Book X 597i.e., Chŏng Tojŏn and Chŏng T’ak.Now, once again I send Niu Niu and
others to your country to expedite your dispatch of those who have failed to
appear at my court. I also want you to send the family members of Yu Ku
and others so that they can live here.’ This was the order we received from
the emperor.
“We also received another official letter from the Ministry of Rites prior
to the aforementioned one, and the message in it was basically as follows:
‘Though there were some frivolous and insulting words in your congratula-
tory memorials for the New Year, it is not appropriate to raise an army to
seek retribution only because of those words. However, the ones who drafted
those memorials should be sent here. Then your envoys detained here will
be able to return to their homes.’
“According to our investigations on this matter, the New Year memorial
in the twenty- ninth year of the reign of Hongwu, which was submitted to
Your Majesty, was drafted by Chŏng T’ak, chancellor of the National
University, and another memorial was written by Kim Yakhang, director of
the Court of Royal Ceremonies and Sacrifices. At that time, Chŏng T’ak
was ill and unable to make the trip. So I sent only Kim Yakhang, who
drafted the memorial, to the imperial capital on the fifteenth day of the
second month of the twenty- ninth year of the reign of Hongwu.
“Having received an order from Your Majesty once again, I must obey it.
However, I have received a report from the Privy Council about the investi-
gations into the allegations made against Chŏng Tojŏn. According to the
deposition made by Chŏng Tojŏn, which was included in the report of the
Privy Council, Tojŏn is fifty- five years old and now serves as director of
the State Finance Commission. In addition, he is currently suffering from
abdominal bloating and beriberi disease. Furthermore, he never participated
in drafting or revising the controversial congratulatory memorial for the
New Year in the twenty- ninth year of the reign of Hongwu, which was
drafted by Chŏng T’ak, academician of the National University. Tojŏn
requested that the authorities conduct investigations into the allegations
against him, interrogating the officials of the Office of Royal Decrees and
vindicating his innocence.
“So we summoned and interrogated No Indo, an official of the Office of
Royal Decrees. According to the deposition he made, Indo is thirty years old
and without any health problems and now serves as auxiliary (chikkwan) of
the Office of Royal Decrees. He sent the first draft of the controversial con-
gratulatory memorial for the New Year of the twenty- ninth year of the reign