Book V 363
his wife and children, and his way of life is not much different from the one
he used to have, and this was only thanks to the generosity you showed him.
Notwithstanding, he ungratefully harbored thoughts of treason and caused
trouble, and it is an unalterable law that such a person gets punished by
Heaven. If you are reluctant to touch the root in removing evils, the con-
spiracies of cunning and ambitious people will never stop arising.
“The reason Pak Chungjil and Kim Kahaeng sought the fortune- teller
was that Prince Kongyang is still alive. The other Wang clan members either
live in the capital or outside the capital, and they do not feel restricted in
their activities, which is a real problem. Furthermore, Wang Kang and Wang
Kyŏk are both outstanding in making schemes, and Wang Sŭngbo and Wang
Sŭnggwi are faster and more daring than others. Therefore, they are capable
of using their talents to cause trouble. These people always seeking an
opportunity, while harboring wicked intentions in their hearts. They have
only failed to have an opportunity so far, even though they have never aban-
doned their goal.
“Though Emperor Guangwu was an illegitimate son of the Liu clan in
Nanyang, and Liu Bei was a distant descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan
[Zhongshan Wang], the whole world responded to their calls once they
rolled up their sleeves and cried out for action. You should keep this prece-
dent in mind. [King] T’aejo of the previous dynasty admonished his descen-
dants not to employ the people from Paekche. If his descendants had
followed his admonitions, how could Your Majesty have become what you
are?^30 This is the reason we dare to offer our advice to Your Majesty. Your
Majesty must have heard that many kings in ancient times courted disaster
by failing to make up their minds quickly.
“Therefore, we urge you to decide according to what is right, keeping in
mind that the will of Heaven is never fixed and the hearts of the people are
hard to win indefinitely. We want you to order the Censorate and law offi-
cials to bring Kongayng and his two sons to justice immediately and expel
Wang Kang, Wang Kyŏk, Wang Sŭngbo, and Wang Sŭnggwi and their their
brothers and nephews, as well as the Wang clan members presently on
Kanghwa Island, to the remote islands so that the people across the country
may not worry or become suspicious any longer.”
- This refers to the fact that the clan seat of T’aejo of Chosŏn was Chŏnju, a major town
in the old Paekche region.
