Book III 251Hearing the report, the king said, “The royal guardsmen should not be
arrested precipitously even if they have committed a serious crime.” He
summoned T’ak and asked if he had indeed interrogated Kŏm and the
others, and T’ak denied it in his reply. The king became indignant and
ordered T’ak to be imprisoned. He also sent Sŭngni into exile to Kosŏng^43
after ordering a beating of one hundred strokes with a paddle and levying
one hundred bolts of cloth as a penalty on Chŏn I, magistrate of Ch’unju.
6th Day (Sinhae)
The king pardoned Chŏng T’ak and let him return to his job.8th Day (Kyech’uk)
The people recruited for the construction of the new capital were released to
go home.9th Day (Kabin)
The king moved his quarters to Such’ang Palace.The king dispatched Assistant Chancellor Ch’oe Yŏngji^44 to the Ming
capital and expressed his gratitude to the emperor through his memorial,
which read:
“The grace of Your Imperial Majesty being deep as the vast ocean, and
your sacred precepts stern and kind, I feel deeply honored along with our
people. Respectfully, as the provisional ruler of a remote corner, I believe I
am fortunate to meet up with the enlightened age. Yet, as I am unable to
offer you any help, I have only looked up to you reflectively.
“Last time, when our envoy returned from the imperial court, I received
your special order to change the name of the country and report it to you in
the fastest time possible, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude with all of- A district in northern Kangwŏn Province.
- Ch’oe Yŏngji (1331–1403): a military official of late Koryŏ and early Chosŏn. In 1388,
he participated in the military campaign against Liaodong, China, and became a follower of
Yi Sŏnggye. Accordingly, he was appointed a minor merit subject when T’aejo ascended the
throne. He served at various posts, including vice grand councilor. He also served as magis-
trate of P’yŏngyang, and during his term, he supervised the construction of the fortress to
reinforce the defense of the northern region.