NATIONAL FOUNDING GENERAL NGUYEN VAN THANH (1758-1817)
The Unjust Case
The unjust case of Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh and his eldest son, the bachelor Nguyen Van Thuyen, who had to die unjustly, stemmed from a poem. In addition to other causes, the climax was the poem of his eldest son, who was also the son-in-law of King Gia Long.
At that time, it was said that in the excitement of his friend, who was good at poetry and literature, Mr. Thuyen composed a poem for his friend, which roughly translates to: Ai-chau is said to have many talented people – Longing for a wise man for a long time – Jade-patterned Kinh-Son talent is there – Ky Ky-bac horse has known for a long time – The scent of the dark cave is thousands of miles away – The sound of the phoenix on the high mound is as far as the clouds – Son Te, even if we meet this time – Help each other to change this opportunity. The officialdom in feudal times was full of dangers, struggles, titles and power. The treacherous mandarins Thuong Van Hieu and Nguyen Van Nhan took advantage of the last two “sensitive” verses to slander, fabricate, and denounce that his son had the intention of great treason and wanted to dethrone the king.
After the court “investigated”, the king was angry and said that “Nguyen Van Thanh, the highest position in the ranks of the courtiers (the mandarin system), had a son who passed the Huong Cong exam but formed a gang and coveted the throne” and imprisoned him and his father in Quan Thi Trung prison (Dai Nam Thuc Luc, Institute of History, volume 3).
AFTER DEATH: In the 21st year of Tu Duc (1868), after investigation and prosecution by the mandarins, King Tu Duc issued a letter to exonerate, review his achievements, and restore the old titles and ranks to Nguyen Van Thanh (King Tu Duc 1887–1883).
