Book IV 329“1. Many provinces have suffered poor crop yields this year due to severe
drought. Unless measures are taken to deal with it, people will face starva-
tion. Nevertheless, ignorant people spend their resources to sacrifice to
gods, paying little attention to the impending disaster. The magistrates of
districts and counties also spend a great deal of expense in entertaining
their guests. We request that spending money for serving wine should be
prohibited except when paying tribute to the king or offering sacrifices for
the state or entertaining Chinese envoys.” The king granted the request.The government renamed the Household Secretariat (Sŏbangsaek) as the
Household Service Bureau (Pongsŏguk).^89
29th Day (Kyŏngo)
The king dispatched Kim Chu to Mt. Kyeryong, the [prospective] site of the
new capital.12th Month
1st Day (Imsin)
The king played kyŏkku, a ball game on horseback, with Wang U, Lord
of Kwiŭi; Yu Mansu, assistant chancellor; and others, in a royal palace
courtyard.2nd Day (Kyeyu)
The West River^90 was flooded by high tides, causing damage to private
houses.
4th Day (Ŭlhae)
The king went out to inspect the old site of the Temple of Brilliant
Rectification, designated for building the Royal Ancestral Shrine, and chose
a construction supervisor.- Sŏbangsaek was an agency belonging to the royal quarters or the office for Palace
Administration (Aekchŏngsŏ), which supplied brushes, ink sticks, and other stationery items. - The tributary of the South Han River that runs through the heart of Seoul.