Regarding the Throne and Brotherly Love, the Brothers Cao Pi and Cao Zhi Were Indeed Different

@Yiping Coast: Cao Zhi possessed exceptional talent, brimming with brilliance, capable of writing masterpieces like the Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River, but there is no need to romanticize and deify him.

After the incident of composing the Ode on Ascending the Terrace in the seventeenth year of Jian'an, Cao Zhi indeed engaged in a prolonged struggle for the succession with Cao Pi. The bureaucrats of Wei took sides, undercurrents surged, and Cao Cao "changed the crown prince several times."

However, as seen from their poetry and prose, the two brothers were indeed different when it came to the throne and brotherly affection.

In Cao Zhi's writings, there is frequent expression of fraternal affection for his elder brother Cao Pi, such as in Sitting in Attendance on the Crown Prince and Ode on Parting Sorrows. These contain many affectionate words, showing his lack of shrewdness, which contrasts with the psychological state of his brother Cao Pi.

In Cao Pi's extant poetry and prose, there is surprisingly not a single word showing any brotherly affection for Cao Zhi. Comparatively, Cao Zhi took the succession struggle less seriously.

In short, Cao Zhi was far more naive than Cao Pi and indeed more romantic. He did not realize that once such a political struggle for the throne began, there would be no turning back between him and his brother.

The final result is well known: Cao Pi won, and the great talent Cao Zhi lost.

Because he distrusted his brothers, Cao Pi, after taking power, favored civil officials and severely suppressed and guarded against the imperial clan.

Cao Zhang died young; A New Account of the Tales of the World claims he was poisoned by Cao Pi (this is debatable, but it was most likely an unnatural death). In the latter half of his life, Cao Zhi's titles were changed six times, and he was forced to move three times. He repeatedly encountered barren lands and lacked adequate food and clothing. Even many years later, when the Sima family usurped the Wei throne, the descendants and clansmen of Cao Cao were completely powerless to resist—all of these were the repercussions of that political struggle.

It wasn't until a year before Cao Pi's death that he finally showed some slight goodwill toward Cao Zhi.

In the sixth year, the Emperor campaigned east, and on his return passed through Yongqiu, visited Zhi's palace, and increased his household by five hundred.

Just this one sentence has inspired countless "Pi-Zhi" shipping stories.