Life

Cao Jie started serving as a p=xiao huangmen|labels=no 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 (奉車都尉; 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)" (育陽侯) 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 (大長秋; 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 (尚書令). He died in 181 and was posthumously honoured with the appointment of General of Chariots and Cavalry.

生平

據《後漢書》記載，其本魏郡人，出身于世吏二千石的家族。順帝初，曹節以西園騎遷小黃門，桓帝時，為中常侍，奉車都尉。

建寧元年（168年），因迎立靈帝有功，被封為長安鄉侯。當時竇太后臨朝，大將軍竇武與太傅陳蕃密謀誅殺宦官，曹節于是和長樂五官史朱瑀、從官史共普、張亮等十七人矯詔以長樂食監王甫為黃門令，控制靈帝與竇太后，並派兵誅殺竇武、陳蕃等，事後曹節遷為長樂衛尉，並被封為育陽侯，增邑三千戶；王甫遷為中常侍，依舊為黃門令；朱瑀被封為都鄉侯，千五百戶；共普、張亮等五人各三百戶；其他十一人則都被封為關內侯，歲食租二千斛。

建寧二年（169年），曹節病困，詔拜為車騎將軍，病癒罷，複為中常侍，位特進，不久被任命為大長秋。五年（172年）六月初十，在竇武失敗後失勢被幽禁的竇太后去世，曹節、王甫仇恨竇武，提出以貴人之禮安葬竇太后及改以馮貴人配享桓帝，因廷尉陳球、太尉李咸等力爭而未果。熹平元年（172年），曹節與王甫等共同誣陷桓帝弟勃海王劉悝謀反，劉悝被誅殺後，以功受封者有十二人，王甫被封為冠軍侯，曹節亦增邑四千六百戶，並前七千六百戶，父兄子弟皆為公卿列校、牧守令長，布滿天下。光和二年（179年）為尚書令。

光和四年（181年），曹節逝世，死後被追贈為車騎將軍。

女婿馮芳後來成為西園八校尉之一。