Book XI 679king. Then they said, “This is a state affair that is supposed to be kept
secret. If His Majesty [King T’aejo] asks you where you gained the informa-
tion, how will you answer?” His Majesty [Prince Chŏngan] said, “I will
take the responsibility.” So they all headed to the palace immediately.
When they requested an audience with the king through eunuch Cho Sun,
the latter asked, “This is supposed to be a secret. How did you learn about
it?” His Majesty [Prince Chŏngan] replied, “Carrying out punishment and
putting an official to death is a serious affair of state. How can the people
outside not to know it?”
Sun went in and spoke to the king. At first, the king was upset and said,
“Do you people believe that Chaan is innocent?” However, a little later, the
king gave orders to the Privy Council: “I intend to reduce Chaan’s penalty
as much as possible. Make haste to find the seal keeper (chiin) who is good
at horse- riding and deliver my order.”
After the Privy Council suggested sending Sim Kwisu, the king said to
Kwisu, “Run as fast as you can and save Chaan’s life.” Upon receiving the
royal order, Kwisu galloped his horse at full speed, but he fell off his horse
at the halfway point. So he handed over the royal order to an official of the
post station and had him deliver it on his behalf.
On the day when the royal order arrived, the officials in charge of the
execution had already covered Chaan’s face with dark paint, taken his
clothes off, and made the sword ready. Then, all of a sudden, they saw a man
galloping toward them from a distant field, waving his cap in the air.
Thinking it strange, they stopped their proceedings of execution, and
thereby Chaan was able to escape death.
Though Pak Sil originally had neither education nor skills in martial arts,
His Majesty [King T’aejong] thought that it was admirable of him to save
his father’s life and made him command Forbidden Soldiers. As a result, his
position eventually rose as high as rank 2.
The king ordered the Privy Council to send his royal order to Kyŏngsang
Province:
“The military officers of Happ’o have engaged in repulsing Japanese
marauders over the years. So they must know well how to deal with the
changing situations and when to advance or retreat.
“Right now, however, despite the fact that numerous Japanese marauders
landed on our territory, those officers are only concerned about their own
safety and comfort, paying little attention to the dangerous situation itself.