Book II 217Yŏngji as assistant chancellors; U Innyŏl and Yu Mansu as chief magis-
trates of Kaesŏng Magistracy; Chŏng Hŭigye as director of the Eight
Guards; and Cho Im as deputy commissioner of the Security Council.
Earlier, only the officials above rank 2 among the officials of the Chan-
cellery, the State Finance Commission, and the Security Council could serve
in the Privy Council concurrently. This day, however, the discussants of the
Chancellery and the Security Council, grand academicians and academi-
cians of the Office of Royal Decrees and State Records, and the chief mag-
istrate and vice magistrate of Kaesŏng Magistracy were also allowed to join
the Privy Council concurrently.
Furthermore, the king appointed No Cho as supreme general and No
Kwan as general-in-chief. They were the two sons of [former king] Wang U,
but ordered to adopt the family name of their mother. No Cho was Prince
Chŏnggang of the previous dynasty.16th Day (Imsul)
Left Chancellor Cho Chun declined to accept the fief of P’yŏngyang and the
post of commander-in-chief of Kyŏnggi Province by submitting a memo-
rial, which read: “According to what I have heard, Yi Yin^86 believed that it
is not advisable for one who successfully accomplished his task and there-
after received royal favors and enjoyed the benefits to continue to stay in his
position for too long. Because he was cautious in thought and conduct in
this way, he could make his monarch benevolent like Tang Yao and Yu
Shun. Xiao He,^87 on the other hand, failed to retire despite the fact that he
had reached the summit of power and, consequently, brought disgrace on
himself and made Emperor Gaozu of Han unable to preserve the lives of his
merit subjects.^88
“Having established a dynasty according to the will of Heaven, Your
Majesty granted me a fief which I do not deserve and entrusted me with
military power over Kyŏnggi Province, which is beyond my ability. It is as
if a mosquito carries a great mountain on its shoulder. Being endowed too
- A minister of the early Shang dynasty who assisted King Tang, the founder of the
Shang dynasty, to defeat King Jie of Xia. - A chancellor in the early Han dynasty. He is known as one of the Three Heroes of the
early Han dynasty along with Han Xin and Zhang Liang. - When the relationship between Emperor Gaozu and his general Han Xin became
strained, Xiao He lured Han Xin into a trap and had him killed.