364 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
After the king withheld his permission, the officials of the Censorate and
the Board of Punishments refused to report to work. The king summoned
Wang Kang and others and said, “You all have made contributions to the
state, and for that reason I excluded your names from the list of exiles, refus-
ing to listen to the Censorate, which has tried to impeach you until now.
However, since the officials of the Censorate all refuse to come to work, I
have little choice but to have you leave to your places of exile. I will not
forget your contributions to the state.” Then he bestowed wine upon them.
Consequently, the king had Wang Kang exiled to Kongju, Wang Kyŏk to
Anbyŏn, Wang Sŭngbo to Yŏnghŭng, and Wang Sŭnggwi to Happ’o. Then
the officials of the Censorate and the Board of Punishments finally returned
to their posts.The provincial military commander of Kyŏngsang Province made a report:
“Navy Brigade Commander (sugun manho) Ch’a Chun captured two
Japanese ships.” The king bestowed wine upon Ch’a Chun by sending a
royal messenger.[Policy Advisor] Yi Kŏi and others conducted interrogations into Yi
Hŭngmu, Wang Hwa, Kim Kahaeng, Sŏngnŭng, and others. Yi Hŭngmu
made the following deposition: “In the ninth month of the past Imsin year
(1392), I met Prince Namp’yŏng [Wang Hwa] at Ŭich’ang, his place of exile.
Prince Namp’yŏng first asked me to foretell of Prince Kongyang if it were
possible to reinstate him as the king, and next, of his fortune. So I read his
fortune and said, ‘This is a fortune in which the king and his subject have a
joyous reunion and the virtues of Heaven and Earth are fully combined. If
you reach the age of forty- seven to forty- eight, a great fortune will befall
you, and after the age of fifty, you will become a general commanding an
army and certainly a chief (taein) of the people later.’^31 Then an unknown
monk sitting next to us asked me about his fortune, and I replied, ‘You have
a fortune to become royal preceptor.’ ”
Wang Hwa made the following deposition: “In the ninth month of the last
Imsin year, when I was about to be transferred from Ŭich’ang, my place of
exile, to Kŏje Island, my uncle, monk Sŏngnŭng, and I asked Hŭngmu to
read our fortune. He said to me, ‘Your fortune is extremely good. If you go
to the island, you will certainly leave it after three years, and when you- The word taein literally means “a great man,” but it implies a king here.