What is the Old Nine Gates?

There are many sayings about the Old Nine Gates. One is that nine prefects came from ancient official positions. In the Qing dynasty, it was also called the step army to command the yamen, mainly to protect the safety of the imperial city. Similar to the current commander of the southern defense or the armed police force in Beijing. The nine gates are correcting Yang, Chongwen, Xuanwu, Chaoyang, Dongzhi, Fucheng, Xizhi, Desheng and Anding.

And what is said in the novel, I think, is more like what ordinary people say: first-class actor, second-rate pusher, third-rate tortoise, fourth-rate tortoise, five shaved heads, six back rubs, seven prostitutes, eight thieves and nine soot blowers. Correspondingly, there are Shangjiuliu: first-class Buddha (Sakyamuni), second-rate immortal (Yuan Zun, Tai Shang Lao Jun, Eight Immortals, etc. ), the third-rate emperor (the real dragon emperor, the feudal emperor), the fourth-rate official (the big and small official), the fifth-rate cooking pot (the winery, the largest manufacturer in feudal times), the sixth-rate pawnshop, the seventh merchant (the merchant) and the eighth guest (the manor owner). This statement seems to be influenced by Taoist pastoral taste. There are also nine streams: first-class practitioners (juries), second-class doctors (doctors, doctors, pharmacists), third-rate geomantic omen (Mr. Feng Shui, Yin and Yang teachers), fourth-class batch (batch of eight characters, fortune telling), fifth-class painters (calligraphy and painting), sixth-class fortune tellers (fortune telling), seven monks (monks) and eight. Some people who mark the literati also say that the first-class witches are: first-class witches (wizards who draw symbols in the south and recite spells to exorcise ghosts), second-class prostitutes (prostitutes), third-rate immortals (witches possessed by immortals who treat diseases in the form of dancing), fourth-rate bangzi (watchmen), five-shaved hairdressers (barbers who walk around with their shoulders), and six-blown (prostitutes).