Book XIV 797“1. The number of nonessential government employees should be reduced.
The purpose of treating public officials honorably with a generous stipend
is to encourage them. However, the government officials who receive sti-
pends have proliferated to the point where their number cannot but be
reduced. The temporary or sinecure positions of each rank as well as the
positions of the princess- ordinary, lady of the house, and court lady should
all be eliminated. Besides, since much of the stipend land is now allocated
to the provinces, transportation [of the produce from the land] became much
harder. If such problems are all eliminated, loyal and trustworthy officials
can be provided with more generous stipends, and the people’s burden will
be also eased.”
The king ordered the Privy Council to abolish the Directorate for the
Palace Construction and transfer its affairs to the Directorate for Palace
Buildings, releasing the artisans both in the capital and the provinces to go
home. He also ordered that the payment of stipends to sinecure officials as
well as princesses- in- ordinary, ladies of the house, and palace women
(yŏgwan) be suspended, except princesses- in- ordinary who are the wives or
mothers of dynasty- founding merit subjects.
Then the king sent Yi Munhwa, chief royal secretary, to ask the Privy
Council: “What you officials said was quite reasonable, but it was not really
straightforward, deliberately avoiding naming things or persons. Why is
that?” The king also said, “The reason I have failed to attend the morning
audience recently is that I was unable to get up early due to my poor health.
Henceforth, I will make sure I attend the morning audiences, even if I have
to do so while sick.”
12th Day (Chŏnghae)
Sitting in the open pavilion, the king wrote a reply to each memorial sub-
mitted by the Chancellery and the Security Council. He sometimes admitted
his own mistakes or reproached his subjects, and he wrote his comments at
the end of the memorials and sent them to the Privy Council. Cho Chun, left
chancellor, and others said, “The royal palace and the gates of the city walls
are now almost completed. Please allow us to work on them for only ten
more days and then stop working.” The king denied the request.13th Day (Muja)
There was heavy rain.