Chapter Fourteen: Trash or Treasure

  Du He is a character similar to Chu Liuxiang, who dislikes nothing more than wealthy but unkind merchants. Therefore, Chu Liuxiang often steals treasures from these rich merchants to help disaster victims.

  In later life, Du Changtian often went to the homes of wealthy tycoons who were rich beyond their wildest dreams and stole some valuable treasures, doing some unknown good deeds.

  Arriving in ancient times, due to his noble status, the people who came and went with Du He were not the emperor's princesses, but rather the descendants of famous families and the sons of famous generals. It was rare for him to encounter any unscrupulous merchants.

  Today when I went out, I met one, and my mind immediately moved.

  He saw the merchant's hands holding onto the package at all times, even when haggling with the girl, and knew that there must be something good inside. So, when facing him, he intentionally bumped into him to attract his attention and took away what was in the package.

  As for almost falling down, it was also fake. If not, the merchant would not have become careless and complacent due to his excitement, and had no idea that the treasure was stolen.

  What was in hand was a wooden rectangular small brocade box, and the brocade box was locked by a small lock.

  Facing this small lock, Du He didn't even bother to glance at it, as it was simply not challenging enough. To think that the "Rockefeller family"'s supposedly perfect and flawless electronic safe had been easily opened by him, this stone-lock-shaped small lock could be opened with his eyes closed.

  It took only three seconds to open the lock by simply removing the hairpin from her head.

  Open the brocade box, what's inside is not the treasure Du He imagined, but a small booklet.

  "What a thing!" Du He took out the booklet and flipped through it, but what was recorded inside was all sorts of miscellaneous things. There were "Analects", "Book of Rites" and also "Doctrine of the Mean". One or two pages made up the content of a book, like a big mess, very strange.

  Look at the nervous look of that merchant, Du He still thought it was some treasure, who would have thought it would be a strange little booklet. He looked through the booklet from front to back, and really couldn't see what was so precious about it.

  Just as he was wondering, the sound of horseshoes echoed from the front, and more than a dozen riders came galloping over, sending dust flying everywhere. Du He's eyes were sharp, and from a distance, he saw that the leader was none other than the treacherous merchant who had long since left. His heart skipped a beat as he quickly put away the brocade box and small book.

  The opposing merchant's guards gradually closed in, brushing past Du He and his group as they walked away into the distance.

  Du He saw that the merchant's expression was flustered and panicked, which made him even more curious. He thought to himself: "Could it be that they've discovered some valuable items are missing and have come back to the teahouse to search for them?"

  Du He took out the brocade box and the small book again, looked at them several times, and really couldn't see what was so precious about them.

  Perhaps this little book has an untold secret, Du He thought about putting the booklet into his arms and calling a guard to take the brocade box and throw it in a conspicuous place near the tea shed. Let him hide and see the reaction of the treacherous merchant before making a judgment.

  One time, the guard rushed back.

  "How is it?" Du He asked curiously.

  The guard said, "That merchant was overjoyed when he saw the brocade box, but soon discovered that it was empty. He immediately became flustered and frantically asked the tea shop owners if they knew who had moved the box!"

  Du He took out the small booklet from his bosom for the third time and carefully looked through it again, still without noticing anything special. He thought to himself: "It can be confirmed that the merchant was so flustered and terrified just because of this little booklet, this little booklet must have some unspeakable secrets, only I don't know what they are."

  He put away the mysterious little book and headed east, passing through Tongguan Pass, rushing for a day's journey. On that night, Du He and his party arrived in Luoyang.

  At the city gate of Luoyang, Du He met up with the carriage guards he had arranged for the strange woman. Beside their carriages stood an unexpected young girl. The girl was just at the age of blooming youth, only fourteen or fifteen years old, with long hair down to her shoulders, wearing a coarse linen garment, and a silk ribbon tied in her hair. Although she was dressed simply, her skin was as white as snow, delicate and beautiful beyond compare, with an absolutely stunning complexion that was hard to gaze upon directly.

  The girl saw them coming and her face lit up with joy.

  Du He felt somewhat familiar, but didn't know where he had seen her before.

  Du He asked the charioteer escort: "What happened to those three?"

  The chauffeur bodyguard has not responded yet.

  That lovely young girl stepped forward and said: "Thanks to Mr. Du's generosity, my mother's body has recovered and is now resting at an inn in the city. If it weren't for your kindness, Wu Zhao wouldn't be like this!"

  Du He was startled, listening to her voice, it seemed to be the same as that of the young girl, but one was shabbily dressed and the other looked like a celestial being, the difference between them was really too great. He immediately laughed and said: "Miss, with this makeup removed, people almost can't recognize you."

  He said absent-mindedly, but suddenly felt that the name Wu Zhao was quite familiar. A flash of inspiration, his expression changed slightly.

  Wu Zetian, isn't this the name of Empress Wu Zetian?

  Really?

  Really?

  Is this little girl of just over ten years old the future empress who would make the Tang Dynasty tremble, a heartless and ruthless killer who would slaughter people like sheep and not recognize her own kin?

  But isn't Wu Zetian's original name recorded in history?

  Wu Mei Niang, Wu Cai Ren, Wu Zhao Yi were all names she was called, this Wu Zetian must have been the name she chose for herself when she ascended to the throne!

  Is it possible that historical records are incomplete and Wu Zetian was originally called Wu Zhao?

  "Where is the young lady from?" Du He asked with some trepidation.

  Wu Zhao was somewhat taken aback by Du He's question.

  Du He knew that Wu Zhao was clever and sharp, and loved to think deeply. Hurriedly explaining, he said: "I see that the young lady's manners are elegant, her speech is dignified and refined, she shouldn't be from an ordinary family background, I don't know why she has ended up in such a state?"

  Wu Zhaoming's face darkened, and he replied: "I am a young woman from Wen Shui, Pingzhou. My father, Wu Shiyan, also made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty and was granted the title of Duke of Yingguo. I am the second daughter of my family. Two years ago, my father passed away, and my two older brothers took over the family property and treated my mother and me cruelly. My mother could not bear our suffering, so she left home with us to seek refuge at her natal family's place. On the way, we ran out of money and had to pick wild fruits in the mountains to fill our hunger, which led to my being bitten by a poisonous snake."

  Musha Tsuki, second daughter of the family, Musshō!

  All kinds of conditions show that this weak woman in front of us is the famous Empress Wu Zetian!

  Du He suppressed the shock in his heart and asked: "Have you found your relatives?"

  Wu Zhaoyan shook his head and said: "The people in our maternal family had already moved away from Luoyang two years ago, their whereabouts unknown."

  "Then you..." Du He saw Wu Zhao's miserable expression and thought of her experiences over the years, and a sense of sympathy arose in his heart. No matter what achievements the woman in front of him would have in the future, but for now, she was just a pitiful person.

  Her father had passed away, which was already a great sorrow. However, at this time, she suffered mistreatment from her family members. Unable to bear it, she traveled thousands of miles to Luoyang to seek help and support from relatives, but they had long since lost contact.

  This taste is really unbearable.

  "You don't have to worry about us!" Wu Zhao bowed and smiled, "I've already discussed it with my mother. We'll take a short rest in Luoyang and then head to Chang'an to start a small business using the silver money you provided to support us. I believe that no matter how big the world is, there will always be a place for me and my family to settle down. I, Wu Zhao, am confident that even if we don't rely on anyone else, we can still make a living and take care of ourselves."

  Although Wu Zhaonian was young, when he said this, his eyes were filled with an unyielding and indomitable spirit, with a determination to never yield to fate or surrender to life.

  He was only a Wu Zong out of the country, and his status was also considered noble. If he hadn't been forced to flee with no way out, how could he have given birth to the idea of doing business?