Book XII 717Nan is not absolutely necessary.” The king said, “You people give favors to
those you know but treat those you do not know as if they were your ene-
mies, which is not fair. You are suspended.”30th Day (Muin)
The king gave orders to Cho Sŏ, left policy advisor: “Let the remaining
[censorial] officials except the one in charge return to their work.”Upon hearing the news through Chŏng Yunbo [who had been to Ming China
as imperial birthday embassy] that Chŏng Ch’ong, Kim Yakhang, and No
Indo [who had been forcibly detained by the Chinese emperor] had passed
away, the wives of the dead officials went into mourning.
Having heard of it, the king said, “If the [Chinese] emperor killed Ch’ong
and the others, the Ministry of Rites [of Ming China] must have sent us an
official letter. The words of Yunbo cannot be believed yet.” Then he gave
orders to stop mourning.
The courtesy name of Ch’ong was Mansŏk, and he was a native of
Ch’ŏngju. He was the son of Konggwŏn, Duke Mun’gan. In the Pyŏngjin
year (1376), during the reign of the false king U when Hong Chungsŏn
became examination administrator and changed the civil service examina-
tion system to focus on the ability to write poems and rhapsodies (sibu),
Ch’ong passed the examination in first place. At the age of nineteen, he
became editorial examiner of the Bureau of State Records and great mili-
tary protector via censor and fourth royal counselor. In the Kisa year (1389)
when Prince Kongyang [King Ch’ang?] ascended the throne, he was pro-
moted to minister of war. The memorials and official letters to Ming China
at that time were mostly drafted by him. The king [T’aejo] has trusted him
for a long time, even before he ascended the throne. Upon ascending the
throne, the king made him a member of the merit subjects first class and
also appointed him senior secretary of the Security Council, conferring the
title of Lord of Sŏwŏn on him. In the Kapsul year (1394), he was appointed
assistant grand councilor and a little later grand academician of the Office
of Royal Decrees and State Records. He also compiled the History of Koryŏ
(Koryŏguk sa) together with Chŏng Tojŏn.
In the Ŭlhae year (1395), he visited the Ming capital on a mission to
request an imperial decree and the royal seal that would authorize and
empower our king. At that time, the emperor was indignant over some words
in a memorial submitted by our government that he deemed inappropriate,