161. Ông Vua mê ngựa

Theo sử, nước Tầu, thời Chiến quốc, Sở Trang vương là ông vua rất thích ngựa. Ông cho một con ngựa ông quí nhất mặc áo thêu hoa, ở phòng đẹp, nằm giường có nệm êm, thức ăn tòan là táo khô, thứ ngựa rất thích ăn.

Được ít năm, con ngựa bị bệnh rồi lăn ra chết. Ngự y khám nghiệm thấy ngựa quá béo, bèn làm tờ trình cho nhà vua hay.
Sở Trang vương buồn rầu khôn xiết vì mất con ngựa quí, ra lệnh cho quần thần làm tang lễ long trọng cho ngựa, bắt các quan chuẩn bị dùng quan quách (trong quan ngòai quách) chôn theo nghi thức chôn cất quan đại phu.
Tả hữu nghe vậy đều can. Sở Trang vương chẳng những không chịu, còn ra lệnh cho bá quan:”Ai còn dám đem chuyện an táng ngựa quí của ta ra khuyên, ta sẽ không dung và định tội chết.” Các quan nghe xong nín lặng, không ai dám nói một câu.
Duy có một anh kép hài ở trong cung tên Ưu Mạnh, chuyên chọc cười để giải trí nhà vua vá các cung phi. Ưu Mạnh nghe được lệnh cấm can vua về việc an táng ngựa bèn từ sân rồng bước lên điện ngửa mặt khóc rống.
Nhà vua ngạc nhiên, hỏi vì sao? Ưu Mạnh lấy tay áo chùi nước mắt mà rằng:
“Ngựa này là vật đại vương yêu quí. Đại vương đang đường đường là ông vua nước Sở thì Đại vương làm gì mà chẳng được. Chôn cất ngựa quí mà chỉ dùng nghi lễ cho một quan đại phu thì nhỏ bé, đơn sơ quá. Xin hãy dùng nghi lễ như quân vương mới xứng đáng!”
Sở Trang vương rất đẹp dạ, hỏi tiếp:
“Thế phép chôn cất ra sao?”
Ưu Mạnh đáp:
“Nên dùng ngọc trạm làm áo quan, gỗ tế tâm làm quách, cho tòan bộ dũng sĩ mặc áo giáp đội mũ sắt đào mộ, mời thượng khách các nước Tề, Triệu đến làm bồi tế bên quan chủ tế, cho khách khanh các nước Hàn, Ngụy đứng tế phía sau. Khi tế thì phải theo nghi thức như ở nhà Thái miếu tức cũng dùng tam sinh là bò, dê, lợn làm tế phẩm, sau đó lại phong cho huyện vạn hộ để trông coi mồ mả của ngựa, cho con ngựa quanh năm được hưởng hương khói tế lễ!”
Nghe xong, Sở Trang vuơng có vẻ ngượng ngùng, bèn hỏi:
“Lỗi của ta nghiêm trọng đến thế ư? Làm thế nào đây?”
Ưu Mạnh đáp:
“Theo thần thì đại vương cứ theo cách đối xử với súc vật mà làm nghĩa là giao ngựa cho nhà bếp. Nhà bếp sẽ xả nó ra như con lợn, con dê, phân phát thịt cho các cung, viện và các quan. Nội trong nửa ngày ngựa sẽ được an táng trong con tì con vị của nhiều người. Cách đó là hay nhất.”
Sở Trang vương y lời, giao con ngựa cho nhà bếp giải quyết.

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List of Vietnamese fairy tales

Vietnamese fairy tales includes many stories as Tam and Cam; So Dua; Hundred – knot- bamboo tree... which were spread in folk. Each stories has its own meaning. I think I can not translate exactly each word into english but I will try my best to convey its meaning to you. Hope you like them!

Thuong Luong

Thuong Luong was common name of creatures which are in people’s imagines. They are distant relatives of dragons. While dragons are worshiped as gods, the gods ruled rivers and sea and the gods can make rains, Thuong Luong is not respected as dragons that the creatures are too amorous, combative, wild, and have bad behaviors. All most of them like to harm people.

Wishing pearl

De was a young boy. His parent was servants of a landlord. Every morning, De led landlord’s cattle to meadow and brought them back at nightfall. De used to be excited in playing with his fellows and when he was in his game he didn’t care anything. Many times the cattle he herded ate rice on field and the owners used to beat him pained but he still left cattle and joined in his fellows. One normal day, he and his fellows had a swimming competition. An award was given to the winner that he couldn’t refuse. Therefore, he participated in the competition and left his cattle on a wild hill. They swam and dived in water until noon and when they walked on ground, a cow had disappeared. The cow belonged to no one but his master. Children separated to find the cow but the cow seemed to vanish they couldn’t find it. Sun was going to down, children made their ways to home they left De staying at there. Day stayed at there alone crying. After that, he fell in sleep. Latter, he was woken up b...

The liar Cuội

A boy named Cuoi had lost his parent when he was child he lived with his uncle and aunt. He was co clever but used to lie and he always had his fun whenever people had been cheated. A landlord had heard about him but he didn’t think that he could lie him so he called him came and asked. “I hear you are very well in cheat. Now I sit at here, if you can make me go to the door I will give you this pocket of coins. People here will be witnesses for my words.”, said the landlord. Cuoi expressed as if he was feeling embarrassed. “You have prepared before you sit here so I can not make you go to the door. Now if you stand at the door I can make you come in.”, said Cuoi. The landlord thought what Cuoi had said was true so he stood up and sprinted to the door. But when he came to the door he saw Cuoi was laughing and clapping his hand. “I’ve cheated you.”, said Cuoi. The landlord lost for words and was forced to give him the pocket of coins. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.co...

Crow and Peacock

Once upon a time, both Crow and Peacock were best friends and had same feather colors, gray. They knew themselves were ugly so they didn’t appear front of other birds. Peacock in Crow’s eyes was uglier than him because Peacock had a small head and a long neck that they didn’t connect to his body. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com One day, Crow talked Peacock: “A painter was painting nearly so we should come and steal some colors to paint on our feathers and make it beautiful” said Crow Peacock bowed his head. That day, the painter hadn’t finished his picture so he left his jar of colors on ground and took a nap. The first time, they stole a paintbrush and some jars then hid them on mound middle lake nearly. The second, they planned to go and steal again but the panter had woken up and came his home so they only took a jar of ink and a pocket of purl he had left. “Right, we start painting, yet” said Crow Crow made Peacock lie down and began painting. Crow painted v...

Thanh Giong

Once upon a time, a woman was old but she had not given birth a child. One day, when she went to her field, she saw a stranger footsore on the ground. The big footsore made her surprise and said: “omg, this footsore is so big” the she put her foot into the footsore. More 9 months later, she gave birth to a little boy named Giong. The boy was extraordinary that he was over three years old but had not spoken. He only knew lying and smiling. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com That year, the enemies they were known An planed to attack the country of the boy. They were merciless. Wherever they had gone, houses were ruined, fields were fired, people were killed. The sight behind them is mess of corpse and blood and ashes.The King was worry he forced his servants to look for person who could fight against the enemies. One day, a servent went to Giong’s village while the woman was holding the boy in her arms, she said sadly that: “Giong, I wonder that when you hav...

Story 9: Royal Concubine Y Lan

Being royal concubine seemed to be god’s setting for Thi Yen Le, a country girl. She was born in Tho Loi village (in Duong Quang, Thuan Thanh which now is Gia Lam, Hanoi). She lost her mother when she was child. Every day, she busied weaving but she still kept the beauty and innocence. That year, in 1062 while mulberry trees was in harvest time, King Thanh Tong Ly was on his travel went to Dau temple in neighbor village, crossed Tho Loi. The temple was sacred temple and King Thanh Tong Le went to there to pray for a son (King Thanh Tong Ly that time was 40 years old but he still had never had a son. Therefore, having a son was the greatest wish). While Yen was picking up mulberry leaves in filed, a crowd of people went cross the field who were the king and his servants. King Thanh Tong Ly rode on a horse and was escorted by soldiers. People living the village didn’t want lose their chance seeing the king, sprinted to and rounded him. King Thanh Tong Ly stopped to meet the...

Yet Kieu

Once upon a time, in Ha-bi village lived a man named Yet Kieu who worked as a fisher. One night, while he was strolling along the seaside he saw two large buffaloes fighting on the beach. He sprinted to poke them apart. Buffalos were beaten painful they ran toward to the sea then disappeared. “Those creatures aren’t normal”, he thought then he turned back where buffaloes had been fighting and picked up some fur they had left. He gazed them then suddenly swallowed them down. From that he had the strength that nobody could fight against. Especially, he could stay in the water longer than any people in the world. He spent six or seven days fishing whenever he dived in water. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com That moment, their enemies had an invasion. A hundred ships approached and covered seaside of Van ninh. They caught all fishing boats and fired them. They robbed assets and took lives from people living around the beach. Warships following king of the countr...

So dua - Coconut boy

Once upon a time, there in a village had a couple who worked as servants for a landlord. Although they were over fifty years old, they had ever not had a child. They were sad about that, but they had never given up to dream about a child. One day, it's a very hot day, when the wife was working in the field and felt very thirsty. She seeked for water, but she didn't see any but a little water in a skull which was in a hole beside an ancient tree. She had no choice but to drink it. Right the moment she drank, the feeling of cold water running from her throat to her stomach made her felt very comfortable. As a magic, she was pregnant after that short time. Then, the husband died before he got the happiness looking his child be born. After nine months and ten days, the wife gave birth a son but he didn't look like any child on the world. He had no feet, no leg, and even no body. He just had a head with full of eyes, nose, ear, hair and mouth on it. He didn't ugly but was ...

Vietnamese fairy tales

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