Although Cao Cao in "Three Kingdoms" is portrayed as an image of a traitor, bent on replacing Emperor Xian to achieve Cao Wei hegemony, in fact, throughout history, he can be regarded as a generation of tyrants. The Dispute of the Three Kingdoms finally achieved the final success of Cao Wei, so it seems that Cao Cao's replacement of Emperor Xiandi is a historical necessity. On the other hand, Liu Bei, who has been blessed by various heroes, his own advantage is only because of his surname Liu, although he is an imperial uncle according to generations, we all know that he is just selling straw shoes, but the title of "emperor uncle" allows him to occupy the high ground of public opinion, nothing more.
Speaking of Cao Cao, in addition to the political talents he had shown when he had previously assisted the emperor, he also had the military talents of marching and fighting, and his talent and ambition could also be seen in the poems he wrote. We all know that Cao Cao had many sons, and although his wives and concubines were from ordinary origins or even low at the time, his sons were as talented and courageous as their fathers. When it came time to choose an heir, Cao Cao was embarrassed, because his sons were too good. But Cao Zhi was so talented, why did he lose to Cao Pi in the end? It has a lot to do with his wife!
Among Cao Cao's sons, the first one we know should be Cao Chong, and the "Cao Chong Calling Elephant" in the primary school text is still admired, but the wise Cao Chong died early. Cao Cao's other two most famous sons were Cao Zhi and Cao Pi, the two who ended up putting their father in a dilemma in choosing an heir. Since the two sons were very good, the next thing Cao Cao had to examine was their family.
In fact, at the beginning, Cao Cheng was still partial to Cao Zhi, because this son was more talented and deeply liked by him, while Cao Pi was a little worse in this regard. But Cao Pisheng won, and he married a decent wife. Cao Pi's wife Zhen Shi, according to some accounts, was snatched from his father's hands and was considered to be from a scholar clan. Cao Zhi's wife, Cui Shi, is also a woman of an elite family. The origins of the two daughters-in-law were comparable to Cao Cao's, because their families could help their sons, but the lives of the two daughters-in-law were in the opposite direction.
Once, when Cao Cao was holding a family banquet, the performance of his two daughters-in-law made him have a plan in his heart. When Cao Pi's wife Zhen Shi appeared, she was dressed generously but not ostentatiously, which made Cao Cao very satisfied. On the other hand, Cao Zhi's wife, dressed herself up as a rich wife, was very eye-catching, which made Cao Cao very unhappy, and even said that she violated the ban and was executed. That was the year that Cao Cao chose his own heir, not Cao Zhi.
Although this matter seems to be a bit of a fuss, it is also related to Cao Cao's attitude towards the warriors. At that time, after Cao Cao's achievements, he killed the warriors who had helped him before, which was the same as "a cup of wine to release the military power". Zhen's dress shows a submissive attitude and does not lose face, but Cui's is just the opposite, and Cao Zhi's failure is not unrelated to this matter.