The bureaucracy of the Ming government still followed the Yuan system in the early Hongwu years.

On February 17, 1380 (the 11th day of the first month of the 13th year of Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty), Zhu Yuanzhang took the opportunity of eliminating Prime Minister Hu Weiyong to abolish the Central Book Department and the Prime Minister system, and divided the power of the Central Book Department and the Prime Minister to the six departments, which relatively improved the authority and status of the six departments. The six Shangshu were directly responsible to the emperor. The unity of prime minister power and monarch power strengthened the centralization of power by the Communist Party of China. In addition to the six departments, the central government also established a Duchaiyuan, which is responsible for supervision and reporting. Its chiefs are called the Left and Right Duchaiyuan, who are the emperor's "department of ears, ears, and discipline." The officials of the Duchaiyuan, the supervisory censor and the inspection censor, inspected and invited each on behalf of the emperor. They can "report big things and deal with small things." The central government has also established Dali Temple, which is responsible for reviewing judicial cases. Together with the Ministry of Punishment and the Judicial Court, it is collectively known as the "Three Legal Departments".