Life

Cao Jie started serving as a xiao huangmen in the early reign of Emperor Shun ( 125–144). He rose through the ranks and became a p=zhong changshi|labels=no (中常侍) during the reign of Emperor Huan ( 146–168). He also concurrently held the appointment of a p=fengche duwei|labels=no (奉车都尉; Commandant of Equipage).

In 168, due to his efforts in helping to install Emperor Ling on the throne, he was enfeoffed as the "Marquis of Chang'an District". As Emperor Ling was still underage, state affairs were overseen by Empress Dowager Dou (Emperor Huan's widow), General-in-Chief Dou Wu (the empress dowager's father), and Grand Tutor Chen Fan. Dou Wu and Chen Fan led a faction in the imperial court that was at odds with the eunuch faction represented by Cao Jie and others. When Cao Jie and the eunuch faction heard that Dou Wu and Chen Fan's faction were planning to eliminate them, they launched a coup against their rivals with the aid of Wang Fu (王甫), Zhu Yu (朱瑀), Gong Pu (共普), Zhang Liang and others. Dou Wu and Chen Fan were arrested and executed, while Empress Dowager Dou was put under house arrest. After the coup, Cao Jie was promoted to "Minister of the Guards of Changle Palace", in addition to having his marquis rank elevated to "Marquis of Yuyang (County)" (育阳侯) with a marquisate comprising 3,000 taxable households. His allies in the coup also received marquis titles and other honours from Emperor Ling.

In 169, Cao Jie was reassigned to be a p=zhong changshi|labels=no (中常侍) again. Not long after, he was appointed p=da changqiu|labels=no (大长秋; Empress's Chamberlain). In 172, when Empress Dowager Dou died while under house arrest, Cao Jie and Wang Fu tried to persuade Emperor Ling to hold an ordinary consort's funeral for the empress dowager instead of one that befitted her status, as well as not to bury her together with Emperor Huan. However, their attempt failed when two officials – Chen Qiu, the Minister of Justice (廷尉); and Li Xian (李咸), the Grand Commandant (太尉), – managed to convince Emperor Ling to hold an empress's funeral for the empress dowager and bury her beside Emperor Huan. In the same year, Cao Jie, Wang Fu and others framed Emperor Huan's younger brother, Liu Kui, the Prince of Bohai (勃海王), for treason; Liu Kui committed suicide in prison. Emperor Ling rewarded Cao Jie and Wang Fu for exposing Liu Kui's "treachery" by increasing the number of taxable households in their marquisates. Their relatives were also appointed as officials in the Han government.

In 179, Cao Jie was promoted to Prefect of the Masters of Writing (尚书令). In that year, he was implicated in a case raised by official Yang Qiu (阳球); other eunuchs involved include Wang Fu and Yuan She. While Cao and Yuan survived, Wang died in prison. Cao died in 181 and was posthumously honoured with the appointment of General of Chariots and Cavalry.

生平

据《后汉书》记载，其本魏郡人，出身于世吏二千石的家族。顺帝初，曹节以西园骑迁小黄门，桓帝时，为中常侍，奉车都尉。

建宁元年（168年），因迎立灵帝有功，被封为长安乡侯。当时窦太后临朝，大将军窦武与太傅陈蕃密谋诛杀宦官，曹节于是和长乐五官史朱瑀、从官史共普、张亮等十七人矫诏以长乐食监王甫为黄门令，控制灵帝与窦太后，并派兵诛杀窦武、陈蕃等，事后曹节迁为长乐卫尉，并被封为育阳侯，增邑三千户；王甫迁为中常侍，依旧为黄门令；朱瑀被封为都乡侯，千五百户；共普、张亮等五人各三百户；其他十一人则都被封为关内侯，岁食租二千斛。

建宁二年（169年），曹节病困，诏拜为车骑将军，病愈罢，复为中常侍，位特进，不久被任命为大长秋。五年（172年）六月初十，在窦武失败后失势被幽禁的窦太后去世，曹节、王甫仇恨窦武，提出以贵人之礼安葬窦太后及改以冯贵人配享桓帝，因廷尉陈球、太尉李咸等力争而未果。熹平元年（172年），曹节与王甫等共同诬陷桓帝弟勃海王刘悝谋反，刘悝被诛杀后，以功受封者有十二人，王甫被封为冠军侯，曹节亦增邑四千六百户，并前七千六百户，父兄子弟皆为公卿列校、牧守令长，布满天下。光和二年（179年）为尚书令。

光和四年（181年），曹节逝世，死后被追赠为车骑将军。

家族

• 弟曹破石，为越骑校尉。

• 从子曹绍，曾为东郡太守。

• 女婿冯芳，为西园八校尉之一。

延伸阅读