Huyen Quang lived in Tran dynasty, was a student. His parent was farmer but had no field. Though they were employees, they tried their best to help their son go to school.
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When Huyen Quang was enough old to marry, he engaged with a girl in rich family living in that area. Years passed, Huyen Quang had ever brought presents to their house, had stayed in their house and worked very hard. But, as wedding day came, bride’s family returned presents and canceled the wedding without reason. Huyen Quang was very sad and felt more painful as he heard his bride married with a person in a mandarin family.
Later, his parent matched him to another girl but that time the wedding was also canceled because the bride’s family thought that he had no talent and their daughter would live in poverty if she married with him.
Two times he was refused that made him study more diligently. When he was 21 years old, he passed provincial contest then set off to participate in the contest held in capital. That time, he was highest-score person. People heard he was valedictorian came and matched him with their daughters. Even a powerful mandarin in capital invited him to house to meet his daughter who was just enough 18 years old, beautiful. Few days late, when he went in castle to receive the position the king gave him, a servant living in castle approached him.
“The queen is finding husband for the third princess and if you want, the good thing will come”, whispered the servant and went away immediately.
“That is how the world runs”, he thought, “None pay attention to me when I have nothing but when I am successful, they round me as flies”.
So, he decided he would have not married with anyone. He refused all suggestions. But, the time he worked as a mandarin, he also didn’t felt happy, seeing bad behaviors of other mandarins, injustice, corruptions. At last, he retired and had the rest of life as a monk. The king couldn’t prevent him and his parent had died.
Huyen Quanh was a hard monk, harder than anyone. Short time later, he remembered all Buddhist scriptures, and more knowledge than any monk. Therefore, the king ordained him national monk who managed a large temple with thousands monks, looked after Truc Lam library, the national Buddhist library tat time. That was not normal as a young monk became the leader of all monks in the country.
Therefore, when King Anh Tong ascended to the throne he wanted to challenge the young monk. He thought that young monks would not stand against beauty. So, he ordered servants to bring Huyen Quang to castle to make a ceremony. After few days holding the ceremony, the king gave him ten golden bar before he came back his temple. He couldn’t refuse so he brought the gold to his temple and didn’t have any doubting about things what was going to occur.
Some day later, the king sent a beautiful concubine, Bich Diep, to the temple to seduce Huyen Quang. The King directed Bich Diep to take at least a golden bar as evidence.
Bich Diep wore in normal clothes, found the way to the temple. That time, Huyen Quang was staying in small house on the top of hill, few miles from his temple. He used to come here to find quietness. It was sunset when a girl was in untidy clothes, white face, running to.
“Help me! Robbers”, she screamed, banging on the door. A novice opened the door and let her went in. He led her to Huyen Quang.
“Master this girl just chased by robbers”, said the novice as he brought her to him. Besides, Bich Diep built a story she was chased by robbers. Course he said all things in tears that made Huyen Quang cound not refuse her to stay in the house. He asked the novice to help her have a place in lodge outside.
Huyen Quang felt upset after thing so he let the novice rest while he read Buddhist scripture. Till midnight when he intended to sleep, he heard the girl groaned outside. He woke up the novice and asked him to find out what happened. The novice went out and came back after few minutes.
“She felt scared master. She want to go in and sleep with us”, said the novice.
The request made Huyen Quang confused. He thought awhile. At last, he let her stay in living room then made his way to his bed room. But when he just laid his back on bed, he heard the girl groaned again. He opened the door and front of his face was the girl who had disrobed her clothes. Immediately, he turned back his bed, opened the Buddhist scripture book and started reading. He had never thought that the girl dare to run in his bed room and sat by her and said seductive words when just few words from Buddhist scripture book came out his mouth. Knew that the girl came there with bad intention, he turned solemn.
“Who are you? How do you dare to annoy a monk? Stop what you plan to do or I will call people come and expel you”, he said.
Bich Diep realized that Huyen Quang was not the person who turned bad because of beauty. Therefore, she changed her plan. She pretended as if she was a pitiful girl with another false story that was,
She was a daughter of a mandarin. The previous year, her father was responsible for collecting taxes but it was unfortunate he was robbed when he was on the way brought the money to capital. His higher mandarin was very kind, letting him bring the money to him the next year. Her father had gotten half of the money and she wanted to help him, meeting good people and asking them to help.
“I know – that is not easy to meet you so I lied that I was chased by robbers to have chance, meeting you. Please, save my father, I will voluntarily serve you the rest of my life”, she said.
Of course, the girl was very clever she built the story very real that reached his heart.
“Don’t worry. Morning I will come to castle and begged the king forgives your father’s mistake”, he said.
Feared that her plan would be broken if he came and begged the king, she immediately prevented.
“God, my father’s mistake doesn’t go to the king. If you can beg the king to forgive my father, I will be very grateful but, you know, I don’t want you to do too much for me. Just want something little from you”, she said.
Suddenly he remembered ten golden bars the king gave him. So, he hurriedly went and brought the bars back, gave her.
“I gifted you all. Hurry up! Bring to home and give your father”, he said.
She set off in the next morning, went toward castle, met the king, gave him the golden bars and told him a false story. That was, Huyen Quang had been seduced and gifted her a poem before he broke. But, the king really felt sorry after he heard the poem and see exactly his golden bars.
“God, it is so foolish, what I did. Why do I think about destroying a monk? God, how can anyone avoid a trap which is prepared for them? What should I do, now?” he screamed.
A servant of the king immediately had an idea. He said:
“My king. I have an idea. We will make a party with all food is meat, request him come and do a ceremony. If he is clear, Buddha will make the food to be vegetarian food and if it doesn’t happen, you don’t need to feel sorry anymore”.
The king ordered Huyen Quang to come and do ceremony on 15th the next month. He forced servant to organize a big party with meat. When Huyen Quang came in what he saw was meat which was set on tables that was nothing but insult. He looked at the sky and started groaning.
“If I have ever done anything not clear, please punishes me to live in the hell Buddha but if I have never, please changes meat into vegetarian food”.
At the time he finished, a strong wind appeared, brought sands, moved around tables. Later, when the wind vanished, all meat was changed into vegetarian food. Huyen Quang walked toward his location and started doing ceremony.
After heard his servants reported, he king called Bich Diep and forced her to tell him the true. She knew she couldn’t lie the king so she admitted her sin and told him the true. The king ordered soldiers to prison Bich Diep and immediately found the way to Huyen Quang to apologize. And, Do you know what Huyen Quang said firstly as he met the king, he begged the king to forgive Bich Diep.
THE END
"Translator: Hung Nguyen"
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