Monday, the day of the decisive battle at the Forbidden City—or rather, Zhao Dezhu’s office.
Li Banjia rose early, even indulging himself by cooking a bowl of goji berry, red date, and millet porridge for breakfast—the newly unlocked "Health Recipe" finally coming in handy. Three days of healthy eating, combined with the weekend’s rest, left him feeling that his 3 points of [Constitution] were indeed bringing positive changes. At the very least, his mental state today was better than on any previous Monday.
After collecting his "Rank 9 Junior" salary of 1 tael this morning, the [Imperial Treasury] balance reached 354 taels. His [Imperial Majesty] was 5 points—meager, but better than nothing.
At 9:30 AM, Zhao Dezhu’s secretary notified Li Banjia to come to his office.
Stepping into the room that symbolized the highest authority (and the highest amount of overtime) in the department, Li Banjia took a deep breath, trying his best to put his 5 points of [Charisma] to work, wearing a composed smile (while internally feeling a bit jittery).
To his surprise, he wasn't the only one there. His "old friend," Liu Ming, was also present, sitting rigidly (and pretentiously) on the sofa.
"President Zhao, Manager Liu," Li Banjia greeted them politely.
"Ah, Li Banjia, you’re here," Zhao Dezhu gestured to the chair opposite him. "Sit. You brought the refined plan for your 'brilliant idea' proposal, right? Liu Ming has some thoughts on this as well, so it’s good to listen and discuss it together."
Li Banjia’s heart skipped a beat. Liu Ming, too? A wolf bringing New Year's greetings to a chicken—could he possibly have good intentions?
But he kept his composure, nodded, opened his laptop, connected it to the projector, and began his carefully prepared presentation.
Thanks to the Lv. 1 [Policy Discourse] skill, his presentation was logically sound and highlighted the key points effectively. From market pain-point analysis to innovative operational strategies, and from projected benefits to risk mitigation, he explained everything methodically. His 6 points of [Wisdom] allowed him to cite data accurately, while his 5 points of [Charisma] made his voice sound more confident and infectious than usual. The beautiful charts crafted by Wang Mengmeng also added significant value.
Zhao Dezhu listened attentively, nodding from time to time, occasionally interrupting to ask a few key questions, which Li Banjia answered calmly and one by one.
Watching Zhao Dezhu’s expression shift from his initial seriousness to a look of approval, even seeing the corners of his mouth rise by a degree or two, Li Banjia felt his heart settle.
Just then, Liu Ming, who had been silent, cleared his throat.
"Li Banjia," Liu Ming said with a thin, insincere smile, "your proposal sounds quite... well, very imaginative and 'trendy'." He emphasized the word "trendy."
"However," he pivoted, "the ideal is plump, but reality is bony. From what I understand, several core mechanics you mentioned already have competitors in the market, and their performance is mediocre. If we rashly invest resources, aren't we just repeating work? Isn't the risk too high?"
He added slowly, "Also, I personally feel your estimates for user growth and conversion rates are overly optimistic. The youth market changes rapidly, and it’s not as if we haven't tried similar promotions before—they all ended poorly. President Zhao, I think we should be cautious. We shouldn't ignore feasibility just in the pursuit of something 'new'."
This commentary, while masquerading as "rational analysis" and "the voice of experience," was actually an attempt to negate the core value of Li Banjia’s proposal, implying that he was being fanciful and impractical.
Alarm bells rang in Li Banjia’s head. This guy was definitely here to stir up trouble!
Just as he was about to retort, his phone in his pocket vibrated with an extremely light, almost imperceptible tremor. A glance at his peripheral vision revealed a push notification from the system app—a blood-red exclamation mark icon!
【Alert! Dragon Qi interference detected, suspected 'Vassal King' at work!】
【The individual [Liu Ming] harbors hidden barbs in his speech, attempting to sway the Imperial ear and hinder the path of the Emperor’s rise. Current threat level: Low.】
【Triggered counter-measure mission: [Suppression Strategy I: Imperial Debating].】
【Mission objective: Forcefully refute [Liu Ming]’s skepticism before [Zhao Dezhu] and uphold the rationality and innovation of the proposal.】
【Mission reward: [Imperial Majesty] +10, [Wisdom] +1.】
【Optional assistance: Consume 3 [Imperial Majesty] to obtain an analysis of the logical fallacies in [Liu Ming]’s rhetoric.】
"Vassal King? Dragon Qi interference? System, have you been reading too much fantasy?" Li Banjia vented his annoyance internally, but he quickly calmed down.
Consume 3 points of Imperial Majesty for an analysis? He only had 5 points in total. But he couldn't back down now!
He thought: "Exchange!"
[Imperial Majesty] -3. A refreshing stream of information flooded his mind, instantly making the logical fallacies, cherry-picked arguments, and generalizations in Liu Ming’s words crystal clear.
Li Banjia smiled slightly, feeling confident.
He turned to Liu Ming, his tone calm but filled with undeniable firmness: "Manager Liu, thank you for the reminder and for sharing your experience. However, there are a few points I would like to clarify."
"First, you mentioned that competitors have tried similar things with mediocre results. Based on my research, those mediocre cases occurred mostly because the execution failed to truly grasp the pain points of the core user base, or lacked innovation in key areas, leading to severe homogenization. My proposal, however, is based precisely on those 'mediocre' cases, with targeted optimizations and differentiated innovations. For example, look at this point..." He quickly switched to a slide that clearly showed the key differences between his plan and the "failed cases."
"Secondly, regarding the estimates for user growth and conversion, this is not something I conjured out of thin air," he confidently pulled up another data-supported chart made by Wang Mengmeng. "This is a relatively conservative expectation calculated based on our existing user profiles, recent market research data, and growth models from several emerging brands that successfully broke through the market. Of course, every new attempt carries risks, which is why I’ve included A/B testing and rapid iteration mechanisms in the plan. This allows us to adjust strategies based on early data and keep risks to a minimum."
Each point he made was logically clear and supported by solid data. His Lv. 1 [Policy Discourse] skill allowed him to refute the claims with reason and structure. His 6 points of [Wisdom] enabled him to quickly seize upon the loopholes in Liu Ming’s speech, while his 5 points of [Charisma] allowed him to remain poised and neither arrogant nor servile in the face of questioning.
Liu Ming’s expression began to crumble; he clearly hadn't expected Li Banjia to respond to all his "concerns" so swiftly and precisely.
Zhao Dezhu had been listening silently on the side, and now, his eyes grew even warmer with appreciation for Li Banjia. He tapped the table, interrupting Liu Ming, who still looked like he wanted to argue.
"Enough," Zhao Dezhu said in a deep voice. "Li Banjia’s considerations are quite comprehensive. Liu Ming, your risk awareness is good, but we cannot be narrow-minded. The market is changing, and we must change as well."
He turned to Li Banjia: "I approve of the general direction of your proposal. Here’s what we’ll do: you take the lead, have Wang Mengmeng assist you, and put together a small-scale pilot project. I want to see preliminary results next month. As for the budget, prepare a detailed request for me."
Li Banjia’s heart filled with joy. "Yes! President Zhao! I guarantee I will complete the task!"
Liu Ming sat there, his face shifting from green to white, and in the end, he didn't say another word, merely casting a dark, gloomy glance at Li Banjia.
The meeting ended, and Li Banjia walked out of Zhao Dezhu’s office with his head held high.
*Ding!*
【[Suppression Strategy I: Imperial Debating] mission complete! Rating: Excellent (Debated the cunning, upheld the Imperial dignity, and greatly pleased the Imperial heart).】
【Mission reward: [Imperial Majesty] +10, [Wisdom] +1.】
Li Banjia’s [Imperial Majesty] instantly soared to 12 points! His [Wisdom] also increased to 7/100!
"Beautiful!" he clenched his fist in secret.
As soon as he returned to his desk, Wang Mengmeng leaned in, her eyes sparkling: "Brother Jia, Brother Jia! Did President Zhao really approve your plan? You’re amazing! Manager Liu’s face turned green!"
Li Banjia laughed heartily, feeling great. He knew that this direct confrontation with Liu Ming was just the beginning. This "Vassal King" clearly wouldn't let things rest.
But so what? The Emperor's "Path of Majesty" required him to overcome thorns and thistles, and to sweep away all obstacles!
He opened his system, looked at his newly increased attributes and Imperial Majesty, and then at the [Subordinate Limit: 2] notification. He already had new plans in mind.
In this "Imperial Court," fighting alone was, after all, a bit too lonely.