Officials were divided into three types.
One type was the workers who handled various tasks for the government offices; these were known as menial workers and belonged to the lowest stratum. They could also be called helpers.
Some officials with slightly more power oversaw more matters and might employ twenty or thirty helpers and menial workers. These people did not receive a salary and relied on assisting with government affairs to scrape together some extra benefits.
A popular ancient saying was, "When the government office opens its doors, come in if you have rice but not if you have no money."
Ordinary people, without strong backgrounds, were essentially left to be exploited.
Those officials all had salaries.
The salaries of the officials were partly disbursed by the higher authorities in the form of silver money and partly borne by the branches of the government offices themselves.
