After the Ming abolished the chancellor, memorials to the throne went to the Grand Secretaries. They drafted a proposed reply on a slip of paper and attached it to the cover of the memorial. This was called piaoni (票拟), “drafting on a slip.” The emperor then wrote his decision on the memorial in red ink. This was called pihong (批红), “approving in red.”
If the emperor agreed, the memorial went out to be carried out. If he did not, it went back to the cabinet for a new draft. From the Xuande reign on, the red brush passed to the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial.