[法正字孝直，（右）扶风郿人也。祖父真，有清节高名。三辅决录注曰：真字高卿，少明五经， 兼通谶纬，学无常师，名有高才。常幅巾见扶风守，守曰：“哀公虽不肖，犹臣仲尼，柳下惠不去父母之邦，欲相屈为功曹何如？”真曰：“以明府见待有礼，故四时朝觐，若欲吏使之，真将在北山之北南山之南矣。”扶风守遂不敢以为吏。初，真年未弱冠，父在南郡，步往候父，已欲去，父留之待正旦，使观朝吏会。会者数百人，真于窗中窥其与父语。毕，问真“孰贤”？真曰：“曹掾胡广有公卿之量。”其后广果历九卿三公之位，世以服真之知人。前后征辟，皆不就，友人郭正等美之，号曰玄德先生。年八十九，中平五年卒。正父衍，字季谋，司徒掾、廷尉左监。]
《三国志：法正传》
Trans: Fa Zheng, styled Xiaozhi; a native of the Mei prefecture of Fufeng county. His grandfather Fa Zhen had a reputation of integrity and a noble character.
[Annotations from San Fu Jue Lu by Pei Songzhi: Zhen, styled Gaoqing. Able to understand the Five Classics and the ways of divination at a young age, he was a spontaneous learner with a repute as a talent. Often visiting the Grand Administrator of Fufeng under the cover of a headscarf, he once asked Zhen: "Though unfilial, yet Your Grace is Zhongni's (i.e. Confucius himself) equal. Hence, what is your views on Liu Xiahui choosing a humble post within the meritocratic ministry instead of returning to his motherland?'
Zhen replied: "Via our frequent audiences because of your generosity, your efforts to lord over me will all be in vain."
Hence, the Grand Administrator dared not to use him as a local official. At the beginning when Zhen was nearing twenty, his father was at the Nan (Southern) county. Just before his departure after the visit, the journey was delayed due to his father's insistence to witness the gathering of the local officials. There were a hundred present as Zhen conversed with his father behind the window. Upon end of the meeting, Zhen was quizzed upon who would be the truly able.
Zhen said: "The official assistant Hu Guang has the capacity of a major minister."
Indeed Guang later assumed such a post as all were astounded by Zhen's understanding of individual characters. Yet he refused all requests for his loyalty with his friends like Guo Zheng lauding him with the nickname Master of the Hidden Virtues. Upon the age of eighty nine, he passed away during the fifth year of the Zhongping calender. Zheng's father Yan, styled Jimou, assumed the assistant post to the Grand Minister of Land and Social Affairs cum Left Supervisor of the Prison Ministry.]
《Records of the Three Kingdoms: Accounts of Fa Zheng》
Analysis: A case of ancestral pedigree? Is it really surprising that mysticism was a common fixture back then in feudal societies? Regardless of the answer, Fa Zheng's ah-kong [1] was surely one bloody garang [2] ah-kong. Apparently, the Grand Administrator-kisama [3] was trying to test him.
Unfortunately, you don't start off with an insult if you want to win the service of the truly able. [4] The fact that frequent meetings is a prior fixture means nothing to the truly intelligent. If Fa Zhen was merely a clever person, he would have tongkheng [5] for good. If we're to go by the current standards of learning, he would have been the youngest Mensa in history. Period.
Case in point: If you can learn big time without a fixed schedule/teaching personal, you're far better than the Kindaichi lineage. [6] And to imagine wtf Akechi Kengo [6] was doing all the while. If Takato Yoichi [6] was to discover the most perfect crime partner, it would be either the grandpa or grandson. Period.
As for the father? Well if you can be the assistant to the top three ranked court officials, you're one hell of a mofo. Coupled with a similiar position in all things prison operations and you'll get yourself an Akiyama Shinichi[7] waiting to be born.
Nerd-ferences:
[1]: Grandfather in Hokkien. You all should know by now.
[2]: On the ball in Malay.
[3]: If you use this towards your superiors in the Land of Rising Sun, it means that you're prepared to be fired.
[4]: Apparently, we'll never ever see G.W Bush insulting Dick Cheney despite his own PR record. Period.
[5]: Bending over in Hokkien.
[6]: Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo
[7]: That bloody phenom
Note: Gaoqing means esteemed minister. Jimou means young counsel.
One random music clip and it's g'night, guys.
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