In all the dynasties of China, there have been bad deeds of corrupt officials. Often, the prosperity of a dynasty lies in the honesty of officials, and the downfall of a dynasty is often accompanied by corrupt officials who pervert the law and oppress the people. According to our inherent thinking, the image of the clean official in those stories and novels is a clean and upright with two sleeves, which makes people awe-inspired.
However, not all the Qing officials in history are as poor as in the story. It should be known that in ancient times, officials were the executors of the emperor's imperial power, enjoying a high social status and different rights from ordinary people. Even the most incorruptible Bao Gong in everyone's impression is actually not as poor as everyone imagines.
The officials of the Song Dynasty were the richest
Looking at the history of the salaries of officials in successive dynasties in China, we will find that the officials of each dynasty vary widely, and the difference between the highest and the lowest can be as much as ten times. If you want to say which dynasty has the most official salaries, it must be the Song Dynasty. Officials in the Song Dynasty not only had salaries, but also exorbitantly high welfare benefits. If the officials of the Han Dynasty knew that there was a Song, their eyes would be shining with envy.
The officials of the Song Dynasty had many ranks, known as the Nine Pins and Eighteen Grades. The highest monthly salary of a pint of the current dynasty can get 400 yuan. The officials and masters of the Han Dynasty could also get one-tenth of the salary of the officials of the Song Dynasty. Officials in the Qing Dynasty were highly paid, which was at least 50% less than that of officials in the Song Dynasty.
Not only that, the officials of the Song Dynasty also had additional benefits such as rice and white noodles, which can be said to be quite moist for small days. The more money the officials have, the more they spend on studying moral conduct and studying for the country and the people. Wang Anshi was the first person to change the law in the Song Dynasty, and he advocated that there should be no difference between rich and poor in the world.
Wang Anshi's ideal utopia failed to become a reality, and he fell out with the emperor. However, no matter how fierce the commotion, he Wang Anshi is not committing a disturbance, everyone just disagrees with the concept. No matter how angry the emperor was, he could not felony Wang Anshi, so he could only force Wang Anshi to resign and go home to retire.
Do you think that after returning home, Old Master Wang will have to eat and sleep in the open? Definitely not. It is said that Wang Anshi's salary when he was on the job was about 100,000 yuan a month, and the rice flour oil was distributed. Even the cloth and cotton used to make clothes were sent seasonally.
With years of accumulation, Wang Anshi's old age must be extremely happy, drinking tea and appreciating flowers every day. And even if he resigns and goes home, he can still enjoy a generous pension. This treatment is five times higher than that of the Ming Dynasty's prime minister.
Bao Qingtian is rich and powerful
Back to the much-anticipated Bao Zheng, Bao Qingtian. Bao Lao's official residence is also a little worse than that of the current prime minister. Moreover, he also had many official titles, and once one person held three official positions at the same time. This salary plus benefits, combined together, can definitely be regarded as arrogance. During the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, Bao Zheng's annual salary could reach 20,000 yuan, and each state under his jurisdiction paid 15,000 yuan in taxes a year.
Bao Qingtian's salary is really rich and invincible. Such a rich official, of course, has the courage to be just right. Therefore, the Song Dynasty can be regarded as a model of high salary and low salary. However, Bao Lao is also worthy of his salary, a lifetime of just right, for the country and the people have indeed done a lot of practical things, the most cruel thing is that he actually impeached the prime minister.
People are too upright and easy to offend people, when the three envoys of the dynasty are a fat difference, the old Bao will keep an eye on it, and the two consecutive three envoys will call Bao Zheng to impeach. Emperor Renzong had no choice, so he asked Bao Zheng to work part-time as the Third Division's envoy. As a result, Ouyang Xiu said that Bao Zheng was even coveting the Three Divisions to make this work. Bao Zheng listened, and directly hid at home and did not go to work, so as not to let others gossip.
Bao Gong wanted to strike, but Renzong did not do it, and forced him to return to work. As soon as Bao Gong took office, sure enough, no one was gossiping. The main reason is that we are not short of money, so we don't care about the value that little right can create. Later, the imperial court made Bao Gong a ceremonial attendant, and he directly pushed him.
Poor acid of other dynasties
If someone is well treated, someone is treated poorly. Song Dynasty officials were rich and oily, and humble officials were busy in vain. You must know that eating official meals in the Northern Wei Dynasty was not paid. This has been a rare occurrence in all dynasties and dynasties. This is mainly because the Northern Wei Dynasty was a nomadic regime, and if it wanted materials, it basically relied on fighting and looting.
This is also a national custom. But when the war is chaotic, it is okay, and when the war is settled, who else to rob? Those Northern Wei officials were all seriously corrupt and made a miasma up and down the imperial court. It was not until Emperor Xiaowen ascended the throne that he changed this situation and began to pay salaries to officials.
Excluding the dynasties that did not pay wages, the most critical of the dynasties that paid salaries was the Ming Dynasty, and the wages of the Ming Dynasty were really not wide enough. Compared with the tens of thousands of dollars of the Song Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty only had 900 stones for a large number of people, and only 70 stones for ordinary civil servants. This salary is not enough to support the family, but fortunately, in addition to the salary, the Ming Dynasty still gave some treatment to the officials.
For example, in addition to subsidizing rice noodles, there is a little cash, and then a point, and there is tax exemption, these treatments add up, the Officials of the Ming Dynasty are definitely a privileged class. On the surface, one by one, they cried poorly, and behind their backs, they were all having a smooth life. Therefore, the officials in ancient times were not really poor, and if the officials were too poor to eat, how could the imperial court maintain long-term peace and stability?
brief summary:
Throughout the dynasties, the standard of living of officials has indeed been uneven. Some people are rich in oil, some people have no oil or water at all, and if they want to get rich, they can only sell their strength to grab it. Of course, because of the different backgrounds of the times and the different development conditions of each dynasty, it is normal for the salaries of officials to be different, but in the final analysis, some clues can be seen.
If a dynasty wants to rule for a long time, the officials must not be too poor. If you are poor, you will be chaotic, and if you are chaotic, you will be unstable. Unfortunately, many incumbents worry that officials are too rich and prone to rebellion. Therefore, it is always necessary to change the law and let those officials take out money to donate to the state, or they are stingy, forcing officials to find a way out for themselves.
The price of self-determination is high levels of corruption. At the end of almost every dynasty, it can be described as the corruption of officials and the lack of livelihood of the people. These emperors naturally also know it, but small evils cannot be cured, and they accumulate into major troubles, and it is too late to think about curing them. Therefore, many of the last emperors were not pedantic and useless, and they were really powerless to return to heaven.
Looking at history can be clear. In today's society, the intensity of cracking down on corruption is both large and continuous, and we can always see tigers and small flies being punished in waves, so as to eliminate unhealthy trends and create a healthy and positive atmosphere for society. Therefore, if a figure like Bao Qingtian can be everywhere in today's society, our era is the best era.