: *''ŋjweiC'' < Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...
period of China.
Early life under the Han dynasty
Cao Gun was a son of
Cao Cao
Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the dynasty's final years. As one o ...
, a warlord who rose to prominence towards the
end of the Han dynasty
The end of the Han dynasty was the period of Chinese history from 189 to 220 CE, roughly coinciding with the tumultuous reign of the Han dynasty's last ruler, Emperor Xian. During this period, the country was thrown into turmoil by the Yellow ...
: *''ŋjweiC'' < Cao Lin.
Cao Gun was enfeoffed as the "Marquis of Ping District" (平鄉侯) in 216 by Emperor Xian, the figurehead emperor of the Han dynasty. As a youth, he was known for being studious and diligent. He could already write essays when he was about nine years old. Every time when he was reading and writing, his attendants were worried that he would stress himself out and fall sick, so they advised him to rest more. However, Cao Gun continued to read and write tirelessly because he enjoyed doing so. In 217, Emperor Xian changed Cao Gun's title first to "Marquis of Dong District" (東鄉侯) and later to "Marquis of Zan" (贊侯).
Life during Cao Pi's reign
In 220, following Cao Cao's death, Cao Gun's half-brother
Cao Pi
Cao Pi () ( – 29 June 226), courtesy name Zihuan, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Cao Cao, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, but the eldest s ...
usurped the throne from Emperor Xian, ended the Han dynasty, and established the Cao Wei state with himself as the new emperor. He enfeoffed Cao Gun as a duke in the following year. When some officials congratulated him on becoming a duke, Cao Gun said, "I've lived in the palace my whole life so I don't understand the hardships faced by the common people and mistakes caused by arrogance and oversight. I hope that you, gentlemen, can also point out my weaknesses apart from simply congratulating me."
While his brothers indulged in fun and entertainment, Cao Gun was often seen reading and being in deep thought. The officials around Cao Gun discussed among themselves and said, "His Majesty (Cao Pi) has ordered us to observe the Duke's behaviour. It's our duty to report to His Majesty when we see the Duke behaving inappropriately. However, when we see the Duke doing good deeds, we should also praise him in front of His Majesty." They then wrote a memo to Cao Pi to praise Cao Gun. Cao Gun was shocked when he heard about it and he scolded the officials, "It is one's responsibility to conduct himself with virtue and faithfully perform his duties. There's no need to tell anyone. Now that you've informed His Majesty, I feel more pressured and burdened. Besides, if one behaves well and does good deeds, why does he need to worry that no one will know? What you've done is not helpful to me." Such was Cao Gun's humility.
In 222, Cao Pi elevated Cao Gun from the status of a duke to a prince under the title "Prince of
Beihai
Beihai (; Postal romanization: Pakhoi) is a prefecture-level city in the south of Guangxi, People's Republic of China. Its status as a seaport on the north shore of the Gulf of Tonkin has granted it historical importance as a port of internat ...
" (北海王). In the same year, when a yellow dragon was allegedly sighted in the Zhang River (漳水) to the west of Ye (around present-day
Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shan ...
,
Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and ...
), Cao Gun thought that it was an auspicious sign so he wrote a
memorial
A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of ...
to Cao Pi to praise the emperor. Cao Pi was so pleased that he rewarded Cao Gun with 10 ''jin'' of gold and issued an imperial decree to thank Cao Gun and praise him in return.
In 223, Cao Pi changed Cao Gun's title to "Prince of Zan" (贊王). He changed it again in 226 to "Prince of Puyang" (濮陽王).
Life during Cao Rui's reign
Cao Gun settled in his princedom in
Puyang County
Puyang County () is a county in the northeast of Henan province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Puyang.
Administrative divisions
As 2012, this county is divided to 8 towns and 12 townships.
;Towns
;Township ...
in 228 during the reign of
Cao Rui
Cao Rui () (204 or 206 – 22 January 239), courtesy name Yuanzhong, was the second emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. His parentage is in dispute: his mother, Lady Zhen, was Yuan Xi's wife, but she later rem ...
, Cao Pi's son and successor. He was known for being frugal and thrifty. Instead of purchasing cloth from the market, he instructed his wife and concubines to weave at home. That became a daily activity in his household.
In the winter of 231, Cao Rui summoned Cao Gun to the imperial capital
Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyan ...
to pay his respects. In the following year, he changed Cao Gun's title to "Prince of Zhongshan" (中山王).
In 233, someone reported to the imperial court that Cao Gun had violated a curfew by walking on the streets at night when he visited Luoyang in the winter of 231. Cao Rui knew that Cao Gun had a reputation for his virtuous and good behaviour, so he wanted to overlook this transgression and issue only an official warning to Cao Gun. However, after some officials pressured him, Cao Rui decided to punish Cao Gun by removing two counties, with a total of 750 taxable households, from his princedom. Cao Gun felt so distressed and upset that he instructed his subordinates to be more mindful in the future. Cao Rui appreciated Cao Gun's expression of remorse, so he returned the two counties to Cao Gun in the following year.
In the autumn of 235, when Cao Gun fell sick, Cao Rui sent a palace physician to treat him, ordered his palace attendants to bring him various health products, and even instructed Cao Gun's mother Lady Du and brother Cao Lin to visit him. As Cao Gun's condition worsened, he maintained the same humility he showed throughout his life by saying that he was undeserving of such generosity from the emperor. Although he knew that his funeral had to be in accordance with Confucian traditions, he requested for a simple funeral and to be buried near the tomb of Quyuan (蘧瑗), a famous official from the Wey state in the
Spring and Autumn period
The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...
. Before his death, he told Cao Fu (曹孚), his son and heir apparent, to conduct himself with humility and virtue, to empathise with his subordinates and the common people, to respect his grandmother Lady Du and uncle Cao Lin, and to learn how to be a loyal and faithful subject of the emperor.
Cao Gun died on 1 November 235 and was honoured with the
posthumous title
A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments o ...
"Prince Gong" (恭王). After Cao Gun's death, Cao Rui ordered Cao Gun's brother, Cao Lin, to oversee the funeral arrangements and sent his Minister Herald (大鴻臚) to attend the funeral and read a eulogy. Throughout his life, Cao Gun produced over 20,000 pieces of writing. Although he was not as talented as his half-brother
Cao Zhi
Cao Zhi (; ; 192 – 27 December 232), courtesy name Zijian (), posthumously known as Prince Si of Chen (陈思王), was a prince of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China, and an accomplished poet in his time. His style ...
in literary arts, his passion for reading and writing equalled Cao Zhi's.
Cao Gun's son, Cao Fu (曹孚), succeeded him and became the next Prince of Zhongshan. Throughout the reigns of the subsequent Wei emperors, the number of taxable households in Cao Fu's princedom increased until it reached 3,400 in the reign of
Cao Huan
Cao Huan () (245/246–302/303), courtesy name Jingming, was the fifth and last emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. On 4 February 266, he abdicated the throne in favour of Sima Yan (later Emperor Wu of the Jin d ...
Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms
The following are lists of people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of Chinese history. Their names in Mandarin pinyin are sorted in alphabetical order.
Fictional characters in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of ...
Records of the Three Kingdoms
The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220 ...
Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms
Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...