The lingering excitement of the "Golden Idea" competition had barely faded before Li Banjia threw himself into a new "battle"—refining his award-winning proposal for a special presentation to President Zhao next Monday.
President Zhao’s remark, "Some thoughts could be refined a bit further," sounded casual but carried significant weight. It meant that Li Banjia needed to expand the points in his PPT into a detailed feasibility report while accounting for the realities of budget, manpower, and risk. The workload was no less than drafting a far more complex Policy Discourse from scratch.
He scratched his head while staring at his "award-winning PPT," feeling as though the mental boost granted by his Policy Discourse Lv. 1 was being flattened by the sheer drudgery of the task.
"Brother Jia, are you worried about that proposal for President Zhao?"
A voice full of concern came from nearby. Li Banjia looked up to see Wang Mengmeng holding her water cup, watching him with a touch of caution.
"Yes," Li Banjia sighed. "President Zhao wants it refined, and there’s just so much to do; I’m not sure where to start."
"Um..." Wang Mengmeng hesitated, though her expression remained earnest. "Brother Jia, although I don't know much about planning, if there’s anything you need help with—like researching data, organizing information, or formatting tables—please don't be a stranger! I... I really want to help."
As she finished, the young woman’s cheeks flushed slightly, but her gaze remained firm. Ever since Li Banjia had helped her out of a tight spot, and seeing him win the award this time, her admiration and gratitude toward "Brother Jia" had reached an all-time high. She truly wanted to shoulder some of his burden.
Seeing the sincerity in her eyes, Li Banjia felt a warmth in his heart. Just as he was about to say something appreciative and politely decline (after all, it was his own work), his phone vibrated in his pocket at the perfect moment.
He pulled out his phone and tapped on the app.
[Congratulations, Your Majesty, on acquiring a capable aide!]
[Detected that (Wang Mengmeng) has volunteered. Loyalty has reached the threshold (75/100), and she has demonstrated the ability to assist (proofreading prowess) during the "Imperial Examination." She is hereby officially registered as the first (Subordinate Official) under your command.]
[Subordinate Name: Wang Mengmeng]
[Rank: Unranked (Acting as Document Secretary)]
[Loyalty: 80/100 (Deeply respectful and devoted, willing to serve)]
[(Imperial Court) (Beginner) function has been unlocked! Please check and utilize it promptly, Your Majesty.]
Li Banjia: "!!!"
Subordinate? Imperial Court?
Happiness had arrived so suddenly! He swallowed his inner ecstasy and gave Wang Mengmeng a smile that he felt radiated "Imperial Magnanimity": "Mengmeng, I... ahem, I truly appreciate your heart. As it happens, I do have some data that needs organizing and comparative analysis. If you have time, could you help me..."
"I have time! I have time! Just give the order, Brother Jia!" Wang Mengmeng nodded like a pecking chick, instantly energized.
Suppressing the urge to study the "Imperial Court" immediately, Li Banjia assigned her some manageable tasks. Only after watching the young girl dive into work with such enthusiasm did he quietly tap the now-glowing "Imperial Court" button on his phone.
An extremely crude interface, full of "emperor-roleplay" vibes, popped up. At the top were the words "Zichen Hall (Draft Version)." Below was a roster that currently only contained one entry:
[Document Secretary (Acting): Wang Mengmeng | Loyalty: 80 | Current Status: Processing official business (Data organization) | Support Ability: E (Potential D)]
"E-grade support ability... and potential D? System, are you making me play a raising sim?" Li Banjia muttered.
The interface was simple, with only a few buttons: [Subordinate List], [Issue Imperial Edict] (grayed out, indicating a requirement of Rank 9 Junior), and [View State Affairs] (grayed out, requiring a higher-level Imperial Court).
Just as he was studying it, "Ding!" the system prompt chimed again.
[Main Quest Triggered: (The First Edict of a New Reign).]
[Quest Objective: Use the (Imperial Court) system to issue a clear directive to subordinate (Wang Mengmeng) regarding the current "Golden Idea" proposal and ensure its completion.]
[Quest Reward: (Rank EXP) +50, (Imperial Treasury Silver) x50.]
[Hint: An emperor does not joke; a command must be carried out. A reasonable instruction is the first step toward establishing authority.]
Li Banjia looked at the quest, then at the gray [Issue Imperial Edict] button, and fell into deep thought. Was the system... glitching? Or did "directive" not necessarily mean a formal "Edict"?
He tried tapping on Wang Mengmeng's name, and a simple operation box popped up with the option to "Assign Task."
"So that's it!"
He thought for a moment. Wang Mengmeng was already helping him organize data on competitor social media operations. He typed into the "Assign Task" field: "Instruct Document Secretary Wang Mengmeng to swiftly organize the social media interaction data for competitors A, B, and C from the last quarter, itemize it, and submit it within half a day."
After clicking confirm, no "The Edict has arrived" special effects appeared on Wang Mengmeng’s side. Li Banjia reconsidered, walked over to her workstation, and repeated the task he had "assigned" in the system, but refined it in spoken language.
"Mengmeng, could you please focus on organizing the social media platform data—like Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin—for competitors A, B, and C from last quarter? I need the follower interaction counts and popular content types in a table. It would be best if I could have it by this afternoon for my report."
"Got it, Brother Jia! No problem!" Wang Mengmeng accepted immediately, her motivation only growing. She vaguely felt that the way Brother Jia assigned tasks today seemed more... structured and goal-oriented than before? (Li Banjia: That is my Policy Discourse Lv. 1 shining!)
Late in the afternoon, near the end of the workday, Wang Mengmeng handed Li Banjia a neatly organized data table, even thoughtfully highlighting key points in different colors.
"Brother Jia, will this work?"
"Excellent! Mengmeng, you’re a lifesaver!" Li Banjia exclaimed sincerely. The efficiency and quality were far better than if he had done it himself!
The moment he took the table, the system notification arrived on cue.
"Ding!"
[(The First Edict of a New Reign) quest completed! Evaluation: Good (Clear instruction, capable subordinate).]
[Quest Reward: (Rank EXP) +50, (Imperial Treasury Silver) x50.]
Li Banjia’s Rank EXP jumped from 50/100 to 100/100 instantly! His "Imperial Treasury" reached 320 taels.
Immediately following, a flash of golden light (the usual cheap special effect) appeared on the system interface, and eye-catching text emerged:
[Congratulations, Your Majesty! By accumulating merit, you have laid the foundation of an empire! EXP is full, and you have successfully been promoted to (Rank 9 Junior)! New perk unlocked: Daily Salary +1 tael (automatically deposited into the Treasury), subordinate cap increased to 2, and the (Issue Imperial Edict) function is now partially unlocked!]
[Name: Li Banjia]
[Rank: Rank 9 Junior (Acting Secretary)]
[……]
"Rank 9 Junior! I... I’m finally an official!" Li Banjia felt a surge of joy. Though it was only a minor position in the system, it meant he was one step closer to unlocking more high-level functions! Plus, he now had a "guaranteed salary" of 1 tael per day!
He suppressed his excitement. Looking at Wang Mengmeng’s eyes, which sparkled because she had received praise, he felt for the first time that his "empire" had something to rely on—his intern.
Now, he had to make good use of his "Rank 9 Junior" authority and his newly unlocked Policy Discourse skill to handle President Zhao’s "court audience" next week.