748 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
to punish him according to law, withdrawing his appointment, Your Majesty
only allowed that he be suspended. In our opinion, however, no crimes com-
mitted by the subjects are more serious than deceiving the sovereign that they
serve. Chaejung was originally a member of the lowly class but was fortunate
enough to rise to the fourth rank thanks solely to your royal favor. Despite
enjoying unlimited honor and blessings, he dared to steal the stuff, even when
you were admonished by Heaven to conduct yourself more carefully, and
thereby tarnished the sincerity of Your Majesty to do the best as a ruler.
“Though the profit he gained [through his stealing] is no more than a bolt
of fabric, his crime of deceiving his sovereign as well as Heaven cannot be
forgiven lightly. Hence, we sincerely implore that you withdraw his appoint-
ment and punish him according to law, as the Office of the Inspector-General
urged you to, so that he can serve as a warning for posterity. Then have him
serve his term of physical labor, a disciplinary measure stipulated by the
law.” The king said, “Is is necessary to chastise the offense of a petty eunuch
so seriously?”A meteor came out of the east of the Heavenly Market Enclosure (Ch’ŏnsidan)^12
and entered the west of the same. Its length was about two feet.The king ordered Lord Sunnyŏng [Yi Chi],^13 inner capital township mili-
tary commander (naesang chŏlchesa), and Yi Ch’ŏnu, assistant director of
the Security Council, and others to each lead out armored soldiers and
supervise the construction of the palace walls.25th Day (Imin)
The king inspected the palace walls.The king accepted the daughter of Wŏn Sang, commissioner for presenta-
tion of the Office for Audience Ceremonies (hammun injinsa), as his royal
concubine.26th Day (Kyemyo)
The king inspected the palace walls.- Its equivalent in the West is Hercules.
- T’aejo’s younger cousin of paternal side.