454 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
26th Day (Imsul)
The king ordered the letters of appointment withdrawn from those who got
promoted by skipping ranks and the horses issued to them collected in
accordance with their rank. Earlier, the government had set no limit on the
maximum number of honorary posts, so it had overissued letters of appoint-
ment. Hence, the Privy Council requested to have the governor of each
province investigate the facts and retrieve the horses.12th Month
3rd Day (Mujin)
Purifying himself for a night, the king had Chŏng Tojŏn, director of the
State Finance Commission, offer sacrifices to the deities of Heaven and
Earth, explaining the reason for starting the construction of the royal cap-
ital. The written prayer he recited was as follows:
“Your servant, the king of Chosŏn dares to announce to Heaven and
Earth with all sincerity, after purifying himself and leading his officials,
including Cho Chun, left chancellor; Kim Sahyŏng, right chancellor; and
Chŏng Tojŏn, director of the State Finance Commission:
“Prostrating myself before you, I acknowledge that all things are created
and grow because heaven covers and earth carries them. Following the laws
of nature, I desire to renew what is old and create a capital that extends in
all directions. Though lacking in virtue and ability, your servant humbly
believes that he was fortunate to win the favor of the hidden spirits and
powers that be. Thus, I lived in the times in which Koryŏ was about to col-
lapse and received the mandate to make a fresh start of the new Chosŏn
dynasty. However, always burdened with heavy responsibility and tor-
mented by anxieties, I have searched in vain for a way to accomplish the
mission that concerns the future of the nation. Then, an official in charge of
astronomy said, ‘Since the site of the present capital, Songdo, has run out of
strength and the land in the south below Mt. Hwasan^95 can satisfy the
requirements of geomancy, this is a good place to set up a new capital.’ So I
discussed the matter with my officials and reported the decision to the Royal- Mt. Samgak in Seoul.