Fenghuangshui underground gate

If there is still great power to show the emperor the gate, it is nothing more than the position of "Nine Magistrates". Generally speaking, controlling the right of people in Beijing to enter Beijing can play a very important role in the battle for the crown prince. See Li Shimin's The Change of Xuanwu Gate for details. And this "Nine Magistrates" not only manages the imperial army in Kyoto, but also supervises and controls the Nine Magistrates in Kyoto, so the candidates for the Nine Magistrates must gain the trust of the Emperor.

Let's look at this first. All nine prefects manage these doors. First of all, the most important thing is Zhengyangmen, the gate through which the emperor enters and exits. This is exclusive to the royal family. Only the emperor and the royal relatives can enter and leave, and the ornaments on the door also show the authority of the royal family. So the control of this gate is very important. Nine magistrates must ensure the safety of the main entrance and even have the opportunity to face the emperor. Dongzhimen, the door that others walk through, is generally the door for ordinary traders to enter and leave the city.

The security of this gate is also very important. After all, the power to prevent spies and outsiders from entering the capital is given to the Nine Magistrates. There are Deshengmen and Andingmen. These two doors are used by the army to walk. One symbolizes a smooth expedition and the other symbolizes a triumphant return. The importance is self-evident.

There are also some doors for executing criminals and so on. In this way, the position of "Nine Magistrates" must first be held by someone trusted by the emperor, which directly leads to the difficulty in obtaining this position easily. Even with such great power, if a door is poorly managed, the emperor may come to you for punishment. Any door is very important for Kyoto, so the "Nine Magistrates" seems to be just a gatekeeper, but its role and importance can be imagined.