hsntnovel Chapter 2697 The Arrival of the Prodigal Son
Chapter 2697 The Arrival of the Prodigal Son
"Wow... Hahaha..."
Silvery laughter echoed throughout the venue as Li Shimin, with his granddaughter Xixi in a stroller, slid down the slide.
Xi Xi shouted excitedly, expressing her joy.
Li Shimin was also excited, and slid down with Xixi in his arms.
Li Shen made special modifications to this year's slide, increasing its height at the source and adding several curves, bringing its total length to three miles.
It's fortunate that it was ice skating, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to skate that far.
Each track is meticulously polished, with water used to fill any gaps, leaving no dents or bumps.
"Haha, where do you think you're going, you old thief Changsun?"
On the other side, Cheng Yaojin was gliding in a small cart, chasing after Changsun Wuji.
This is an ice bumper car designed by Li Shen. It has a metal body, covered with a layer of wood, with straw tied around the edges, and a thick layer of cotton.
It definitely won't break if you hit it; at most, it will just crack and pull out some wood.
"You two old scoundrels, do you really think I'm afraid of you?" Changsun Wuji was besieged by Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde, and angrily cursed the two for being despicable.
"Shen'er, why don't you go play?"
At the edge of the field, Li Shen sat there, watching everything that was happening in the field, and in his heart he kept thinking that the country bumpkins had never seen the world.
"Mother, there are too many people. Let them play first. I still need to prepare a meal for Father."
Li Shen replied with a smile.
"We're fine here. Why don't you take the children and go play?" Empress Zhangsun said with a smile.
What kind of food can Li Shenneng cook?
"Thank you, Mother. I'll wait here for those second-generation disciples," Li Shen explained, shaking his head.
He doesn't want to hang out with those old geezers. Look at them now, they have no manners at all.
This would all damage his glorious image. If it weren't for his father, Li Shen wouldn't have let Xixi go play there, for fear of influencing the child.
He sat on the side watching everyone.
There are many attractions here, including six or seven places to play such as slides, bumper cars, and ice skating, and there's even a fishing spot at the far end.
Li Shen waited for almost an hour before a commotion broke out outside. A guard came in to report that a group of second-generation scions had arrived.
Li Shen quickly told them to come in.
A short while later, a large group of people walked over, led by Cheng Chuliang, Yuchi Baolin, and others.
Upon approaching, Li Shen first bowed to everyone, and then said:
"Why are you here so late?"
Li Shen naturally enjoys playing with people his own age.
"Your Highness, we agreed on this time. Everyone thought that if we came early, we wouldn't be able to compete with my father and the others."
Cheng Chuliang was the first to answer.
"Yes, Your Highness, if we come too early, we'll just be watching from the sidelines anyway. It's better to come a little later."
Yu Chi Baoqi echoed this sentiment.
Li Shen rolled his eyes. How could such a bastard have such a brain?
"It's even bigger than last year, it's truly magnificent."
"Yeah, yeah, look at that venue, it's sure to be fun."
Everyone was talking about it.
"Alright, let's go to the ice house over there and talk. Let's not disturb Her Majesty the Empress here."
Li Shen waved his hand at everyone and led them all to the ice house next door.
"Does Your Highness have something to say?" Yu Chi Baoqi asked.
“Yes, there are some things.” Li Shen nodded.
After everyone had entered, Li Shen announced loudly:
"Gentlemen, please be quiet. I have something to say."
As soon as Li Shen finished speaking, the noisy crowd immediately quieted down, and everyone looked at Li Shen.
"Gentlemen, the first thing I want to talk about is football betting."
The New Year has passed, and early spring is approaching. In two months, our football betting will reopen.
Therefore, advance preparation is essential, and you need to hurry up and start.
The remaining winning teams must arrive in Chang'an as soon as possible to begin training.
"Your Highness, rest assured, we have already sent people to call the winning team back, and they will all arrive before the end of next month."
"It's just because of the long distance that there isn't enough time for training."
Li Daxiang answered.
"Good, as long as you arrive on time, that's fine. As for training... we'll train during our free time when there are no matches."
Last year, I instructed you to select coaching talent. Have you made any progress?
After nodding, Li Shen asked again.
"Your Highness, the selection of coaches was completed last year, with a total of 150 people chosen to join the team for training."
These individuals will undergo training, followed by an elimination process, with each team ultimately retaining one coach.
Someone else spoke up and answered Li Shen's question.
Li Shen shook his head after hearing this:
"Have you ever thought about not eliminating them? An army has generals and deputy generals, so why can't we have a head coach and a deputy coach?"
This way, the assistant coach can support the head coach and prevent a sudden loss of leadership.
“That’s right, why didn’t we think of that? Your Highness is indeed brilliant.” Cheng Chuliang immediately clapped his hands, agreeing with Li Shen’s point.
Others echoed.
Li Shen nodded and then spoke again:
"Okay, that's settled then. Also, this year's tournament will be a round-robin, so there will be more matches played, and we can make more money from betting."
However, some unexpected things might happen during the final match, so everyone should be mentally prepared.
"An unexpected turn of events? I wonder what kind of unexpected turn of events Your Highness is referring to?" Yuchi Baoqi asked.
"During the finals, His Majesty will bring your father and the others to participate, and His Highness the Crown Prince will also organize a team to participate."
And I, of course, cannot lag behind, and will also form a team, so I hope you will also form a team.
"This way, there won't be any byes," Li Shen explained.
"Does Your Highness mean we should personally participate?" Cheng Chuliang immediately became interested upon hearing this.
"That's right, we need to make them play themselves. Otherwise, who among ordinary people would dare to play football with the emperor and the crown prince?"
When the time comes, you'll have to deal with your own fathers.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is not an ordinary competition; it concerns how much bonus you will receive at the end of the year.
Think about it, if His Majesty participates in the competition, everyone will bet their money on His Majesty's team. Even if we offer the lowest odds, it will still be a huge sum of money.
So whether you can win the game, and whether you dare to win, depends entirely on yourselves.
Li Shen stood up and began to encourage everyone.
Although these spoiled brats are bold, they would actually have some reservations if they were to actually play football with His Majesty or the Crown Prince.
Li Shen needed to help them resolve their inner conflicts, and the best way to do that was through their allowance.