602 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
12th Day (Chŏngyu)
The king appointed Sin Yujŏng, chief minister of the Office of Guest Affairs
(yebin kyŏng), as special commissioner (kyŏngch’agwan) of Ch’ungch’ŏng,
Chŏlla, and Kyŏngsang Provinces to defend the region against Japa nese raids.Queen Hyŏn’s illness became critical, and the king paid a visit to Yi Tŭkbun’s
house [to see her].13th Day (Musul)
Queen Hyŏn passed away at night at Yi Tŭkbun’s house. The king grieved
and wailed for her, suspending the morning audiences and closing the mar-
kets for ten days.14th Day (Kihae)
Dressed in sackcloth with hemp belts, the crown prince and all officials
mourned the death of the queen and wrapped her body in a shroud. Then
they established four directorates and thirteen places [to pay condolences]
to carry out the funeral rites of the queen.The king ordered the Ministry of Rites to proclaim the mourning for the
queen and the procedures of the funeral rites, while moving her body to the
old palace^8 [for the visitors to pay condolences].The king stops the high- and low- ranking civil and military officials of local
provinces from paying condolences.15th Day (Kyŏngja)
The queen’s body was completely wrapped in a shroud. The crown prince
and the officials, all dressed in white sackcloth and caps, performed the
mourning rites at the place where her body was laid.- It is not clear where this old palace or kugung was located, but some suggest that it
could have been a state guesthouse of the Hanyang Magistracy.