Editing Hongwu Emperor (section)

===Reforms of the central government===
The structure of the civil administration, organized according to the Yuan model, partially distanced the emperor from direct exercise of power and did not satisfy him. In the early 1380s, he proceeded with a radical reorganization of the administrative apparatus, with the primary goal of centralization and increasing the ruler's personal power.{{sfnp|Yakobson|2000|pp=528–546}}

In 1380, Grand Chancellor Hu Weiyong was imprisoned and executed on suspicion of participating in a conspiracy against the emperor. As a result, his position and entire office ([[Zhongshu Sheng|Central Secretariat]]) were abolished.{{sfnp|Ebrey|1999|pp=192–193}}{{sfnp|Fairbank|Goldman|2006|p=130}} Furthermore, the emperor forbade its restoration permanently.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1982|p=105}} Six ministries were then placed directly under the emperor's control.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1982|p=105}} The Censorate was also temporarily abolished, and the unitary Chief Military Commission governing the armed forces was divided into five Chief Military Commissions, each controlling a portion of the troops in the capital and a fifth of the regions.{{sfnp|Yakobson|2000|pp=528–546}}{{sfnp|Hucker|1958|p=28}}{{sfnp|Chang|2007|p=15}} Additionally, twelve guards of the Imperial Guard in the capital were directly subordinate to the emperor. One of these guards, known as the [[Embroidered Uniform Guard]], acted as the secret police. This resulted in the fragmentation of state authority and the government, which immediately eliminated the possibility of a coup d'état but weakened the government's long-term ability to act.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1982|p=105}} 

After the major purge of 1380, smaller processes followed, targeting several ministers and deputy ministers, as well as the emperor's nephew Li Wenzhong and hundreds of less prominent individuals.{{sfnp|Langlois|1988|pp=149–151}} The executions sparked a wave of protests from officials, who pointed to the demoralization of the state apparatus and the waste of human resources. The emperor did not punish the critics, but he also did not change his policies.{{sfnp|Langlois|1988|pp=150, 155–156}}