped. Had Yue Yang caused more trouble? He quickly said, “Bring the memorial up at once.”

The eunuch replied cautiously, “Your Majesty, the messenger claims he bears the Marquis’s orders and wishes to present the memorial in person.”

“Oh? Let him in.”

Soon, a military officer in a fifth-rank uniform strode in. Reaching the hall, he knelt on one knee and proclaimed loudly, “Your servant Wu Qing, staff officer of the Xuan–Da Army, kowes to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!”

“Rise.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Wu Qing stood, drew a memorial from his robe, and held it aloft. A eunuch checked it, passed it to Wang Chengen, and finally placed it on the dragon desk.

Chongzhen opened it eagerly, scanning rapidly. Halfway through, his face changed dramatically, and he cried out in shock.

“What?! Is this true?”

The exclamation was loud enough for everyone to hear. All eyes turned to him. Chongzhen’s face flushed an unnatural red, and his body swayed on the throne. Wang Chengen hurried to support him.

The ministers cried out together, “Your Majesty! Please take care of your dragon body!”

Zhou Tingru turned and shouted at Wu Qing, “What on earth did that memorial say, to shock His Majesty so?”

Wu Qing merely glanced sideways at him and ignored him. This attitude enraged Zhou Tingru further, and he was about to call for guards when Chongzhen steadied himself, shook the memorial, and demanded, “Minister Wu, is what’s written here true?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty—it is absolutely true. The silver has already departed from Jinan. The Marquis has dispatched five thousand troops to escort it to the capital. It should arrive within half a month!”

“Good—excellent!” Chongzhen burst into laughter, leaping to his feet, his entire being radiating excitement, face flushed with joy.

“Minister Yue truly is a pillar of the state!”

Laughing, Chongzhen descended from the throne and handed the memorial to Yang Sichang. “Look—everyone, look! If even half of you were as loyal to the court and to me as Yue Yang, I wouldn’t be working myself to the bone!”

Curiosity surged. What on earth had Yue Yang written to cause such a reaction?

Yang Sichang read it. Halfway through, his expression shifted through several colors, mirroring Chongzhen’s earlier shock. He looked both pleased and annoyed, utterly incredulous—like a man gone mad.

Unable to contain himself, Zhou Tingru asked, “Your Majesty, what does the Zhongyong Marquis’s memorial say?”

Chongzhen said, “Minister Yang, read it aloud to everyone.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Yang Sichang composed himself, cast a strange look at the crowd, and began:

“Your servant Yue Yang, Zhongyong Marquis, bows his head.
At the start of the year, I was ordered to take office in Shandong. Upon arrival, I reorganized the military, drove out bandits, and began levying commercial taxes, achieving some results. However, many unlawful merchants and gentry fiercely opposed the new policies, even gathering to resist taxes and beating tax officials to death or injury. To punish such violent acts, I had no choice but to mobilize garrisons from Shanxi and Liaodong to suppress them. We arrested 117 gentry and merchant households, totaling over six thousand people, and confiscated gold and silver amounting to 10.26 million taels. I dare not dispose of these funds on my own authority, and have therefore dispatched five thousand troops to escort them to the capital for Your Majesty’s use. From this, I believe Shandong’s merchants possess ample wealth… thus levying commercial taxes is entirely justified, and maritime trade should be expanded…”

When the reading ended, the entire hall was stunned. Over ten million taels—nearly two years’ worth of Ming revenue!

“Your Majesty!”

Zhong Can’s aged voice rang out as he stepped forward, trembling. “Is this true?”

Chongzhen frowned. “How could it be false? Yue Yang wrote clearly—it was confiscated from violent tax resisters, and troops are already escorting it to the capital. When it arrives, you may see for yourself.”

Zhong Can slowly unclenched his fists, sighed, and returned to his place without another word.

The hall fell silent. Those who had clamored to punish Yue Yang were now mute. In the end, nothing spoke louder than ten million taels of real silver.

But not everyone stayed quiet. Soon, Cheng Guoxiang stepped out. “Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue is in dire straits. Since the Zhongyong Marquis has sent such a sum, I propose we immediately escort it to the capital treasury for state use!”

Instantly, countless eyes turned toward him. Many thought, Damn, this old fox moved fast—already eyeing the silver.

Even more shocking, Yang Sichang followed: “Your Majesty, Minister Cheng speaks truly. The treasury is empty. This silver solves our urgent crisis and should be deposited in the Ministry of Revenue for unified allocation.”

The crowd stared at him as if at a celestial being. Unbelievable—silent when Yue Yang was attacked, first to jump out when silver appears. No wonder he’s Grand Secretary!

Even Chongzhen’s face twitched. The silver hadn’t even arrived, and people were already scrambling to grab it. Shameless!

He deeply disliked sending it to the Ministry of Revenue. Once there, it would no longer be his. The starving ministries would devour it whole. Yet he had no good way to stop them.

In the Ming system, finances were clearly divided. Treasury silver belonged to the state; the emperor needed cabinet approval to use it. Hence the Inner Treasury—essentially the imperial family’s private coffers. But when the treasury was empty and funds were needed, ministers would demand the emperor dip into his own coffers, invoking “family and state as one.” Thus the imperial reserves dwindled, until Chongzhen even had eunuchs sell palace antiques. An emperor reduced to this—truly unprecedented.

Just as Chongzhen fretted, Wu Qing spoke: “Gentlemen, these funds were sent by our Marquis. Shouldn’t you ask him before deciding how to use them?”

The crowd froze. He had a point.

Cheng Guoxiang stroked his beard. “You’re a staff officer of the Xuan–Da Army, yes? But since the silver is coming to the capital, shouldn’t it be deposited in the treasury?”

“Who said anything about depositing it?” Wu Qing replied coolly. “I heard outside that many ministers urged His Majesty to arrest and punish our Marquis. By that logic, this silver is ‘dirty’—so it shouldn’t enter the treasury and stain your noble eyes.”

“You—!”

Cheng Guoxiang nearly choked with rage. “Then how should it be handled?”

Wu Qing said coldly, “Before I left, the Marquis anticipated many impeachments. Therefore, he instructed that the silver be sent to the Inner Treasury, for His Majesty to decide its use.”

This kid really knows his stuff!

Chongzhen was so moved he could’ve hugged him. Too perceptive!

The officials, however, felt like they’d swallowed a heap of dung. Yue Yang was infuriating—even in Shandong, he still managed to disgust them. They couldn’t refute him. They had just accused him of exploiting the people, and now wanted his silver for the treasury. Shameless though they were, they couldn’t justify it in public. Yet watching over ten million taels slip into the emperor’s hands was unbearable.

In the end, Chongzhen decided: three million taels would go to the Ministry of Revenue; the rest to the Inner Treasury.

Thus, before Yue Yang’s silver even reached the capital, it had already been divided up.