Judge Fang had been spacing out quite a bit lately, usually while 
pondering this very subject. Corrupt and incompetent government was hardly a 
new development in China, and the Master himself had devoted many parts of the Analects to advising his followers in how they should comport 
themselves while working in the service of corrupt lords. "A superior man 
indeed is Chu Po-yu! When good government prevails in his state, he is to be 
found in office. When bad government prevails, he can roll his principles up 
and keep them in his breast." One of the great virtues of Confucianism was its 
suppleness. Western political thought tended to be rather brittle; as soon as 
the state became corrupt, everything ceased to make sense. Confucianism always 
retained its equilibrium, like a cork that could float as well in spring water 
or raw sewage.