General Introduction (Ch’ongsŏ) 73was called “Restoration Merit Subject” (Chunghŭng kongsin); his parents
and wife were granted titles of nobility; his descendants were exempted
from having to take the civil service examinations; his direct descendants
were promoted by four ranks; and his nephews and nieces were promoted
by three ranks if they had no sons. Furthermore, the titles of his descen-
dants on the official record were supposed to be written as “the so-and-so
generation descendants of the restoration merit subject,” and the privilege
of pardon [when convicted of a crime] will be granted to all of his descen-
dants permanently. In addition, he will be granted seven functionaries
(kusa) and ten private soldiers (chinbaep’aryŏng),^145 with the privilege of
direct appointment (ipsa).
In the first month of the second year (1390) of King Kongyang, the king
established the Royal Lectures (kyŏngyŏn) and appointed T’aejo its director.
He also made T’aejo commander of the armies of eight provinces, and T’aejo
established a command headquarters, ordered his troops to guard it in shifts,
and permitted the Quartermaster Bureau (Kunjagam) to pay their salaries.
In the third month, T’aejo resigns due to illness.
In the fourth month, King Kongyang sent a eunuch to inquire after
T’aejo’s health and require him to return to the court. He issued a royal
decree commending the merit subject’s [T’aejo’s] great services to the
country, bestowed a horse raised in the royal stable, along with 50 taels of
white gold, 5 p’ il each of fine silk and regular myŏngju silk, and a golden
belt, and held a banquet in the palace in his honor. The royal decree the king
issued was as follows:
“Ah! The state needs an outstanding talent in order to deal with the
national crisis, and the one who renders an everlasting service to the state is
entitled to receive unlimited rewards. Our grand preceptor [taesa; Pae
Hyŏn’gyŏng] assisted T’aejo [Wang Kŏn] to achieve the unification of the
three kingdoms, and it has been almost five hundred years since he was
enthroned in the Royal Shrine (t’aesil) of T’aejo.
“Previously, Yi Inim secretly persuaded Hyŏllŭng [King Kongmin] to
build the Royal Ancestral Shrine and became chancellor. However, he
abused his power so that the king had to bear the burden of complaints,
which eventually led to his death in the Kabin year (1374), and the king
passed away without an heir to succeed him. Inim schemed his way into
- It refers to private soldiers provided by the government to royalties, merit subjects, and
high officials.