Zheng Haihan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zheng Haihan (郑海瀚)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Great Yu Dynasty; Imperial Guard; Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau
Occupation/Role	Imperial Guard Battalion Commander; First Thousand-Household Commander of the Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau; Third of the Thirteen Imperial Guards 2 54
Cultivation	Grandmaster; had already held the realm for five years by the Demonic Cult investigation 41
Status	Active; personally leads an elite Imperial Guard force toward the Northern Wastes 545
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Background / History

Zheng Haihan was Bai Lizheng's superior for more than a decade. When Bai Lizheng died while suppressing bandits, Zheng granted his son Bai Yan the vacant Brigade Leader post, recognizing the elder Bai's diligence and service to the people 2.

As a Battalion Commander, Zheng noticed Bai Yan's extraordinary potential early. He rewarded Bai Yan's bandit-slaying merit, gave him opportunities to earn promotion, and investigated his abrupt rise in strength without treating his secrets as a crime. Zheng's sole concern was whether Bai Yan served the Demonic Cult; otherwise, he believed Bai Yan's hidden inheritance was his own fortune to keep 4 10 17.

Zheng became Bai Yan's principal patron within the Imperial Guard. He deliberately cultivated Bai Yan as a dependable counterweight to Wang Qingquan and the increasingly powerful Wang family, whose corruption and influence Zheng believed endangered Great Yu 37.

Appearance

Despite being fifty-three years old, Zheng Haihan appears to be about forty, a result of disciplined living and profound internal energy 2.

• Wears a crimson Flying Fish Robe patterned with clouds and four-clawed dragons 2.
• Has dark hair and beard 2.
• Projects an imposing, authoritative presence even when calm 2 54.
• His expression is usually controlled and unreadable, but Demonic Cult infiltration and threats to Great Yu can provoke intense killing intent 49.

Personality

Zheng Haihan is fiercely loyal to Great Yu and Emperor Shunying. The Demonic Cult's penetration of court offices and the Imperial Guard enrages him because he sees it as a threat capable of destroying the dynasty 49. He is decisive toward traitors, willing to grant Bai Yan authority to execute implicated officers rather than risk allowing infiltrators to escape 49.

He is strategic, patient, and politically aware. He understands that the Wang family cannot be confronted openly until the Imperial Guard has accumulated sufficient strength, so he invests in talented, trustworthy subordinates instead 37. He can also exploit political opportunities, as shown when he used the Blood Dragon Ginseng incident to weaken Wang Qingquan's position 110.

Behind his formal bearing, Zheng is protective and candid with those he trusts. He repeatedly shields Bai Yan from official scrutiny, worries over his safety, and gradually accepts him as a younger brother rather than merely a subordinate 54 148 243.

Abilities & Skills

Grandmaster Martial Arts

Zheng is an established Grandmaster whose combat strength places him far above ordinary Imperial Guard commanders and Master-level martial artists 41 54.

• Defeated Demonic Cult Heavenly Gang Hall Master Su Leng Huan—a Master—with a single palm strike, shattering her full-power frost sword energy and leaving her unable to stand 44.
• Fought Old Monster Hei during the palace crisis, exploiting the opponent's lapse in concentration to severely wound him and destroy his dantian 182.
• Can release a pressure strong enough to warn and restrain hostile officials without needing to fight 241.
• His reputation alone is sufficient to make Demonic Cult members flee or abandon plans when his presence is exposed 41 43.

Lightness Skill

Zheng possesses a high-level movement technique suited to rapid pursuit and urban combat.

• Leaves fading afterimages while changing position, allowing him to intercept a fleeing Master in moments 44.
• Can cover seventy to eighty feet in a single leap and repeat the movement five or six times in one breath 169.
• Kept pace with Bai Yan while racing toward the imperial palace, though he acknowledged Bai Yan's movement skill was exceptional 170.

Command Authority and Intelligence Network

As the Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau's First Thousand-Household Commander and Third Imperial Guard, Zheng commands substantial legal and operational authority 49 54.

• Issued Bai Yan his personal token, granting authority to execute Imperial Guard personnel below Battalion Commander rank during the purge of Demonic Cult infiltrators 49.
• Personally handles sensitive intelligence involving court corruption, the royal family, and the Demonic Cult 49 380.
• Maintains informants as far away as the northern desert, communicating through eagle messengers 366.
• Mobilized the Northern and Southern Commandery Investigation Bureaus, royal consecrates, the Six Doors, and the Eastern Depot for the Northern Wastes campaign 545.

Relationships

• Bai Yan — Former subordinate and trusted younger brother. Zheng promoted, protected, and repeatedly entrusted Bai with high-risk assignments; he refuses to condemn him without evidence despite suspicions surrounding the Wang family deaths 10 54 243.
• Bai Lizheng — Former long-serving subordinate. Zheng had intended to promote him before his death while suppressing bandits 2.
• Qiu Qianlong — Imperial Guard Commander and Zheng's superior factional ally; Zheng is identified as Qiu's man within the Imperial Guard 19.
• Wei Qinie — Second Imperial Guard and fellow senior commander. Wei suspects Bai Yan's connection to the Wang family tragedies, while Zheng defends Bai Yan in the absence of proof 243.
• Wang Qingquan — Political adversary. Zheng considers the Grand Chancellor's family a corrupt danger to Great Yu and works to limit its power 37 148.
• Emperor Shunying — Sovereign to whom Zheng is reputedly fiercely loyal. Zheng personally brings grave intelligence, including Demonic Cult infiltration and the Third Prince's involvement in military-arms smuggling, to the Emperor 49 472.
• Wu Tailai — Trusted subordinate and right-hand man whose death is a significant loss to Zheng 294.
• Meng Feixiong — Fellow Thousand-Household Commander. Zheng overruled Meng's attempt to arrest Bai Yan during the purge of infiltrators and later dispatched him to the northern frontier 54 256.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Bai Yan's Entry into the Imperial Guard

Zheng appoints Bai Yan to succeed his late father as Brigade Leader, then rewards his early achievements and steers him toward advancement through merit 2 4 10.

Conflict with the Wang Family

Recognizing the Wang family's expanding influence, Zheng chooses to nurture Bai Yan as a reliable Imperial Guard talent outside their control. He warns Bai Yan about Wang Zheng's retaliation while assigning him investigations that can earn enough merit to secure his position 25 37.

Demonic Cult Investigation

Zheng oversees the operation against Yiping Villa, personally captures Su Leng Huan, and uses intelligence extracted from her to begin a purge of Demonic Cult agents embedded in the government and Imperial Guard 43 44 49. He supports Bai Yan after the latter kills and arrests implicated officers under his secret authorization 52 54.

Blood Dragon Ginseng Escort

Zheng entrusts Bai Yan with escorting the three-hundred-year-old Blood Dragon Ginseng to the Emperor, a mission tied directly to Emperor Shunying's desire for longevity 87. After Bai Yan returns safely, Zheng turns the attempted robbery into political leverage against Wang Qingquan 109 110.

Palace Crisis and Demonic Cult Rebellion

When Prince Xingtai's rebellion threatens the Emperor, Zheng rushes toward the palace with Bai Yan, battles Master-level interceptors, and fights Old Monster Hei amid the wider conflict 169 170 182.

Northern Frontier and Military Arms Cases

Zheng manages the escalating northern-frontier rebellion, initially dispatching other commanders before sending Bai Yan as reinforcement after Meng Feixiong's death and Wu Tailai's severe injury 256 264. He later directs the investigation into stolen military equipment and is shocked when evidence implicates the Third Prince Yin Junyue 374 380.

Northern Wastes Campaign

Zheng personally leads elite Imperial Guard forces and allied imperial institutions to the Northern Wastes to quell rebellion and purge traitors, demanding victory and threatening execution for disobedience 545.

Trivia

• Zheng's personal Imperial Guard token bears a blood-red “Three,” denoting his rank as the Third Imperial Guard 49.
• Wang Zheng became so fearful of Bai Yan's survival that he speculated Bai Yan might be Zheng Haihan's illegitimate son 72.
• Zheng initially tried to persuade Bai Yan to be more restrained, but ultimately valued his directness and refusal to use “smiling treachery” 37.