Book XIII 751“The letter [from Your Majesty] gave me a sacred instruction, and the
robes from Heaven fit the length of my body perfectly. On top of that, you
also bestowed on me two jars of royal wine, so I am overwhelmed by mixed
feelings of gratitude and shame, and tears fell following the words I spoke.
Because I am foolish by nature and coarse in my learning, I am exposed to
frequent attacks and interference every time I make a move until my life is
on the line. However, I was fortunate enough to receive favors and support
from Your Majesty and able to preserve my worthless life. Though I have
been very anxious to prove my loyalty to Your Majesty from the days prior
to your enthronement until you inaugurated a new dynasty, I feel ashamed
that I failed to assist you fully due to my lack of wisdom and ability.
“Now, taking orders directly from you, I visited the tombs of your royal
ancestors. Though the old site of the walled town still remains, the liveli-
hood of the residents was still not restored. Recruiting workers among the
residents, I carried out the repair of the royal tombs day and night. Though
the entire project could not possibly be completed in a day or so, it was fin-
ished within no more than ten days. This was possible basically due to the
extreme filial piety and divine calculation of Your Majesty. How can your
servant deserve credit for it as well as the generous favors from you?
Basically because I happen to serve a sovereign such as Your Majesty who
treats his subjects sincerely and never fails to recognize and reward them
for their achievements and services, even if they are trivial, such grace and
generosity was able to reach a worthless person such as myself.
“Your servant will consult people as much as possible and make a careful
plan for promoting the grace of the king in this region. Whether sleeping or
awake, I pray for your long life.”30th Day (Chŏngmi)
The king paid a visit to Hoeam Monastery and met with Royal Preceptor
Chach’o. Then he stayed in P’ungch’ŏn. The king called Yi Munhwa, chief
royal secretary, and said, “The matter of establishing a military garrison
that O Mong’ŭl, governor of Kangwŏn Province, proposed is worth consid-
ering, but it is not really urgent. However, I am deeply concerned about a
report that such districts as Hoeyang, Kimhwa, and Kŭmsŏng^16 are quickly
devastated by the frequent visits of the officials traveling to the Northeast
Region to offer sacrifices to the royal ancestors four times a year. Since the
- These districts are all located in Kangwŏn Province.