Kings in Vietnamese history humbled themselves and admitted their mistakes

The king is supreme, considered the Son of Heaven and always right, but some have "bravely" admitted their mistakes to their subjects when they see they are wrong.

King Le Thanh Tong apologizes to his subjects

Le Thanh Tong (1442 - 1497) was the 5th king of the Le So dynasty, considered the most enlightened king in our country's history. During his 38-year reign, Dai Viet developed brilliantly in all aspects from economy, culture, society, education, military and became a great power.

According to historians, in addition to his intelligence, King Le Thanh Tong was very studious and open-minded. He was even not afraid to admit his mistakes and apologize to his subjects. The book Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu wrote that once, the National University's Te Tuu Giam and the Grand Scholar of the Civilization Palace, Nguyen Ba Ky, frankly submitted a memorial about the king's preference for superficial and useless learning in his writings, and not paying attention to the classics and history.

King Le Thanh Tong did not mind and replied: "If I were fond of literature and did not take the classics and history as my roots, what books would I have? I examined myself and what you said, and in those four words 'useless vanity', loyalty was already included. But if I wrote an essay to argue against it, then I would be at fault. At that time, you promptly stopped me, so I did not hold back."

King Le Thanh Tong, because he respected Nguyen Ba Ky's talent and virtue, bestowed upon him the title "Mr. Van Phong". When he died, the king sent the Tu Le Giam Quan Pham Ho with an edict saying: "You have served the king loyally, kept yourself upright, and been by my side day and night. Now it has been 6 years, and now you are on your last breath, but your loyalty has not wavered".

Bronze statue of King Le Thanh Tong. Photo: Wikipedia

Another time, in 1467, there was a rebellion in the Northeast region. General Le Hoi and Admiral Khuat Da led troops to quell the rebellion but were defeated and were brought to trial. The Minister of Justice cited the Eight Rules of Judgment (eight types of people are given consideration and their sentences are reduced) and intended to pardon these two people.

The Imperial Censor Tran Xac agreed and reported to the king: "In the past, only the crimes of great evil and rebellion were not allowed to enjoy the eight-point rule. I have never seen an official who committed a common crime not enjoy this rule." Le Thanh Tong replied: "There is only one military law, not two. Saying what Xac said is just an excuse, confusing people. Xac should be punished for this crime."

However, immediately after that, the king had an edict to admit his mistake: "I falsely accused you of being a diabolical person who tried to deceive people. That was my mistake. Now, if you have any good plans, please tell me. It is like sweet rain coming during a drought, like a boat coming when I need to cross a river. Please remember that."

Historians assessed that the Censor General Tran Xac was an upright person, had a firm grasp of the law, and dared to say words that were not pleasing to the king. In a moment of haste, Le Thanh Tong failed to follow the usual rules, but the king was still able to think again, bravely admitted his mistake, and sincerely asked to hear more straightforward words, which was very respectable.

King Quang Trung admitted his mistake.

Quang Trung (1753-1792) was a king with many illustrious achievements and was also praised for his intelligence and talent. Among the many stories about his outstanding talent, there was an incident that showed that the king was very open to learning. That was his response to the "petition" of the villagers of Van Chuong in Thang Long.

According to historian Tran Van Giap, in 1789, after King Quang Trung defeated the Qing army, the people of Van Chuong village (near the Temple of Literature) submitted a petition. The content talked about how in 1786, the Thang Long Temple of Literature was burned down and the stone steles were trampled and knocked down.

The petition clearly stated: "The Doctor's stele was innocent/ But was implicated in the fire/ The stele was trampled/ The stele house was burned to ashes". The petition also blamed King Quang Trung: "A long-lasting culture/ It is a pity that we have not yet received your visit".

Reading the memorial, King Quang Trung found it strange because it was not written in the usual memorial format but was written by a Confucian scholar in Nom script according to his preferences. On the other hand, although the memorial raised suspicions about Trinh Khai's army destroying the stele, it was actually to avoid mentioning the Tay Son army destroying the Temple of Literature in order to avoid offending the king. The memorial did not even address the king as "Your Majesty" but instead referred to him as "Lord", implicitly showing his dissatisfaction.

Statue of Emperor Quang Trung at Quang Trung Museum (Binh Dinh province). Photo: Wikipedia

King Quang Trung did not ignore or send someone to investigate who had the audacity to write that petition and who participated in the request to rebuild the stele, and the emperor immediately signed the petition: I do not blame the farmers/ I only despise the Confucian scholars/ Who are so bold as to call the King "Your Majesty"! Who is the Confucian scholar? Order the Ministry to ask, and the people to answer.

King Quang Trung did not question further but went straight to the essential issue that needed to be resolved, specifically by immediately putting the imperial edict and the prefecture's advice on that Nom petition: "Enough! Enough! Enough! The matter is done / Let's blame a hundred things on me! Tomorrow and tomorrow we will clean up the country / The Nghe stele will be erected on the throne of a thousand evils / The Trinh family's foundation has been destroyed / Don't blame Trinh Khai for being wronged forever".

According to historians, in response to the people's "petition", the king did not beat around the bush but frankly accepted responsibility and promised to repair the Temple of Literature. With this, King Quang Trung truly demonstrated the courage and frankness of a wise king.

King Ly Cao Tong issued an edict of repentance.

As the 7th king of the Ly dynasty, Cao Tong (1173-1210) ascended the throne at the age of 3 with the help of Grand Chancellor To Hien Thanh. Growing up, when he directly ruled the country, Cao Tong was fond of hunting, the law and order were unclear, he robbed the people to build many palaces, forced hundreds of people to serve, so robberies arose everywhere.

The book Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu wrote: "The king indulged in debauchery without moderation, the law and order were unclear, bandits were like bees, famine continued for years, and the Ly dynasty's foundation declined from then on...". It was not until 1207 that the king, seeing the bandits and robbers, repented and issued an edict admitting his mistakes.

The book Dai Viet Su Luoc recorded that edict: "I am still young but have to shoulder great responsibilities, living far away, not knowing the hardships of the people, listening to the words of petty people and causing resentment among my subordinates. If the people resent me, who can I rely on? Now I will correct my mistakes, and reform with the people. Those whose land and properties were confiscated will be returned."

With the edict of repentance, Ly Cao Tong was considered the first king in the feudal history of Vietnam to "dare" to humble himself and apologize to the people, but 1207 was the last year of this king's life. Three years later, Ly Cao Tong passed away in a chaotic country and the court had to rely entirely on the power of the Tran family. Therefore, the edict of repentance of this king was considered by historians as too late to repent and to repent just for the sake of repenting without taking any measures to rectify the situation or the situation was too bad to change.

According to VNE