Story 14: King Than Tong Ly

He was born in 1116 and ascended to the throne when he was 11 years old. He was a king for 11 years with sick body. Than Tong Ly was a king having nothing special to talk about. Though, he was mentioned in history because he was a superstitious person and his superstition sometime made mandarins, generals and including normal people go in his game.

Turn back in time when Nhan Tong Ly was ruling. The kind wise king was over fifty years old but he hadn’t given birth to a son that’s the thing which made him and including people in that country fell saddest. To make people peace in mind he decreed that he will choose a person in royals to become crown prince. After long time choosing, at last, the person was chosen was son of a royal, Sung Hien. Duong Hoan, it’s the name of lucky boy and that time he was just one year old. Though all of people talked that he’s lucky boy, he had a sick body he got sick for whole of his childhood and many time people thought that he couldn’t get pass illness it meant they thought he would die. Because of that the child was brought to temples to pray for his health. Therefore, his superstition was one inevitable he would get when he grew up. See his sickness his teachers didn’t dare to force him study to much and of course, he hadn’t to practice martial arts as like other crown prince.

In 1127, King Nhan Tong Ly died, he became the next king. Not like other kings, King Than Tong Ly didn’t care about ruling his country. He only paid attention in his pleasure, the game from he was a child that’s collecting white animals. He thought the animals were mystery because their colors were different with their fellows. He had a private zoo for those animals. Because of that, many people spent their time finding white animals to give him. People would get their awards after the white animals came to the king and sometime, they were given positions as mandarins. One time, he was informed that there had white deer on Tan Vien mountain. Immediately, he ordered Anh Nhi Dinh, the head of the martial mandarins to go and catch the deer. He was very happy and awarded Anh Nhi Dinh very much after he got the white deer.

Another time, a soldier brought two fish which were yellow (that time, yellow holy color and only the king could use yellow things, yellow’s color of king), gave to him. He thought that was good sign and so he decreed people to hold a party but Phung An Ly, a mandarin prevented him he said: “Fish are only humble creatures but you think that’s a good sign but if others who gave you noble creatures as like phoenix and unicorns and what will you do?” Therefore, he stopped to hold the party.

In 1129, the spring had no drop of rain. People turned worry, mandarins felt confused. He, the king set a rain-praying ceremony but there had nothing happened. That made him very sad. He said:

“I have little virtue, have done something disobeying God. The last spring, it rained so much while this spring it has no drop of rain. I’m so worry – don’t know what I did wrong. You all – help me finding my wrong and save me”.

Almost mandarins who stood there kept silent. There had only a low mandarin, Ngoc Khanh Tran, who worked as a doctor in castle stepped forward, kneeled down and said:

“My King, I think the spring was the time all creatures proliferate. If it doesn’t rain, all things will be destroyed. It maybe there had some injustice or it maybe the taxes are too high. Hope you could consider the things”.

He praised Ngoc Khanh Tran that he was outspoken daring to say things others didn’t dare. So, he awarded him and gave him a new name (Thien Gian Tran – it means the person who says the right thing). Immediately, he decreed mandarin to consider releasing prisoners, reducing taxes and giving back fields which were confiscated before that to farmers.

To have more people to work, he decreed that soldiers could come back home and helped their families each five months. Because of that, the lives of people turned easier.

The time Than Tong Ly ruled, there had nothing changed. All mandarins served him wholeheartedly. There had no rebels people lived in peace. He, the king, didn’t pay much attention to make the country turn better, people turned richer. He was not confident and always omens but it’s rare the omens came right. In 1129 Vuong Cuu, a soldier at Ta Hung caught a turtle and there had something on its shell which looked like Chinese characters. Immediately, he ordered monks and Confucian scholars to explain the characters. All of them want him happy so they all said that the characters was “Thien thu ha thi, thanh nhan van tue” (it means heaven note’s written that he, the king will be long-lived). He was very happy and awarded them very much.

But the heaven note couldn’t help him because his body was too weak. In summer, 1138 he got serious sick. All doctor in capital was invited to cure him but they didn’t do much. Than Tong Ly died when he was only 22 years old and all things he left were stories about his superstition.

"Translator: Hung Nguyen"

Read more:

Historical stories

Story 12: General Thuong Kiet Ly

Story 13: Van Thinh Le

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Truyện cổ tích Việt Nam

Vietnamese fairy tales

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List of Vietnamese fairy tales

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Vietnamese fairy tales

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