Time Travel: I am the idle king Li Shen and Li Shimin in the Tang Dynasty

The rules of the football league have long been made public and are known to all fans, so Li Chengqian has naturally heard about them as well.

So when Li Shen finished speaking, he didn't suspect anything. Just as Li Shen said, the chances were greater if the two of them were together.

He just felt that this matter was not so simple, but after thinking about it for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out.

In fact, he also agreed with Li Shen's approach. The imperial court takes 30% of the profits. What if they lose it all in the final round?

That's over a million strings of cash!

Seeing Li Chengqian's expression, Li Shen pressed his advantage and continued to persuade him:

"Brother, think about it. After Aye participates in the competition, will those aristocratic families take the opportunity to bet a lot of money on Aye?"

Even if it's a 10:1 ratio, for every million strings of cash we pay, we'd have to pay 100,000 strings. Chang'an has so many wealthy merchants and nobles...

Even now, I can imagine that the bets back then would have been astronomical; I probably couldn't even afford to lose the betting odds.

Not to mention them, even I would bet on the emperor's side.

This is a great opportunity to target them.

Li Shen's words were like a demonic whisper, slowly eroding Li Chengqian's heart, causing him to go from wavering to beginning to sway.

Weakening the power of aristocratic families has been something their father has been doing, and it's now proving quite effective; the aristocratic families have begun to decline.

We must not give them even the slightest chance.

Finally, Li Chengqian nodded, making up his mind:

“Alright, let’s do it this way. For the sake of the court and the people of the world, I will be an unfilial son for once.”

"Hahaha, as expected of the Crown Prince, you have the well-being of the people at heart. I admire you."

"Come, let me offer you a cup of tea instead of wine on behalf of all the people of the world, my elder brother."

Li Shen laughed heartily and picked up his teacup.

"Tenth Brother, you flatter me. It's all for the sake of my Li Tang dynasty," Li Chengqian said modestly, clinking a small cup with Li Shen.

"Brother, you are too modest. We are all doing this for the sake of the Li family's empire," Li Shen flattered.

It will be much easier as long as Li Chengqian participates.

"Tenth Brother, should we inform Father beforehand about our actions? Perhaps he will agree to our plan and deliberately let us lose?"

Li Chengqian put down his teacup and offered his opinion.

"You mean you want Aye to fix the game? If people find out, wouldn't that be even more embarrassing than losing? The Royal Family would lose face."

Moreover, Father is an upright man and a renowned general; how could he do such a despicable thing?

"Brother, as the Crown Prince, would you be willing to deliberately lose to swindle money?"

Li Shen poured Li Chengqian a cup of tea, then questioned him.

Li Chengqian shook his head:

"Of course I wouldn't do it for money."

"Look, even you, as the crown prince, are unwilling, so how could Father, the emperor, possibly be willing? Although Father has been somewhat greedy these past few years..."

But surely it's not worth losing the royal family's dignity for a mere pittance.

Li Shenyi shrugged.

"Ahem!" As soon as Li Shen finished speaking, Wang Zhong, who was standing next to him, coughed twice to remind Li Shen to be careful with his words.

"Tenth Brother, be careful what you say," Li Chengqian warned.

Li Shen looked up and glanced at Wang Zhong:

"Get out of here, you have no sense of propriety at all."

"Yes, this servant knows her mistake." Wang Zhong quickly bowed, then waved to the servants in the study, signaling them to leave.

"Tenth Brother, have you considered the punishment you might face if we don't speak to Father in advance? Besides, Father is a veteran of countless battles; how can we be confident of victory?"

Li Chengqian looked at Li Shen. This was inevitable; the two brothers were here discussing how to deal with their father, how to embarrass him after losing the game.

Besides, their father isn't so easy to deal with either.

Li Shen laughed after hearing this:

"Hehe, brother, you're overthinking it. I've already checked, and the team Aye assembled is full of veterans, all of them old and frail."

Our team members are all in their prime, young and strong, how could they possibly outrun these old men?

Li Shen was full of confidence. These veterans were all getting old. Football is about running, and how could these old men in their fifties and sixties possibly keep up?

It would be good if they didn't work themselves to the bone in the second half.

This time, let them see what it means to be young and strong.

"Tenth Brother, don't underestimate these veteran ministers. They followed Father in his campaigns, and their martial arts skills are superb."

Even now that they are older, there are still few who can rival them.

"That Duke Lu, he now possesses the strength to lift a stone with one hand, far beyond our capabilities."

Seeing Li Shen's arrogance, Li Chengqian had to remind him.

This group of people are no ordinary individuals.

"The Duke of Lu is that powerful?" Li Shen was also surprised. One hand could lift a stone, more than a hundred catties. Damn it, he himself might not be able to lift a stone with both hands.

Li Shen was a little puzzled. Wasn't Cheng Yaojin already sixty years old? How could he still be so fierce?

"Of course they are formidable, so tenth brother, you still need to be careful and cautious, and don't underestimate them."

Since we have chosen to agree with Li Shen's opinion, we must take it seriously and not be careless.

Otherwise, it's easy to capsize in a ditch.

Li Shen then dropped his dismissive expression.

He originally thought that dealing with a group of old, weak, sick and disabled people would be no problem at all, but now, judging from Li Chengqian's words, it seems that it is not so easy.

"Don't worry, brother. I won't underestimate them. Even if they are superb in martial arts, football is not just about physics. It also depends on tactics and formations."

I refuse to believe that I, the inventor, am inferior to them!

Li Shen nodded solemnly.

"That's good." Li Chengqian was relieved.

"By the way, when exactly is Aye planning to negotiate peace with Songtsen Gampo? Are we just going to keep him hanging like this?"

After finishing their business, Li Shen started chatting casually.

"I'm not too sure about that either. It shouldn't be too long, but it seems from what Father said that Yuanzheng wants to bring Songtsen Gampo to Chang'an City so that he can experience the customs and culture of our Great Tang Dynasty."

They probably wanted to gauge Songtsen Gampo's attitude; if he submitted, the matter would be much simpler.

Li Chengqian got up and lay back down on the bed.

"What do you mean by experiencing local customs and traditions? If you ask me, I just want Songtsen Gampo to see the power and wealth of my Great Tang Dynasty."

These barbarians have never witnessed the prosperity of Chang'an.

Li Shen, sipping his tea, succinctly saw through Li Shimin's intentions: to put on a show.

To demonstrate the strength of the Tang Dynasty to Songtsen Gampo, showing that the people are prosperous and the country is strong, and that the people live in peace and contentment, with doors left unlocked at night.

Li Chengqian also expressed his agreement:

“You’re right, that’s what I think too. So we can’t afford any mistakes on New Year’s Eve. I’ve already ordered the Right Guard to be reinforced to maintain order on New Year’s Eve.”

And foreign envoys were allowed to tour the city.

By the way, I need your cooperation on this matter.

“My cooperation? I don’t have time to play with them.” Li Shen immediately refused.

"It's not for you to take them along. This time, the imperial court is allowing them to travel on their own and will not be sending officials from the Court of State Ceremonial to accompany them."

However, we can't just let them run wild like this, so...