Jinyi*

This book examines the creation and evolution of Jinyiwei within the historical background of the Ming Dynasty. Taking the development of Jinyiwei as the longitude and the replacement of emperors in the Ming Dynasty as the weft, it outlines the relationship between the demands for imperial power and the development trajectory of Jinyiwei in each period. Jinyiwei was founded during the Ming Dynasty. Its main task was to maintain etiquette and discipline in order to meet Zhu Yuanzhang's urgent need for "correct discipline", "legislation of etiquette", "name naming" and "clear orders" at the beginning of the founding of the country. As the situation developed, Jin Yiwei was gradually given various new functions: managing prisons, conducting diplomatic missions, arresting traitors and robbers, supervising courtiers, etc. The needs of imperial power also strongly affected the development of East Factory and West Factory. Imperial power, Jinyiwei, and East-West factories were intertwined in the course of history. In the late Ming Dynasty, factory guards even began to be involved in party disputes among courtiers, becoming an important force in them.