178 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
“Last time, you had the descendants of the Koryŏ royal family live on
Kanghwa and Kŏje Islands after dividing them into two groups; however,
some of them still live mixed with the people on lands. If they are reckless
enough to raise disturbances under the pretext of restoring the royal Wang
clan, this present situation can be worrisome for the security of the nation.
We request you to relocate all of them to the two islands and prevent poten-
tial problems from occurring in the future.
“1. To live a life of frugality is essential for the ruler who wants to govern
well. Emperor Yao covered his roof with grass and made the steps with
earth. Emperor Yu of the Xia Dynasty ate coarse foods and wore shabby
clothes. If the rulers of the world emulate the exemplary ways of those
two emperors, Yao and Yu, why should you worry that the state is not gov-
erned well?
“We request that you order the offices and agencies responsible for all
state granaries to calculate exactly how much money and grain are expended
annually and at the same time how much of this they can save during the
same period. Since gold and silver are not produced in our country, you
should not allow those resources to be wasted recklessly.
“The duties of eunuchs (chunggwan) are to guard the gates and clean the
palace. However, history shows well the seriousness of the troubles they
have made. Some of them, good at flattery, mislead the king or confuse his
judgment so that they eventually bring ruin to the country, and cases like
these are too many to record.
“Since Your Majesty was endowed with courage and wisdom, talented in
ordering the world and also learned in history, you will surely know well
how to control the eunuchs. Unless you establish the laws to regulate their
abuses from the beginning, unexpected troubles may occur in the future. So
we would like to ask you to select those who are honest and diligent among
the eunuchs and let them guard the gates or clean the palace, after dividing
them into two groups that each consists of fifteen people. As for the old and
cunning ones, prohibit them from attending you by driving them all out of
the palace precincts.
“1. To keep exemplary persons (kunja) close and avoid petty persons
(soin) is the king’s great virtue. If you have exemplary persons close to you,
you can always hear good and honest words and lofty moral views.
Furthermore, influenced by them, you will become wiser day by day. On
the other hand, if you associate with petty men, you will become suscep-
tible to base and sugary requests for personal favor or certain unexpected,