894 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
an envoy to express condolences (chinwi chinhyangsa), and the farewell
banquet ended at midnight. Then the king called Sahyŏng to his bed-
chamber and bestowed upon him wine as well as a fur- lined robe and offi-
cial headgear.29th Day (Sinmi)
The king performed the congratulatory ceremony for the ascension of the
Chinese emperor.The Privy Council urged the current officials who were above rank 6 to
recommend men of ability for the position of county or district magistrate.Yu Kwan and Kang Sadŏk, chief secretaries of the Board of Punishments,
No Sang, third minister, and other officials were dismissed. The Office of
the Inspector-General submitted a memorial:
“The royal decree that you last proclaimed says, ‘The Regulations of Six
Boards is instrumental for governance. Each of the six boards should study
the meaning of instituting offices and seek ways to fully accomplish its mis-
sion without negligence.’ However, the Board of Punishments, because of
the allegations made against a prisoner in relation to his original social
status, recklessly detained Yun Sim, an official of rank 3, without reporting
it to higher authorities, which is first among the many mistakes it made.
Only several days after the detainment, they made an ambiguous report in
order to withdraw the prisoner’s letter of appointment, which is the second
mistake they made. They interrogated Yun Sim at his private house and
took a deposition of him and made an ambiguous report to the authorities,
which is the third mistake they made. They detained the prisoner for three
months and released him for no reason, which is the fourth mistake they
made. They arrested the prisoner, whom they had already released, once
again for no reason, which is the fifth mistake they made. They imprisoned
criminals on the twenty- fifth day of this month, but they manipulated the
documents, changing the date of imprisonment to the third day of the tenth
month, which is the sixth mistake they made. The weather is now very cold,
but the prisoners whose cases are pending are forty- five, and the ruling on
crimes, including small ones, is delayed as long as seven to ten months,
which is the seventh mistake they made. We request that you withdraw their
letters of appointment and punish them according to law.” The king only