366 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
to give them a break after I ascended the throne, but the construction of the
walls was indispensable because they are the fences of the state as well as
protection for the people against ferocious enemies. Hence, starting from
last fall, people were recruited from various provinces, including Kyŏnggi,
Yanggwang, Sŏhae, and Kyoju- Kangnŭng, to construct the walls of the
capital. Some of the workers happened to die in accidents while carrying
timber and stones, or of disease, and I feel extremely sorry about them. The
local governments that they belong to, following the instruction from the Privy
Council, should exempt their families from corveé service for the next three
years and report the names of the concerned individuals to me.”The Censorate and the Board of Punishments jointly submitted a memorial
to the king: “Since Pak Wi, assistant grand councilor of the Chancellery,
sent a man to Yi Hŭngmu to ask about the fortunes [of the Wang clan], he
committed a treason that cannot be forgiven.” The king said, “What you are
saying is understandable, but I cannot help cherishing the talent of this man.
How can I suddenly punish him based on words that are hard to believe?”The king ordered the Privy Council to send official dispatches to all the
provincial governors across the country and have them report their evalua-
tion on the job performance of local magistrates since the Imin year.^33Yi Kŏi and others interrogated Wang Kŏ, Pak Chungjil, Yi Hŭngmu, and
others once again. Wang Kŏ said, “In the ninth month of the last Imsin year
(1392), when I was in Ŭich’ang, the place of my exile, Wang Hwa said to me,
‘I let Yi Hŭngmu read my fortune and he told me that I was destined to
defend the borders commanding the troops.’ ”
Pak Chungjil said, “In the third month last year, I met Kim Kahaeng at
the guesthouse of Tongnae and showed him the fortune of the firstborn of
the Lord of Kansŏng [King Kongyang], which I kept in my pocket, and I
also told him that Pak Wi was trying to install his son on the throne.”
Yi Hŭngmu said, “In the fifth month last year, Royal Secretary Yi Ch’ŏm
first asked me to read his fortune to see if it was good or bad. He also said,
‘Every fortune- teller used to say that the Lord of Kansŏng had good luck. Is
it then possible to reinstate him on the throne?’ I told him that his fortune- The Imin year here probably refers to 1362, the 11th year of King Kongmin’s reign.