Book XII 725
“I have also been thinking to myself that, since the relationship between
the king and his subject is like that between father and child, it is very nat-
ural that the child, without holding anything back, lets his father know when
there is something he wants. That is natural, given the love parents and
children have for each other. Now that I am fortunate enough to live under
the compassionate rule of Your Majesty, I find that your compassion is as
extensive as heaven above. There is nothing, no matter how large or how
small, that does not flourish under your rule. There is no place, even if it is
far away or in a dark corner, where your benevolence does not reach. How,
then, can I hide from you what is in my mind and continue to bite my tongue
because I am worried that it would not be proper for me to ask for something
of you? That would be to ignore how benevolent and magnanimous you are.
Hence, despite the extreme discomfort I feel about promoting myself, I
submit one or two of my works that I believe important for the state.
Prostrating myself before you, I beg you to take a look at them.
“The Northeast Region is the area that served as the foundation for the
reign of Your Majesty. When the suzerain power [China] intended to estab-
lish an army garrison in Ch’ŏllyŏng, I was the one who drafted the memo-
rial that was sent to the emperor. In his reply, the emperor said, “In regard
to Ch’ŏllyŏng, I recognize that your kingdom [Chosŏn] has something to
say about it. So your country should not worry about the Northeast Region
any longer. Instead, it should try to become our loyal servant and assist us
in making things better for everyone.” Though this incident happened in the
previous dynasty, we still derive some benefit from it today.
“The tombstone epitaph of Chŏngnŭng, at the royal tomb of King Hwan
[T’aejo’s father], was jointly composed by Chŏng Ch’ong and myself in obe-
dience to your orders, and all the royal decrees issued to the dynasty-
founding merit subjects were also proofread and revised by me. The ritual
songs for sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, and the Gods of Earth and Grain, as
well as for the rituals at the Royal Ancestral Shrine, were my work, and the
official documents related to choosing the nation’s new capital and the con-
struction of the royal palaces were also mine. Though my writing may be
crude and vulgar, those works will still allow posterity to know of the
splendor of the achievements made at the beginning of this dynasty.
“Last winter when I was in China, assistant grand councilor of the Chan-
cellery (Munha p’yŏngni) An Ik, who visited China along with Asso ciate
Royal Secretary Kim Hŭisŏn and others as leader of an embassy sent to
offer New Year’s felicitations, arrived and respectfully brought the report of
the death of our queen. Together with Chŏng Ch’ong, Kim Yakhang, No