724 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
that Your Majesty had pity on me and protected me, and thus I was able
to stay alive. At that time, I thought to myself that I would be indebted to
you for the rest of my life and swore before Heaven that I would spend my
whole life repaying the generous way you had treated me even if I had to die
doing so.
“Then it came about that Your Majesty received the Mandate of Heaven
to ascend the throne. You then overlooked my offenses with magnanimous
generosity and appointed me to the Security Council and even had me
attend the meetings of the Privy Council. The honors and generous stipend
you bestowed on me are far more than I can deserve. You have given me an
opportunity for a new life that is as vast and infinite as the sky. I constantly
remind myself humbly that I was fortunate to be born at the beginning of
your new dynasty and have been awarded the underserved honor of becom-
ing one of your grand councilors. However, lacking talent and abilit y, I failed
to make much of a contribution, and therefore I have not been included
among the hundreds who have been named minor merit subjects. Given my
lack of ability, that is only natural, but I cannot help feeling deeply ashamed
nonetheless.
“I also remind myself that the great accomplishments of the sage rulers
and wise ministers of old, which set standards for Heaven and Earth and
illuminated all within the Four Seas, are only known to posterity because of
the records penned by civil officials who were skilled writers. The out-
standing achievement and the sagely virtues displayed by Your Majesty are
so unprecedented in history that talented civil officials crowd around you
like trees in a forest, and the way they sing your praises is impressive indeed.
Their praise of you does not fall short of what we see in the odes and eulo-
gies dedicated to Tang Yao and Yu the Great.
“Despite having all these wonderful writers around you, even though my
writing is rather unpolished, you asked me to do some writing for you. So I
did my best and, using my limited talent, penned paeans to the great accom-
plishments of this sagely dynasty. So it can be said that I have made at least
some small contributions to letting future generations know of your achieve-
ments, though I had hardly made any contribution when you first estab-
lished this new dynasty. Therefore, it would not necessarily be inappropriate
if I were admitted to the lower ranks of the hundreds of minor merit sub-
jects. I have harbored this thought for years in silence, with my eyes turned
to heaven above, because I was well aware that it is reprehensible for scholars
and women to promote themselves. Hence, I did not dare broach this subject
and instead remained quiet for several years.