816 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
overseen by the thirteen chambers continue to be problematic. Earlier, I told
you that I would hold you responsible first if any chamber of the Directorate
commits an error. That was not because I wanted to punish you, but rather
to make you relay my message to each chamber so that there could be no
unfairness in decisions on the disputes over slaves. Given that, who is
responsible for what is happening now?” Nam Chae and others were unable
to reply.The king sent Yi Chik, senior secretary of the Security Council, with royal
wine to comfort the Chinese envoys who came to visit.18th Day (Imsul)
The planet Venus appeared in broad daylight.Chŏng Kae, provincial bailiff (haengdae kamch’al) of P’unghae Province
[Hwanghae Province], made a report: “Kim Ŭlbo, provincial navy com-
mander, received a horse from his subordinate as a gift and also seized
private land to turn it into a military farm. I urge you to punish him.”
Considering that Ŭlbo had made contributions in defending against the
enemy, the king ordered him to return to his post.The Criminal Administration Bureau in the Board of Punishments sub-
mitted a memorial to the king: “The average price of a male or female slave
is no more than 150 bolts of osŭngp’o fabric, while that of a horse is 400 or
500 bolts. This violates what is right, since it indicates that an animal is
more highly regarded than a human being. We request that, hereafter, the
average price of a slave who is fifteen to forty years old, either male or
female, be set at 400 bolts, and 300 bolts for one who is younger than fifteen
or older than forty- one years old. Furthermore, this price should be made a
standard for trading slaves in the future. The wage of a runaway slave at the
moment should be 3 bolts of osŭngp’o per month, but the wage should not
be allowed to exceed the price of the slave no matter how long he remains
on the loose.” The king granted the request as it was.The Board of Rites requested that the king personally perform a sacri-
fice at the Royal Ancestral Shrine in the early autumn. He granted the
request.