Chapter 2000: Chapter 1793: There Are Many People Standing Behind You
Fa Zheng burst into laughter upon hearing the words, as if acknowledging what Sima Yi had said, laughing as he walked beside Sima Yi, then suddenly pressing his right hand on Sima Yi’s shoulder, his originally wild laughing face abruptly turning cold, his eyes becoming three parts more authoritative.
"Perhaps you have confidence, but from my perspective, if you doesn’t catch up to him this time, you probably never will in this lifetime," Fa Zheng spoke with unparalleled calmness.
"You may believe yourself to be not far behind him, but for someone like me who has seen you both, the gap between you and Zhuge Kongming is substantial. If you choose to lay low, you may never have a chance. Sometimes, although talent is important, many factors like education and effort can influence the development of talent," Fa Zheng regarded Sima Yi with absolute seriousness.
"I know you are Marquis Chen’s distant cousin, and he thinks highly of you, even describing you as someone barely comparable to Zhuge Kongming, but from what I see now, it seems that several years ago you might have been comparable, now the gap is significant," Fa Zheng sighed and said, "Your growth is at the limit of normal range, whereas he is not!"
"How far am I from him roughly?" Sima Yi’s eyes held a shadow as he looked at Fa Zheng, Fa Zheng’s words truly made him feel pressure.
"How far?" Fa Zheng turned to look at Xiahou Shang, then at Sima Yi once more. Sima Yi was stunned; this was impossible, how could the gap be this wide?
"Ha, naturally it couldn’t be that wide, you have after all unlocked your Spiritual Talent, I was merely looking at the opponent," Fa Zheng said with a chuckle, causing Sima Yi’s heart to tighten.
"Have you noticed Xiahou Boren, I can see from his eyes his dissatisfaction towards you, and can sense his depression. Yet, although he harbors such feelings, he still carries out your orders without compromise," Fa Zheng turned back to Sima Yi, smiling as he spoke.
"He is a smart man, and he knows right from wrong, which is why he accepts your competence, but not you as a person," Fa Zheng said calmly while looking at Sima Yi, "How long do you think it will take to truly win his trust and respect?"
"His mind isn’t dull, after some time together, a month or two, he’ll naturally submit," Sima Yi replied indifferently.
"Hmm, Kongming has made numerous Civil Officials endowed with Spiritual Talent absolutely respect him. During his time campaigning in the Northern Frontier, almost all officials began to see him as equal, rather than as an exceptional junior." Fa Zheng spoke in a calm tone that chilled Sima Yi’s heart.
The duration of the campaign in the Northern Frontier, from start to present, Zhuge Liang essentially won over all civil officials he encountered and established himself among them as peers, what this implies simply sends chills down Sima Yi’s spine; to have juniors recognized as equals by seniors requires overwhelming capability over them.
"Therefore, the gap between you both is truly vast now. Though the famous and named officials weren’t all present during the Northern Frontier campaign, quite a few with Spiritual Talent were. Do you know where Zhuge Kongming ranks amongst them?" Fa Zheng smiled warmly at Sima Yi as he said this.
"Where?" Sima Yi noticeably felt his throat dry up, asking with difficulty yet softly.
"Though it was merely a general overview of national affairs over five years at that time, he was one of the three chief seats under Marquis Chen. Hmm, I was part of his group; it was my worst period, so I left," Fa Zheng began solemnly, and then went on excitedly about his departure.
"One of the three chiefs?" Sima Yi muttered to himself.
"Yes, the other two you know, one is Xun Wenruo, and the other is Chen Changwen. Not to mention other things, but strictly in terms of governance, you definitely aren’t their equal," Fa Zheng saw Sima Yi lost in thought and spoke with a teasing tone.
"Indeed, I’m not their equal," Sima Yi said after a moment of silence.
Xun Yu and Chen Qun’s governance ability made Sima Yi himself bow in respect. Xun Yu was indeed formidable, while Chen Qun, whom Sima Yi had previously viewed as his extraordinary cousin, now felt overwhelmingly competent.
"This is merely one aspect, once you meet him, you’ll understand," Fa Zheng sighed and said, "He already has that unmatched aura that dominates an era, though differing from Marquis Chen’s appearance, it indeed embodies the prestige and wisdom to control an era. As for you, if I must say, Kongming’s evaluation of you isn’t wrong."
"What did he say about me?" Sima Yi was silent after hearing Fa Zheng’s evaluation of Zhuge Liang before curiously asking about Zhuge Liang’s opinion on himself; he genuinely wanted to hear Kongming’s thoughts about him.
"A youth disheartened by a mismatch between body and mind leading to melancholy," Fa Zheng once again scrutinized Sima Yi and silently shared the evaluation.
"?" Sima Yi’s initial reaction upon hearing this was feeling a cord snapping in his head; his second thought was wanting to tear Zhuge Kongming apart, and thirdly he began to recall Zhuge Liang’s image.
Yet no matter how Sima Yi reminisced, in his memory, Zhuge Liang was always gentle and elegant, with a slight arrogance in his demeanor, but incredibly handsome.
[Suddenly realizing that that jerk actually looks quite good!] Sima Yi thought irritably to himself, though attempted to critically assess the opponent, he failed to find a suitable derogatory term.
