Brocade Guard

Biodata

Organization

• Commander Wei Wuji leads the Brocade Guard and accepts Li Chen Zhou into its ranks on the Emperor's approval. Wei considers Li a useful but potentially disruptive recruit, while the Emperor intends to use him as a blade against entrenched corruption 11 13.
• Li Chen Zhou initially joins as a Squad Leader; his subsequent registration places him as the Second Banner Officer under the Third Thousand Household of the Northern Investigation Bureau 11 12.
• A Captain outranks Banner Officers. Zhang Qiang, a Fifth-Rank Mid-Stage martial artist, oversees Li Chen Zhou's initial unit; Liu Mo is identified as Li's Squad Leader 13.
• The organization includes the Northern Investigation Bureau, a Southern Investigation Bureau registration office, the Pacification Office, and an Imperial Prison 12 21.
• The Brocade Guard maintains an elite group called the Thirteen Protectors. The weakest guard stationed at the Imperial Prison is a Fourth-Rank Minor Grandmaster; Jin San and Ten-Finger Yama are named among this elite force 29 30 31.

Authority and Methods

• Brocade Guards invoke Taizu Emperor's law while on duty: obstructing their official business is punishable by decapitation and public display 14.
• They carry out armed searches and seizures, including the raid on the Chen Residence, where Li Chen Zhou ordered the premises surrounded and searched while threatening immediate consequences for resistance 18.
• The organization operates the Imperial Prison, where detainees are subjected to interrogation and criminal investigations. Li Chen Zhou orders Chen Chen and the brothel madam interrogated for confessions there 15.
• Guards also coordinate with other imperial bodies during major threats. During the Jianghu Rankings gathering, the Brocade Guard, Eastern Depot, Western Depot, Six Doors, and Five City Garrison Divisions jointly maintain order in the Capital City 34.
• Their reach makes them feared by Jianghu groups: the Four Fiends of Listening Rain Pavilion believe that the Brocade Guard, Eastern Depot, and Western Depot possess enough intelligence capability to destroy them if targeted 25.

Uniforms, Tokens, and Arms

• Flying Fish Uniform — Standard official attire issued to recruits; Li Chen Zhou receives one upon registration 12.
• Brocade Guard token — Identification token issued on enlistment. Tokens may be reused and can bear traces of prior service 12.
• Embroidered Spring Blade — The organization’s commonly carried saber, used by ordinary guards and elite members alike 14 31.
• Official weapons armory — New personnel may collect weapons from the armory, though Li Chen Zhou declines because he already possesses the Blood Demon Blade 12.
• Command tokens — Used by officers to direct deployments; Li Chen Zhou distributes them while assigning five hundred guards to simultaneous raids 43.

Known Personnel

• Wei Wuji — Commander; brings Li Chen Zhou to headquarters and oversees his entry into the organization 11 12.
• Li Chen Zhou — Recruit, Banner Officer, Centurion, Captain, and later commander of the Jiangnan Water Transport Authority; leads investigations, raids, arrests, and deployments 12 34 39 43.
• Zhang Qiang — Captain who initially tests Li Chen Zhou, later supports the investigation into the Hundred Flowers Brothel and leads its raid 13 17 19.
• Liu Mo — Li Chen Zhou's Squad Leader; assigns his unit's cases, including the Skinner, a family massacre, and Eight-Faced Buddha 13.
• Black Dog — One of Li Chen Zhou's subordinates; leads a detachment during the capital-wide corruption raids 13 43.
• White Cat — One of Li Chen Zhou's subordinates; handles outside contact, intelligence tasks, surveillance, and raid assignments 13 22 27 43.
• Bookworm — One of Li Chen Zhou's subordinates; provides legal guidance, assists with investigations, and accompanies arrests 13 14 27.
• Zhang Biao — Deputy Captain who assists in the investigation of the Hundred Flowers Brothel and warns of its links to Prince Rong's Estate 17.
• Jin San — One of the Thirteen Grand Guards; a Fourth-Rank expert who helps contain Illusion Zenith Sovereign during Jade Faced Fox's jailbreak 30 31.
• Ten-Finger Yama, Yan Shi — Tenth-ranked among the Thirteen Protectors; a poisoned-claw expert who forces Desire Zenith Sovereign to retreat 31.

Major Operations

Prince Rong Investigation

Li Chen Zhou's first major actions as a Brocade Guard target Zhao Yun Chuan, Prince Rong's son, after he obstructs an official arrest. Li executes seven armed men for obstructing duty, arrests Zhao, and refuses Prince Rong's demand for his release 14 16.

The ensuing investigation exposes the Hundred Flowers Brothel's hidden dungeon, imprisoned women, torture evidence, Joyful Union Sect remnants, and ledgers documenting human trafficking profits. Zhang Qiang leads the brothel raid while Li Chen Zhou pursues the connected Chen Residence 17.

At the Chen Residence, the Brocade Guard defeats resistance, uncovers incriminating evidence against Chen Cang and Prince Rong, and helps bring about Prince Rong's arrest and imprisonment 18 19.

Jade Faced Fox Case

Li Chen Zhou and a Brocade Guard team respond to reports that the Flower Plucking Thief Jade Faced Fox is targeting the Vice Minister of War's niece. They surround the Wang residence, identify the disguised intruder, and capture him after Li Chen Zhou prevents his escape 27 28.

Jade Faced Fox is delivered to Imperial Prison under instructions that he be castrated, triggering a Heavenly Desire Palace rescue attempt. Brocade Guard forces, alongside the Eastern Depot, pursue the escaping prisoner and fight the arriving Zenith Sovereigns 28 30 31.

Recruitment of the Earthly Fiends Four

Following their defeat and temporary imprisonment, the Four Fiends of Earthly Destruction agree to serve Li Chen Zhou. He later formally recruits them into the Brocade Guard, granting their killings imperial authorization 25 39.

Capital Corruption Raids

Li Chen Zhou leads five hundred guards in coordinated raids against relatives of high-ranking officials. Black Dog is sent to Rouge Alley to seize ledgers tied to a Ministry of Rites official, while White Cat targets a gambling house linked to a Ministry of Public Works official 43.

The operation uncovers widespread evidence of corruption and earns Li Chen Zhou the Emperor's approval, leading to his appointment as Commander of the Jiangnan Water Transport Authority 43.

Relationships

• Great Qian Emperor — The Brocade Guard serves the throne; the Emperor uses Li Chen Zhou’s placement within the organization to purge “parasites” from the dynasty 11 13.
• Eastern Depot — Allied imperial security institution; its agents cooperate with the Brocade Guard during the Jade Faced Fox jailbreak and wider capital security operations 30 34.
• Western Depot — Another imperial security institution that cooperates with the Brocade Guard during the Jianghu Rankings gathering 34.
• Six Doors — Cooperates in maintaining Capital City security during the martial-artist gathering; Jade Faced Fox is considered a criminal even Six Doors could not handle 27 34.
• Imperial Prison — Detention facility used by the Brocade Guard for imprisonment, interrogation, and high-security custody 15 28 29.
• Listening Rain Pavilion — Jianghu organization whose Four Fiends are first detained and later recruited into the Brocade Guard 25 39.
• Heavenly Desire Palace — A recurring adversary whose members target Brocade Guard custody operations and attempt to free Jade Faced Fox 28 30 31.