90 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
Shedding tears, the king swore an oath to Heaven, and he was quite sin-
cere in his words. Then he told His Majesty [T’aejong] to visit his father
T’aejo and persuade him to report to duty. T’aejo, however, never followed
his order.
Kongyang also instructed the Censorate: “The charges against U Hyŏnbo
are ambiguous, and besides, he was already pardoned by the general
amnesty. Therefore, do not ask me to punish him any further for his offense.”
Then he sent Hwang Un’gi, shield manager of the Royal Guard (sasun) and
summoned T’aejo. T’aejo, however, was unable to see the king due to his
illness.
Un’gi attempted to compel T’aejo to accompany him, prompting T’aejo to
send a man to the king with his message: “Being sick and lying in bed, it is
difficult for me to see you, but Un’gi is now forcing me to go. I do not know
what to do. I am afraid and feel extremely sorry.” The king was indignant
and ordered Un’gi taken to the Capital Constabulary Prison.
Meeting with Chŏng Tojŏn, Nam Ŭn, Cho Inok, and others, T’aejo said,
“With your support I have done my best to help the royal house, yet the
slander against me never ceases. I am afraid that we may not be able to
endure this. So I have decided to return to the East [Northeast Region]^180 to
avoid potential disasters.” Then he ordered the members of his household
to get ready to move.
When he was about to leave, Chŏng Tojŏn said, “The future of the country
and people depends on you alone. How can you then make a decision so
easily? I believe your decision to leave is no better than to stay in the royal
court. If you select men of benevolence and establish rules and discipline by
removing wicked people, the slander against you will automatically disap-
pear. If you withdraw yourself to a remote corner of the country, on the
other hand, the slander against you will spin out of control and bring
calamity upon you.”
T’aejo replied, “When Zhang Zifang [Zhang Liang] in ancient times said
he would follow Chisongzi,^181 Emperor Gaozu did not punish him. Since I
have no ambition whatsoever, how can the king punish me?”
The discussion continued to go nowhere, so [T’aejo’s] retainer Kim
Chigyŏng went into the house and spoke to Consort Kang: “Chŏng Tojŏn,
Nam Ŭn and others recommend that our lord return to the East, and I- It refers to North Hamgyŏng Province, where T’aejo’s family seat was located.
- A Taoist immortal.