After ascending the throne, Emperor Yongzheng issued edicts banning Governors and Governor Generals accepting gifts from their subordinates, department expenses and discounting salaries. This eliminated the customary fees distribution system and the objectionable practices that had existed since the middle of the Kangxi reign. On the other hand, these changes created severe deficits that had to be met. For more than one year, the Yongzheng emperor and local officials investigated and discussed the problem through palace memorials eventually leading to the policy of “return of meltage fees to the public coffers.” This policy not only made up the deficits, but also provided funds for local public expenditure and additional salary to officials to “maintain honest.”