Chapter 1 Explaining the Plan

Tan Weiran was not at his own home, but was with his fiancée, Dai Xi, at Tan Weixin's mansion, listening to Tan Weixin explain some of the designs in Ye Tao's terrifying plan. When Tan Weixin saw this plan, she didn't have the bright-eyed, shocked feeling that Tan Weiran or their father, Tan Xiaopei, and Grand General Zhuo Mang had. Instead, she rolled her eyes, and then began to carefully study it to see what kind of monster Ye Tao had created.

Tan Weixin quite admired this plan. It was a very interesting way to deal with the Dao Ming Sect, but there were many problems that needed to be solved. For example, how to cultivate the first batch of swindlers who could quickly infiltrate Xiling and rapidly develop believers. And this was precisely Tan Weiran's question.

"Knowing how to deal with strangers and quickly make friends is also a skill. Those taverns you usually go to..." Tan Weixin glanced at Dai Xi, who was also looking curious, and resisted the urge to mock her younger brother's recent adventure to a brothel with his fiancée, "Among the merchants, there are always some shopkeepers, assistant managers, or waiters who make you feel particularly easy to get along with, right? Some people you've never met before, but they can make you feel like you're acquainted, like they know you well. Right?"

Tan Weiran nodded quickly.

"This is also a skill. Some people are indeed naturally sociable and like to deal with people, but some people have learned this after getting used to reading people's faces. There's also an apprenticeship period for being a waiter in a restaurant, and that's the reason." Tan Weixin said with a smile. She caught sight of Ye Tao arriving, chuckled, and said, "How about having Ye Tao take you out to try it out?"

Ye Tao was never comfortable wearing court attire with ranks, and he had already changed into a set of blue-gray robes in the carriage. Since Tan Weixin said he should take Tan Weiran and Dai Xi out for an "internship," the two noble figures naturally went to change clothes, while Ye Tao sat down next to Tan Weixin with a wry smile and said, "What trick are you playing now?"

"You're keeping your brother company, and by the way, take that pretty sister-in-law away. Goodness, her curiosity is too strong, it's a headache." The words "goodness," which sounded vulgar and roguish when said by others, sounded fresh and cute when Tan Weixin said them. And after her health had improved a bit, Tan Weixin's mood was much more cheerful than before.

"Oh, right, I accidentally made a mess today. If it's convenient for you, can you help cover it up?" Ye Tao sighed and roughly told Tan Weixin what had happened in the Qin Zheng Hall.

Tan Weixin didn't take it seriously and chuckled heartlessly, saying, "While there aren't too many guests coming to ask for advice, you should really go out and stroll around today. Once these words of yours spread in a small circle, you really won't have any time."

Ye Tao sighed and said, "What should I do now? Can you get your dad to create a Development and Reform Commission or a Policy Coordination Committee or something like that, and get me a leisurely clerical job? If I insist on resigning now, I'll probably be beaten to death by your dad."

Tan Weixin burst out laughing and said, "I can't believe you thought of that. The plan you submitted is too terrifying, and my father's original arrangements are basically going to fall through. Originally… if you had become something like the governor of Liang Province or the director of the Military Supplies Department, it would have been considered a leisurely job. The Leiyin Demon Sect plan was already a super powerful thing, and even if you didn't implement it, you would still get a share of the credit. If you had taken on the responsibility of training the first batch of people, you could have spent a year and a half in Danyang in peace and quiet, enough time to help me finish the Archives Bureau, and then you would have had plenty of time to slack off. What's wrong with you today? Why did you throw out such a pile of theories?"

Ye Tao said helplessly, "It was just a moment of impulse… I got carried away in the debate. You know me, I can only perform exceptionally when I'm excited."

Tan Weixin chuckled and said, "Well, that's fine too. You've been too lazy lately. How long has it been since you've advanced the tech tree? Instead, you're throwing out piles of modern theories. Don't you think that's my job?" Tan Weixin shook her head and said, "It's not a bad thing. Discuss it, study it, and you can at least rest for a while. And no matter what those scholars you've offended think, at least those who have brains, ideals, and talent will understand the value of these ideas. I think… just wait for your next appointment. It definitely won't be a leisurely job, but whatever position it is, at least your autonomy is absolutely guaranteed."

Ye Tao sighed.

At this time, Tan Weiran and Dai Xi had each changed into clothes that looked simple and understated but were actually exquisite and luxurious, and they walked over together excitedly. And Ye Tao had no choice but to take them out shopping.

Ye Tao, Tan Weiran, and Dai Xi naturally couldn't personally practice those interesting communication methods. Feng Zi, who arrived later, really wanted to try, but Feng Zi was also considered an important official, and although his scholarly air wasn't very strong, it was tenacious and distinct. After much discussion, they finally decided to let Tan Weiran's chief bodyguard, Jin Ze, go. The others sat by a window on the third floor of a restaurant to see if Ye Tao's little tricks worked.

A stranger's visit was a very interesting thing. After selecting a middle-aged steward from a shop, Ye Tao analyzed the person's character based on his clothes, movements, the environment in which he worked, how he interacted with the people around him, and how he spoke to his subordinates. Then he told Jin Ze to do this and that… Not long after, when Jin Ze was passing by the entrance of the shop, the shop was taking inventory of goods, and a large package fell from a fully loaded truck at the door. Jin Ze almost laughed when he saw this opportunity. He supported the package to prevent a large pile of cinnamon from spilling all over the street. The middle-aged man, out of gratitude, pulled Jin Ze into the shop for a cup of tea, and before long, the two were laughing and chatting like old friends, sitting down at the restaurant next door for a drink together. Jin Ze also felt that the method of quickly closing the distance with people, and judging their personality and experience from their words, actions, and demeanor, was really quite magical…

Tan Weiran and Dai Xi couldn't help but be surprised when they watched all of this happen. But Ye Tao just held a cup of tea in his hand, looking like it was only natural. The methods of judging a person's character and current emotions through language, behavior, and posture may vary due to regional and cultural environmental factors, but the vast majority of the theories are universally applicable. And compared to Ye Tao's original era, people in this time and space trusted each other much more easily, especially strangers, and they were much less wary.

"What's so strange about this? How to deal with people, how to understand a person, how to judge whether a person is lying through basic behavior, how to communicate easily with one person, and how to judge which people are more worthy of your time and energy when facing multiple people, without letting anyone feel neglected… these actually all have a set of inherent methods. For example… how was it when you two first met? And how was it the second and third time you met later? Now, seeing you two sitting so close, when you think something is interesting, you lightly touch the other person's shoulder to remind them, indicate the direction, and communicate your views more through expressions than through gestures and language… how long did it take you two from the first time you met to have such tacit understanding?" Ye Tao's tone was really a bit ambiguous. Tan Weiran straightened his back and cleared his throat unnaturally. Dai Xi blushed and lowered her head, moving away by two or three inches… All of this, which was somewhat deliberate, was even more interesting in the eyes of the people around them. It was just that it was really inconvenient for Tan Weiran and Dai Xi to laugh out loud because of their identities.

"Brother-in-law, according to what you're saying, wouldn't it be easy to send people to infiltrate enemy countries?" Tan Weiran quickly reacted.

"It's not difficult to pretend for a day or two, but for secret agents to infiltrate enemy countries, most of them have to go through a very long incubation period, allowing them to gradually grow from newcomers to people who can access the intelligence we need. In this long process, they have to maintain the identity, image, and personality they need to establish consistently for so long, and they also have to constantly climb higher and higher, or lurk deeper, and they need to make all kinds of preparations, stockpiling money, weapons, connections… all kinds of things they come into contact with, and the pressure of hiding secrets, are threats to them. Not everyone can handle all kinds of problems well and cope with the dual pressures from within and without. That's why the secret agents who are sent out may have similar starting points, but the roles they ultimately play are completely different. There's also a reason for talent in this. But if they are trained, if various training can make the secret agents who are sent out more confident in the situations they will face, then the situation may be completely different." Ye Tao said, "To pin success or failure on other people's talents, or even on the kind of talent that may not be able to be brought into play until a moment of crisis, is really too uncertain."

Dai Xi became even more curious. It was not surprising that the Dai family's children were curious babies. The Dai family spared no effort in cultivating their children. The Dai family's children of the same age often knew much more than other families' children, and the more they knew, the more they could come into contact with many unknown things, and the more they knew how vast the world was, how boundless the sea of knowledge was, but also the more the Dai family's children were inspired to conquer the unknown. At first, when Tan Weiran talked about that famous princess, Tan Weixin, who was in poor health but had made great achievements in many fields, especially the one who was greatly admired by her younger siblings, Dai Xi was only a little curious. But through Tan Weiran, she got to know Tan Weixin, constantly asked for advice on various issues, listened to Tan Weixin's lectures, listened to those complex and subtle economic theories and analysis methods, and listened to Tan Weiran explain the relationship between the economy and national development so thoroughly, Dai Xi could only say that she was convinced.

Dai Xi had naturally heard a lot about Ye Tao, such a brother-in-law. Two clock towers, a city, plus the Danyang reconstruction plan and other projects, Ye Tao was now undoubtedly a world-famous super architect, but Dai Xi had never expected Ye Tao to have such a deep understanding of human nature. And although she had not been able to see the full picture of Ye Tao's plan for various reasons, Dai Xi already knew from the tone of Tan Weiran's conversation that the things Ye Tao had created were probably even more extraordinary than the clock towers or anything else.