A Passion for the Ming Dynasty

In the seventh year of Hongwu, Li Cai, the top scholar in the civil service examinations and Left Censor-in-Chief, submitted a memorial on government policy titled "The Civil Service Examination System: A Blight on the Nation and Its People." Furious, the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang immediately drove Li Cai from the court. Later, after hearing Li Cai argue that the emperor's "Three Great National Policies are deeply entrenched and will ultimately harm the Great Ming's realm and state," he flew into a rage. But after reconsidering, he found some merit in the argument. With an imperial edict, he banished Li Cai to Deng County to serve as its magistrate. There, Li Cai established a county administration unlike any other in the Great Ming.