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Cao Rui, courtesy name Yuanzhong, was the grandson of Cao Cao, the powerful official of the Eastern Han Dynasty and Emperor Wu of Wei, his father was Cao Pi, the second son of Cao Cao, and his mother was Empress Wenzhao Zhen.

Cao Rui was intelligent and handsome since childhood. He was well-informed and had a photographic memory. He especially loved learning and paid attention to studying the law.

Cao Cao was amazed by this and valued him very much. He often let him sit on the same level as the attendants and close ministers at banquets and let him participate in handling various affairs.

In the 21st year of Jian'an, Cao Cao went on an expedition to the east to attack Sun Quan, and Cao Rui followed his grandmother Lady Bian and Cao Pi to the Jiangdong region.

"In the first year of Yankang, Cao Cao died of illness and Cao Pi succeeded him as King of Wei. When Cao Rui was fifteen years old, he was named Marquis of Wude. Cao Pi also arranged for Cao Rui to study Confucian classics with the great Confucian scholar Zheng Cheng to show his ambition."

"The following year, Cao Rui was granted the title of Duke of Qi. In August, Cao Pi ordered his mother Zhen to be executed because she had a grudge against him. Cao Rui was convicted and demoted to Marquis of Pingyuan."

"Cao Pi believed that Cao Rui was unhappy about his mother's death and wanted to establish Cao Li, the Prince of Jingzhao, who was born to Concubine Xu, as the crown prince, so he never appointed a crown prince."

"Cao Rui spent his days in the palace associating with people of upright character and acting prudently. The important official Wei Zhen was once on good terms with Cao Rui. Once Cao Pi asked him about Cao Rui's situation, Wei Zhen praised him for being sensible and virtuous."

"Then in the third year of Huangchu, Cao Pi re-enfeoffed Cao Rui as King of Pingyuan and adopted him to the childless Queen Guo."

"Cao Rui was initially upset because his mother died an unkind death, but later he began to serve Empress Guo diligently."

"Cao Rui inquired about Empress Guo's daily life every morning and evening. Empress Guo loved him very much because she had no children."

"In the fourth year of Huangchu, Cao Rui married Yu, a prominent family in Henei, as his princess, and also married Mao, a family from Henei, whom he doted on."

"On May 16, the seventh year of Huangchu, Cao Pi was seriously ill, and Cao Rui was made crown prince. His will ordered Cao Zhen, Sima Yi, Chen Qun, and Cao Xiu to assist in governing the country."

"The next day, Emperor Wen died, and Cao Rui ascended the throne in Luoyang. He then issued a general amnesty, honored the Empress Dowager as Grand Empress Dowager, and Emperor Wen's Empress Guo as Empress Dowager. All officials in the court were promoted and given increased salaries."

"On June 14, his birth mother, Madam Zhen, was posthumously named Empress Wen Zhao. On the 23rd, his brother Cao Rui was conferred the title of Prince of Yangping."

"After Cao Rui ascended the throne, Wei was in the midst of internal and external troubles. In August of the seventh year of Huangchu, Sun Quan attacked Jiangxia County. Cao Rui sent the Imperial Secretary Xun Yu to comfort the soldiers guarding the border and launched a counterattack, which resulted in a great defeat for the Wu army."

"The other generals appointed also pacified the Wu army one by one. In the first year of Taihe, Qu Ying of Xiping County and Meng Da, the governor of Xincheng, rebelled successively, and Cao Rui sent people to successfully quell the wars."

"The following year, Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of Shu, invaded the border of Wei, but was pacified by Cao Zhen and Zhang He. In December, Zhuge Liang led his army to besiege Chencang. At that time, the governor of Liaodong was in turmoil. In order to stabilize the rear, Gongsun Yuan took over as the governor of Liaodong."

"In July of the fourth year of Taihe, Cao Rui ordered Grand Marshal Cao Zhen and General Sima Yi to attack Shu, and also ordered the ministers to recommend virtuous people to the court."

"The following year, Cao Rui rewarded those who had made contributions in conquering Wu and resisting Shu."

"And on the pretext of missing his relatives, he ordered all the kings and dukes to send one of their legitimate sons to the capital to meet him. He also changed the kings' titles to princes, and made the counties under their jurisdiction into vassal states."

"In the sixth year of Taihe, the Xianbei people on the border of Wei State had a riot. Cao Rui ordered Qin Lang to go and quell it. The Xianbei Chanyu Budugen and Kebi Neng were defeated and fled. The rebel leaders Xie Guini, Daihu Alangni and others surrendered one after another. Qin Lang and others returned to the court."

"On March 6, the second year of Qinglong, Liu Xie, the former Emperor Xian of Han, who was given the title of Duke of Shanyang after abdicating the throne to the Cao family, died of illness. Cao Rui wore plain clothes to express his grief. In April, Zhuge Liang led his fifth northern expedition, but was still defeated by Wei generals. It was not until Zhuge Liang's death that the Shu army finally retreated."

"Sun Quan also launched a massive attack. Cao Rui planned to personally lead an expedition against the Eastern Wu, but was defeated before he even reached Sun Quan."

"On the eighth day of the first month of the third year of Qinglong, Cao Rui appointed General Sima Yi as Grand Commandant and ordered a major renovation of the Luoyang Palace and the construction of the Zhaoyang Hall and Taiji Hall."

"Many people have missed farming season because of large-scale construction projects, which has affected their cultivation."

Li Bai: Court officials such as Yang Fu and Gao Tanglong made many direct remonstrations to Cao Rui, and although Cao Rui did not accept their advice, he did not punish them either.

In April of the following year, Cao Rui set up the Chongwenguan and recruited people who were good at writing poetry and prose to encourage people of the time to engage in literary creation.

On the first day of June, Cao Rui ordered judicial officials in various parts of Wei that when there were prisoners who should be sentenced to death, their relatives should be notified after the case was investigated and decided, except for those who committed the crime of treason and murdered people with their own hands. Cases that the people objected to should be handled personally.

In the first year of Jingchu, Cao Rui sent Wuqiu Jian, the governor of Youzhou, and the surrendered Xianbei and Wuhuan tribal armies into the southeastern Liaodong region to summon Gongsun Yuan. Upon hearing the news, Gongsun Yuan rebelled and proclaimed himself King of Yan.

Cao Rui sent Sima Yi to quell the rebellion. Sima Yi surrounded Gongsun Yuan in Xiangping and wiped out the rebels. The Liaodong rebellion was quelled and the counties were returned to the Wei Kingdom.

In September, floods occurred in some places. Cao Rui specially dispatched imperial censors to inspect the disaster-stricken areas. Wherever they went, they opened granaries and released grain to provide relief to the victims.

On September 26, the official in charge of ceremonies petitioned to build a temple to commemorate Cao Rui's mother, Empress Wen Zhao. Cao Rui ordered that it be preserved forever and not destroyed.

In December of the second year of Jingchu, Cao Rui fell ill, and subsequently issued an edict to enthrone Guo as empress, and granted each man in the world a promotion of two levels of nobility, and the government provided food to widows, widowers, orphans and the helpless.

On the first day of the first month of the third year of Jingchu, Cao Rui urgently summoned Sima Yi to the court and asked him to assist the crown prince together with General Cao Shuang. Sima Yi cried bitterly and knelt down to kowtow to show his agreement.

On that day, Cao Rui died in Jiafu Hall at the age of 36. He was buried in Gaoping Mausoleum on the 27th day of the first lunar month, with the temple name Liezu and the posthumous title Ming Emperor.

In August of the seventh year of Huangchu, Sun Quan attacked Jiangxia. Cao Rui believed that Sun Quan's subordinates were good at naval battles, and this time they were just taking advantage of the lax defense of Jiangxia to launch a surprise attack. The Wu State did not have the advantage and would not be able to hold out for long.

He also sent Xun Yu to comfort the soldiers guarding the border. Xun Yu recruited soldiers on the way and added his own followers. He commanded them to take advantage of the mountain terrain to light fire and attack the Wu army, which was defeated and retreated.

Subsequently, Eastern Wu generals Zhuge Jin, Zhang Ba and others invaded Xiangyang, but were pacified by Sima Yi; Cao Xiu also defeated the Wu army in Xunyang.

In the first month of the first year of Taihe, Qu Ying of Xiping County rebelled. Local officials such as Linqiang Ling and Xidu Chang were killed one after another. Cao Rui sent generals Hao Shao and Lu Pan to suppress the rebellion and beheaded Qu Ying.

In December of the same year, Meng Da, the prefect of Xincheng, rebelled. It was not until the first month of the following year that Sima Yi led his troops to capture Xincheng and beheaded Meng Da.

In the second year of Taihe, Zhuge Liang invaded the border of Wei. The officials and people of Tianshui, Nangan and Anding counties all rebelled against Wei and returned to Shu. Cao Rui thought that Zhuge Liang could have defended himself in the mountains, but now he would have little chance of winning if he took the initiative to attack. So he sent Cao Zhen, Zhang He and others to resist, and at the same time he went to Chang'an himself to support him.

After that, Zhang He defeated the Shu army, and the Shu army retreated to Hanzhong, and the three counties were pacified. Afterwards, Cao Rui granted titles and increased fiefs to the generals according to their military merits. In September, Cao Xiu fought against Lu Xun, the general of the Eastern Wu, at Shiting, and the Wei army was defeated and retreated. In December, Zhuge Liang launched another northern expedition and surrounded Chencang. Cao Zhen sent General Fei Yao and others to lead troops to stop him.

At the same time, Gongsun Yuan, the nephew of Liaodong governor Gongsun Gong, plotted to seize his position. In order to stabilize the rear, the court had no choice but to appoint him as Liaodong governor.

In the fifth year of Taihe, Zhuge Liang invaded Tianshui, and Sima Yi led his troops to fight against him. It was not until July that the Shu army retreated.

In May of the sixth year of Taihe, Budugen, a Xianbei leader who had been affiliated with Wei and guarding the border, secretly communicated with the rebellious Xianbei leader Kebi Neng and fought a fierce battle with the border guards. The Wei army was defeated, and Budugen took the opportunity to join forces with Kebi Neng to invade the border of Wei.

Cao Rui then ordered Qin Lang to lead an army to fight against Budugen and Kebi Neng, who were defeated and fled to the northern desert. Later, Xie Guini, a general of Budugen's tribe, rebelled and surrendered, and the rebels were subsequently defeated by Hu Zun, a general of Sima Yi. Dai Hu Alangni, another leader of Budugen's tribe, and others also expressed their willingness to surrender to the Wei army.

"In the second year of Qinglong, Zhuge Liang led his army to station in Weinan, and formed a confrontation with Sima Yi at the Wei River."

"Cao Rui said that as long as they hold on and dampen the morale of the Shu army, they will not be able to achieve their goal and will eventually retreat."

"In May, Sun Quan led his troops to attack Xincheng, and sent generals Lu Yi and Sun Shao to lead troops into the Huai River and Han River respectively."

"The Wu army besieged Xincheng for many days but failed to capture it. Cao Rui believed that this was a battleground and decided to lead his troops there personally."

"When Sun Quan heard about it, he led his army to retreat, and Lu Yi and Sun Shao also retreated, and the Wu army's offensive completely collapsed."

"At the same time, the Shu army challenged the Wei army many times, but Sima Yi just stayed in the city until Zhuge Liang died and the Shu army retreated."

"In July of the first year of Jingchu, Gongsun Yuan disobeyed Cao Rui's orders and led his troops in rebellion, proclaiming himself the King of Yan. The court officials all believed that the military expenditures could not be maintained and that victory was impossible."

"But Cao Rui insisted on sending Sima Yi, who eventually pacified the rebellion in July of the following year."

"When Cao Rui ascended the throne, he had four powerful ministers to assist him in governing the country. In addition to Chen Qun, Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu and Sima Yi all held military power."

"In order to consolidate power, Cao Rui repeatedly transferred three people who held military power away from the central government under the pretext of war, reducing their influence on the central government in the capital."

"Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen died one after another during the frequent war deployments, and Cao Rui successfully seized power and centralized political power."

"After that, Cao Rui was always the highest decision-maker in domestic and foreign wars and policy reforms. Almost all the ministers in the court had advised Cao Rui to start large-scale construction projects, but Cao Rui ignored them and implemented the policies as usual."

"Scholar Hou Shixuan believes that this shows that Cao Rui was able to fully exercise his power as emperor and effectively stabilized the Cao Wei regime."

"Cao Cao first set up a secretary in the palace, whose duty was to manage the Shangshu's reports. After Cao Pi ascended the throne, it was changed several times and finally changed to Zhongshu Ling, making Zhongshu an independent agency."

"During the reign of Cao Rui, the power of the Zhongshu was further expanded, and officials close to him were appointed to the post, so that imperial edicts could be issued and executed in a timely manner. Sometimes, secret edicts were sent directly to prefectures and counties and border generals without going through the Shangshu, thus ensuring the efficiency of the ruler's execution of the decrees."

"Zhongshu essentially assumed the duties of the emperor's secretary, became the emperor's confidant, and expanded his power."

"But while strengthening the imperial power, it also produced a series of consequences. When Cao Rui was unsure of how to handle government affairs, he would seek advice from his close ministers. "This led to the close ministers being able to offer opinions on certain political affairs, thereby influencing the emperor's decision-making and making him more powerful."

"Emperor Ming of Wei liked to build palaces. In September of the sixth year of Taihe, he went to Mobei, built the Xuchang Palace, and built the Jingfu and Chengguang Halls."

"Soon after he ascended the throne, Minister of the Interior Wang Lang wrote to the emperor that "the palace was being built at that time" and believed that "before Jianshi, it should be enough for holding court meetings, after Chonghua, it should be enough for organizing the internal officials, and Hualin and Tianyuan should be enough for holding banquets. If we first build a Xiangwei of Changhe, it will be enough for the tribute from distant people, repair the city walls, so that it can be used to prevent crossings and build a national defense, everything else will require a good harvest."

"But at this time, Emperor Ming was still able to listen. After the third year of Qinglong, Emperor Ming of Wei started a large-scale construction project that was costly to the people. Almost all the ministers in the court, from the three highest officials on down, wrote letters to advise against it. History records that "the upright ministers Yang Fu and Gao Tanglong made several strong admonitions," but Emperor Ming ignored them all."

Su Shi: The "Han Code" had already appeared in its initial form during the reign of Emperor Xian of Han, but it was too complicated and not suitable for the national conditions of Wei at the time, so new laws needed to be revised. There were no major changes during the reigns of Cao Cao and Cao Pi.

After Cao Rui ascended the throne, he paid close attention to criminal cases and issued an order to reduce the number of death penalty clauses and crimes punishable by death. In addition to the death penalty, money could be used to redeem sins.

Reduce the punishment of whipping to avoid forced confessions. Petitions from local officials and the people will be carefully reviewed and dealt with accordingly.

Later, Cao Rui ordered Sikong Chen Qun, Palace Attendant Liu Shao, Imperial Secretary Han Xun, Counselor Yu Yi, Secretary Huang Xiu, and Xun Shen to revise the old laws, adopt Han laws, and establish them as Wei laws. They formulated 18 chapters of "New Laws", 45 chapters of "Provincial and County Orders", 45 chapters of "Shangshu Official Orders", and "Military Orders", totaling more than 180 chapters.

The Wei Code was based on the Nine Chapters of the Han Code, and nine chapters including "Plunder" were added in light of the actual situation of the Wei State. The outdated laws in the Han Code were deleted.

Scholar Hou Shixuan believes that this made the Wei Law more convenient and better enforced, and that the Wei Law also became the basis for the compilation of criminal laws in later generations.

Cao Rui was fond of literature. After he ascended the throne, the Cao Wei regime had gradually consolidated, and various systems needed to be further standardized and improved.

Cao Rui then ordered the construction of Chongwenguan, and developed the official positions such as "literature" and "literary official" that were previously attached to the various philosophers into the "Chongwenguan" with relatively independent qualifications, which was used to accommodate people who were good at writing poetry and prose.

Chongwenguan was the first specialized institution set up for literary scholars in Chinese history. Its establishment was an institutional product of the third ancestor of Cao Wei's love of literature, and it was also a means for the Cao Wei regime to win over literary talents.

Chongwen Temple brought together the most diverse literary figures of the time, laying the literary reserve and foundation for the advent of Zhengshi literature.

In later dynasties, literary academies similar to Chongwenguan were built one after another, such as Hongwenguan in the Tang Dynasty, Zhaowenguan in the Song Dynasty, and Hongwenyuan in the Qing Dynasty. Scholar Zhang Lifeng believes that this has made a huge contribution to Chinese literature.

The Imperial College was abandoned in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The Imperial College system was restored during the reign of Cao Pi, and the detailed rules and regulations for the Imperial College examinations and the doctoral system were formulated.

However, there were no regulations on admission qualifications for students at the Imperial Academy, and the status of Imperial Academy doctors was lower than that of the Han Dynasty.

During the Jingchu period, Cao Rui issued an edict to reappoint doctors of classics and honor them in order to improve the status of doctors and change the decline of Confucianism since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

But after a few years, Gao Tanglong and others died one after another, and the scholars were abandoned. Modern scholar Hou Shixuan believes that Cao Rui attached great importance to centralization, strongly advocated Confucianism, and attached importance to the development of the Imperial College, but during Cao Rui's reign, the Imperial College system failed to develop and reform significantly. (End of this chapter)