"Memorial to Emperor Li on Securing Peace," by Lu Chan
Respectfully submitted to
the Sage King who handed down the laws, commissioned by High Heaven, who illumines all transformations and extends benevolent grace to all living beings,
the Son of Heaven of All Xia, the Supreme One,
His Majesty the Emperor of Great Han: may you enjoy boundless sagacity and peace, countless blessings and every prosperity.
We, your servants, bow our heads to the ground and knock our foreheads upon it.
In former times, before the Han enterprise was established, Ying Qin held the Divine Artifact, brutal and tyrannical, devoid of the Way, until the people's grievances clamored and their seething fury filled the heavens.
Great Ancestor Emperor Gao descended into the world at Heaven's command. A commoner clad in plain cloth, he raised the Three-Foot Sword, possessed lofty and formidable talents, and employed generous and enlightened strategies, ultimately winning All Under Heaven.
Our ancestors of every generation all followed Emperor Gao's commands and served at his bidding, together raising the Han succession to greatness. Though our forebears' achievements were slight, Emperor Gao, with his benevolent and generous heart that rewarded goodness and commended worthiness, specially granted them lands and kingdoms, ranking them among the Feudal Lords. He further swore: "Even should the Yellow River become a ribbon and Mount Tai a whetstone, may your kingdoms enjoy everlasting peace, and may this love extend to your descendants."
Thus the sacrificial offerings in our Ancestral Temples have been preserved and passed down to this day, through the four reigns of Xiaohui, Xiaowen, Xiaowu, and Xiaoding, with repeated favors and rewards. Our wealth and honors have thereby grown ever greater, and our families' renown has risen day by day, for more than a hundred years now. Since the Three Generations, nothing has