The Last Embroidered Uniform Guard: Jiao Town

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was a secret service organization under the direct command of the emperor during the Ming dynasty. Its duties included spying, arrests, interrogation, and even assassination.

In the final years of the Ming, Wei Zhongxian and his eunuch faction seized power, wielding absolute influence and persecuting anyone who opposed them. When the Chongzhen Emperor ascended the throne, Wei Zhongxian fell from power.

Though the government briefly showed signs of reform, the turmoil across the empire was far from over. First, the previous dynasty had left behind a mountain of problems, and rebellions were breaking out across the land. Second, the Jurchens beyond the passes had risen in revolt and were growing stronger. Third, factions within the palace harbored their own ambitions, scheming for power as undercurrents swirled beneath the surface.

The Chongzhen Emperor ordered Cao Huachun of the Directorate of Ceremonial to handle the case against Wei Zhongxian. To track down the surviving members of Wei's faction, Cao Huachun and Tian Huairen of the Eastern Depot selected thirteen capable men from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and formed a special squad known as the Thirteen Auspicious Ones. Their fates were changed forever.

After receiving their orders in the palace, the Thirteen Auspicious Ones scattered in every direction to hunt down Wei's remaining followers. At first, they captured and executed several men as soon as they received reliable intelligence. But some had fled far away and gone deep into hiding. Years of pursuit yielded no results. The Ming dynasty, however, had reached the end of its days. In the third month of the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen reign, Li Zicheng's rebel army breached Beijing. The Chongzhen Emperor hanged himself on Coal Hill, and the Ming fell. The Qing army later entered the passes and brought the land under its control. As the dynasties changed, peace gradually returned to the realm. Yet some of the Thirteen Auspicious Ones from years past still wandered the jianghu.