Relative to the shi clan, the strength of Cao Wei's clan seemed to be somewhat weak, especially the clan that was relatively close to the great sect, and it was difficult to show it politically. In addition to Cao Zhi, Cao Zhang, Cao Biao, these particularly famous clans, the names of other clans may be relatively unfamiliar.
The following small editor wants to introduce a relatively unfamiliar Cao Wei sect room - Cao Lin, although there are no great achievements in history, but it is still a more interesting figure: Cao Lin's father, brother, and son have all been emperors, but they have not done it themselves; in such a strict environment of Cao Wei's supervision of the clan office, Cao Lin has a bad record, but has always been treated favorably by Cao Rui.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Cao Lin and his father, brother, and son</h1>
The character of Cao Lin is not very famous, which is also normal. He was not Cao Cao's son, but Cao Pi's son. The birth mother was Qiu Zhaoyi, whose name was unknown and whose origin was not too high. Cao Pi had nine sons, namely Cao Rui, Cao Xie, Cao Rui, Cao Jian, Cao Lin, Cao Li, Cao Yong, Cao Gong, and Cao Yu. Except for Cao Rui and Cao Lin, none of the other sons have particularly prominent records. Cao Rui was the third emperor of Cao Wei, and he was also a relatively successful emperor, of course, he had to write a big book on the historical materials. Among the other sons, Cao Lin should be regarded as a special case.
Cao Lin's father, Cao Pi, needless to say, was the founding emperor of Cao Wei, who opened the Hexi Passage during his reign to solve the hidden dangers of the separatist forces left behind in Qingzhou and Xuzhou; Cao Lin's eldest brother Cao Rui was the son of Zhen. Although there have been questions in the past that Cao Rui is not Cao Pi's parent, but the bloodline of the Yuan family. However, Cao Rui was after all Cao Pi's eldest son, and he was deeply valued by Cao Cao. After Cao Pi's death, Cao Rui naturally became emperor, and during his reign resisted the offensives of Shu Han, Eastern Wu, and Xianbei, and eliminated the Gongsun clan of Liaodong, which was also quite successful.
It is certainly not unusual for a patriarchal father or brother to become emperor. Cao Lin's son also became emperor, which was not easy. Cao Rui died young, and his sons also died early, and adopted Cao Fang and Cao Yuan. After Cao Rui's death, Cao Fang became the fourth emperor of Cao Wei, but was held hostage by two powerful vassals, Cao Shuang and Sima Yi.
In particular, in the tenth year of Cao Wei's reign (i.e., in 249 AD), the "Gaopingling Rebellion" broke out, Sima Yi killed Cao Shuang to take control of the government, the power of cao and Xiahou was weakened, and Cao Fang became a puppet of Sima Shi completely. Later, Cao Fang participated in the coup d'état planned by Li Feng, Zhang Ji, Xiahou Xuan, Xu Yun, and others, and was deposed by Sima Shi.
After that, Cao Xian, the Duke of Guixiang, became the new emperor and a new puppet. Cao Xi is Cao Lin's son. Compared with Cao Fang, Cao Huan's will to resist Sima Shi was stronger, and directly evolved into a sword and a soldier, intending to lead the palace servants to eliminate Sima Zhao, and was finally killed by Sima Zhao's henchman Jia Chong. At that time, the king of the fallen kingdom would often receive a good death, not a life-threatening death. Therefore, Cao Xian's move of hitting the stone with a pebble is still very bone-chilling.
As for Cao Lin's situation, in the third year of the Huang Dynasty (i.e., 222 AD), Cao Lin was made the King of Hedong; in the sixth year of the Huang Chu Dynasty (i.e., 225 AD), he was changed to the King of Guantao, from the King of the County to the King of the County, stemming from Cao Pi's policy of curbing the clan; and in the sixth year of Taihe (i.e., 232 AD), he was made the King of the East Sea. He died in the second year of Jiaping (i.e. 250 AD, the first year of Jiaping). Cao Xian entered the succession of Emperor Dazong, and there was no move to pursue Cao Lin.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Cao Lin was given special preferential treatment</h1>
A more distinctive feature of the Cao Wei regime was that it was extremely restraining the power of the clans, especially the relatively close clans. This was particularly serious during the Cao Pi period. Cao Pi had been guarding against his clan relatives, forbidding them to make contact, giving them only a small number of old, weak, sick and disabled soldiers, and they were strictly monitored. After cao zhi and Cao Biao wanted to return to the fief together after meeting each other, they were interfered with by the envoys of the jianguo on the way, and Cao Zhi was "drunk and slow, and the envoys were threatened" were also sued by the overseers, and thanks to Empress Bian, they were not executed by Cao Pi.
During the Cao Rui period, Cao Rui had actually changed Cao Pi's strategy of extremely containing the clan, trying to increase the weight of the clan in military and political aspects, and really playing a role in shielding the clan. Between his deathbeds, Cao Rui also wanted to make Cao Yu the Prince of Yan an assistant chancellor, and Cao Yu was Cao Cao's son and belonged to a relatively close clan. However, even so, Cao Rui still faced greater pressure on the issue of the clan room, and the Cao Wei clan was also strictly monitored and managed, and could not do whatever it wanted.
For example, Cao Gong (Cao Caozi) and Cao Biao (Cao Caozi) were both impeached by Yousi for violating the law during their appointments, and were punished by cutting down 750 households in two counties and 1,500 households in three counties, respectively; Cao Zheng (Cao Caozi), Cao Chun (Cao Zhaozi), Cao Chongzi, and Cao Kai (Cao Zhangzi), all of whom were reprimanded and reprimanded for privately sending officials to Zhongshangfang (the institution responsible for making imperial utensils) to bribe workers to make forbidden objects that exceeded the etiquette system; Cao Gan (Cao Caozi) was reprimanded for fornicating with guests; Cao Hui (Cao Caozi, Cao Cao's brother Cao Yusizi (曹玉嗣子) ordered his subordinates to beat up the county officials of Shouzhang County, and were cut down by 500 households in one county.
All in all, during the reign of Cao Rui, there was no shortage of punished Cao Wei clans. Some of them are the possible threats of making friends with guests and expanding their influence, and there are also Cao Hui's simple act of beating up county officials. Cao Lin's historical image is actually rather bad. The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms records that Cao Lin had a rough personality, "within the boudoir, between the concubines", and was persecuted by Cao Lin.
Compared with Cao Lin's behavior, Cao Hui's behavior is not so hateful. However, there is no record of Cao Lin being punished in the historical records. This point is explained in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and it seems that Cao Pi liked Cao Lin's son very much and may have confessed it before his death. Therefore, Cao Rui treated Cao Lin particularly favorably, obviously stronger than other princes and princes. Even so, Cao Lin's behavior and Cao Wei's attitude still aroused mr. Li Dongfang's doubts. It is not surprising that there are many things in history that are questionable.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the "lucky one" of Cao Pi's nine sons</h1>
All in all, Cao Lin's father Cao Pi, his brother Cao Rui, and his son Cao Xi all served as emperors, and his titles ended with the Ding King of The East Sea. It is worth mentioning that among Cao Pi's nine sons, except for Cao Rui and Cao Lin, the other seven sons were short-lived and died during Cao Rui's reign. Cao Rui's sons also died prematurely.
We know that in ancient times, there were "fathers and sons succeeding" and "brothers and brothers". Especially in the chaotic world of the Division of the Three Kingdoms, "brothers and brothers" also have a market. Zhao Kuangyin took Zhao Guangyi as his brother-in-law because he was in a chaotic world. Before his death, Cao Rui did not choose Cao Lin, the younger brother with older teeth, as the heir, but chose Cao Fang, the young and weak adopted son. Probably because Cao Lin's image is too bad. This eventually led to the fall of power to the auxiliary chancellor Sima Yi, providing the basis for Sima Shi's usurpation of Cao Wei.
Although he did not inherit the throne, Cao Lin was after all given special preferential treatment by Cao Rui, and did whatever he wanted within the fiefdom but was not punished by Cao Rui. Instead, it conformed to the Cao Wei law "New Law", which explicitly joined the "Eight Opinions", enjoyed the special rights and interests of being a clan, broke the law and went unpunished, and finally received a good death, and two sons inherited the title and one became the emperor. It can be said that it is the "lucky one" among the nine sons of Cao Pi. The women who were persecuted by Cao Lin were no longer paid attention to in history.
References: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Detailed Three Kingdoms