Why are we, who grow from the same roots, so eager to hurt each other? Everyone comes into this world alone, but because of the bondage of family affection, we are no longer alone.
Parents and siblings are like a flourishing tree, constantly providing nutrients for our growth. Getting along day after day makes our blood and family ties stronger and inseparable.
In the family of the powerful in feudal society, family affection often becomes a stumbling block to climb the top of power. The space at the top of the power is too narrow for siblings to share. As a result, the murder between brothers occurred frequently, resulting in tragedy.
It was in this context that Cao Zhi, under the persecution of his brother Cao Pi, became a poem in seven steps, lamenting the impermanence of fate. Cao Zhi is not only a seven-step poem, but his poems have also been passed down through the ages.
He was intelligent and loved since childhood, and was known as a young genius. Having lived under the protection of his father Cao Cao since he was a child, he may not have stood alone in the troubled times, and the bravery of thousands of troops.
However, this did not prevent him from becoming a literary giant.
Cao Zhi is gifted and talented, and has shown that he is different from others since he was a child. While the other children were still struggling to learn simple vocabulary and texts, he was able to recite the Book of Songs, the Analects, and the pre-Qin and Han Cifu in their entirety.
The crystallization of the wisdom of these predecessors is like a glittering gem, attracting young people to continue to explore in the ocean of knowledge. Perhaps it is this continuous learning that has enabled Cao Zhi to have a broad vision and a free and easy attitude that is not bound by the outside world.
As a descendant of the aristocracy, he did not pursue luxurious clothing and dazzling decorations, but pursued the accumulation of knowledge and wisdom.
The young man is not only kind and easy-going, but also has a frank and undeceived temperament, without arrogance. Whenever Cao Cao asked a question, he always responded with ease, fluent words, ornate and rigorous, much to Cao Cao's surprise.
Cao Cao suspected that these articles were made by his son in order to gain attention, and he was fully prepared to find someone in advance. Faced with his father's doubts, Cao Zhi confidently proposed an in-person exam to fully prove himself.
Cao Cao deeply admired the child in front of him. In the grandeur of the Three Kingdoms period, this child showed a vibrant and true face, distinguishing it from those who cowered or stammered too much in front of him.
Cao Zhi communicated with his father Cao Cao with a calm and fearless attitude**, which gave Cao Cao a new feeling and more and more appreciation for this elegant and handsome young man. Cao Cao's preference for Cao Zhi is obvious, and he can always be seen by his side, even teaching him all kinds of knowledge in person regardless of the eyes of others, and selecting reliable talents for him to assist.
In the Emperor's House, every seemingly ordinary act could trigger all sorts of interpretations, let alone blatantly pampering a son like Cao Cao. Although Cao Zhi's half-brother Cao Pi eventually won and became the heir, Cao Zhi's position in Cao Cao's heart has always been unshakable.
His father's wish was the turning point of this unwarted war, and Cao Pi witnessed his father's love and smile for his younger brother every day, and the two talked frequently, which seemed to form a father-son relationship that could not be intervened.
Cao Pi seems to have become an outsider in such an environment. When his father looked at Cao Zhi, his affectionate eyes and appreciation were like a sharp sword, making it difficult for Cao Pi to sleep every night, so he could only be more cautious.
At the same time, dissatisfaction with Cao Zhi grew in the darkness in the repression day after day, and finally took root in Cao Pi's heart.
Cao Cao was waiting, waiting for a result so that his worries and grievances could be released. He had considered changing the choice of his heir and putting his beloved Cao Zhi on the throne of power.
However, he is not just a father, but the master of the entire empire, and personal preferences cannot override the future of the country. Through many contacts, he gradually realized that Cao Zhi was not an ideal heir.
Due to the influence of literati habits, Cao Zhi was unable to strictly restrain his behavior and express his emotions as he pleased.
Cao Zhi once drove around because of his contempt for the rules, opened the Sima Gate without authorization, and ignored his own power. In addition, when he was on standby in the army, he drank as much as he wanted, which led to the delay of military aircraft.
These seemingly carefree behaviors in daily life have become Cao Zhi's fatal weakness when facing work. In contrast, when Cao Pi was acting misbehaps, he was like a silent and majestic mountain, strict with his own behavior, a corporal of courtesy, and a leading soldier, showing the good qualities that an heir should have.
After painful struggles and careful consideration, Cao Cao finally chose Cao Pi and gave up on Cao Zhi.
Under the difficult test of the struggle for succession, Cao Pi finally stood out and sat firmly on the throne. With the change of power, the pattern of the court will change drastically. Cao Pi began to show his sharp fangs, and Cao Cao's favor for him in the past now became the ** that could hurt him.
Finally one day, Cao Pi found a reason. It is said that Cao Zhi made wild remarks after drinking, disrespecting his brother and questioning the legitimacy of Cao Pi's throne.
When Cao Pi heard Cao Zhi's wanton nonsense, he was furious and immediately ordered someone to arrest him in the palace for interrogation. When his mother learned of this, she hurried to the palace and begged Cao Pi to give Cao Zhi a way to live, so as not to push him to a dead end because of a momentary drunken gaffe.
In the face of his mother's plea, although Cao Pi was a little helpless, he was still dissatisfied in his heart and wanted to find an opportunity to take revenge on this talented brother. Cao Zhi was trembling in the palace, the anesthesia of alcohol had dissipated, and all that was left was fear and helplessness.
He may realize that this may be the last day of his life.
Cao Pi slowly walked into the palace, stood in front of Cao Zhi, pointed to a painting, and a majestic voice sounded:"Your talent is famous all over the world, and your father often praises you. The two cows in this painting are fighting, can you compose a poem within seven steps, but the word cow must not appear, otherwise it will ......"Cao Zhi knew that this was an almost impossible task, but he could only desperately grasp the last hope and write a poem in seven steps, all relying on his usual profound literary skills.
The flesh is parallel and the top is inlaid with concave bones. Meet at the foot of the mountain and collide with each other. The two enemies are not all hard, and one is lying in the dirt. It's not that the strength is insufficient, it's just that the momentum has not been fully released. "
At Cao Pi's request, Cao Zhi wrote the more famous "Seven Steps Poem". Even though the first poem is not as famous as the second, it is still amazing. In the end, Cao Pi kept his promise and released Cao Zhi.
After experiencing the test of life and death, Cao Zhi was freed from the past, and the person who was no longer entangled in the throne was almost himself.
Cao Zhi was not proud of officialdom, but devoted his enthusiasm to the mountains and rivers, devoted himself to the study of knowledge, and also achieved outstanding achievements. For him, this may be the most ideal way of life.