This was determined by the historical environment at that time, and the salaries of court officials themselves were simply not enough to support their families, let alone maintain a luxurious life.

In the feudal era of China, intellectuals were basically in a dominant position. Whether in peacetime or in troubled times, their material life will not be greatly affected, at least there is no problem with eating and wearing warm clothes.

During the period of Zhu Yuanzhang, officials were not allowed to accept bribes, and offenders' heads fell to the ground. According to the normal truth, everyone will be afraid of death, which will certainly effectively alleviate corruption.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang's salary to officials is too low, which is simply not enough to support the family, let alone a good life. For officials, greed is also death, so is corruption. Why not just live a luxurious life for a few days?

As the saying goes, when a person becomes a big official, his relatives and friends will live better. However, in the period of Zhu Yuanzhang, this phenomenon was impossible, and relatives and friends might not only benefit, but also be implicated.

There may still be hope for success in raising honesty with high salary, but it is estimated that Zhu Yuanzhang's low salary anti-corruption will not work in any era.