This article focuses on a selection of early Ming legal cases as presented in the 1390 publication Dan’e lu (A Record of Condemning Evil), an educational transformation text written by the first Ming Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang (1368-1398). This rare book has yet to receive an extended analysis and for this reason the article opens with a discussion of the Dan’e lu’s publication history and argues that in its reflection of how the early Ming judiciary system operated this work is of historical value. In light of the preface, postface, as well as the legal cases against officials in the section entitled “Corrupt Acts of the Unrepentant,” the remaining sections of this article investigate various serious offenses committed by officials from the military and judicial administrations post-1385. Zhu Yuanzhang deliberately overlooked prison mismanagement and other corrupt official practices because he saw it as a means to deter the general population from breaking the law. By investigating the complicated interactions between Zhu and his central officials in the judicial arena as outlined in the Dan’e lu’s cases, this article argues that these legal cases allowed Zhu to gauge social reaction to the cruel punishments implemented in the 1385 Great Announcement (Dagao), while at the same time he enumerated societal wrong-doing, and reflected on the fact that his injunctions had little effect on corrupt officials, thus revealing the limitations of his attempt to reform society through heavy-handed legal measures.
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