Is “Composed a poem in seven steps while burning beanstalks to cook beans” true?
based on fact
The 'A New Account of the Tales of the World' records his seven-step poem; however, the official history 'Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wei, Biography of Prince of Chen Si' does not include this poem, which was popularized by the Romance.
Cao Zhi
In official history, he was a literary giant of the Wei state, highly talented but politically frustrated.