Book VIII 5337th Day (Chŏngyu)
The king appointed Supreme General No Sŏkchu concurrently as vice min-
ister of the Office of Personnel Appointments and Royal Seals. Though he
was not an official who passed the civil service examination, his appoint-
ment was made by special order of the king.The king ordered Chŏng Tojŏn, director of the State Finance Commission,
to give names to various halls on the grounds of the new royal palace. Hav-
ing completed his task, Tojŏn submitted his account of the names to the king:
“The new palace is called Kyŏngbokkung [Palace of Resplendent Bless-
ings]; the king’s main quarters (yŏnch’im), Kangnyŏngjŏn [Hall of Health
and Serenity]; the small quarters on the east (soch’im), Yŏngsaengjŏn [Hall
of Prolonged Life]; the other small quarters on the west, Kyŏngsŏngjŏn
[Hall of Felicitous Perfection]; the council hall immediately south of
Kangnyŏngjŏn, Sajŏngjŏn [Hall of Contemplative Government]; the [main
throne] hall further south, Kŭnjŏngjŏn [Hall of Diligent Government]; the
east tower, Yungmunnu [Tower of Eminent Civil Officials]; the west tower,
Yungmuru [Tower of Eminent Martial Officials]; the gate of Kŭnjŏngjŏn,
Kŭnjŏngmun [Gate of Diligent Government]; and the front [south] gate
(omun), Chŏngmun [Gate of Uprightness].
“Your servant finds the royal palace to be a place where the Lord of Men
listens to (proposals on) state affairs and the place where the people every-
where look up to. Since the officials and the people came together to build
it, it should appear dignified and majestic, and the beauty of its name should
match its appearance, moving those who see it. Since the Han and Tang
dynasties, palace names have sometimes been preserved and sometimes
changed, but the intention to display the dignity and majesty and generate a
sense of awe has remained constant.
“Three years after Your Majesty ascended the throne, the nation’s capital
was established in Hanyang. The Royal Ancestral Shrine was built first,
followed by the royal palace. On the Ŭlmi day [fifth day] of the following
year (1395), Your Majesty personally performed the sacrificial ritual to
honor the former kings and queens at the new Royal Ancestral Shrine, in
full ceremonial dress, including the royal dragon robe and mortarboard
crown with strings of hanging beads on the front and back, and also held a
banquet for officials in the new palace. These rites were intended to increase
the blessings from the spirits and confer benefits upon posterity.