In Vĩnh Lại District, Hồng Châu (present-day Hải Dương), long ago there were many kinds of water creatures. Along the riverbanks, people had built more than ten temples to worship them. As the years passed, some of these sacred places became home to spirits that turned malicious; yet prayers for fair weather or rain were often answered. Because of this, incense and offerings never ceased, and the people grew increasingly respectful and fearful.
During the reign of King Minh Tông of the Trần dynasty, it was Mr. Trịnh who governed Hồng Châu. His wife was Lady Dương Nhân. Once, when she was returning home to visit her family, their boat moored beside a temple dedicated to the water spirits. Suddenly, two young women appeared, carrying a small gold-lacquered box. They approached Lady Dương and said:
— Our lord has sent this gift to offer his respects to madam, as a token of his feelings. Sooner or later, in the land of clouds and water, your destiny to ride the dragon will be fulfilled.
When they finished speaking, they disappeared without a trace.
Lady Dương opened the box and saw inside a purple sash of double-heart design. On the sash was inscribed a quatrain:
A beauty smiles, placing a jade hairpin in her hair.
How deeply she stirs my longing and affection.
This precious ornament is saved for the wedding night,
When, in the Crystal Palace, our hearts will join as one.
Lady Duong was terrified. She and her maid quickly left the boat and hurried home. Shaken, she told her husband, Trinh, about what had happened. Trinh was alarmed too and said:
“That must have been a water spirit or monster waiting to trap us. We must stay far away from the riverbanks and ferry crossings. And on stormy nights or dark evenings, we should keep lamps burning and have people stand guard.”
They followed this plan carefully for six months, and all was peaceful. Then came the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival—a time when families gather to admire the bright full moon, eat mooncakes, and enjoy the clear night. The sky was cloudless, the Milky Way shone across the heavens, and the moon lit everything as brightly as day. Trinh, feeling safe, said:
“On a night like this, with such clear skies, we have nothing to worry about.”
He and his wife shared wine, became drunk, and fell into a deep sleep. But suddenly, thunder roared and lightning flashed. Trinh awoke with a start. The doors were still locked, but Lady Duong had vanished. He rushed out to the riverbank and saw only the quiet, dark water beneath the cold moonlight. Her clothes lay abandoned at the water’s edge. Trinh stood there, heartbroken, unsure of what to do.
In his grief, he resigned from his official position and built a small tower at the foot of Don Mountain, overlooking the river. There he lived alone, mourning his wife. Every day he noticed an old man with a red bag, who would leave in the morning and return in the evening. Trinh wondered:
“This place is so empty and lonely. There’s no village nearby. Where could that old man be going?”
One day, out of curiosity, he followed him but found nothing but sandbanks and reeds. When he went further, he discovered the old man reading fortunes at the marketplace. The man seemed old and frail, but his spirit was bright and lively. Trinh thought:
“This must be no ordinary man—maybe a hermit or even an immortal.”
He befriended the old man, and they often shared wine. Though the old man enjoyed Trinh’s company, he never revealed his name, which only deepened Trinh’s curiosity.
One morning, Trinh rose early and hid behind the reeds to spy on him. In the morning mist, he saw the old man rise slowly from beneath the river. Trinh stepped out and bowed deeply. The old man laughed and said:
“So, you’ve found out who I am. Since you’ve seen it, I won’t hide it from you—I am White Dragon Lord. When I have time, I enjoy wandering among people. But when the Heaven Emperor orders me to bring rain, I can’t hang out in the mortal world anymore.”
Trinh replied:
“Long ago, men like Lieu Nghi and Thien Van visited the palaces of water gods. Could someone like me hope to follow in their footsteps?”
The dragon lord said:
“That’s not so difficult.”
He drew a line in the water with his staff, and the water parted. Trinh followed him beneath the river. Soon, they reached a shining city with magnificent palaces, grander than anything in the human world. Lord White Dragon welcomed him warmly. Trinh said:
“I never imagined I would see such wonders. Now that I’m here, perhaps I can ask for justice.”
The dragon lord asked what he meant. Trinh told of his wife’s abduction and begged for help. But the dragon lord said:
“Though that creature did wrong, he serves in the Dragon King’s court. Each being belongs to its own world—humans shouldn’t interfere with the world of water spirits. It wouldn’t be right to start a war over this.”
Trinh asked:
“Then may I file a complaint with the Dragon King?”
Lord White Dragon said:
“It will be hard to win without proof. We must first gather evidence. But I don’t know who can do that.”
Suddenly, a lady in blue stepped forward and said, “I can help you with that.” Trinh gave her a hairpin that belonged to his wife as a message token.
The lady in blue traveled to the temple of the Dragon Spirit in Hong Chau. There, she inquired about a woman named Duong, who had been granted the title “Lady of Xuong Ap.” Duong lived in a crystal palace made of blue glass, surrounded by lotus ponds. Her chambers were more splendid than any other, and last year she had given birth to a son.
The lady in blue was overjoyed to hear this. But the palace complex was like a maze, with no clear path inside, so she could only wander aimlessly outside the gates. It was springtime — the flowers bloomed brightly, and the wild roses on the walls looked like countless pink clouds. Pretending not to know better, she picked and shook the vines. The gatekeeper became angry. Quickly, she offered him a jeweled hairpin and said:
“I thought these flowers were wild and didn’t realize they were precious or protected. I was wrong to touch them. I am weak and could not bear a beating. Please, kind sir, take this hairpin and deliver it to the lady in the crystal palace. Perhaps she will forgive me, and I would be forever grateful.”
The gatekeeper accepted the hairpin and brought it to Lady Duong. She stared at it for a long time, then pretended to be angry:
“Who is this girl that dares to damage my rose trellis?”
She ordered that the lady in blue be tied up in the garden. But when no one was watching, Lady Duong quietly approached, holding the hairpin with tears in her eyes:
“This is an old keepsake from my husband Trinh — how did it come to be with you?”
The lady in blue explained everything: Trinh had given her the hairpin, and he was now staying at the home of Lord White Dragon. He was heartbroken over Lady Duong and had sent this token as a symbol of his enduring love.
Before she could finish, a maid arrived with news: the Dragon Spirit summoned Lady Duong. She hurried away but returned the next morning. She warmly asked after Trinh and handed the lady in blue a letter, saying:
“Please tell Trinh this for me: His unfortunate wife, far away in this watery palace, thinks of him always. If there’s any way for us to be reunited, let him try. Don’t let me waste away my life in this lonely water-bound prison.”
When the lady in blue returned, Lord White Dragon told Trinh:
“It can be done.”
They journeyed to the southern sea and arrived at a great city. Lord White Dragon went in first and told Trinh to wait at the gate. After a while, Trinh was brought into a grand hall, where a king dressed in crimson robes sat with countless ministers. Trinh knelt and told his sorrowful story. The king turned to a minister and ordered that the Dragon Spirit be summoned.
By noon, two guards brought in a burly man — red hat, black face, bristling beard like bamboo roots — who knelt before the king. The king scolded him:
“I granted you this position for your service. You were to protect the people. Instead, you’ve committed vile deeds. How does this help the people?”
The Dragon Spirit protested:
“He is a man of the land, I dwell in the waters — we have no business with each other. Yet he slanders me! If Your Majesty believes him, the court is deceived and I am wrongly condemned.”
They argued back and forth. The Dragon Spirit denied everything, and the king hesitated, unsure what to believe. Lord White Dragon whispered to Trinh:
“Ask them to summon Lady Duong too.”
Trinh followed the advice, and the king agreed. By late afternoon, two guards brought in a beautiful woman, dressed gracefully, from the east. The king asked:
“Where is your husband?”
She pointed:
“The man in blue is my husband; the man in red is my captor. Three years ago, I fell into his hands. If not for Your Majesty’s justice today, I would have remained lost forever.”
The king was furious:
“I can’t believe this villain was so wicked — shameless in his deeds, and bold enough to deny them. He deserves death.”
Then a minister in green robes spoke:
“Your Majesty, justice must not be driven by personal anger. He did wrong, but also served the people. Let him be punished, but spared from death. Cast him into a dark prison.”
The king agreed:
“Human life is fleeting. Do good and you will be blessed, do evil and you will suffer. This Dragon Spirit misused his power — he must face the law. He stole another man’s wife and will be punished. Let Lady Duong return to her husband. The child may stay as the Dragon Spirit’s heir. So ordered.”
The Dragon Spirit bowed and left. Trinh and Lady Duong were dismissed. Lord White Dragon held a feast to celebrate and gave them gifts. They returned home, sharing the tale, and everyone marveled at the strange events.
Later, when Trinh visited Hong Chau again, he passed the temple. The walls had crumbled, moss covered the broken stones, and only a kapok tree stood with its white blossoms shining in the sunset. Locals told him:
“About a year ago, on a clear day, it suddenly rained hard, the river flooded, and a huge serpent — thirty feet long, with blue scales and a red crest — swam north, followed by hundreds of smaller snakes. Since then, the temple has lost its power.”
When Trinh counted the days, he realized it happened exactly on the day of his trial.
From Truyền kỳ mạn lục by Nguyễn Dữ
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