224 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
households from which taxes can be collected, as well as the post of
commander-in-chief of Left and Right Kyŏnggi Provinces. How can I deal
with all these royal favors? I sincerely beg you to withdraw your favors
from me, dividing the two responsibilities imposed upon the person of this
foolish subject, and allow me to fulfill my wish to live in peace though poor,
which I hope is my destiny, so that I can continue to serve you in the days
to come.
“In olden days, Tang of Shang became the king by employing Yi Yin as
chancellor, and Gaozu of Han became the emperor by inviting Zhang Liang
as his teacher and advisor. However, Yi Yin wanted to retire to his home,
and Zhang Liang wanted to depart with Master Red Pine (Chisongzi), a
Daoist immortal.^102 The reason they wanted to leave their sovereigns was
not that they were mistreated by the states of Shang or Han; they were wor-
ried that they would be criticized for coveting power and thereby damage the
sacred reputation of virtuous rulers such as Cheng Tang and Gaozu of Han.
“My life after the fourth day of the fourth lunar month^103 is actually a gift
from you. My relationship to Your Majesty is not merely the relationship
between sovereign and subject; I owe you the love and grace of parents,
which are boundless as the sky. Since there is no reason for me to request
my resignation, how dare I think about retiring and resting as Yi Yin and
Zhang Liang did? I only want to imitate the two sages’ minds, which were
watchful and humble, so that I can safely finish my journey to its end along
with Your Majesty.
“The Book of Changes says, ‘It is the way of Heaven to diminish the full
and augment the humble. Spiritual Beings inflict calamity on the full and
bless the humble.’^104 It also says, ‘A superior man toiling laboriously and yet
humble will bring things to an end, and with good fortune.’^105 This is the
reason I bother you to withdraw your excessive favors from me.
“I sincerely beseech that Your Majesty take pity on my serious worries
and fear about my undeserved honor and power. If you understand my loyal
plan and my desire to share the joy with my country, and order my fief
and tax villages restored to the state and my military power entrusted to- Also called Yu Shi, which means “Lord of Rain,” he is a spirit who appears in Chinese
mythology in association with Feng Bo, god of wind. - The date and month given here seems to refer to the fourth month of the Mujin year
(1388) in which the military expedition against Liaodong, China, started. - The I Ching: The Book of Changes. (Legge, p. 226).
- The Qian Hexagram. The Book of Changes.