Cao Zhi's "Seven-Step Poem" is believed to be memorized by many people, and there is also a saying in the "New Language of the World":
Emperor Wen tried to order King Dong'a to compose poems in the seven steps, and those who did not succeed practice Dafa. The response is a poem: "Boiled beans are held as soup, and wet is thought to be juice." The beans burned under the kettle, and the beans wept in the kettle. Born from the same root, why is it too urgent to fry? "The emperor is deeply ashamed.
The Dong'a King here refers to Cao Zhi.
As soon as Cao Zhi's seven-step poem came out, Cao Pi was ashamed and felt that he had done too much. On the one hand, this poem highlights Cao Zhi's own difficult and depressed and indignant situation, on the other hand, it also highlights the cruelty of the fratricidal and power struggle within the dynasty.
When we read this poem, we can also read the cruelty in it, and our view of Cao Pi is negative, and we have sympathy for Cao Zhi.
Coupled with the fact that Cao Zhi's talent is very dazzling in the history of Chinese literature, Xie Lingyun once said: There is only one stone in the world, Cao Zijian has eight buckets, I have to fight, and the world is divided into one bucket. Everyone's sympathy for Cao Zhi has deepened again, of course, they think that Cao Pi's character is not good.
It is also doubtful whether the Seven-Step Poem was written by Cao Zhi, and the following discussion is based on the premise that the Seven-Step Poem was written by Cao Zhi.
Cao Pi's character is indeed not very good, people are very angry, and the sense of revenge is very strong.
There are two examples:
Death of Zhen
Zhen was originally Yuan Xi's wife, cao cao's father and son attacked Yecheng, Cao Pi saw it at a glance, and then took it in. Later, Cao Pi favored Queen Guo, and the out-of-favor Zhen clan complained, and Cao Pi was furious and gave him death. According to some historical records, Zhen died a very tragic death. Cao Pi was able to make him crown prince, and Zhen's virtuousness gave him extra points, compared to Cao Zhi's concubines at that time, who were richly dressed, and were ordered by Cao Cao to be beheaded, giving Cao Zhi a reduction in points. Compared with the two, Zhen shi also has no obvious fault.
Cao Hong's crime
Cao Hong once saved Cao Cao's life, when Cao Cao's crusade against Dong Zhuo was defeated, and at the moment of crisis, Cao Hong let the horse out and let Cao Cao run. Later, Cao Hong followed Cao Cao on his eastern expedition to the west to make a battle achievement.
He did not have a good relationship with Cao Pi, Cao Hong was rich but stingy, and Cao Pi once borrowed money from him and failed, so he formed a bond.
After Cao Pi became emperor, he once found an opportunity to imprison Cao Hong and then wanted to kill him. At that time, people felt that Cao Pi was retaliating, and many people complained.
At this time, Cao Pi's mother, Empress Wuxuanbian, came forward, and she ran to threaten Queen Guo. The gist is that if you don't save Cao Hong, I will definitely let Cao Pi depose you as empress.
Empress Bian said of Empress Dowager Guo: "Let Cao Hong die today, and emperor wu will depose him tomorrow." "So he wept and asked for it again and again, but he was spared from the government to cut the land." - "Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wei, Biography of Marquis Cao of Zhuxia"
Why did Empress Wu Xuanbian have an effect? Because Cao Wei ruled the country with filial piety.
Guo Hou was scared to death, which was probably the only time Empress Wu Xuanbian was fierce. Guo Hou went to persuade Cao Pi several times, and finally Cao Hong was released from prison.
These two examples can be seen that Cao Pi's temperament is insufficient and his sense of revenge is not generally strong.
If cao pi's cruelty to his own brother was based on guilty reasoning, the reason would be found.
If you think about it again, no, if Cao Pi really wants to kill his brother, Empress Wu Xuanbian will definitely take care of it.
Cao Pi died in 226 AD, and Empress Wuxuanbian died in 230 AD, in other words, her son died earlier than her mother.
Why didn't Empress Wu Xuanbian be as fierce as she did to save Cao Hong?
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms records only one sentence:
There is a priest to ask for punishment, and the emperor is the empress dowager, and the marquis of Anxiang is demoted. In his year, he was renamed marquis of Juancheng. In three years, he was established as the king of Juancheng, with 2,500 households.
This sentence shows that Empress Wuxuanbian still played a protective role for Cao Zhi.
Look at another brother, Cao Zhang.
In the second year of the Huang Dynasty, he was made a duke. For three years, he was made the King of Rencheng. Four years, towards Kyoto, sick in the mansion, Yu Wei.
The capital died in the fourth year, and some people said that Cao Pi's hand should not exist. Because their mother is still alive, Cao Zhi can protect it, and Cao Zhang can protect it even more.
From here, it can be seen that Cao Pi did not target Cao Zhang, only against Cao Zhi, just because Cao Zhi was a former competitor?
With the stingy Cao Pi's move, it seems that the possibility is still quite large.
One thing that makes logical sense is that after Cao Pi's death, Zhen's son succeeded to the throne as Emperor Ming of Wei. Logically, he should use this uncle heavily, because Cao Pi had been suppressing the Wei Ming Emperor Cao Rui, including the death of his mother. Two people can be regarded as the same disease.
Cao Zhi once wrote to Cao Rui to show his role, but to no avail.
Every time Zhi wants to talk about timely politics, fortunately, he hopes to try it, but he can't get it in the end. - "Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Wei Shu, Rencheng Chen Xiao Wang Biography"
Are all the princes restricted?
The answer is no.
Cao Chong's half-brother Cao Yu and Cao Zhi's half-brother were heavily used during the reign of Emperor Ming of Wei.
Therefore, it should not be a question of the identity of the princes.
So what did Cao Zhi do to make Cao Pi's father and son hold the same attitude?
The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, Wei Shu, ren su du zhengcang biography records this passage:
In the beginning, both Hou Zhi of Linling and The Wei Dynasty han were weeping, and Emperor Wen smelled zhi so, but did not smell it.
As the saying goes, the fewest words, the bigger the problem.
When Cao Pi was in charge of the Han Dynasty, two people put on mourning clothes and wept bitterly, one was Su Ze and the other was Cao Zhi. Sue did not introduce, expanding the article is too long.
Cao Pi DaiHan, others can cry, cao zhi cry what?
Isn't Cao Zhi the beneficiary? Wasn't he and Cao Pi finally going to this step when they were vying for the position of Prince of Wei?
Thinking about it carefully, Cao Zhi's intentions are worth scrutinizing.
Cao Pi was certainly not smooth sailing in the middle of the Han Dynasty, there were naturally opposition forces, and it was reasonable for Cao Zhi to take the lead in supporting and maintaining Cao Pi. Cao Zhi took the lead in opposing it, what does this mean? Naturally, he hoped that Cao Pi would fail to claim that the emperor would still have a chance.
Cao Zhi was doing something to harm their Cao family.
Some people say that Cao Zhi was loyal to the Han family, but in fact there is no record that can prove that Cao Zhi was loyal to the Han room and not to the Cao family.
The Time of the Seven Steps poem takes place after Cao Pi became emperor. Looking at it this way, the first person to attack was not Cao Pi but Cao Zhi. Cao Pi only fought back rather than took the initiative to persecute.
After becoming emperor, Cao Pi said a sentence during a court meeting: I should be zen in heaven, and those who smell crying, He Ye!
I obeyed the mandate of heaven to be emperor, and I heard that some people cried for Han, so why did those who cried cry?
At that time, Su Ze was present, and he was going to theorize with Cao Pi when he was blown up, and the result was that the person next to him pulled him, not to say you.
It's not that Su Ze, naturally it's cao zhi.
Cao Pi did not persecute those loyal to the Han Dynasty, and Cao Pi became emperor and called Su a righteous minister. Yang Biao, yang Xiu's father, Cao Pi wanted to invite him out of the mountain, and as a result he said: I have served as the third duke of the Han Dynasty, and I have been in turmoil and cannot make up for the country, and now that I am old and sick, how can I go to the new dynasty to serve again.
Cao Pi did not blame, but continued to treat him with courtesy.
This should be the full background of the "Seven-Step Poem", of course, the demonization of Cao Pi in later generations is relatively strong, so everyone thinks that the "Seven-Step Poem" is Cao Pi's persecution of Cao Zhi.
Later, Cao Zhi's book was soft, and the relationship between the two brothers also eased.
In the sixth year, the Emperor went on a crusade, and also passed the Yongqiu, Xingzhi Palace, and increased the number of households by 500. - "Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Wei Shu, Rencheng Chen Xiao Wang Biography"
The two brothers also met once, and when the party ended, Cao Zhi increased his household by five hundred, indicating that the two exchanges were still very pleasant at that time, and Cao Pi did not always suppress Cao Zhi, and the brotherhood was still read. Of course, it is also true that the power of the princes was severely restricted during the Cao Pi period.
When the legal system was in place, the kingdom of the domain was self-imposed, and the subordinates were all jia shu, and the soldiers gave them the remnants of the elderly, most of whom were no more than two hundred.
As for why Cao Pi and his father and son did not use Cao Zhi, Zhi Changrong speculated that Cao Zhi cried wei Daihan's knife too deeply, and this stupid thing of punching his own family's face made them deeply wary of Cao Zhi.
Cao Zhi, who is considered by Cao Zhi to be the head of the family, is a great loyal minister of the Jin Dynasty, which is described in detail in Cao Zhi's son Cao Zhi: a great loyal minister of the Jin Dynasty.
When the causes and consequences of the "Seven-Step Poem" are clear, and then go to taste it, what is the feeling?