Today’s
Enlightening Entertainment
will be presented in
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
with subtitles in Arabic,
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Hungarian, Indonesian,
Italian, Japanese,
Korean, Malay,
Mongolian, Persian,
Portuguese, Russian,
Spanish, and Thai.
Filmmaking
was introduced to
Âu Lạc (Vietnam)
at the end of 1890s.
It began to thrive in 1923
with the first movie
co-produced
by the French and
the Aulacese based
on the masterpiece
“The Tale of Kiều” by
literary great Nguyễn Du.
Embracing
the modern technology
of our world's civilization
and combining it
with a diverse artistic
foundation inherent in
the country's traditions,
Aulacese filmmaking
nowadays continues
to develop to
enhance the nation's
cultural landscape.
On Enlightening
Entertainment,
Supreme Master
Television is pleased
to introduce different
forms of arts
from Âu Lạc (Vietnam),
as well as from other
countries in the world,
in order to share the
beauty and cultures
of the peoples
on our planet.
The film
“Lady Xuân Hương”
is based on
an Aulacese folk tale
about a beautiful,
intelligent, and spirited
young woman,
and a district chief
who was neither talented
nor moral.
On the side was
human love built upon
a foundation of noble
characters and loyalty.
We now invite you
to enjoy the film
“Lady Xuân Hương,”
written by screenwriter
Nguyễn Đông Thức,
directed by
Nguyễn Minh Chung,
and produced
by Phương Nam Films,
with performances
by Hồng Ánh
as Xuân Hương,
Nguyễn Thanh
as Tống Như Mai,
Lê Hoàng as Attendant,
Kiến Anh as
District Chief Thạch,
Ngọc Lan as
the Matchmaker,
Uyên Trinh as
Xuân Hương’s mother,
and other artists.
While enjoying the film
“Lady Xuân Hương,”
one couldn’t help
but admire an Aulacese
young woman who was
not only beautiful and
exceptionally intelligent,
but also filial and loyal.
Determined
and courageous,
Xuân Hương
wouldn’t exchange
the moral values
she believed in
for wealth, prestige,
or personal security.
Before tyrannical power,
she neither feared
nor surrendered,
but bravely
preserved her dignity.
Indeed, the Aulacese
greatly esteem
self-respect
and have a saying,
“One would rather die
in honor
than live in disgrace.”
Due to the influence
of Buddhism,
Aulacese people are often
reminded of the spirit of
“compassion, wisdom,
courage,” of which
courage is one
of the three qualities
encouraged to cultivate.
Lady Xuân Hương
with her noble nature
rooted in love, wisdom
and courage, symbolizes
the greatness of women
in particular,
and of us all in general.
In a public lecture
in London,
the United Kingdom,
on June 8, 1999,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
affirmed that the
“courageous way of life
is the only way of life.”
She explained that
“fear is the opposite
of God.”
Courageous way of life
is the only way of life.
Fear is the opposite
of God.
If we truly believe
in God,
we don't have fear.
Supreme Master Ching Hai
lovingly sent gifts
to the artists
contributing to
the modern folk opera
“The Legend of Quan Yin’s
Bridge Building,”
broadcast on
Supreme Master Television
in previous weeks.
They expressed
their gratitude toward
Master’s caring concern.
Actor Minh Béo
as Tấn Hỉ:
Respectful greetings,
Master!
I’ve received the gift
Master sent me.
Thank you Master
very much and
I respectfully wish Master
abounding health
and success.
Farewell, Master!
Minh Béo
Actor Hiếu Hiền as the
Son of the Rich Man:
Buddha be praised!
I’m Hiếu Hiền.
I would like to thank
Master for your love
for me as well as
for my mother Kim Ngọc.
I’m very grateful
to Master because
Master has thought
of my mother and me,
and then sent us gifts
of encouragement.
Although now my mother
already passed on,
but the gifts Master sent
last time to my mother,
I still keep.
Now I also received
Master’s gifts for me.
I received
a lucky red envelope.
Thank you, Master,
very much.
I respectfully wish
Master great health.
I didn’t pray or anything,
but I suddenly craved
for vegetarian food
in such an unusual way.
Suddenly
I lost all appetite
with meat and fish.
I can eat vegetarian food
without craving
for animal-based food.
And I find that Master’s
informing everyone
to use vegan food
to protect the
environment and nature
is a very good idea.
I also wish that
everyone in the world
join in being veg.
It is one of
the constructive actions
to protect
the environment as well.
My respectful greetings
to Supreme Master
Television viewers
worldwide.
Let’s be veg
and go green
for a green and
beautiful environment!
Traditional musician
Khải Hoàn:
Respectful greetings,
Master.
Master has sent me a gift
and I,
musician Khải Hoàn,
wish to thank Master
sincerely.
I also have a couple of
Buddhist screenplays.
I’d like to offer to Master
for airing
or any other purpose ,
because
I’m also very devout.
Eating vegetarian
has many benefits.
First,
by eating vegetarian,
we change
our body’s daily habit.
For example,
if we’ve been eating meat
and fish, now we just
stop eating those.
Instead we eat vegetables.
It is good to avoid killing.
First, being vegetarian
is good for you.
No need to say:
“I’ll eat vegetarian when
I practice spiritually.”
No need to wait for that.
We eat vegetarian
is to save ourselves
from illnesses.
Nowadays everything
contains toxic chemicals.
If we eat vegetarian,
it’s easier on our digestion.
That’s what
I think about being veg.
And spiritual practice
means that we’re kind
and gentle, and fulfill our
duty as a human being.
Playwright
Thanh Kim Huệ,
director Xuân Phước,
artists Thanh Điền
as Lữ Đồng Tân,
Quế Trân as Bạch Liên,
Hoàng Nhất as Vi Đà,
Trinh Trinh as Tiểu Mai,
Hữu Tài as the Boatman;
vegan musician Thái An,
and cameramen Lê Trí
and Nguyễn Hùng,
all of whom participated
previously
on Supreme Master
Television,
have also received gifts
and loving wishes
from Supreme Master
Ching Hai.
Supreme Master
Television
sincerely thanks
Hoằng Pháp Temple,
all the artists
and professionals
who contributed
to the modern folk opera
“The Legend of Quan Yin’s
Bridge Building”
which reminds
humankind to pursue
a virtuous life
and noble ideals.
We wish you blessings
in your daily lives
as well as
in your endeavors
to uphold spiritual
and artistic values and to
bring peace and goodness
to the public at large.
Thank you for your
presence on
Enlightening Entertainment.
Words of Wisdom
is coming up next.
Please tune in on
Supreme Master Television
next Thursday
for the Aulacese chèo
traditional opera entitled
“A Hundred-section
Bamboo Tree”
by playwright
Phan Tất Quang.
Farewell for now.
Once upon a time,
in Hạ District,
there lived an intelligent
and beautiful girl.
Her name
was Xuân Hương.
Her father was
a poor teacher who
passed away long ago.
She lived with
her mother and studied
with an aged teacher
in the village.
One day,
a student whose name
was Tống Như Mai,
passed by Hạ District
on his way to the capital
for the royal exam.
Master! Master,
follow this direction,
not that one.
Master! Master!
Greetings, Miss Hương!
You just came back
from school?
Greetings, Your Honor.
What a pity!
You’re not allowed
to take the exam.
Why bother yourself
with studying?
Respected sir,
one who studies
without taking the exam
is still better than the one
who takes the exam
without studying.
Look!
Don’t you know
who I am that you have
such an arrogant tone?
Respected sir,
since you came to preside
over this Hạ District,
your name has been put
up everywhere,
such as this pier Thạch,
for example.
Famous as you are,
everyone knows
you’re the District Chief.
Then from now on,
you’d better watch
your words, you hear?
Yes.
I’d like to go home now.
Wait!
I heard that
you’re very intelligent.
So, compose
a parallel sentence
to this verse of mine.
If you come up
with a good match,
I’ll let you go home.
What do you think?
Please say
your first sentence.
All right. Listen!
“District Chief Thạch
crosses the Thạch Pier.”
How is it?
If only you allow me,
then I’d dare to match it.
Go ahead!
Sir: “The yellow dog
licks the yellow poop.”
Good bye, sir.
Master!
You startled me!
Are you sick?
Nonsense.
I’m just fine.
What are you doing?
You could get past
someone else,
but not this close attendant.
You’re thinking of the
girl in blue this evening,
right?
You’re very good!
How can there be
someone so beautiful,
intelligent, and sharp-
witted like that
in this world?
She proved to have
strong will as well and
dared use the word dog
to match the mandarin.
Such a fantastic
young lady!
O master!
What?
There are only two days
until the exam.
Don’t ruin
an important matter, master.
I know.
There are two days left.
It takes one day to reach
the capital from here.
I still have one day.
How can I become
acquainted with her
in just one day?
O Heaven and Earth!
Woe to you!
You just met her briefly
but you already became
dazed like that.
If your father knows
about this,
he’d chop you and me
into three pieces.
Don’t tell my father.
But...
You’re my most trusted
attendant.
You must help me.
Oh god!
I promise to be at the
exam ground on time.
I’ll be the First Laureate
in this examination.
But I’m not going to
lose her because of this.
She must be mine.
But...
Within this evening,
you must bring back
to me all information
about her. You hear?
Are you dreaming
or what?
You’re really too much!
Even the District Chief,
you treated
with no respect.
What kind of a mandarin
that flirts with women
in broad daylight?
How shameless!
Regardless,
he’s head of this district.
You should show him
some respect.
Otherwise, we may end
up in jail some day.
We have nothing
to be afraid of.
Jail is a place for him,
not for decent folks like us.
He’s illiterate but likes
to play on words – that’s
what I dislike the most.
You will see, Mom.
An arrogant person
like him will sooner
or later rot in jail.
O Heaven and Earth!
You dare talk like that?
It’s truly a tiger giving
birth to a tiger.
Isn’t it good that
a daughter takes
after her father, Mom?
That’s right.
Good, so good!
You’re so good
that no one dares
marry you for my sake.
Mom, why do you
discredit me like that?
There were 4, 5 famous
and noble families who
have come to talk to you
already, weren’t there?
But you weren’t
interested in any of them.
Look! You shouldn’t be
so choosy.
You want to remain single
for the rest of your life
or what?
I prefer to stay with you.
Are you home, Sister?
Greetings,
sister Matchmaker!
Greetings.
Greetings, Auntie.
You’re not selling hats
today?
Have a seat!
Thank you.
Later I must attend
a death anniversary
banquet at my mother’s
house in Châu District.
Yes.
She has to stay home
to look after it.
Really?
And she has to
finish the hats on order.
But you’re here to visit
us or what is it that you
come here so early for?
Goodness!
I have no time to visit
for fun anyway.
Wow, it’s a long distance
to Châu District!
It’ll take half a day.
Half a day?
So you won’t be back
until the day
after tomorrow?
Probably so.
But is there something,
Sister?
It’s all right.
I’m just anxious.
What are you anxious about?
Just good news.
Good news?
Yes. This time you will
have no excuse
to turn it down.
You have... some place?
Handsome, good manner,
owner of a brick kiln,
rich, and the most
influential in this area.
It’s lucky that
she rejected the previous
marriage proposals.
Otherwise,
she wouldn’t have
this golden opportunity.
But whose son is he?
Whose son?
It’s District Chief Thạch.
What?
District Chief Thạch?
You see?
I knew for sure
you’d be very surprised.
It’s a blessing from
three generations
of your family.
This is very funny, Mom.
O Auntie! (Yes?)
You go tell
the District Chief
that my mom agrees
to marry me off to him.
Come on!
Mom!
So you’ve agreed?
But with one
small condition.
You see? I told you.
She’ll agree immediately
anyhow. But...
You have only
one condition? (Yes.)
Don’t be foolish, child!
They’re wealthy.
We must ask a lot.
Gold, silver, houses,
paddies, orchards,
jewelries,
you’re free to demand.
Demand
as much as you can,
so you can share with me.
Don’t worry, Auntie.
If he can respond
to my condition,
you’d be very rich,
Auntie.
But what’s the condition?
Let me see.
Well, you tell him
to find for my mom
a five-flavored dish.
The more one eats it,
the more
he feels intoxicated.
One can eat it all day
long without getting full.
This is such
a strange dish!
Now I’d like to
see you off. (But I...)
May I, Auntie?
My mom has a very
important thing to do.
Really? But I…
Good bye, Auntie.
I’m leaving then.
I’ll stop by another time,
all right?
I’m going now. (Yes.)
Goodbye!
Come back early, Mom.
I’ll go back right
after the banquet.
Leaving you home alone,
I feel quite uneasy.
I’m grown up.
Besides,
we have our neighbors.
I’m not alone
in the jungle that you
should be so worried!
I know.
But I’m still worried.
I already told the neighbors.
Should there be anything,
just shout. (Yes.)
All right, go back.
Remember to finish
knitting all the hats
for Mrs. Tú, okay?
Then you can do
whatever you want.
Give it to me.
Don’t worry, Mom.
Look, child!
Remember to lock the
door carefully at night.
(Yes.)
Mrs. Teacher, let me take it!
Have a safe trip, Mother.
Xuân Hương!
O Xuân Hương,
you must be mine.
Tomorrow, I have to set
out for the capital city,
I have too little time left.
I must go to her house now.
Hurry up!
Don't be impatient
and ruin everything.
I can’t wait any longer.
I must go ask
for her hand
and have an engagement
made within today.
Master! Stay calm.
Everything is still there.
I…
In studying,
this attendant
can’t be your match.
But in the love arena,
you have a lot to learn
from me.
I assure you that
within today, your wish
will be fulfilled.
But what can it be
if you don’t let me go
to her place?
You will, but not
in an ordinary way
like an ordinary person.
What do you mean?
Five wealthy young men
have been thrown out
by her without any pity
because those young men
proposed to her
in a very ordinary way.
Five young men
have been turned down?
Yes.
To a very extraordinary
young lady like
Miss Xuân Hương,
you must propose to her
in a very
extraordinary style.
So difficult to understand.
Tonight,
she’s home all alone.
What?
Your Honor!
O sir, we’ll find a way.
Everything is still there.
What way?
She frustrated me on purpose.
How can there be
such a weird dish?
Your Honor,
it’s not difficult
to have five flavors.
We just need a handful of
bitter lettuce,
then add lemon juice,
hot pepper, sugar,
salt, and we’d have a
five-flavored raw salad.
Bitter lettuce
has the bitter taste.
That’s one.
Lemon has the sour taste.
That’s two.
Sugar has the sweet taste.
Three.
Salt has the salty taste.
Four.
Hot pepper has the hot taste.
There it is.
Mixing up these
five ingredients,
we’ll have the bitter
lettuce raw salad.
This dish sounds tasty.
Yes. You’ll find it
sooner or later.
But this dish can’t make
one feel drunk.
No. It’s not workable.
Your Honor.
It’s not that difficult
to get drunk.
The more one eats,
the more he feels
intoxicated. (Yes.)
Great!
There it is. You’ll find it
sooner or later.
But if so, the dish
would have six flavors.
No. It’s impossible.
Oh gosh!
Well, then we take out
the bitter lettuce.
That’s right.
So there will be
five flavors left. (Yes.)
Lemon, salt, sugar,
hot pepper to be mixed
with wine. (Yes.)
This dish sounds exotic!
See? You’ll find it
sooner or later.
But, it’s not possible.
Why?
It’d become a medicinal
recipe steeped
in four spices,
not a food anyway.
No. That won’t work.
Your Honor,
it’s not that difficult!
Just remove hot pepper
and keep the bitter lettuce.
Because it’s hot already,
no need for hot pepper.
Does this dish
make you full?
It sure does.
Just one chopstick worth
will fill you up.
Well then, you can take it
home to eat it yourself.
Your Honor,
in this world,
there’s no food that
won’t make us full
if we keep eating it.
Even tiny sesame seeds
would fill you up
if you keep eating them.
Indeed, she’s just making
it difficult for you.
Let me find you
another match then.
No other!
By all means
I must marry her
to be my second wife.
You love her that much?
Love?
It’s the opposite, actually.
She humiliated me
in front of people.
I abhor her to the bone.
That’s why
I must marry her
to have her serve me
in bitterness.
Your Honor,
if so, I have this great idea.
I don’t know
if you’d go with it?
Speak!
She’ll be home alone
tonight? (Yes.)
There’s nothing to spit out.
Excuse me, anyone home?
Who is it?
May I bother you
for just a moment?
Greetings,
head of household.
Greetings,
head of household.
Who are you young ladies?
Can you come back
in the morning?
We’re stranded
on the road without a
place to spend the night.
Will you kindly
let us spend the night?
That’s our plight, indeed.
Where are you heading
to get into such a trouble?
I miss my husband
who is studying
in the capital city,
so I take pains
to travel a long distance.
Please let us stay
for the night.
We sisters are deeply
grateful to you.
Please have compassion.
All right, please come in.
Thank you so much.
You’re very kind-hearted!
Thank you very much.
Make yourselves
at home, sisters.
Yes.
I’m lucky, otherwise
I’ll be spending the night
all alone.
It’d be so sad!
You’re all alone?
Our family has only
my mother and me,
but today my mother
had to be away
for some business.
Please have some drink,
sister.
Thank you.
Please have some, sister.
Yes, thank you.
Please have a seat.
Yes, thank you.
What is your name?
I’m Như Mai.
And this is Nguyệt Hoa,
my younger sister.
I’d like to introduce myself.
I’m Xuân Hương.
Let’s just call
one another “sisters”
for closeness.
Have you two
eaten anything?
Let me go prepare
some food for you.
It’s all right.
We brought along
our dried food and
already had our dinner.
Then go have a bath,
okay?
We did already.
Don’t be shy.
Go take your bath!
Where can you get a bath
in the middle of the road?
Well, we took advantage
of the darkness at night,
without passers-by,
to jump into a pond
at the village entrance
already.
Really?
You two are really bold!
You make hats?
My mother and I have
been earning a living
by doing this
for a long time.
I’ve never seen
such a beautiful one
like that before.
You’re just overpraising.
Goodness,
what a lovely hat!
Let me borrow it, please.
Why don’t we buy a pair?
One for you, one for me,
okay?
Yes.
Remember to save us
a pair of the best quality.
Certainly.
Earlier, I heard the sound
of the lute in the house.
I heard it too.
Did you play it,
sister Xuân Hương?
Oh, here’s the lute!
Will you play it for us?
My sister Như Mai
also knows how to play.
I saw a 16-chord zither
in the house.
How about you two
play a duet?
Breezy moonlit night
in springtime
The moon is imbued
in flower’s hue.
The wind wafts
in exotic fragrance.
Fragrance and beauty
follow each other.
Fragrance and beauty
permeate spring night.
The lovelorn
longs for the lovesick.
Playing the lute
and composing poems
in summer days
Poetry portrays
my affection.
Music harmonizes
hearts and minds.
The mind bends
with love,
love bends with the mind.
Savor a summer day
to one heart’s content.
Kindred friends
understand each other.
Wow!
I’m so sleepy,
sister Như Mai.
I’ll go to bed first.
Yes.
I’ve found a kindred soul
tonight, unexpectedly.
Your husband must be
the most talented poet
to be able to marry you.
What would your type be?
My husband? Let me see.
He must be talented
and faithful like you.
If I were a man,
would you... be my wife?
What?
If you were a man? (Yes.)
Very interesting!
If you were a man,
I wouldn’t let you go.
Remember that!
One word uttered
is gems and gold cast.
Why not?
Really?
I swear with Heaven and
Earth as my witnesses
that if you’re a man,
I’ll be your gentle wife.
Don’t swear!
If it’s truly so,
you must put it in writing
for me to believe you.
What? Really? (Yes.)
No problem.
I have nothing
to be afraid of.
What are you doing?
A thief?
Here you go, thief!
Beat him up.
Here you go, thief.
How dare you!
Ouch! Woe to me!
Who is it?
Ouch! Who is it?
What!
I…
The thief, I beat him up...
He ran away already.
He...
he ran away already.
My god! I’ve been
tricked by an old gang.
I…I…
Who are you?
How dare you come here
to trick me!
Miss, Miss...
Don’t be afraid.
I...
I asked you:
Who are you?
I…
Tell her, master!
I’m Tống Như Mai,
the Province Chief’s son.
Yes.
And this is my attendant.
That’s right.
What do I have against
you that you devised
this game to harm me?
I didn’t mean
to harm you.
Please be calm
and listen to me.
Yesterday, on my way
to the capital city
for the exam,
I met you at Thạch Pier.
At that moment,
it was as if my heart
stopped beating.
That whole day, I went
crazy because of you.
I... I want you
to be my wife.
That’s right.
But because I have to be
at the exam tomorrow,
so my attendant told me
to disguise as a girl
to meet you. And...
Is something going on,
Miss Xuân Hương?
O Xuân Hương,
are you awake?
Nothing at all.
Nothing at all.
Don’t worry,
Aunties and Uncles.
We thought
you were in trouble,
so we rushed over.
No. Nothing at all.
Thank you very much.
All right.
Then we go back home.
Just shout.
We’ll come over to help.
Yes.
Woe to me now!
I’m an unmarried girl
who slept with
an unmarried man.
How will I be able
to look at my mother?
Don’t cry, Miss.
It was out of my love for
you that I was so bold.
Please forgive me.
I and my attendant aimed
not for a short-lived
unchaste conduct,
but aspire for a lifelong
marital union.
Please trust me.
No, I can’t.
You’d cast me off
like changing a shirt
or removing a wattle.
How is it possible for me,
a commoner, to marry
a mandarin’s son?
Let Heaven above,
the Earth below,
and the lamp before me
witness my vow:
Even if my parents
obstruct me,
I will not desert you.
Then have it in writing.
Get me a piece of paper.
Here’s the paper, master.
Your Honor,
I have special news.
Is your information
reliable anymore?
It sure is.
I saw it with my own
eyes and touched it
with my own hands.
Last time, it was your
own ears that heard,
your own eyes that saw
her staying home alone.
Yet, I was attacked
by a dozen of women
who beat me up
like a jackfruit.
Luckily,
no one recognized me.
Otherwise, I’d have no
face to look at people.
Your Honor,
your beating me
wasn’t any different
from how they beat you.
But that’s old story now.
Please forgive me,
Your Honor.
Your Honor,
now I have this news,
very exciting.
It’s all right if
you don’t want to hear.
Then I will take leave.
Stop! Tell me!
O sir.
Stop walking, please.
How long has it been?
It’s been almost a month.
Everyone saw it.
How valuable is it?
Only someone as rich as
you can afford to buy it.
Where did she get it?
I don’t know.
I asked, but she only
smiled and said nothing.
What is her attitude?
She’s always happy,
but she’s not as pretty
as before.
Wearing tattered,
dirty clothes,
she seems to try to make
herself ugly on purpose.
This sounds interesting!
I’m still chewing.
O Mom, I’m going out
to sell the hats now.
You look like a beggar.
It really bothers my eyes.
Don’t worry, Mom.
When I get married later,
I’ll turn into a fairy
for you to see.
I also long for that day.
All right, go!
Come home early, child.
Yes, Mom.
I’m leaving now.
Listen!
Yes.
Take care of the bracelet,
if you don’t want
to lose your husband.
If I lose the husband,
it’s also fun
to stay with you.
Remember, don’t tell
anyone about it. (Yes.)
If things don’t
materialize later on,
we’d have to dig a hole
to hide away. (Yes.)
Young woman, stop!
What are you doing?
I heard that
you’re keeping my wife’s
jade bracelet. Is it true?
Why do you say that?
Search her!
Yes. Move!
What are you doing?
Let me go!
Don’t touch me.
Let go!
This bracelet is mine.
Let go!
Where did you
get this bracelet from?
Where I got it
is my business,
as long as it’s not yours.
What an insolent girl!
You stole it
and still talk back.
Guards! (Yes.)
Take her to the district court!
Yes. Quickly! Hurry up!
Let me go!
You have
no right to arrest me.
Be quiet!
Let me go! Let me go!
Release me!
If not, I’ll appeal to
the Three Judicial Court.
This is not a joke.
Release me!
O god, Xuân Hương!
How on Earth did you
end up like this?
How did you know
to come here?
Such sensational news,
the whole village knows
about it.
As soon as I heard of it,
I rushed here to visit you.
My poor child!
Why are you so foolish,
dear?
Enough!
You think I stole
the District Chief’s
jade bracelet?
Well... That’s the rumor.
I have no idea
what’s going on.
But never mind.
Everything is still there.
We’ll solve it
sooner or later.
Look,
I brought you some cake.
It’s very tasty. Try it!
Try to eat
to recover your strength,
then you and I
will work it out.
Work out what?
Working on clearing
your offense, what else?
But what offense
did I commit
that needs clearance?
Poor you!
How come you’re so naive?
Whether you’re guilty
or not is a moot point.
Remember
that you’re detained
in the district’s jail.
And the District Chief
is the most powerful man
here.
Guilty or not guilty
is all judged by him.
Even we’re innocent,
but if he says we’re guilty,
then that’s the way it is.
Poor and helpless people
like us, how much
can we do, dear?
Xuân Hương!
Come, come here!
Let me tell my plan.
I know what your plan is
already.
You’ll tell me to accept
to be his second wife,
right?
My niece is too bright!
Yes.
All it takes from you
is a nod, then not only
will you be acquitted,
but you will also enjoy
wealth and prestige, with
servants waiting on you.
Your mother
will have a big house
and will be provided
for till the end of her life.
She will not have to work
long hours at this
penniless hat-making job
anymore.
All the girls
in this district
couldn’t even dream of it.
I must say
you’re smooth-talking.
No wonder
the District Chief
has to rely on you.
Of course!
I’ll let you
have the mandarin.
If necessary, I could be
the matchmaker for you.
Do you want it?
Come on, girl!
He seems to like you a lot.
Really? You...
Such a small thing and
you couldn’t handle!
Your Honor,
I’ve said all I could say
and tried every tactic,
but she wouldn’t listen.
You know what?
This girl is
so mean-mouthed.
She slandered you
left and right.
She said that you like me
and I like you,
that we like each other.
She even dared say that
you and I
are well matched.
You see?
This girl is terrible.
But I think what she said
makes sense.
Tomorrow, drag her out
to the communal house
for a trial.
I wasn’t chewing anything.
How unjust!
I’m so upset!
What offense did
my daughter commit
to be arrested
by the District Chief?
Oh god!
The bracelet is hers.
Where she got it,
that’s her business.
Why did he wrongly accuse
and arrest her?
He thought
that being a mandarin,
he could arrest anyone
at will?
Just think about it, folks.
There’s more than
one jade bracelet
in this world.
This is not the only one.
(That’s right!)
Who knows what size
or color his wife’s
bracelet is anyhow?
Rich woman Đông
has a hundred bracelets.
Why didn’t he go there
to arrest her? Instead
he arrested my daughter.
How frustrating!
How unjust!
I’m so upset! Oh god!
Old woman!
The mandarin’s coming.
The mandarin’s coming.
If you feel something
is unjustly done,
then go to the district
to report it.
Why go around to talk to
people and cause chaos?
Your Honor,
I’ve been to the district
court three times,
but I was never once
allowed to go in.
Nothing should be tried
more than three times.
So I don’t care
to go there anymore.
I don’t care to go there
anymore.
When I have free time,
I go out to the street to
scream and shout for fun.
What did I do to you
that you’re afraid of?
You’re a teacher’s wife
and you don’t know
how to get
in the mandarin’s gate?
Your Honor, I do.
I have a way.
I know you’ve always
highly regarded
your friends.
So I told a guard to report
to Her Lady, your wife,
that my son
is your old classmate.
He asked me to tell you
something very important.
Wait. Who is that man?
But your wife
wouldn’t let me in.
But why didn’t my wife
let you in?
She said that
I was telling a lie.
Telling a lie?
But what is it?
She said you’ve
never been to school,
how can you have
an old classmate?
What are you people
laughing at?
What are you laughing
about? Be quiet!
Guards, arrest her!
Arrest me?
For what crime?
For telling a lie?
What crime?
Acting in complicity
with the offendant.
You see that, folks?
Take her in.
Oh god! It’s so unjust!
He arrested me.
He arrested my daughter
and arrested me as well.
Let me go!
O Mom!
Let go of me!
Mom!
Let me go!
Stay away.
Xuân Hương!
Reconsider it, dear.
Sister Teacher, are you
not afraid of death?
Goodness, aren’t you two
listening to me at all?
How stubborn of you!
Take that girl over here!
Move!
Let me go!
Kneel down!
All right, I give up.
But tell me:
what is that weird
five-flavored dish
that the more you eat,
the more you’re intoxicated
and never get full?
That’s the thing you are
chewing in your mouth,
Mr. Mandarin.
In my mouth? The betel?
The betel leaf is hot,
that’s the first flavor.
The areca is sweet,
which is the second.
The lime is strong,
which is third.
The areca’s skin is acrid,
which is fourth.
The leaf has a bitter taste,
which is fifth.
The more betel one chews,
the more
he feels intoxicated,
One can keep eating betel
without getting full
because no one ever
swallows the betel.
I’ve swallowed it
already. Guards! (Yes.)
Whip both of them for me.
Let me go!
You can’t beat my mother.
Release my daughter.
You can’t beat
my daughter.
Let me go!
Kneel down.
Mom! Mom!
Hold it!
What’s going on?
The King’s
Special Envoy is here.
His Excellency
has arrived.
The King’s
Special Envoy is here!
What?
Tống Như Mai!
Unlock the chains!
Yes.
Dear villagers
of Hạ District!
I’m the King’s
Special Envoy.
Before coming here,
I sent someone for
a secret investigation
and I’ve learned that
District Chief Thạch
is an illiterate, corrupted,
power-abusing,
arrogant man,
who is plotting
to harm innocent people.
The person being harmed
is my fiancée.
What a wise ruling!
This bracelet is my
betrothal gift to her.
I now declare
that Xuân Hương and
her mother are innocent.
Guards! (Yes.)
Take this mandarin back
for a trial.
Please pardon me,
Your Excellency!
Please pardon me,
Your Excellency!
Please pardon me,
Your Excellency!