Lan Ong (The Lazy Old Man) is the pseudonym taken by Le Huu Trac (1720-1791) one of the fathers of traditional medicine in Vietnam. Besides medical treatises he left “A Visit to the Capital” (Thuong Kinh Ky Su) in which he describes what he saw in Thang Long when he went there to provide medical care to a young prince, the heir of the seigneur Trinh Sam, who held the powers of a shogun at the time. The following passage from the book gives us an idea of the idle and luxurious life of the aristocracy in a sumptuous palace of which no trace is left in the present-day capital city.
“When we arrived at the rear entrance to the Palace, the mandarin who had summoned me acted as my guide. We crossed two gates in succession and took an alley to the left. I raised my head to take a look: in trees and shrubs all around birds were chirping. Rare flowers were blooming and heavenly scents were wafted by the wind. Verandas lined by balusters crisscrossed. Messengers carrying orders shuttled back and forth. At each gate, guards controlled people’s comings and goings, demanding presentation of tablets serving as guarantees of safe-conduct.
I thought to myself: being the scion of a family of ranking officials I had spent my childhood in the Capital and was familiar with all corners of the Forbidden Citadel. Yet, it was only by hearsay that I had known about life in the Palace of the Trinh seigneurs. Only now was I given the opportunity to penetrate into such a place and take cognizance of the wealth and honors that were the preserve of kings and high-ranking seigneurs. I could not help composing a poem to express what I felt. Here it is:
Guards carrying golden spears stand at the “Thousand Gates”
Under the southern skies this is the most respected place
Multi-storied painted palaces and buildings rise toward the sky
Pearl blinds and jade balusters shine under the rising sun
Flowers continuously emit delicate scents In the royal gardens the voices of parrots arc heard
To the commoner that I am these enchanting places have so far been unknown
I remain speechless, like a fisherman straying to Peach Blossom Stream
After walking a few hundred steps, we came to the headquarters of the Rearguard Cavalry. The post stands at the edge of a lake lined with rarely found species of trees and strangely-shaped rocks. Inside elegant columns and balustrades mingle. This is where the Great Chancellor would be resting after coming back from the Court…
(…) I was eventually allowed to enter (the Palace). We followed a veranda in the west and came to a large building, on both sides of which royal palanquins stood in attendance. These were painted red and gold, In the middle, on a platform was a gilded royal bed with a pink hammock hanging over it. In front of the bed and on each side were tables laid with uncommon objects. I cast a furtive glance at them and moved with my head bowed. We crossed a door and arrived at a tall large building with all beams and pillars painted red and gold. I whispered a question to the mandarin who had summoned me. Here is his answer:
“We just crossed the Great Palace named “Picking up the Coniza”.
The building with a storey upstairs is called the “Crimson Palace” and is reserved for the crown prince who is in the habit of drinking tea there, hence its nickname of “Tea room”. In fact, it is the “Medicine room”, but because people are shy of uttering this word they prefer to call it “Tea room”.
(…) After the meal a eunuch went running to invite in the Great Chancellor and bade me to follow the latter. The Great Chancellor for fear that I might get lost ordered me to follow his in his steps. When we arrived at the set place, he pushed aside the brocade hangings and we entered. Inside it was dark and I could not make out any door or other opening.
Hangings succeeded hangings each proceeded by a lit candle which allowed one to see one’s way. After crossing four or five sets of tapestries, we came to a room in the middle of which was a gold-bedecked bed. On the bed there sat the little prince, a child five or six years old, clad in red silk. A large candle was planted on a bronze stand, giving out some light. Close to the bed was a dragon-sculpted royal armchair, lacquered red with gold ornaments and a brocade cushion. Behind a silk hanging embroidered with gold and silver thread, a group of palace maids were huddled together. I vaguely saw their painted faces and pink garments. The room smelled of flowers and incense. I surmised that his highness had just left the armchair and retired behind a tapestry so that I could feel at ease when taking the pulse of his little son”
