Chapter 106: The Bull's Nose_1

Jiang Yu had asked Shi Qiang to do something that wasn't exactly dirty work, just not entirely legal.

Under normal circumstances, an investigation on someone is initiated only after evidence of suspicion arises.

But now, Jiang Yu directly deemed Dou Weiying suspicious and had Da Shi launch surveillance and preliminary investigations into her banking information.

Although it was illegal in procedure, who could blame him since Jiang Yu was a Wallfacer? He did have some privileges.

His purpose was still to cover for Wei Keke.

The recent argument with Colonel Stanton had made Jiang Yu eager to deal with those who always looked for shortcuts. The information from Wei Keke had solidified this intent.

In the afternoon, Jiang Yu feigned checking the accounts, to signal Kong Xiang, who was monitoring his every move from somewhere in the world using Sophon, that he was in desperate need of money, as were the government and the world at large.

Such a state of financial need could affect his future plans.

Then, by using the conversation with Shi Qiang, he brought up his past issues with Dou Weiying.

It gave the impression that Jiang Yu was looking to skim some profit from these businesspeople who had opposed him, to resolve his financial troubles later on, and also to take revenge for past grievances.

These actions seemed reasonable, and even members of the ETO like Kong Xiang would at most be alert but not suspect anything amiss.

Jiang Yu estimated that people like Dou Weiying, who were highly optimistic about the Genetic Modification Technology offered by the Trisolarans, would be the first targets for the ETO to recruit.

Starting with these people, even if they were prepared, Jiang Yu reckoned that with Shi Qiang's abilities, they would definitely be able to find traces of their contact with the ETO.

Further investigations could then not only harvest a wave of capital but also hit the ETO's influence.

The key was that no one would connect any of this to Wei Keke.

Just after sending Shi Qiang away, Jiang Yu saw before his eyes:

Deception Points from 17662 +1.

Deception Points from 17152 +1.

Beyond these gullible Trisolarans, Jiang Yu also recognized:

The message Deception Points from Kong Xiang +1.

Jiang Yu smiled slightly, it seemed his acting had just successfully deceived his Wallbreaker, Kong Xiang.

Then Jiang Yu thought, 'Wallfacer's Shop' could not only verify if one was under Sophon's observation, but now it could also use this record of Deception Points to confirm if his cover had deceived the Wallbreakers.

He was now under constant surveillance by Sophon, so the first function was actually of no substantial use before the arrival of 'The Waterdrop'.

Deception Points from Barlow Tracy +1.

Jiang Yu was taken aback, Barlow?

Was this guy also observing him?

Jiang Yu chuckled, not taking it too seriously.

What followed was a race against time to see if Dou Weiying and the others would destroy the evidence faster or Shi Qiang's actions would be quicker.

In the evening, at the celebration banquet for the launch of the "Green Fields Project" team, Jiang Yu also invited members of the aesthetic group to celebrate their establishment together.

At the banquet, Jiang Yu first discussed the inspection project for the next week with the "Green Fields Project" team, before joining the aesthetic group's table.

After sharing a couple of drinks with the group members, Jiang Yu said, "This morning, I suddenly thought of a breakthrough point for guiding aesthetics."

Several group members looked at Jiang Yu, waiting for him to explain further.

Jiang Yu continued, "We can actually use the conditions of mate selection to guide the public's aesthetics."

"In any era, there is a need for mate selection. Even if marriage is obsolete in the future or has completely changed from today's concept of marriage, as long as there is a sexual need, there will be a demand for mate selection."

After about a second or two of silence at the dining table, Lu Qingfeng spoke with some excitement, "What a clever starting point!"

"The two underlying logics of human behavior are survival and reproduction, although the high cost of childbearing in modern society has caused people to lose the drive to reproduce.

"However, the nature of human reproduction remains. It is something written deep in our genes. Unless humanity abandons the flesh, sexual needs will not change with the passage of time!"

Jiang Yu replied with a smile, "Yes, that's what I think, too.

"Mate selection standards of different eras actually reflect the aesthetics of an era."

"For example, before the flourishing Tang dynasty, mate selection standards for both men and women had no concept like widowhood, so emperors would also marry women who had been married before.

"Especially in the Warring States period, after a king died, the queen could remarry a minister.

"Therefore, the ethos of that era was open and free-thinking, creating one brilliant achievement after another!"

As a sociology expert, Lu Qingfeng had also studied these matters, so he continued the topic, "After the flourishing Tang, the mate selection standard for men gradually evolved to favor the 'three-inch golden lotus,' with a multitude of cumbersome rules about womanly virtues.

"As a result, the world was full of women with bound feet, thought was restricted, and the great Chinese nation suffered through many large-scale slaughters and struggled to regain its former grandeur for a long time."

Jiang Yu nodded, "The impact of mate selection standards on social norms might have always been underestimated by us.

"For instance, the exorbitant bride prices are indicative of a materialistic era."

"In peaceful times, men who are not aggressive give women a sense of security, hence the prevalence of effeminate and cross-dressing men, and the suppression of masculine vigor.

"Men also hope that women will share the economic burden of the family and take care of it, so the pressure on women is increasingly great, even making many women reluctant to marry."

The other team members listened intently, finding some clarity in Jiang Yu's perspective amid the muddled chaos.

The difficulty in advancing the work of this group was not due to the nature of their tasks being too challenging, but because there have been few projects related to aesthetics before.

Even if there were, they only analyzed an era's artistic aesthetics through literature, movies, and art, rarely tackling topics representing mass aesthetics.

Jiang Yu concluded, "You guys discuss it more and see if this is a breakthrough point, and if so, try to verify it in the near future."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "Now that the public is too impetuous, you can try steering them toward being more composed and steady!"

Lu Qingfeng and the others agreed, energized and eager, as their group finally made some substantive progress.

…

The following afternoon, Jiang Yu finally dealt with all the recent work, and with two days left before the inspection trip, he went to Shanghai to pick up Sixteen and together, they headed to the northern Luzhong Mountain Area.

In the deep mountains, there stood a very conspicuous white building – their destination: the New Nuclear Energy Base.

Yang Dong worked here, and the surrounding mountains were dotted with many peach trees, now bearing fruit the size of baby fists, which was quite pleasing.

Unfortunately, to make room for the base and the dense nuclear tests, the sparsely populated mountain areas nearby had been requisitioned, and the peach trees, left unattended, now sat amidst a thick layer of grass.

Jiang Yu, as a Wallfacer, had come to visit this nuclear energy base, and he had also used the privileges of a Wallfacer to specifically request Yang Dong as the guide.

As the convoy entered the base gate, Jiang Yu saw dozens of people standing in the yard to welcome him.

After he and Sixteen got out of the car, everyone clapped warmly.

It wasn't until Sixteen rushed to Yang Dong and shouted, "Mom, Dad and I have come to see you!" that the entire yard fell silent.