I didn't cheat or play with any mods. Basically, I just kept order as low as possible but not getting the gameover then do a bit of calculation on which edict is the most cost effective and goes for it. On both Secretary and Warden levels, they are not that difficult. You don't need to upgrade the lower tier edicts at all. Providing you understand how the stat work in this game and optimize which stat you want on your run.Neither of you explained anything so I assume you both used CCmod or edited the game's values to cheat. What lvs did you do what? How much cash did you get and what edicts produced it? The lack of explanation makes everything you say sound like bullshit. If you didn't grind or cheat, explain how.
The shop on level 2 is really broken if you upgrade them in the right order. The only sidejob that I did on my Warden virgin run was strip club. I did strip club a few time because it help prevent the riots.
To be honest, it's not like I'm good at this game or smart by any mean. I just play this game a lot since alpha so I exactly know what I'm doing lol.