King Wonseong元聖王

King Wonseong ascended the throne. His name was Gyeongsin (敬信), and he was a descendant of King Naemul in the twelfth generation. His mother was of the house of Bak, Lady Gye-o. His queen was of the house of Kim, the daughter of Sinsul of the rank of gakgan.

At first, in the last year of King Hyegong, when the rebel subjects were running wild, Seondeok was then sangdaedeung, and he was the first to call out that the evil men beside the ruler should be swept away. Gyeongsin took part in this and had merit in putting down the revolt, and so when Seondeok came to the throne he was at once made sangdaedeung.

When Seondeok died he had no son, and the many subjects debated the succession and wished to set up Juwon, a nephew of the king's line. Juwon's house was twenty li north of the capital, and just then a great rain fell, the water of the Alcheon rose, and Juwon could not cross over. Someone said, "To come to the great seat of a ruler is truly not a thing that men can plan. Today a violent rain has fallen. Is it not that Heaven perhaps does not wish Juwon to be set up? Now Sangdaedeung Gyeongsin is the younger brother of the former king, his virtue and repute have always been high, and he bears himself as a ruler should."

At this the debate of the many was of one mind, and they set him up to succeed to the throne. Presently the rain stopped, and the people of the country all cried out ten thousand years.

In the second month, he raised in title his great-great-grandfather Beopseon of the rank of daeachan as Great King Hyeonseong, his great-grandfather Uigwan of the rank of ichan as Great King Sinyeong, his grandfather Wimun of the rank of ichan as Great King Heungpyeong, and his father Hyoyang of the rank of ilgilchan as Great King Myeongdeok. He made his mother of the house of Bak Queen Mother Somun, and he set up his son Ingyeom as crown prince. The two shrines of Great King Seongdeok and Great King Gaeseong were pulled down, and the Great King Progenitor, Great King Taejong, Great King Munmu, his grandfather Great King Heungpyeong and his father Great King Myeongdeok were made the five shrines.

The ranks of the hundred officials, civil and military, were raised by one degree. Chungnyeom of the rank of ichan, head of the Byeongbu, was appointed sangdaedeung, and Jegong of the rank of ichan sijung. Jegong was relieved of office, and Segang of the rank of ichan was made sijung.

In the third month, the former queen, Queen Gujok, was sent out to an outer palace, and thirty-four thousand seok of grain were granted to her. Paegangjin presented a red crow. The title chonggwan was changed to dodok (都督), the governor of a province.

In the second year, in summer, in the fourth month, hail fell in the east of the country and the mulberry and the barley were all harmed. Kim Wonjeon was sent into Tang to present the products of the land. Dezong handed down an edict, saying:

"A command to Kim Gyeongsin, King of Silla. Kim Wonjeon has arrived, and I have looked over your memorial and the things you presented and know them all. Your customs make much of faith and right, your will holds to what is straight and pure, and from early days you have upheld your country and followed well the teaching that has gone forth. In governing this frontier land all have taken up the ways of the scholars, rites and laws have arisen and are practiced, and within your borders there is peace, while you turn toward the palace with all your heart and have never fallen short in reporting your charge.

Again and again you have sent envoys and kept up the offering of tribute. Though the sea is far and wide and the road long and distant, the coming and going of your gifts has followed the old rule. The fruit of your loyalty shows the more clearly, and my praise and wonder are deep indeed.

I look down upon the ten thousand regions and am father and mother to the people. From within to without I would join the rules and make the writing one, and I look to reach a great concord and to climb together into benevolence and long life. It is fitting that you guard and keep at peace what lies within your borders, care diligently for the common people, and be forever a subject of the frontier, so that the ends of the sea may be at rest.

Now I grant you thirty rolls of brocade, patterned silk, fine silk and colored silk, one suit of clothing and one silver flask. When they arrive it is fitting that you receive them. To the queen I grant twenty rolls of brocade, colored silk, patterned silk and fine silk, one suit of skirt and jacket of silk embroidered with gold thread, and one silver bowl. To the one great chief minister, one suit of clothing and one silver bowl; to the two next ministers, one suit of clothing and one silver bowl each. It is fitting that you receive them and give them out. In the deep heat of summer, have you been well and at peace of late? To the ministers and those below them I send my greetings as well.

I send this letter, but it does not reach to all that I mean."

In autumn, in the seventh month, there was a drought. In the ninth month, the people of the royal capital went hungry, and thirty-three thousand two hundred and forty seok of millet were given out and shared among them. In winter, in the tenth month, thirty-three thousand seok of millet more were given out to them.

Muo of the rank of daesa presented fifteen books of a Method of War and two books of a Hwaryeongdo, and was given the post of magistrate of Gulap-hyeon.

In the third year, in spring, in the second month, the earth shook in the capital. The king sacrificed in person at the Divine Palace. There was a great amnesty. In summer, in the fifth month, Taebaek was seen by day. In autumn, in the seventh month, locusts harmed the grain. In the eighth month, on the first day, a sinsa day, the sun was eclipsed.

In the fourth year, in spring, for the first time three grades of reading were fixed, by which men came into office. Those who read the Chunqiu Zuoshi zhuan, or the Liji, or the Wenxuan, and could grasp their meaning, and who were clear as well on the Lunyu and the Xiaojing, were put in the upper grade. Those who read the Quli, the Lunyu and the Xiaojing were put in the middle grade. Those who read the Quli and the Xiaojing were put in the lower grade. If any had a broad grasp of the five classics, the three histories and the writings of the hundred schools, he was chosen and used above his grade. Before this men had been chosen only by the bow and arrow, and now this was changed.

In autumn, in the west of the country there was drought and locusts, and thieves were many, and the king sent out envoys to comfort the people.

In the fifth year, in spring, in the first month, on the first day, a gapjin day, the sun was eclipsed. The people of Hansanju went hungry, and millet was given out to relieve them. In autumn, in the seventh month, frost fell and harmed the grain.

In the ninth month, Jaok was made sosu of Yanggeun-hyeon, and Mocho, a clerk of the Jipsa, spoke against it, saying, "Jaok did not come into office through letters, and he cannot be entrusted with a post that shares the ruler's cares."

The sijung gave his opinion, saying, "Though he did not come into office through letters, he once went into great Tang and became a student there. Is he not fit to be used after all?" The king followed his words.

Kim Busik comments.

Only after one learns does one hear the Way, and only after one hears the Way does one know clearly the root and the branch of a matter. Therefore the man who takes office after learning puts the root first in what he does, and the branch then straightens of itself. It is like lifting one cord of a net, when the ten thousand meshes follow and all come straight.

The unlearned man is the opposite of this. He does not know that a matter has its order of first and later, of root and branch. He only wears out his spirit on little things at the twigs and the tips. Some gather in and call it profit, some pry about harshly and set themselves above others, and though they would profit the country and give the people peace, they harm them instead.

For this reason the words of the Xueji end with Wu ben, putting the root first, and the Shujing too says, "He who does not learn is like a man facing a wall, and when he comes to affairs he is only vexed." So the one word of Mocho of the Jipsa may serve as a model for ten thousand ages.

In the sixth year, in spring, in the first month, Jonggi was made sijung. The Byeokgolje was built up further, and the men of seven ju, Jeonju and the rest, were called up and the work was set going. Ungcheonju presented a red crow.

In the third month, Baeg-eo of the rank of ilgilchan was sent as envoy to the northern country (Balhae, 渤海). There was a great drought. In summer, in the fourth month, Taebaek and Jinseong, the planet Mercury (辰星), gathered in the Eastern Well. In the fifth month, millet was given out to relieve the hungry people of the two ju of Hansan and Ungcheon.

In the seventh year, in spring, in the first month, the crown prince died, and his posthumous name was Hyechung (惠忠). Jegong of the rank of ichan rebelled and was put to death. The wife of Hyangseong of the rank of daesa, of Ungcheonju, bore three sons at one birth.

In winter, in the tenth month, snow fell three cheok deep in the capital, and there were people who froze to death. Sijung Jonggi was relieved of office, and Junong of the rank of daeachan was made sijung. In the twelfth month, the earth shook in the capital. Kim Eon, sirang of the Naeseong, was made samjung achan.

In the eighth year, in autumn, in the seventh month, an envoy was sent into Tang and presented the beautiful woman Kim Jeongnan. She was the first beauty of the country, and her body gave off a fragrance.

In the eighth month, the king's son Uiyeong was invested as crown prince. Sangdaedeung Chungnyeom died, and Segang of the rank of ichan was made sangdaedeung. Sijung Junong was relieved of office for illness, and Sungbin of the rank of ichan was made sijung. In winter, in the eleventh month, on the first day, an imja day, the sun was eclipsed.

In the ninth year, in autumn, in the eighth month, a great wind blew, broke the trees and laid the rice flat. Kim Noe of the rank of naema presented a white pheasant.

In the tenth year, in spring, in the second month, the earth shook. Crown Prince Uiyeong died, and his posthumous name was Heonpyeong (憲平). Sijung Sungbin was relieved of office, and Eonseung of the rank of japchan was made sijung.

In autumn, in the seventh month, Bongeun Temple was founded for the first time. Hansanju presented a white crow. The Mangeun Tower was raised west of the palace.

In the eleventh year, in spring, in the first month, Junong, the son of Crown Prince Hyechung, was invested as crown prince. In summer, in the fourth month, there was a drought, and the king looked over the prisoners in person, but the rain came only when the sixth month arrived. In autumn, in the eighth month, frost fell and harmed the grain.

In the twelfth year, in spring, there was hunger and pestilence in the capital, and the king opened the granaries and relieved the people. In summer, in the fourth month, Sijung Eonseung was made head of the Byeongbu, and Jiwon of the rank of ichan was made sijung.

In the thirteenth year, in autumn, in the ninth month, locusts harmed the grain in the east of the country. There were great floods and the hills fell in. Sijung Jiwon was relieved of office, and Kim Samjo of the rank of achan was made sijung.

In the fourteenth year, in spring, in the third month, fire broke out at the gallery bridge south of the palace. The two pagodas of Mangdeok Temple struck against each other.

In summer, in the sixth month, there was a drought. The wife of Seongnamo of the rank of daesa, of Guljagun, bore three sons and one daughter at one birth.

In winter, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-ninth day, the king died. His posthumous name was Wonseong (元聖), and by his last command his coffin was taken up and burned south of Bongdeok Temple.