MLMD -Chapter 94 Doing Good Deeds Without Leaving a Name

“Summoning me?”

Yue Yang was quite surprised.

“Didn’t I already meet with Prefect Zheng this morning? Why would he call me again after such a short time? Could something have happened?”

Thinking this, Yue Yang didn’t dare delay. He quickly gathered over ten bodyguards and rushed to the prefecture office. But when he arrived at the study and saw Zheng Fa Kui, he realized the matter might be even more complicated than he thought—because besides Zheng, he also saw Tang Xueying, the secretary of Xu Dingchen.

Seeing Yue Yang, Tang Xueying stood up first and cupped his hands with a smile. “Lord Yue, I never imagined that when we met months ago, we were both mere scholars. And yet today, I must address you as ‘Lord’—truly, life is unpredictable.”

Faced with this playful tease from a close aide of the provincial governor, Yue Yang didn’t dare be arrogant. He forced a wry smile and cupped his hands. “Master Tang, please don’t mock me. If I could, I’d gladly switch places with you. Back then I didn’t understand, but now I realize that being an officer of integrity isn’t as easy as it looks.”

“Hahaha…” Tang Xueying laughed, pointing at Yue Yang. “Lord Yue, you dare to trample the integrity officer in front of Prefect Zheng—aren’t you afraid he’ll hold it against you?”

Yue Yang glanced at Zheng Fa Kui and saw that the prefect was merely holding a teacup, sipping his tea, seemingly unconcerned with their conversation. Yue Yang nodded. “Ah… in that case, it’d be best if I could resign my post and return home to farm!”

“You two…” Zheng Fa Kui set down his teacup and helplessly gestured at Yue Yang and Tang Xueying, scolding them with a laugh, “Not a single honest word comes out of your mouths!”

“Hehe…” Yue Yang and Tang Xueying laughed simultaneously, and for a moment the study was filled with a surprisingly warm and harmonious atmosphere.

After a while, Yue Yang stopped laughing, looked up at Tang Xueying, and said, “Master Tang, let’s get back to the point. You didn’t come all the way to Yingzhou just to drink my wedding wine in ten days, did you? I just don’t understand what matter could possibly require someone so close to the provincial governor to personally visit.”

Seeing Yue Yang get straight to the point, Tang Xueying no longer circled around. He paused, then turned to Zheng Fa Kui and quietly said, “Prefect Zheng, perhaps you should explain.”

“Ah… very well!” Zheng Fa Kui hesitated, then looked at Yue Yang. “Yue Officer of Integrity, some matters I should not speak of, but since His Majesty has issued an edict, we officials must comply. So I must inform you.”

“If you have something to say, please do not hesitate!” Seeing Zheng’s hesitation, Yue Yang grew a little impatient; this man was becoming increasingly frustrating.

Noticing Yue Yang’s impatience, Zheng Fa Kui sighed inwardly and said, “Yue Officer of Integrity, the court has just issued an edict requiring all regions to tally the salt certificates sold and make up for unpaid taxes. Therefore…”

As Zheng Fa Kui spoke, Yue Yang finally understood: it was about paying taxes. And the matter had a long backstory.

As previously mentioned, one of the greatest flaws of the Ming Dynasty was its tax system. The founding emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, likely due to deep childhood trauma, had a particular animosity toward merchants. He not only redefined the four social classes—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—but also placed heavy restrictions on the merchants at the bottom. In the 14th year of the Hongwu reign, he decreed:

“Farmers may wear silk, gauze, fine cloth; merchants may only wear silk and cloth. If a member of a farmer’s family is a merchant, they may not wear silk or gauze either.”

This decree was interesting. Zhu Yuanzhang intended to elevate the status of farmers, allowing them to wear luxurious fabrics, while restricting merchants to plain clothing. His intentions were good, but the law was absurdly contradictory. Wealthy merchants couldn’t wear fine silk, yet farmers who could wear it often lacked the means to afford it.

Even more absurd were the taxes: rates were ridiculously high—up to thirty-to-one. In modern terms, such rates would bankrupt any merchant instantly. Most Ming tax revenue relied heavily on state-controlled salt and iron sales. But by the late Ming, population growth had outpaced tax collection, leaving the government constantly in deficit.

In April of the sixth year of the Chongzhen reign, the emperor ordered a tally of unpaid salt taxes across the provinces, discovering arrears totaling over 3.2 million taels. Furious, the emperor issued an edict demanding that all unpaid salt taxes be submitted immediately, or officials would be personally held accountable.

The edict caused panic among local elites. Salt tax arrears had always been a taboo topic, tangled with countless vested interests. One wrong move could lead to catastrophe.

When Xu Dingchen, Governor of Shanxi, received the edict, his head ached with worry. Shanxi wasn’t a major salt province, but its annual salt tax was nearly 200,000 taels, with 160,000 taels still needing payment this year—a huge burden for Xu.

With no other option, Xu consulted Tang Xueying. After several days of discussion, they devised a plan that wasn’t really a plan: they would get local salt merchants to pay, using both persuasion and threats—“This mess is yours to fix. You created it; you clean it up, or no one survives.”

The merchants realized the seriousness. Some even pointed out that recently, a certain Yue Yang had taken over much of Shanxi’s salt trade. If anyone were to pay, it should be him.

At this stage, Xu simply sent Tang Xueying to persuade Yue Yang.

Now Yue Yang understood: these guys still owed the court a huge sum in salt taxes.

Thinking it over, Yue Yang asked, “Master Tang, how much am I supposed to pay?”

Tang Xueying held up one finger. “One hundred thousand taels of silver.”

“Damn!”

Even prepared mentally, Yue Yang felt a pang. “One hundred thousand taels… that’s over ten million yuan in today’s money. Do I even have that much?”

Seeing Yue Yang’s pained expression, Tang Xueying was concerned. Though outwardly calm, inside he was tense. Persuading merchants to pay felt like cutting flesh. Would Yue Yang be stingy like them?

Fortunately, Tang’s worries were unnecessary. Yue Yang nodded slowly. “Very well. I will pay. Tomorrow, I will send the silver to the prefecture office, ensuring that neither Master Xu nor Master Tang is troubled.”

“Good!” Tang Xueying finally relaxed. He had feared Yue Yang would find excuses to avoid payment. After all, Yue Yang now commanded thousands of elite troops; he couldn’t risk angering him.

“Lord Yue, truly a pillar of the Ming, loyal to the emperor and the court. Rest assured, I will persuade Master Xu to petition the court to recognize your merits!” Tang Xueying immediately showered Yue Yang with empty praise.

But Yue Yang’s generosity didn’t stop there. He continued, “I also know that Master Xu labors day and night for the country, with many expenses. Therefore, I will add an extra thirty thousand taels: twenty thousand to the governor’s office, and ten thousand to Prefect Zheng for office expenses. How does that sound?”

“Ah…”

Zheng Fa Kui was so shocked he knocked over his teacup.

“Lord Yue, you… you really mean this?” His voice trembled.

Yue Yang nodded seriously. “Of course. I never joke about silver.”

“G-Good!” Zheng Fa Kui exchanged a glance with Tang Xueying, visibly moved. “Lord Yue is a model of loyalty and integrity. I must petition the court to recognize your merits!”

“Don’t… don’t bother!” Yue Yang waved his hands frantically. “Prefect Zheng, I bear you no grudge! You don’t need to make things difficult for me!”

Realizing Yue Yang’s urgency, Zheng understood that petitioning the court would actually bring trouble rather than reward. Everyone else was scrambling to evade taxes, yet Yue Yang paid in full—and even contributed extra to the local office. That would be seen as flaunting wealth to the emperor and court officials—a disaster if made public. The right approach would have been to “do good deeds without leaving a name.”

Chastened, Zheng Fa Kui slapped his forehead and sheepishly said, “Ah… it seems I spoke rashly earlier. Lord Yue truly thinks ahead!”

Having unexpectedly gained a huge sum of silver, Zheng Fa Kui grew increasingly fond of Yue Yang. This officer not only managed wealth wisely but also had a generous spirit—worthy of friendship.

Seeing the satisfied expressions on Zheng and Tang, Yue Yang nodded inwardly. No wonder people say throughout history that using silver to grease the wheels of affairs is the most effective approach. Today, he had witnessed it firsthand.