Tru Vương or De Tan (real name: Tu Thu) is the last king of the Shang dynasty in Chinese history. According to historical records, the early Tru Vương was regarded as a ruler who prioritized agriculture. His reign marked a significant development in Shang society. After that, Tru Vương gradually lost control over the administration and became increasingly detached from governance. Due to years of misrule and internal strife, the Shang dynasty ultimately faced its demise.
In the work Spirits of the Winds, Tru Vương frequently visited the goddess Nữ Oa and was enamored by her beauty. Because of this infatuation, Nữ Oa commanded the goddess of destiny to intervene in his affairs. Đát Kỵ Hổ Tô, the daughter of Tô Hổ, was renowned for her enchanting appearance, being one of the most beautiful women in Chinese history. On the occasion when Đát Kỵ was the goddess of destiny, Tru Vương was left captivated, but ultimately led the Shang dynasty to its downfall.
Tru Vương is the last king of the Shang dynasty
Since the appearance of Đát Kỵ, Tru Vương became obsessed with lavishness, particularly with the governance and increasingly alienated himself from loyal officials.
One of the loyal officials who faced his wrath was Tu Can. He was the chief advisor of Tru Vương. Tu Can held the position of Minister (or Prime Minister) of the Shang dynasty. He was known for being a central figure who often intervened, causing Tru Vương to lose confidence. Tu Can also had conflicts with Đát Kỵ, leading Tru Vương to be particularly fond of him.
According to historical records, on one occasion, due to the unmanageable behavior of Đát Kỵ, Tu Can had openly criticized the king in front of Tru Vương, merely suggesting that they should listen to the advice of a common man. This day, he spoke very harshly.
After listening, Tru Vương was deeply furious and killed Tu Can by slicing open his heart.
Tru Vương was deeply attached to Đát Kỵ and neglected all the advice from his loyal officials
According to Spirits of the Winds, Tu Can knew that Đát Kỵ was the goddess of destiny transformed into a mortal to captivate or manipulate Tru Vương. Thus, he decided to find the heart of a mortal to give to the goddess as a means to appease her. This heart was intended for Tru Vương to wear during the autumn season. However, this matter made Đát Kỵ extremely enraged and plotted against Tu Can.
Đát Kỵ became sick and told Tru Vương that only when Tu Can had his heart cut out could he begin to recover. Meanwhile, the matter of examining Tu Can’s heart also acted as a means to verify whether Tu Can was indeed loyal. If the heart had a red hue, Tu Can was truly loyal; but if it was black, it indicated treachery.
Tu Can received a heart after being summoned by Tru Vương.
Tru Vương was then infatuated with Đát Kỵ, leading him to disregard the loyal advice of Tu Can, which eventually resulted in his downfall. In the end, he was confronted by the daughter of Tru Vương and lost his heart.
According to Spirits of the Winds, the conditions are changed after Tu Can died, he still lived. He remained hidden, not uttering a word and increasingly losing faith in his abilities. However, when approaching home and encountering a vegetable-selling woman on the street, Tu Can collapsed right at the market. What was the reason?
Why did Tu Can die after speaking with the vegetable-selling woman?
The conversation with the vegetable-selling woman caused Tu Can to lose consciousness
The vegetable-selling woman on the street did not stop shouting: “Is there anyone to buy heartless vegetables?“. Seeing this, Tu Can asked, “What are heartless vegetables?” The vegetable-selling woman replied: “I am just a poor woman selling heartless vegetables. Heartless means having no heart“.
Tu Can then innocently asked: “How can vegetables without hearts live? People without hearts can survive how?“
The vegetable-selling woman immediately replied: “If people have no hearts, they will only have a dead end“.
After hearing this, Tu Can immediately collapsed dead on the street.
Why did Tu Can die after talking with the vegetable-selling woman?
Because when Khương Tử Nha gave Tu Can a heart, he left a saying: “Let’s just pick the leaves before drinking, it will not bleed.” Especially, it is strictly forbidden to converse with anyone on the road about the subject; thus, he could lose his life.
It is clear that after conversing with the vegetable-selling woman, Tu Can realized that without a heart, there could only be a dead end. He was disturbed by the woman’s words, leading to the magical mental state that made him cease to exist. Although a gifted person, a loyal official of the Shang dynasty, in the end, he lost his life due to his wavering faith.
Source: Sohu, 163, Baidu
