Time passed, and the news about the grand festival, which the king would hold to choose a wife for himself, spread like wildfire. As everyone in the kingdom, especially single women, of course, was invited, Tấm looked forward to attending the festival.
The day finally came, and everyone was excited. Cám took out her most beautiful clothes, and spent long hours washing and perfuming her hair; for poor Tấm, who had never worn anything but old rags, these preparations had no significance. And besides, her stepmother did not want a tattered daughter to appear at the festival. Therefore, to prevent Tấm from coming to the festival, her stepmother mixed two big baskets of black and white beans and then told her to sort them out, then she would be allowed to go with them. Dressed in gorgeous gowns, her stepmother and Cám left the poor girl alone in the house.
After they had left, Tấm tearfully sorted the beans, knowing she could never finish them on time to catch up with the festival. But suddenly, Bụt came before her and taught her a spell to demand sparrows to sort the beans for her. Therefore, the work was done in no time. Then, he told Tấm to dig up the four jars she had buried underneath the corners of her bed. To her surprise, each jar contained extravagant treasures of a beautiful silk dress, pieces of jewelry, golden slippers, and a charming chariot. Tấm quickly dressed up. The whole suit fitted her ravishingly. The young girl's beauty, enhanced by this brilliant attire, was scintillating. Then, she got into the chariot, which swiftly arrived at the palace doors after that. Unknowingly, she dropped a single slipper into the river.
The slipper flowed along the river and made its way to the palace. One of the servants found it and took it to the King. Instantly taken by its marvel and beauty, the King proclaimed that any maiden in the festival who can slip her foot perfectly into the slipper will be made his bride. Every lady at the festival hoped they would fit into that slipper and become the queen, including Cám, but none of them succeeded. Then a woman in a beautiful silk dress appeared before the king, wearing a single slipper matching the one in the king's hand. When the king placed the other slipper on her foot, it perfectly matched her. The king knew he had just found his queen. On that very night, he married Tấm, and a celebration was held for her honor.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
*artwork's copyright belongs to Lê Trọng Hoàng (Hoàng Hoàng)
