Eternity RPC Board
11-27-2017, 01:23 AM
Tuông Nam Province, Imperial Kingdom of Hôinôm | Septem, 1587
The car entered into a large but modest country estate, nearby the city of Nam Dinh, but actually belonging to the Tuông Nam province. Behind the main house, one could see the sea - an even Tiejungo's coast, if the day was not too cloudy. Unfortunately, it was not one of those days.
Huỳn Công Viên left the car, and he was received by one of the domestic workers.
"Your excellency", the man said while bending his head, Sir Duông will receive you in a few minutes".
Huỳn Công Vièn nodded, without saying a word, not even looking the man at his eyes. The man left.
A younger woman came a few minutes later, whom Vièn seemed to recognized as one of Diêp Công Duông's nieces.
"Uncle Duông is an old man, as you can understand", the woman told Vièn. "He tires easily and his health is not already good. Today, however, he seems of good humour. However, one must have enough patience. I know you understand this, but it is my duty to remind it to you".
Huỳn Công Viên crossed tha main hall and entered into a spacing, which Viên remembered as a large library. Now, however, several sofas had been moved into the room, along a modern sofa-bed. Most of the furniture and bookshelves looked dusty.
"Welcome, Viên. I hope your travel was pleasant enough", Diêp Công Duông. The old man, holding a wooden cane, approaching Huỳn Công Vién slowly.
"Yes, Your Excellency", Huỳn Công Vièn replied. Since he was elected to the national parliament, Vièn hadn't met the former Prime Minister.
"Has Hoa offered anything to drink?", Diêp Công Duông asked. "You may be thirsty after your travel. I have just eaten, but she could prepare anything for you".
"Yes, she did". Vièn answered. "No, thank you. I had a plenty lunch in Nam Dinh".
"Sadly, I haven't such lunches in years", Duông replied. "One simply loses the appetite as we get older".
"How do you feel today?", Vièn asked.
"I am fine, as far as I can say", Duông replied. "My great-grandparent died at age 51. Both of my grandparents died in their 60s, while my late father died -decades ago- at age 79. I will probably be alive until my early 90s", the 87-year-old man said with a smile.
"One doesn't really know", Vièn said.
"Indeed", Duông said. "As in politics, we can never know when death will visit us. But you are still too young to know much about it. You could be my own grandson, so don't try to argue with about such a topic".
"You are right", Vièn. "But one doesn't require to be wise to live and learn from such experience. I unexpectedly did when my late brother Trai left us, including his children and wife".
"Yes...", Duông replied. "I'm afraid I forgot about that. Anyway, how are things going in Hôi Luỳên? Or rather, how do you feel the present moment?".
"Things are going as calm as they could be", Vièn answered. "There have been both concerning and expected developments and affairs recently. But nothing too serious, at least for now. I am more concerned about some kind of people that one can find easily in Hôi Luỳên. They can be quite noisy and apparently resolute, but they are only able to react when everyone but them realized the problem. But they lack any kind of imagination".
"I understand", Duông said with an inexpressive tone. "A few years ago", he continued, "I met Quang and he gave me the impression of a similar personality. Or maybe, he produced no impression on me. He was, of course, a much younger man".
"The Prime Minister?", Vièn asked.
"Yes", Duông answered. "But he was only a minister back then, I believe".
"Prime Minister Quang is a competent and serious person", Vièn said. "He might be the right person for the present circumstances, although I have only talked with him twice. But it is difficult to say if he's the right person for a different situation. He is often described as a good manager, and it is fair to say that he has done a good job with the national administration compared to others. But he may a required vision when things unexpectedly change".
"A long-term policy with clear goals is necessary, but it must not be a substitute for good governance", the old man said. "The last thing that a kingdom needs is an intellectual in charge of the government. You may dislike it but that's something you must learn. Most of the time, a competent government and common sense may be enough. Not ideal, maybe, but enough if it doesn't go along vanity and cowardice".
"I don't disagree, Your Excellency", Vièn said. "I'm not interested in the national government. I don't think that's my role right now. I have even considered to leave Hôi Luỳên sooner than later".
"What are you going to do?" Duong asked with a severe tone. "Become a professor, a journalist? Don't do that, only a fool would do that. That's only losing time, even if it feeds your own vanity. It's always a good thing to have the right people close to the power, even if they don't touch it. If it has been decided that we can't live without a parliament, for some strange reason, it would be good for the country".
"I didn't decide yet", Vièn replied. "It's not my final decision. But I will consider your advice".
"It's alright", Duông said, while trying to move, slowly and clumsily, toward a move comfortable position. "Have you met the Empress?".
"I had only that pleasure once", Vièn said. "I haven't spent much time in the court, even if I rarely leave Hôi Luỳên nowadays".
"I see", Duông said. "She looked still as a teenager the last time I met her...She was such a strange child, if this can be said. She seemed to have then an usual but weird bright in her eyes, it was difficult to say if she understood everything or nothing at all".
"Children produce that feeling often, I'd say", Vièn replied. "It's not unusual".
"Maybe that's true", Duông added as he was trying to remember something lost in his own memory. "For some reason, not many of the girls in our family lived long. Hoa is the exception, of course. She, her daughters, and my late brother's and my own's grandaughters, whom we can only hope for them a great future. Life may feel dull very often, but those are the times when everything seems about to change. Even if this calm hill, one can feel that something may suddenly change, not only here and in Hôi Luỳên, or in our nation, but nearby and faraway at the same time. But we can only wish these dull days will continue without further changes, at least for enough years".
"Let's hope that will be the case, Your Excellency", Viên said.
"Are you leaving today?", Duông asked.
"I'll stay for two days more in Nam Dinh", Vièn answered. "We'll return to Hôi Luỳên then".
The car entered into a large but modest country estate, nearby the city of Nam Dinh, but actually belonging to the Tuông Nam province. Behind the main house, one could see the sea - an even Tiejungo's coast, if the day was not too cloudy. Unfortunately, it was not one of those days.
Huỳn Công Viên left the car, and he was received by one of the domestic workers.
"Your excellency", the man said while bending his head, Sir Duông will receive you in a few minutes".
Huỳn Công Vièn nodded, without saying a word, not even looking the man at his eyes. The man left.
A younger woman came a few minutes later, whom Vièn seemed to recognized as one of Diêp Công Duông's nieces.
"Uncle Duông is an old man, as you can understand", the woman told Vièn. "He tires easily and his health is not already good. Today, however, he seems of good humour. However, one must have enough patience. I know you understand this, but it is my duty to remind it to you".
Huỳn Công Viên crossed tha main hall and entered into a spacing, which Viên remembered as a large library. Now, however, several sofas had been moved into the room, along a modern sofa-bed. Most of the furniture and bookshelves looked dusty.
"Welcome, Viên. I hope your travel was pleasant enough", Diêp Công Duông. The old man, holding a wooden cane, approaching Huỳn Công Vién slowly.
"Yes, Your Excellency", Huỳn Công Vièn replied. Since he was elected to the national parliament, Vièn hadn't met the former Prime Minister.
"Has Hoa offered anything to drink?", Diêp Công Duông asked. "You may be thirsty after your travel. I have just eaten, but she could prepare anything for you".
"Yes, she did". Vièn answered. "No, thank you. I had a plenty lunch in Nam Dinh".
"Sadly, I haven't such lunches in years", Duông replied. "One simply loses the appetite as we get older".
"How do you feel today?", Vièn asked.
"I am fine, as far as I can say", Duông replied. "My great-grandparent died at age 51. Both of my grandparents died in their 60s, while my late father died -decades ago- at age 79. I will probably be alive until my early 90s", the 87-year-old man said with a smile.
"One doesn't really know", Vièn said.
"Indeed", Duông said. "As in politics, we can never know when death will visit us. But you are still too young to know much about it. You could be my own grandson, so don't try to argue with about such a topic".
"You are right", Vièn. "But one doesn't require to be wise to live and learn from such experience. I unexpectedly did when my late brother Trai left us, including his children and wife".
"Yes...", Duông replied. "I'm afraid I forgot about that. Anyway, how are things going in Hôi Luỳên? Or rather, how do you feel the present moment?".
"Things are going as calm as they could be", Vièn answered. "There have been both concerning and expected developments and affairs recently. But nothing too serious, at least for now. I am more concerned about some kind of people that one can find easily in Hôi Luỳên. They can be quite noisy and apparently resolute, but they are only able to react when everyone but them realized the problem. But they lack any kind of imagination".
"I understand", Duông said with an inexpressive tone. "A few years ago", he continued, "I met Quang and he gave me the impression of a similar personality. Or maybe, he produced no impression on me. He was, of course, a much younger man".
"The Prime Minister?", Vièn asked.
"Yes", Duông answered. "But he was only a minister back then, I believe".
"Prime Minister Quang is a competent and serious person", Vièn said. "He might be the right person for the present circumstances, although I have only talked with him twice. But it is difficult to say if he's the right person for a different situation. He is often described as a good manager, and it is fair to say that he has done a good job with the national administration compared to others. But he may a required vision when things unexpectedly change".
"A long-term policy with clear goals is necessary, but it must not be a substitute for good governance", the old man said. "The last thing that a kingdom needs is an intellectual in charge of the government. You may dislike it but that's something you must learn. Most of the time, a competent government and common sense may be enough. Not ideal, maybe, but enough if it doesn't go along vanity and cowardice".
"I don't disagree, Your Excellency", Vièn said. "I'm not interested in the national government. I don't think that's my role right now. I have even considered to leave Hôi Luỳên sooner than later".
"What are you going to do?" Duong asked with a severe tone. "Become a professor, a journalist? Don't do that, only a fool would do that. That's only losing time, even if it feeds your own vanity. It's always a good thing to have the right people close to the power, even if they don't touch it. If it has been decided that we can't live without a parliament, for some strange reason, it would be good for the country".
"I didn't decide yet", Vièn replied. "It's not my final decision. But I will consider your advice".
"It's alright", Duông said, while trying to move, slowly and clumsily, toward a move comfortable position. "Have you met the Empress?".
"I had only that pleasure once", Vièn said. "I haven't spent much time in the court, even if I rarely leave Hôi Luỳên nowadays".
"I see", Duông said. "She looked still as a teenager the last time I met her...She was such a strange child, if this can be said. She seemed to have then an usual but weird bright in her eyes, it was difficult to say if she understood everything or nothing at all".
"Children produce that feeling often, I'd say", Vièn replied. "It's not unusual".
"Maybe that's true", Duông added as he was trying to remember something lost in his own memory. "For some reason, not many of the girls in our family lived long. Hoa is the exception, of course. She, her daughters, and my late brother's and my own's grandaughters, whom we can only hope for them a great future. Life may feel dull very often, but those are the times when everything seems about to change. Even if this calm hill, one can feel that something may suddenly change, not only here and in Hôi Luỳên, or in our nation, but nearby and faraway at the same time. But we can only wish these dull days will continue without further changes, at least for enough years".
"Let's hope that will be the case, Your Excellency", Viên said.
"Are you leaving today?", Duông asked.
"I'll stay for two days more in Nam Dinh", Vièn answered. "We'll return to Hôi Luỳên then".