620 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
21st Day (Ŭlhae)
Chinese envoy Niu Niu and eunuch Wang Li returned to the Ming capital.
Yang Ch’ŏmsik, minister of taxation, accompanied them.The Privy Council set the maximum weight limit of baggage carried by a
post horse, making it not to exceed sixty catties, and required that one weigh
the baggage first before he travel by horse.23rd Day (Chŏngch’uk)
The king dispatched Kwŏn Hwa, right director of the State Finance Com-
mission, Chang Sajŏng, assistant discussant of the Security Council, and
Cho Iksu, chief magistrate of Hansŏng, to Kangwŏn Province to prepare for
a possible invasion of Japanese marauders.The king allowed Sŏl Changsu, director of the State Finance Commission,
to take Kyerim as his clan seat. He was originally a Uyghur.[As the national mourning for Queen Sindŏk expired], all officials put off
their mourning robes.Dispatching Sŏl Changsu, director of the State Finance Commission, and
Sin Yuhyŏn, assistant director of the Security Council, to the Ming capital,
the king expressed his gratitude to the Chinese emperor. His memorial to
the emperor was as follows:
“Your Servants Ha Yun and others returned from the Ming Capital and
brought me your sacred message, which was as follows: ‘It is my earnest
wish to establish a close relationship with you through marriage. The males
among my children are many, and females are few. I have heard that in your
country one aged between eight and sixteen is regarded as an adult. I wonder
if that is true, since many things in your country are rather incredible. Be
that as it may, I want to have a close relationship with you through marriage.
Give it a serious thought and do not cause any more trouble.’
“In addition, I also received another instruction from Your Majesty
through a letter from the Ministry of Rites, which said, ‘The envoys,
including Yu Ku, who were here last time did not belong to the group of
outstanding scholars, so I have already let them all return to their country.’