VIET NAM
Le Chi Vien:
The Untold Story
Stage 2
Story by Khanh Pham
Edited by Julia Lim and the CLA Editing Team
Illustrated by Anya Kumarawati
Chapter 1
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While Minh was walking back home, he was glumly staring at his assignment. He didn’t think he could finish it in two days. In front of Minh, there was a construction worker carrying long boards.
The heavy wood hit Minh in the head.
One day during class, Minh was sleeping. Minh’s teacher became angry.
“Are you listening to me?” Minh couldn’t answer.
The teacher said, “In class on Thursday, you will give a 2000-word report on the Le Chi Vien incident. Do you understand?”
Minh said, “What? I only have two days!”
When Minh looked around, something was wrong.
Minh was at home, but it wasn’t Hanoi.
A young man said, “Are you okay? You had an accident! The man was wearing old clothes.
“Who are you? Where am I?”
“My name is Vu. I found you near the river outside of Hoa Lu.”
Hoa Lu? River? Minh had no idea.
“I want to call my family. Can I borrow your phone?”
“What?” Vu asked Minh.
“Don’t you know what a phone is? You are a strange man.”
“I saved your life, how dare you talk to me like that”.
Vu got angry and went away.
Minh was alone with his thoughts. There is nothing modern here. Did I travel through time? “No way”, he thought.
Minh decided to look for Vu. Vu was practicing fighting in the garden.
“Hey!” Minh called out.
“You scared me!” Vu said.
“I’m sorry, but I have a few questions.”
“I do too. When are you going to leave?” Vu didn’t like Minh.
“Where am I?”
“You are in Hoa Lu.”
“Where is Hoa Lu?” Vu was puzzled.
“It’s the capital of Dai Viet. Everyone knows that. Really, Where are you from?” Dai Viet was the old name for Vietnam.
“What year is it?” Minh asked.
“It’s 1447.” Vu answered. Minh really had time-traveled.
“Are you crying?”
“I’m not crying!” But Minh was crying.
“Do you want to wash your face?”
“Thank you, bro.”
“What does it mean?” Vu asked Minh, but Minh was walking towards the river.
Chapter 2
Minh returned from the river as the sun set. Minh and Vu didn’t know what to say. But Vu began to speak.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Yes!” Minh answered almost immediately.
“What is your name?” Vu asked.
“Oh, I haven’t told you yet. My name is Minh.”
“I didn’t understand your story at all. Would you mind explaining?” Vu said.
“Okay, this might sound crazy, but here goes.” Minh began.
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Minh explained to Vu how he was from the future. Vu could not believe it, but he listened with amusement.
“Why are you living alone? Where’s your family?” Minh asked. Then, the smile faded from Vu’s face.
“My family is dead.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“It’s okay. I have never told that to anyone. Ever since my family died, I have been alone.”
“Why?” Minh asked, but he realized it was a question that he shouldn’t ask.
“You don't have to answer if you don't want to.” Vu hesitated, but he started to talk to Minh.
“My father used to be close to the previous king, but the new king didn’t like my father. Because of that, my father decided to retire, and we moved away from the capital. But one day…” Vu went on.
One day, the king visited Vu’s country house. While staying there, he died of malaria. But the king’s death was blamed on Vu’s family by the queen. She sentenced Vu’s family to death.
Vu’s mother took Vu outside of the house. She said to Vu, “Get away from here. Get away and prove that our family is innocent. She gave Vu a letter written by his father. This tragedy was the Le Chi Vien incident.
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They began training together the next morning.
The night before the exam, Vu remembered what his father wrote in his letter.
“The most dangerous place is the safest place.”
Vu strongly believed his father meant that he left something in the palace that explained the secret of the queen. That’s why, however dangerous it was, he had to enter the palace.
Minh was speechless.
“I focus on studying and fighting practice. I want to work at the royal palace.”
“What?”
“If you pass the exam, you can work at the palace as a soldier. You also get further training.”
“But why? Didn’t they kill your family?”
“I have to get into the royal court to prove my parents are innocent.” Vu had made up his mind.
“In that case, I want to join you.”
“What?” Vu said.
“Well, if I can’t go back to the future, I want to help you!”
“Do you know how to fight?”
“I’m good at Taekwondo. I’m sure I can handle it.”
“Let’s see your moves.”
WHOOSH! THUD!
Minh knocked him down to the ground. Vu burst into laughter. Minh laughed along and helped Vu back on his feet.
“Let’s practice together tomorrow morning.”
“Sure, bro.” They continued laughing as they went home.
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Chapter 3
They succeeded in joining the palace guard. But as time went by, Minh and Vu lost confidence. The training was so hard. They didn’t even have time to talk.
“I can’t live like this anymore!” Minh thought he was going to be stuck here forever.
That night, Minh ran away. He got lost and then heard someone’s voice.
“Hey!”
Minh was so surprised that he couldn’t move.
“Hey! It’s just me!”
It was Vu. Minh was relieved.
“What were you thinking?!”
Vu was furious.
“I’m sorry. I just… I just wanted to get out of here,” Minh said.
“I’m sorry, too. I know you want to go back to the future. But if you go, I’ll be alone again. You’re my first friend,” Vu said.
“Bro…”
Minh put a hand on Vu’s shoulder. Vu was crying.
“Okay, I figured out a place where we might find some evidence. Let’s just go right now so that we can get you back home.” Vu said.
“HEY!”
A loud voice came from far away. They’d been spotted by the soldiers.
“Run!”
They ran in different directions. But Minh lost his way again.
Minh entered the closest room. The room was filled with books. Minh thought it was strange.
He pushed the bookshelf as hard as he could and discovered a secret room. The only thing there was a beautiful box. It was locked. Minh thought this might be a clue.
Minh was delighted, but suddenly someone caught him.
“Minh!”, he heard Vu’s voice calling his name. Minh realized that he had been caught.
Vu was also caught. Dozens of men and a woman stood around them. One of the men gave the woman the box.
“That’s mine!” Minh said.
“It is certainly not yours.”
Minh realized who she was by the way she talked and dressed. She was the queen.
“What are you two doing? You think that you can take whatever you want? Everything in this palace belongs to me!”
While the queen spoke, Minh and Vu tried to run away. At this moment, the queen came and cut Vu’s shoulder.
“Kill them both!” The queen ordered the men.
“Minh! Watch out!”, Vu shouted.
One of the men hit Minh in the back of the head. Minh collapsed.
Chapter 4
"Hey! Are you okay?" Minh woke up. A construction worker looked at Minh with concern. He was back to his own time, exactly where he left.
"I’m okay. I need to go!" Minh ran home.
"Minh! Why are you home so late!" Minh's mom said.
"Sorry mom! Gotta go!” Minh ran up the stairs to his room. He had to know what happened to Vu. Minh searched for a phrase on his computer.
'Le Chi Vien’
"The Le Chi Vien incident is a well-known case. King Le Thanh Tong visited Nguyen Trai's house. But the king died. The queen thought that Nguyen Trai had killed the king. She ordered everyone in Nguyen Trai’s family to be killed. Only Nguyen Anh Vu, Nguyen Trai's son, was lucky enough to survive. Five years later, Vu figured out the queen's secret. The queen was an evil person. People who worked with Nguyen Trai fought against her and won.”
Minh was giving a presentation at school about the Le Chi Vien crime.
"Nguyen Trai was proven innocent and Nguyen Anh Vu became a great man who contributed to the country as much as his father did. This is the end of my presentation."
His classmates applauded Minh. He returned to his seat happily.
"Minh, I’m very impressed by the details in your report. You gave a good presentation, 100 points!”
His classmates clapped once more. Minh was happy for Vu. Although Vu was centuries older than him, he would always be one of Minh’s best friends. His bro.
He didn't hope to get hit in the head again and see Vu, though.
THE END