Do companies pay princelings large sums of money without getting anything in return? I believe it's usually understood that they get something in return, even i

Do companies pay princelings large sums of money without getting anything in return? I believe it's usually understood that they get something in return, even if that something is just not getting into trouble (as is the way in China, if you want no road blocks in your enterprise, you better hire some high official's kid).