Book III 259
enfeoffing you with Majŏn County is like when the Zhou dynasty enfeoffed
Weizi with the State of Song.^61 The problem was with your elder brother
[King] Kongyang. He was too avaricious, and all this happened.” Shedding
tears, Wang U expressed his gratitude to the king.
6th Day (Kyŏngjin)
The king dispatched Pak Wŏn, former commissioner of the Security
Council, and Yu Yun, former deputy director of the Security Council, to the
prefectures of Prince of Liao and Prince of Ning,^62 respectively, in order to
establish friendly relations.
The king ordered the officials to inspect the conditions of prison inmates.
The king dispatched No Sang, section chief of the Board of Punishments, to
Kyŏngsang Province; No Sŏkchu, section chief of the Board of Works, to
Yanggwang Province; and Yun Ŭi, assistant director of the Directorate for
the Shipbuilding and Transportation, to Chŏlla Province. They were tasked
with inspecting the military readiness of troops and their training as well
as horses.
The king entertained Royal Preceptor Ch’ach’o at the Royal Palace and
bestowed colorful silk as a gift.
8th Day (Imo)
Crows swarmed over Yŏnbok Monastery, cawing loudly.
11th Day (Ŭlyu)
As the king traveled to the hot spring in P’yŏngju, royal guards, Censorate
officials, and historians followed him.
- The Zhou King Cheng, through the regent (his uncle, the Duke of Zhou Dan), enfeoffed
Weizi, the brother of Zhou Xin, the last king of the Shang dynasty, with the territory that
became the State of Song. Weizi, unlike his brother, was humble and wise enough to under-
stand the changes in political situations at the time as well as the limits of his power. Thus, he
was able to gain the trust of the leaders of the newly established Zhou dynasty and preserve his
life and career. The State of Song and the royal Shang descendants maintained rites to the dead
Shang kings and lasted until 286 b c. (See Records of the Grand Historian.)
- Zhu Quan (1378–1448), the 17th son of Ming Hongwu Emperor.
