 In 1380 Hongwu had the Chancellor Hu Weiyong executed upon suspicion of a conspiracy plot to overthrow him ; after that Hongwu abolished the Chancellery and assumed this role as chief executive and emperor , a precedent mostly followed throughout the Ming period . With a growing suspicion of his ministers and subjects , Hongwu established the Jinyiwei , a network of secret police drawn from his own palace guard . Some 100 @,@ 000 people were executed in a series of purges during his rule . 
