The Embroidered Uniform Guard (traditional Chinese: 錦衣衞; simplified Chinese: 锦衣卫; pinyin: Jǐnyīwèi; lit. 'brocade-clothing guard') was the imperial secret police that served the emperors of the Ming dynasty in China. [1] [2] The guard was founded by the Hongwu Emperor in 1368 to serve as his personal bodyguards.In 1369 it became an imperial military body.