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. He was a son of
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 ...
, the first emperor of Wei. His mother, whose family name was Pan (潘), was a concubine of Cao Pi holding the rank of ''shuyuan'' (淑媛; translated "Decent Concubine"). He was enfeoffed as the Prince of Yangping County (陽平縣王) in 226 after his half-brother,
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 ...
(曹叡; note the different character for ''Rui''), succeeded their father as the emperor of Wei. In 232, his title was changed to Prince of Beihai (北海王). He died in 233 and had no offspring.
In 234, Since Cao Rui (曹蕤) had no descendants, Cao Rui (曹叡) designated Cao Zan (曹贊), a descendant of Cao Ju, as (deceased) Cao Rui's heir and enfeoffed him as the Duke of Chang District (昌鄉公). In 238, Cao Zan was promoted to Prince of Rao'an (饒安王). In 246, during the reign of
Cao Fang
Cao Fang () (232–274), courtesy name Lanqing, was the third emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He was an adopted son of Cao Rui, the second ruler of Wei. Cao Fang ruled from 239 to 254 as a nominal emperor be ...
, Cao Zan's title was changed to Prince of Wen'an (文安王). Throughout the reigns of the subsequent Wei emperors, the number of taxable households in Cao Zan's princedom increased until it reached 3,500.( 龍年，以琅邪王子贊奉蕤後，封昌鄉公。景初二年，立為饒安王。正始七年，徙封文安。正元、景元中，累增邑，并前三千五百戶。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 20.