116 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
to him and rejecting petty people, he will facilitate his estrangement from
good people and become close to the petty people. Unless he shows trusts
[keeps his word] in accepting remonstrance and rejecting slander, sincere
advice will sometimes sound offensive and slanderous words can be
accepted. Unless he shows trust [keeps his word] in refraining from indo-
lence and dissoluteness or practicing frugality and simplicity, he will be
unable to eventually overcome the deep-seated desires and succumb to the
temptation of wicked and flattering words. Unless he shows trust [keeps his
word] in keeping away from eunuchs and removing Buddhist monks and
nuns, those who were kept away will come back and those who were elimi-
nated can revive. Unless he shows trust [keeps his word] in restricting
access to the royal palace, the people who try to enter the gate using their
connections to those who work inside will never disappear.
“We beseech Your Majesty to firmly keep your word like iron or stone and
execute the decrees you proclaimed without fail, just like the four seasons
that never fail to perform their mission. If you do not neglect the heavenly
mandate from above and betray the aspiration of your subjects and people
from down below who raised you as their sovereign and thereby opened up
the million years of peace and prosperity, it will be extremely fortunate.”
The king replied, “Rejecting eunuchs and eliminating Buddhist priests
and nuns cannot be done immediately because we are in the early stages of
the new dynasty. As for the remaining proposals, however, I will have them
all implemented.26th Day (Ŭlsa)
The Office of the Inspector-General submitted a memorial: “When Assistant
Chancellor Kim Chu served as inspector-general in the previous dynasty
[Koryŏ], he strongly argued that those including Yi Saek, U Hyŏnbo should
be punished for their offenses. However, he changed his words later and
said that they were innocent when the meeting was actually held to discuss
the matter. He also accused Lord of Ponghwa Chŏng Tojŏn of causing
trouble by submitting a memorial that he found to be inappropriate and
repeatedly insisted that Tojŏn be punished. Since his way of following the
current trend^27 is so extreme, we request that you end his appointment and
banish him to a remote region.” In response, the king only ordered Chu to
be removed from his office.- Prevailing opinions among the officials at the court.