Answer:
One characteristic of the Ming Dinasty, which started with the accession to the throne of China by the Hongwu Emperor, was the evolution that took place in order to ensure political stability and total loyalty to the Emperor. As such, when the Hongwu Emperor became ruler, he literally ended all previous political bureacracy, including eliminating the Chancellor position, the Six Ministries, the Three Departments and the Censorate. These would not begin to be re-instituted until much later. For a good period, the Emperor himself assumed control of all these power positions and he established a secret police that helped to ensure that no one would reach such power in Court, as to endanger the dynasty, or the emperor himself.
In successive years, after the Hongwu Emperor, the heirs who took over started to re-institute the Secretariat, and the Emperors decided to de-centralize power by giving civilians more control of their rural regions, rather than the military, all loyal to the Emperor. In this way, the Ming ensured that there wasn´t one bigger power.
There were three ways in which the Ming Emperors managed to maintain bureacracy from overruling them: establishment of loyal eunuchs and court ladies as the closest advisers to the Emperor, selection of advisors first through recommendation and later through a system of tests, and third, tying all offices, including the re-established Secretariat and Censorate, to the control and power of the Emperor, instead of a Chancellor, or any other intermediary.
