810 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
6th Day (Kyŏngsul)
The hundred [i.e., all the] officials were assembled at their assigned places
in the palace courtyard, but the king did not attend the morning audience.
Instead, he left for Hŭngch’ŏn Monastery to inspect the Hall of Sacred
Buddhist Relics, which was under construction.The planet Venus appeared in broad daylight.7th Day (Sinhae)
Ch’oe Paegan, Pu Kae, and others, residents of Ch’ŏnghaedo,^24 and their
seven households, were relocated to Kwaju to serve as guards of the royal
tomb Chŏngnŭng. Each of the households was provided with 2 kyŏl of land to
settle down. However, Paegan, Kae, and others repeatedly committed wrong-
doings. So they were banished to the coastal region to serve in the army.The Board of Punishments made a report to the king: “A man named Ch’a
Sŭngdo, together with his gang, physically assaulted people on the road and
stole their goods because of his anger over the delay of the court decision
related to his slave lawsuit. However, there is no law to punish him.” The
king said, “Forming a gang, assaulting people, and seizing property during
broad daylight is called robbery. What do you mean by saying that we have
no law to punish such a crime? The law officials should be chosen among
the scholars who are both learned and experienced in world affairs. How
can you be so ignorant? If he who is in charge of penalties submits the cases
based upon the relevant provisions of the law to request punishment, I will
be the judge and decide whether or not to forgive the suspect. What happens
inside the borders of the state is more or less like family affairs. How can I
discriminate one against another? I like nothing but fairness and dislike
what is prejudiced.10th Day (Kabin)
A man named Kim Song, who had been taken away to Liaodong as a cap-
tive, escaped to return home and made the following report: As Mongol
armies advanced toward Liaodong, the prince of Yan led his troops and- A district in the Northeast Region or South Hamgyŏng Province.