Book V 391*
[The king] commanded the central and local governments to search out and
behead the Wang clan members who remain alive.
The government raised the status of Samgi^80 from district to county.
21st Day (Kyŏngin)
The government stopped the construction of the Royal Ancestral Shrine.^8122nd Day (Sinmyo)
The Board of Rites made the rules for military officials, which were needed
for when they addressed each other, starting from supreme general at the
top down to captain and lieutenant. After the Privy Council presented them
to the king, the king gave his approval.Chŏng Tojŏn, deputy chief director of the State Finance Commission spoke
to the king: “In the ancient times of the Chengzhou era,^82 people were loyal
and generous. Nevertheless, when King Wu of Zhou fell gravely ill, the
Duke of Zhou told the people that he did not want his fortune read but
instead wanted to die on behalf of King Wu. He acted out of fear the people
might grow agitated with the founding of a new dynasty. Since Your Majesty
does not attend to affairs of state, officials and the people may suspect that
you have a serious health problem due to chronic illness. So we beg you to
be present at the main hall early in the morning and call in many generals
and ministers to discuss affairs of state together.” Finding the request sen-
sible, the king granted it.
- As Samgi was the birthplace of royal preceptor Chach’o, the government, not too long
ago, made it a district, installing supervising administrator. This time, it again elevated its
status from district to county. - Presumably, the government’s sudden decision to stop the construction of the Royal
Ancestral Shrine was related to the ongoing discussion of moving the nation’s capital from
Kaesŏng to Hanyang. - “Chengzhou era” normally refers to the times when the capital of Zhou moved to
Luoyang and the nation was in its prime. However, in the context of the above passage, it
appears to indicate the early Zhou dynasty, immediately after its establishment.