Once upon a time, there had a woman who was known as wife of King Due Tong Tran. She’s Bich Chau Nguyen Thi. Bich Chau was beautiful, knowledge and brave that no concubine in harem could compare with her. Therefore, she was early loved by the king and often helped him do his work.
Due Tong wasn’t a good king honestly, he’s bad but he always believed praises his courtiers gave them. He’s too proud to realize that the praises’s just lies. Bich Chau was one of people who felt worry that the inheritance of Tran family would be ruined by him. Therefore, she wrote a list which listed ten things the king should changed and gave him but he was too busy in drinking and playing so that he did not pay attention to that. He besides trusted a courtier’s words and he himself planned to lead soldiers fought against invaders.
“Stupid! He will bring himself in danger”, she thought, “He never knows what he can do and just believe in what others say”. So that, she sent a text which explained real points to the king she wanted to advised the king not to go by her points but it had same result with others she had sent being piled on his desk. She was sad and disappointed when her husband, the king was preparing things to set off. Bich Chau caught a crazy idea what no one before had done she wanted to go to the battlefield with her husband. Her husband, the king agreed and they went. Bich Chau brought few dozens of maid, stayed on a private sailboat which always moved by the king’s.
Waves moved calmly, winds gently blew, the crowd of people stayed on sailboats following lightly winds toward battlefield. There’s the best time in year for boats to go on sea. Five years later, they went to a big port. It’s Bach Tan port. The king ordered people to go on ground and rested for few days. That afternoon, the the sea which was calm before that suddenly turned crazy. Violent winds blew toward land from sea they madly banged against on whatever they met on their way. Waves chaotically threw themselves highly then dropped again the sea as if they were trying to escape from sea. Due Tong King was very worry. It’s not normal the sight he was seeing. Therefore, the summoned elders in there place and asked them about that strange phenomenon.
“It’s not normal, my king”, said an elder, “Sea must be calm so that people can always go to sea to fish in this time each year. Thought that the water-god ruling this area did that. He’s very powerful. All people who went on boats cross this place must gift him something or he will break their boats in pieces”.
Later, Due Tong King ordered people to prepare a feast, brought to the god temple and did a ceremony. That night, when he was sleeping, a stranger appeared. Honestly, he was not a human because he was so big, bigger than normal people thrice, muscle, hairy with a read face and ferocious eyes. The stranger approached where the king was sitting, he sat down and spoke. His voice was so loudly as rumble thunders.
“I’m the god ruling this area.” Thundering the stranger, “You are smart knowing that’s me. But pig with a wine bottle to change for thousands of people’s lives. It’s cheap, isn't it?”
“So, what I do you want?” said Due Tong.
“I heard that you brought many beautiful women to go with you, right?” said the stranger, “You have many while I have not. It’s not fair, isn't it? I only need one beauty and you will go in peace. All things will depend on your decision.”
Due Tong bowed his head, thinking.
“Think carefully”, added the stranger, “If you don’t do that, I will give all you the chance visiting to my palace under sea.”
The stranger laughed. It made hair of people who heard stand up, hideous. His voice still came to Due Tong though he had disappeared.
Due Tong woke up. He’s scared and hurriedly summoned his generals. He told them about his dream.
“Anyone has ideas?” he asked.
All of generals were speechless. Their face turned white because of scare. While people still didn’t know what they should do, Bich Chau went in.
“It’s clear the god of this area are challenging us.” She said, “We have no choice but to follow the god.” She stopped few seconds, “I will do that preparing all things for people to leave safely”.
Due Tong was very sorry for her.
“People’s fates were decided by the supreme God. I can not let you go because of a dream. Though the person do whatever, I will not scare him”, said Due Tong.
“Please! You have to consider carefully. One person for a lot of people here. You can’t waste people’s lives for me, right? Only I can save others I think it’s the thing I should do”, she said strongly.
Hue Tong still didn’t decide and outside winds were getting more madly. The boats shook violently. Generals started whispered to others. At last, they advised the king that he should followed Bich Chau’s idea. Bich Chau kneeled on ground, bowed her head then said goodbye people. He went in a fishing boat, rowed toward sea. People could see her under faint sunshine of early morning. Suddenly, a wave rose highly and dropped over the boat. Later, when the wave vanished, Bich Chau and the boat also disappeared. There’s only a voice which was mixed by laughs and speeches echoed to them.
“Thank you...and goodbye.”
Short time later, the sun rose. Winds stopped blowing, waves turned calm again and the crowd of people continued their journey.
It’s about one hundred years old later. The recent king was King Thanh Tong Le. That time, the king also led his soldiers on boats cross sea and stopped at Bach Tan port. Soldiers were ordered to walk on ground, rested for two days. The night, when the king was sleeping he felt he was sitting on his boat, watching the full moon and a woman appeared she walked on water toward his boat then the woman stopped, bowed her head politely.
“Who are you?” the king asked.
“I am Bich Chau Nguyen Thi, wife of King Due Tong Tran”, said the woman in nice voice, “I want your help”.
“Tell me”, said the king.
The woman told him by moody voice.
“Long time ago, when my husband, King Due Tong Tran, ruled this country. He and I had ever gone cross this area on sailboats like your. We had never thought that this area was ruled by a god. The god only let us go if we gifted him a beautiful woman and I am the person who volunteered to give myself to him. But,”, her voice was misheard because she started cried, tears filled full of her eyes, “He’s only a demon and always do cruel things.”, “Only you”, she begged, “can punish him. Help me”.
Hurriedly the king asked: “How?”
The woman swept tears on face. “You need to write a letter which denounce to King Quang Loi, the god rules whole East Sea. The letter needs to be shot away to sea. Think you can do that with your cannon. When the letter is to King Quang Loi, I will do the rest”, said the woman.
The king bowed his head he agreed and then the woman vanished.
The next morning, the king summoned some soldiers, went on a boat and moved to the sea. He put his letter into a cannon then ordered the soldiers to shoot it toward the sea. Later, in the place which was distant from their boat, water moved madly. A large area turned white by bubbles. Something emerged from water surface which looked like a huge python. The python moved and shot his tail against water surface that it was fighting against others. A dreadful fighting was happening front their face which could frightened people even though they were bravest people. The monster attacked the others by its sharpen teeth and claws which looked like shiny sharpen knives. And the others also attacked it by the way it did. Claws and teeth left on their bodies serious injuries which were bleeding. Later, the monster ran but it’s no long it could run it was surrounded by the others and a dreadful fighting started. Till afternoon, their fighting finished, the body of the monster floating on water surface and then was brought away. The sea turned calmly again. Later, a cadaver emerged from water, front their boat. That’s a woman. They found the way, picked the woman up their boat. The woman looked beautiful her skin’s still ruddy it seemed she was sleeping. He was no one but Bich Chau who the king met in his dream.
“Virtue woman”, said the king, “using her life to save thousands of people.”
The king ordered people to buried Minh Chau at Bach Tan port as burying a queen in that time. Later, he ordered soldiers to point dozens of cannons to the temple stayed by the shore and shot. Few munites later, the temple was ruined.
Many days later, when the king came back from battlefield, he stopped at there and ordered people to build a temple for Bich Chau. He ordained Minh Chau to be Che Thang madam.
THE END
"Translator: Hung Nguyen"
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