| | For twelve years I have been wandering and hiding in exile. Your Majesty has responded to the appointed time by reviving the dynasty, ascended the throne with dragon-like majesty, and at one time eliminated all the wicked ministers and favored villains. Those who hated me have been buried along with the tides of change. Grand Marshal Mei Hou Zhuo gathered and purified me, recommending me as a top disciple to the imperial court. I was appointed as an Attendant Censor, then transferred to become an Inspector of Justice. Your Majesty's great virtue, like heaven and earth, listens to and accepts ministers, supporting and promoting men of literary talent. Thus, Your Majesty employed me, Zhang Yong, to fill a position in the imperial secretariat. Within three months, I was successively appointed to three high offices, achieving great honor and distinction. It is not something a foolish and talentless subject like I deserve to steal or possess, nor can it be repaid even by my smashing my head into pieces or sacrificing my body. Minister Zhang Yong kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy: "I have committed a capital offense, I have committed a capital offense."
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| | I have heard that during the reign of Emperor Shizong, Tian Qianqiu was divinely inspired and moved by supernatural forces. A truthful dream reached him, awakening the emperor's wise ears and illuminating his imperial mind; thus, he received nine promotions in a single day. I, Zhang Yong, am but a humble official from the grass roots, with shallow and foolish thoughts. I was not born as a man like Tian Qianqiu; my duties are not those of an experienced official. Moreover, having newly entered court service without prior experience in the offices of the imperial bureaucracy, I handle documents and affairs as if facing a wall, completely ignorant. Your Majesty has inherited the great cause of governance and entrusted state affairs to the Grand Chancellor, Tai Fu Kui, who, according to established precedents, entered the secretariat to handle confidential matters; the Minister of the Secretariat Ri Di, an elder statesman and former official with a long record of virtue, who has served as a Grand Official; the Minister of Works Yun Yu, former Inspector General and Governor of Henan, and Secretary Zhang Xi, all of whom have held positions in the Nine Ranks; Attendant-in-Ordinary Lu Xu, who governed frontier provinces as a regional governor and was entrusted with seals of authority over several commanderies. Only I hold an insignificant and lowly office, like a single thread or a light match—utterly unremarkable. These six officials, I know well myself. Let alone those who speak of me—what will they say about my qualifications to hold such a position? Day and night I wake in sighs, sleepless and restless. I have no face to remain in office, nor a calm heart within me. In such an enlightened age with its clear ranks of honor, these positions are what people strive for and long to attain. I beg that I may be assigned to another office, where I might merely guard the gate and hold a staff, keeping time by the water clock. If so, my heart would finally find peace, and I could descend from glory into obscurity with contentment. To retreat from prominence rather than advance is a humble and cautious wish of mine; I dare not present myself in an overly refined or respectful manner.
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