The Ming Dynasty chose a different path than the previous dynasties. Instead of having more than one Department, they only had one: the Secretariat. The Secretariat was in charge of the Six Ministries. These ministries were under the control of a Minister and were looked over by a Director. These two officials were under the direct control of the Emperor. In the year 1430, the Censorate was re-established and institutionalized. These people were important bureaucrats and they had direct access to the Emperor.
The Ming Dynasty had Grand Secretaries in order to assist the Emperor in any way he needed, mainly paperwork. The Secretariat was one of coordination between the six ministries. The six ministries were as follows: Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Public Works. |