Book IX 573“Men Kexin, minister of rites, along with other officials reported to the
emperor: ‘The king of Chosŏn sends an official named Chŏng Ch’ong, assis-
tant grand councilor of the Chancellery, to request your formal recognition
and the royal seal.’ In response, the emperor sent us the following instruc-
tion, which is directed to the government of Chosŏn: ‘I had the fact clearly
indicated through historical records that emperors of China from antiquity
until now have ruled the people with benevolence. The feudal states
enfeoffed [by the emperor] obey the law without fail once it is pronounced
by the emperor, and they dare not transgress it. This is the system that has
been handed down in the territory of China.
‘The four barbarian states surrounding China, however, are all different
in their customs, and not all their leaders receive the investiture as the ruler
of their respective states. Since they are outside the boundary of our enlight-
enment and sovereignty, China has led them with instruction and did not
use the law to chastise them. The various sage emperors in the past worked
hard to bring peace and stability, always keeping their desires under con-
trol and making the people happy. This was the reason they became
sage rulers.
‘In order to spread benevolence under heaven, they divided the imperial
domain and position (fu) into nine grades. Since they stabilized domestic
affairs and pacified the outside regions well, they could govern the empire
with little effort. What are the nine grades of official rank?
[In the northeast], they are hou, dian, nan, cai, wei, man, yi, zhen, and
fan. [In the southwest], they are bin, yi, and huang. [In the northwest], they
are hou, sui, yao, and huang. The divisions were made based on the degree
of distance and importance [of the territory], as well as on the level of their
Sinicization.
‘To recognize one as the ruler of the country is part of our policy intended
to ensure peace with the four barbarian states. What more can you add to it?
Chosŏn in the reign of the current king likes exchanges with us and sends
envoys whenever it pleases. There is nothing much I can do even if the king
is wicked and cunning. However, his request for the royal seal and formal
recognition, which was made through the regular exchanges, cannot be
granted lightly.
‘Chosŏn has mountains as its boundary and is separated by the sea. So
the nation was naturally formed on the east side of us and has developed its
unique customs. When it requests that I grant its king the royal seal and
formal recognition while his subjects as well as the spirits [of his land] are