Book III 267
14th Day (Muo)
Japanese marauders raided Kyodong.^77
16th Day (Kyŏngsin)
The king bestowed a robe upon each of the five members of the Wulangha
tribe.^78
17th Day (Sinyu)
Following the royal instruction of the king, the Privy Council appointed
Gong Fuda, a Mongol from Wuliangha, as senior myriarch of Tongliang
and other places. Conferring a letter of appointment, the king said, “I want
you to be fair and diligent in whatever you do. Be careful not to grow slack.”
18th Day (Imsul)
When Cho Pak, surveillance commissioner of Yanggwang Province came
to visit the king, the king asked, “According to a report, the drought in the
three provinces of Yanggwang, Chŏlla, and Kyŏngsang is so severe that the
crop this year is already ruined. Is that true?” Cho Pak replied, “I don’t
know much about Chŏlla and Kyŏngsang Provinces, but it kept raining in
Yanggwang Province and the rice plants are growing thick and tall.” The
king was very pleased.
Cho Pak requested that he be allowed to retire from his job: “Having
made little contribution, I presumptuously became one of the first- class
merit subjects. I started out as a commoner and rose to the highest position
and have always felt uneasy about it. Moreover, since you entrusted me with
a province, I feel like I became a mosquito carrying a mountain on its back.
How can I bear this burden? Furthermore, there have been many people
assigned to work in the local provinces who were often slandered and
defamed. So I beseech you to release me from my work so that I can spend
my remaining life in peace.” The king said, “Why do you say this? I always
make it a rule to determine the truth whenever an official is either praised
- A district near Kanghwa Island in Right Kyŏnggi Province.
- A Jurchen tribe who resided in the Northwest Region or North P’yŏngan Province.
