Since ancient times, it has been common for brothers to fight for power and profit and kill each other, but it is Cao Pi and Cao Zhi who have been circulating in poetry for thousands of years.
In a poem "Seven Steps Poem", Cao Zhi maintained a thousand years of sympathy, but Cao Pi suffered a thousand years of rejection.
Cao Pi is Cao Cao's second son, and Cao Zhi is Cao Cao's fourth son, both born to Empress Wuxuanbian.
The two brothers of the same mother would not have gone to the point of fratricidal slaughter if it were not for the struggle for power within the ruling class.
Among Cao Cao's twenty-five heirs, the first heirs were Cao Ang, the eldest son of Mrs. Liu, and Cao Chong, the son of Mrs. Huan. It's just that the two passed away one after another, and the only ones who have substantial significance to compete for the heir candidates are Cao Pi and Cao Zhi.
Cao Pi has been gifted and intelligent since he was a child, he can write at the age of eight, is good at riding and shooting, good at fencing, has read ancient and modern scriptures, and is familiar with the hundred schools of thought. His poems are graceful, unpretentious, and natural.
When Cao Zhi was more than ten years old, he was able to recite the "Book of Songs", "Analects" and the pre-Qin and Han Dynasty dictionaries, and the hundreds of schools of thought were also widely involved. He is quick in thinking, sharp in conversation, and blurts out.
Cao Zhi's poems and articles are colorful and magnificent, and the imagination is magnificent, coupled with the frank and natural temperament, not paying attention to solemn appearance, and the carriage and horse costumes do not pursue gorgeous and rich, which is very popular with Cao Cao.
In terms of literature, compared with Cao Zhi's talent and brilliance, Cao Pi is relatively restrained. However, Cao Pi's depth of thinking on literary reform and literary criticism is beyond Cao Zhi's.
The cause of the mutual resentment of the two brothers Cao Pi and Cao Zhi was Cao Cao's hesitation against the prince and the struggle for the power of the ruling class.
Although Cao Cao had a preference for Cao Zhi, Cao Zhi's literati popularity and talent were too strong, and he often acted willfully, did not pay attention to grooming and restraining himself, and drank without moderation.
Cao Zhi once rode in a car and opened Sima Gate without authorization, Cao Cao was very angry when he found out, and ordered the execution of the bus order guarding Sima Gate.
In the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, Cao Ren was besieged by Guan Yu, and Cao Cao made Cao Zhi serve as the general of Nanzhong Lang, and led the army to rescue Cao Ren. After the order was issued, Cao Zhi was too drunk to accept the order.
After that, Cao Zhi lost Cao Cao's favor and was never reused.
Cao Pi is much more shrewd than Cao Zhi, he is good at regulating his words and deeds, winning people's hearts, and has good achievements in politics, so he naturally gets more people's support.
In the first month of the first year of the early Huang dynasty (220), Cao Cao died of illness, and Cao Pi succeeded him as the king of Wei. In October of the same year, Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian of Han to abdicate and called himself Emperor Wen of Wei.
After Cao Pi became emperor, he was afraid that several younger brothers would compete with him for the throne, so he attacked first, seized Cao Zhang's military power, and forced his fourth brother Cao Xiong to hang himself.
At that time, although Cao Zhi lost power, Cao Pi had always been dissatisfied with Cao Zhi and wanted to find an excuse to kill Cao Zhi.
Once, Cao Zhi people reported that he often drank alcohol and cursed people, and he also detained the envoys sent by Cao Pi. But he didn't commit any major crimes, nor did he recruit troops, and he wanted to punish him for conspiracy and rebellion for failing to obey the public, so Cao Pi came up with a "seven steps into a poem" method to punish him.
Cao Pi summoned Cao Zhi from his fiefdom to Luoyang and ordered him to compose a poem within seven steps, with the title of "brother", the word "brother" is not allowed to appear in the poem, but it must show the relationship of "brother", if it can be done, it can avoid death.
Cao Zhi knew that his brother was intent on killing him, and he was afraid that he would not be able to escape, so he had to walk and chant in extreme grief and indignation, and after walking seven steps, the poem was completed:
Seven steps poem" boiled beans are held as soup, and the soybeans are used as juice.
The beans are burning under the kettle, and the beans are crying in the kettle.
This is born from the same root, why is it too anxious to fry each other?
The poem uses beans and stalks growing from a root as a metaphor for brothers who share the same mother, "The beans burn under the kettle, and the beans cry in the kettle." Why do brothers suffer so much?
Cao Pi didn't expect Cao Zhi's talent to be so outstanding, and after hearing it, he was also deeply moved and let Cao Zhi go.
Cao Zhi's "Seven-Step Poems" has been circulated in two versions, the "Seven-Step Poems" recorded in "Shishuo Xinyu" has a total of six sentences, and the later "Mansuo Poems" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" "condensed" it into four sentences: "Boiled beans burn beans, beans cry in the kettle." This is born from the same root, why is it too anxious to fry each other!”
The authenticity of the seven-step poem has always been disputed, did Cao Pi force Cao Zhi to write the seven-step poem?
Guo Moruo believes that after a careful investigation of the "Seven-Step Poem", the elements of the annex should account for the majority, and it is mostly because later generations sympathize with Cao Zhi's experience that this story has been circulated. If Cao Pi really wants to kill Cao Zhi, he can just do it directly, why force him to write poems as an excuse?Zijian is talented, and he doesn't know it. Even if the poem is written, Cao Zhi can be killed, so why not be "ashamed" and let Cao Zhi go after being ridiculed.
Some people also think that Cao Pi underestimated Cao Zhi's talent, and Cao Zhi did make poems, on the one hand, Cao Pi was moved by the seven-step poem, on the other hand, Cao Pi in order to keep his reputation and pacify the world, he only demoted Cao Zhi to the Marquis of Anping.
Although the Seven Steps Poem saved Cao Zhi's life, his situation did not fundamentally improve, and the Wei state still pursued a policy of strict restrictions on the clan, and Cao Zhi finally died in depression at the age of 40.
Just because he wrote this poem, Cao Zhi received a thousand years of sympathy, and Cao Pi also endured a thousand years of reprimand.
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