Book XV 891is the meaning of the term ‘indulging in luxurious ease’ (hwangnyŏng)?”^33
Kwan replied, “It refers to what the ancients called ‘indulging in women and
hunting.’ ‘Indulging’ is one thing that the ruler must be wary of.”
The king asked, “If so, should the ruler keep away from hunting?” Kwan
replied, “According to the ancient customs, in the spring, he only caught the
animals that were not pregnant; in the summer, only those that harmed other
animals; in the autumn, only those that were fat; and in the winter, any
animal he liked. However, the hunting was mainly intended to offer sacri-
fices to the ancestral shrine, not for enjoying hunting itself. The princes in
later times, on the other hand, became reckless in pursuing their pleasure
and indulged in traveling around to hunt whatever animals they liked,
paying no attention to discipline and propriety, which was very inappro-
priate.” The king agreed with him.
Yi Sŏ stepped forward and said, “The ruler should not indulge in things
no matter what they are. If he does, it is inevitable that he loses his mind
along with his judgment. The reason you establish the royal lectures, inviting
your subjects who are Confucian scholars and having them present lectures
on the Way of sages, is because you are anxious to emulate the exemplary
rule of two emperors and three kings.^34 Searching for famous poems and
quoting fine phrases, and reciting and singing of the wind and the moon,
can mislead the ruler, because that is not the right way for the ruler who
wants to rule the state properly.” The king found his remark reasonable.
18th Day (Kyŏngsin)
The king called the dukes and marquises of the royal family to the inner
royal hall and spent the night with them.20th Day (Imsul)
The government had Myŏngjin District of Kyŏngsang Province merged into
Kangsŏng County and named it Chinsŏng. Myŏngjin was formerly part of
Kŏje Island, but because of Japanese marauders, its residents lost their
homes and moved to the southern border of Chinju. As the district was- “Gongyechang,” Zhu Xi’s Reading of the Analects, trans. Daniel Gardener.
- The two emperors refer to Yao and Shun, and the three kings, Yu of Xia, Tang of Yin,
and Wen of Zhou.