Think your salary is low?Hai Rui, the Ming Dynasty’s most honest official, could barely afford to eat—despite serving the emperor.This episode explores how China’s imperial salary system trapped officials in poverty, why corruption became normalized, and what it says about institutional failure across dynasties.❣️If You Like My Video 👇🏻：💌https://buymeacoffee.com/sldingThis episode examines the roots of low official salaries in ancient China, using the Ming Dynasty and Hai Rui as key case studies. We explore how Zhu Yuanzhang’s “ancestral system” froze wages, why officials had to cover administrative costs from their own pockets, and how this led to a culture of “unwritten rules” and corruption.You'll also discover:- Why early Ming prices misled the emperor- How hidden perks blurred the line between honesty and survival- What Qing reforms fixed—and what they couldn’tIf this surprised you, drop a comment. What would you do as a starving official?

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