Book XI 669The king ordered the Chancellery and the Security Council to each produce
plans to stabilize the lives of the people and made the Privy Council review
them and submit the final version.23rd Day (Ŭlsa)
The former officials of the Two Departments who were below rank 2 were
ordered to always reside in the capital and protect the royal house. The
reporting deadline for the holders of senior rank 2 was the first day of the
sixth month, and the deadline for the holders of junior rank 2, the first day
of the eighth month, respectively.When Im Tŭkchang, envoy from Thailand, and five members of his entou-
rage arrived, escaping from captivity in Japan, the king bestowed one set of
robes each on four people, including Tŭkchang and two of his attendants.24th Day (Pyŏngo)
Rakaon, the chief of the [surrendered] Japanese arrived in the capital along
with his twelve followers.25th (Chŏngmi)
The king dispatched Yi Kŏin, director of the State Finance Commission, to
Hoeam Monastery and Yu Ku, right director of the State Finance Commis-
sion, to Kwangam Monastery to conduct ceremonies to pray for the elimi-
nation of disasters related to inauspicious celestial portents, and Ch’oe Yung,
assistant grand councilor- without- portfolio of the Chancellery, to the Sogyŏk
Hall to offer a sacrifice exclusively to Mars.
The censorial officials submitted a memorial to the king:
“1. Since you built the Royal Ancestral Shrine as soon as you established
the nation’s capital and offered sacrifices and freshly harvested produce to
the spirits of your royal ancestors at the appropriate time, you fully demon-
strated sincerity in displaying gratitude toward one’s ancestors (pobon). As
for the four seasonal sacrifices, however, you always send high officials to
officiate on your behalf. Henceforth, except for the occasional sacrifices, we
request that Your Majesty personally attend the four major seasonal sacri-
fices and display your sincerity in remembering and appreciating your roots
by offering sacrifices.