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Despite his success in Classical Chinese poetry, Cao Zhi is better recognised today for his struggles with his elder brother Cao Pi for the throne, which has been further popularised in the 14th century epic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong. In one famous scene, Cao Pi forced Cao Zhi to produce a spontaneous poem within seven footsteps, otherwise facing significant punishment or even death. Cao Zhi was able to save his life with the following poem:

 

Frying beans with bean stalks as fuel.
Beans weep sadly in the pan.
From the same root we both grew.
Why is the hurry in the grill?

This is a metaphor in which Cao Zhi (represented by the beans) crtiticises why Cao Pi (the stalks) hurried to torture him despite both brothers being from the same parents.

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