Following the traces of King Quang Trung's 'female flower': The creepy Hien Phu ceremony

In the winter of the year Nham Tuat (1802), King Gia Long's procession returned from Thang Long to Phu Xuan and held a Hien Phu ceremony, "punishing the Tay Son king and mandarins with all their might."

After temporarily stabilizing the situation, on May 2, Nham Tuat year (June 12, 1802), Nguyen King Nguyen Phuc Anh ascended the throne, taking the reign name Gia Long, the first year, in Phu Xuan capital and then led a large army to the north to destroy the Tay Son king.

On June 23, Nham Tuat year (1802), King Gia Long entered Thang Long citadel and a few months later captured Tay Son king Nguyen Quang Toan in Phuong Nhan forest, then brought him to Phu Xuan to hold the Hien Phu ceremony.

Dai Nam Thuc Luc Chinh Bien recorded: “In November, Nham Tuat (1802), a ceremony was held to announce military achievements. On Quy Dau day (6/11 lunar calendar, November 30, 1802), a ceremony was held to worship the gods of heaven and earth. On Giap Tuat day (7/11 lunar calendar, December 1, 1802), a talisman was offered at Thai Mieu... Nguyen Van Khiem, the commander-in-chief of the Tuc Truc palace, and Nguyen Dang Huu, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Justice, were ordered to escort Nguyen Quang Toan and his younger brothers Quang Duy, Quang Thieu, and Quang Ban out of the city gate, to sentence them to be torn apart by 5 elephants (using 5 elephants to divide and tie to the head, two arms and two legs, then let the elephants tear them apart, that is a form of torture), the remains of Nguyen Van Nhac and Nguyen Van Hue were crushed and thrown away, while the skulls of Nhac, Hue, Toan, and the owner of Hue and his wife were all imprisoned in the Ngoai Do House (in the 2nd year of Minh Mang, they were changed to a prison cell and confined forever). As for the The party members Tran Quang Dieu and Vo Van Dung should be punished to the fullest extent of the law and their heads should be displayed for everyone to see.

According to legend, the square where the Hien Phu ceremony was held was located in front of Dung Triet Vuong's ancestral hall, west of Phu Xuan citadel. This area later had Ton Nhan Phu, Kham Thien Giam, Bo Hoc and a part of Bao Vien park which was later renamed Nguyen Van Troi park ( Hue city) today.

To no longer give birth to happiness

The act of King Gia Long taking revenge on the Tay Son dynasty and putting the "flowers" of the three kings in prison is explained and described through the letter of priest Bissachèrre, as follows:

“I would like to start with the matters of the young Tay Son king. First, they forced him to witness a heartbreaking scene. The remains of his parents, who had been dead for ten or twelve years, along with the remains of his close relatives, were all dug up. They arranged the bones of Quang Trung, the king’s father, and the bones of his mother… then they beheaded him according to the outward custom to humiliate him, and especially to prevent those bones from bringing blessings to his descendants, according to the superstitions of the people in the land. Then all the bones were put into a large basket for soldiers to urinate in. Then, they ground the bones into powder, put them in another basket and placed it before the young Tay Son king to make him suffer.

At that time, people prepared a rather solemn banquet for the king, according to the custom of the country for those about to be executed. The king's younger brother (Quang Thieu) was braver than the king. When he saw the king eating, he blamed him. Because the tray of food that was brought there had characteristics that showed respect for the king's position, he said: "Our house has no shortage of trays, why do we need to eat at rented trays?"

After the meal, the king and many others were stuffed with rags to prevent them from cursing the new king. Then they tied his hands and feet to four elephants to be torn apart. One elephant tore the king's thigh and exposed his tendons, but the king still returned to the basket containing his parents' bones. Li Xing used a knife to split the parts that were still stuck together into four parts, plus the torn thigh, making five. They were displayed at the top of a high pole in five of the city's busiest markets. The poles were guarded day and night, and people threatened to severely punish anyone who lost them; but they had to be left to rot or be eaten by crows...

According to official history, King Gia Long, after carrying out the "extreme punishment" on the remains of Nguyen Nhac, Nguyen Hue and the body of Nguyen Quang Toan, left three "flowers" of the three "usurpers" Nguyen Nhac, Nguyen Hue, Nguyen Quang Toan, put them in three jars (so people called them Ong Vo), covered them tightly, sealed them, wrapped them in iron chains, and cast a spell to permanently imprison the criminals in the Foreign House (later changed to Vu Kho) in November of the year Nham Tuat (1802).

So where is the Military Archive? Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi records: “Military Archive. Located in the area of ​​​​Liem Nang ward to the west of the capital. In front there is a construction site and a revenue office, behind there are 10 warehouses. The rule is to appoint a deputy to oversee, under him are the Lang Trung, the Ngoai Lang, the Chu Su, Tu Vu and Tho Lam belonging to the office. Previously called Ngoai Do Gia, in the first year of Minh Mang, the name was changed to the present; in the north is the Military Archive supervisory office, the officials have a director; from the Ngoai Lang down, it is under the command of the Ministry of Public Works.”

According to historical descriptions, the location of the Vu Kho is now part of the campus of the University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University. The only relics of the Vu Kho are the ancient well in the center of the school, under the old tree and a stone pillar in front of the school gate.

Tran Viet Dien - Thanh Nien Newspaper

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