Three Kingdoms: Prince of the Great Wei, Prime Minister Cao

Chapter 5: Rising Dragon Emerges from the Abyss, the Astonishing Talent of Kingly Advisors!

Outside the house, with his back to Xun Yu, Cao Ju wore a faint smile as he heard the inquiry from this talented strategist, Xun Yu, about whether he had ambitions to contend for the position of the crown prince. There was no surprise in his heart. Or rather, if someone as astute as Xun Yu hadn’t noticed his intentions, that would have been truly strange. Therefore, when faced with Xun Yu’s question, Cao Ju did not try to hide his motives.

“What does the esteemed sir think?”

“Based on the temperament of my elder brother, Cao Pi, if he were to inherit my father’s legacy in the future, how would the fates of Cao Ju and the other brothers unfold?”

Cao Ju recalled Cao Pi’s historical actions after usurping the throne.

For Cao Zhi, he was forced to compose a poem in seven steps. If the poem succeeded, he would live. If not…

During the reign of Cao Pi and Cao Rui, the father and son rulers, Cao Zhi’s circumstances were truly miserable. Over a decade, he was not only confined and monitored but also exiled several times to different fiefs. This led him to drown his sorrows in alcohol every day, eventually succumbing to a sad death at a young age.

In one sentence, his life could be described as half filled with romance, half suffering, and half resentment.

As for Cao Zhang’s fate.

Cao Ju shook his head at this. Who could have foreseen that the brave warrior who had fought gallantly in battles, subduing the Wuhuan and pacifying the Xianbei in the eastern frontier, would meet his end in the prime of his youth merely three years after Cao Pi ascended the?

To say that Cao Pi’s methods weren’t involved, Cao Ju wouldn’t believe it even if he were beaten to death. What’s worth pondering, however, is that Cao Zhang’s death occurred precisely when he was paying respects to Cao Pi at Luoyang’s court.

Even more coincidentally, Cao Pi was not far from the historical point of his demise at that time.

Future generations often attribute the downfall of Cao Wei to the foolishness of Cao Shuang, which led to the successful coup known as the Gaoping Tombs Incident orchestrated by Sima Yi. However, in Cao Ju’s perspective, Cao Pi and Cao Rui, the father and son rulers, were also implicated.

After ascending the throne, they consistently implemented a strategy of suppressing their relatives while favoring the influential families. They were more willing to grant military power to outsiders and the aristocracy than their kin.

This directly led to an extreme situation: As figures like Xiahou Dun, Cao Xiu, Cao Hong, and other prominent Cao family generals who had followed Cao Cao in his campaigns gradually passed away, the elder Cao lineage found itself in an embarrassing predicament with no capable successors.

So much so that when Cao Rui was on the brink of death and entrusted his heir, he had to settle for someone like Cao Shuang, a useless assistant to the young emperor.

Oh, and here’s an additional tidbit: Cao Shuang was, in fact, a “pseudo-Cao.” His father, Cao Zhen, was adopted by Cao Cao and did not originally bear the Cao surname.

After the demise of the inept Cao Shuang, the remaining members of the Cao family had no military power to wield. During the Gaoping Tombs Incident, when the Sima family eradicated the Cao family, blood flowed like a river, and the satisfaction was beyond measure.

Even if various Cao families across the land considered raising troops for rebellion, they were more akin to lambs awaiting slaughter—willing but powerless. And all of this owed much to the deeds of the “Father-Son Illusionary Warlords,” Cao Pi and Cao Rui.

Faced with such circumstances, how could Cao Ju not vie for the position of Wei’s successor in martial might? He fought for it. Success or failure is hard to predict, and the future is uncertain. But if he were to abstain from the struggle.

Even if he were willing to lead a peaceful and uneventful life during the reign of Cao Pi and Cao Rui, the father and son emperors.

But the absurdity of it all is this:

By the time the Sima family usurps the throne, as a legitimate child of Cao Cao, he’s highly likely to face a blade on his neck.

Furthermore, using common sense, it’s easy to predict the direction of China’s history from that point onwards.

The rise of the Jin Dynasty and the turmoil caused by the Five Barbarians will follow.

Cao Ju refuses to accept such a fate and outcome, just as the countless descendants of China in the future would be unwilling to accept it.

Inside the room, through the slightly ajar door, Xun Yu stared blankly at Cao Ju, who had given his response. In that moment of stunned realization, Xun Yu understood the meaning hidden within Cao Ju’s words.

He had to admit Cao Ju’s concerns were valid.

The reason was simple. As a trusted strategist Cao Cao had heavily relied upon, Xun Yu naturally observed the lord’s various sons.

The Cao siblings were all unique in their ways.

If Cao Zhi had inherited Lord Cao’s intellect, Cao Zhang his martial prowess, and the deceased Cao Chong his wit.

Then, through Xun Yu’s observations, he concluded that among the elder sons of Cao Cao, after the death of the eldest, Cao Ang, and the premature passing of the second son, Cao Shuo, the now eldest surviving son, Cao Pi, had inherited not only Lord Cao’s cunning and astuteness but also his tendencies towards… suspicion.

In the tumultuous times ahead, Xun Yu did not consider these traits—cunning, astuteness, and suspicion—flaws. In his eyes, being purely virtuous would only lead to an early demise in the current uncertain era. Not to mention, as the sons of Lord Cao continued to grow older, the competition for supremacy and the struggle for the throne would only intensify.

Understanding this, Xun Yu naturally comprehended Cao Ju’s worries.

Suddenly, another thought crossed Xun Yu’s mind. He remembered the seventh son, Cao Chong, who had been hailed as a child prodigy but had died under suspicious circumstances at the age of thirteen, seemingly poisoned. He also recalled how, on the very day of Cao Chong’s death, Cao Pi, the firstborn, had also fallen ill with a similar ailment.

Xun Yu couldn’t help but let out a sigh. With his cunning, astuteness, suspicion, and cruelty, Cao Pi might be a qualified successor for Lord Cao in these troubled times. But for the other sons, like the eighth son before him, the concerns were certainly valid.

It’s a curse in disguise.

Contemplating this, a new question sparked Xun Yu’s contemplation. Today, disregarding the potential defiance of Lord Cao, Cao Ju had risked exposure and hidden his potential, all to save his son. What kind of person was he?

Compared to the several other sons who had inherited numerous virtues from Lord Cao, such as Pi, Zhi, Zhang, and Chong.

What had this son inherited from Lord Cao?