In ''Truyền kỳ mạn lục''
''The Record at Xiang King's Temple'' is the first story of Nguyễn Dữ's ''Truyền kỳ mạn lục'' collection, published in the first volume.Hồ Tông Thốc of the Trần dynasty, on a diplomatic trip to China, writes a poem at the temple of Xiang King to mock him of his defeat in theChu–Han Contention The Chu–Han Contention (), also known as the Chu–Han War (), was an interregnum in Imperial China between the fall of the Qin dynasty and the establishment of the Han dynasty. After the Qin dynasty was overthrown in 206 BCE, the empir .... At night, in a dream, a man comes and invites Hồ to Xiang's palace. Xiang King welcomes him but complains about his mocking poem. Xiang justifies his defeat as the will of heaven and not by his own weakness. Hồ rebukes Xiang, citing the beheading of Song Yi, a capable general, the killing ofZiying Ying Ziying, also known as Ziying, King of Qin (, died January 206 BC), was the third and last ruler of the Qin dynasty of China. He ruled over a fragmented Qin Empire for 46 days, from mid-October to early December 207 BC. Unlike his ..., who had surrendered, the boiling of Han Sheng, an innocent man, and the burning ofEpang Palace The Epang Palace () was a Chinese palace complex built during the reign of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China and the founder of the short-lived Qin dynasty. It is located in western Xi’an, Shaanxi. Archaeologists believe that only the f ...as causes of him losing popular support. Xiang answers that he killed Song Yi to save thousands of people from his hesitance, killed Ziying to avenge the Six Kingdoms eliminated by the Qin, killed Han Sheng for his arrogance and burned Epang Palace to disavow the extravagance ofQin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang (, ; February 25912 July 210 BC), born Ying Zheng () or Zhao Zheng (), was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of China. He is widely regarded as the first ever supreme leader of a unitary state, unitary d ...and teach following generations of sparingness. Hồ further cites Xiang'sburning of books Book burning is the deliberate destruction by fire of books or other written materials, usually carried out in a public context. The burning of books represents an element of censorship and usually proceeds from a cultural, religious, or politic ...and murdering of Emperor Yi as cruel acts while praising Han King for his restoration of uprightness and scholarship, which made Han King superior to Xiang. When Xiang is confounded by Hồ's words, his advisor Fan steps up and argues that good leadership is proven by followers' loyalty, like how Cao Jiu fought to death for Xiang, unlike how Yong Chi and Chen Xi betrayed Liu Bang. He continues to cite the suicide of Consort Yu as a proof of Xiang's dignity, in contrast to Lü Zhi who was adulterous or Consort Qi who was turned into a human swine. Fan uses Liu Bang's mockery of his own father's forthcoming execution, and his choosing of the second son over the first son as indications of his immorality. The advisor pleads to Hồ Tông Thốc to help his master clean his name from the dishonor he has unfairly suffered. The Trần's representative finds his arguments reasonable and agrees. After the party, Hồ parts way with Xiang and he wakes up as the sun rises. Hồ holds an offering at the prow of his ship before leaving.
Historic significance
''Truyền kỳ mạn lục'' is one of few books that managed to record a poem of Hồ Tông Thốc as most of his other works were confiscated by theReferences
{{Truyền kỳ mạn lục Short stories set in the 14th century Trần dynasty in fiction Stories within Truyền kỳ mạn lục Visionary literature