604 REFORM OF GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION
Heavenly Light [the Emperor's countenance], and then bow down, prostrate
thcmselves, and knock their heads on the ground, Even barbarians with braided
hair and clothes fastened on the left side [in barbarian style] were all given an
audience with Ii [courtesy] whencver the Emperor was on an imperial progress,
and he would personally order that they he given food to cat.Cho was impressed not only by the accessibility of the Ming emperor to all
his people, but his openness with foreigners, and he was sure that all his sub-
jects must have felt gratitude and loyalty toward him, By the same token, he
was just as sure that the Korean style of monarchical rule was lacking in these
august qualities. Even though the attendance of officials of the Six Ministries
was required at court audiences, there was no schedule of regular audiences for
capital officials to report on affairs of state. Provincial governors might have
had some access, but petty officials and clerks had no chance at all to meet the
king like their counterparts did in Ming China.
Your majesty attends court numerous times, but the high ministers of state
and advisers in the king's entourage rarely get a chance to see the royal garb.
Even when provincial governors and magistrates go [to their assignmentsj, I
have never heard that they receive sage [royalj instruction face-to-face. The
only thing that happens is that thc orders from the royal Secretariat [arc issued]
which say: "In accordance with the previous royal command, send them off,"
and that is all. Alas! How can these four words ... he sufficient to move the
minds of the people? If the court conducts its affairs in this way, therc is no need
to ask why it is that the officials in the outer district towns neglect the people's
husiness.On the other hand, Cho argued, royal behavior in Korea had not always been
that way because in the early fifteenth century King Sejong had diligently attended
daily court audiences to discuss current affairs of state and to meet with mag-
istrates about to leave the capital for their posts. In each case he would inform
them about natural disasters, famines, or problems that they would have to face
when they arrived. He also held daily meetings with the State Council to review
all reports from lower echelons of the bureaucracy, and his government was able
to manage all aH'airs without excessive bother to anyone. What Cho Hon rec-
ommended, therefore, was that King Sonjo model himself after the example of
the current Wan-Ii Emperor of the Ming dynasty and King Sejong.^43
Yu's reason for citing this material was to demonstrate that for at least a hun-
dred years Korean kings had locked themselves inside the palace, failed either
to communicate their intentions adequately or to listen to the reports and opin-
ions of the regular bureaucracy, lost contact with the officials on a personal basis,
and discontinued routine sessions for the conduct of daily business. What Yu
meant by rites in this instance was conformity to procedures of governance by