Chapter 156: Request

Li Si flew at full speed and arrived in the capital in less than half an hour.
Thinking that something big had happened, but when I found Wanli, he was having dinner with Empress Dowager Li and joyfully discussing interesting things in the court. Reply: Translated content:
Seeing Li Si appearing out of thin air, Wanli was not surprised. He first saluted respectfully, then invited him to sit down and have a meal together.
After three rounds of wine, Li Si also became a bit impatient, but Wanli calmly spoke:
"Master, the first batch of two hundred large ships has been built, but they were rushed and the hulls cannot withstand strong winds and waves."
"They were built so quickly?" Li Si exclaimed with joy and immediately set down his wine glass to ask, "Are they all large ships capable of carrying over a thousand people? Don't deceive me with small boats!"
If placed on Earth in the past, with two hundred ships capable of carrying a thousand people each, any medium-sized shipyard could easily build them within a little over a year.
However, it is only the 16th century now, and a ship capable of carrying a thousand people would definitely be considered a giant vessel, just like the ancient treasure ships. Please only reply to the translation above.
Master Li thought it would take three or four years to build, but he didn't expect the efficiency of the court to be so high that they managed to complete it in just a year and a half!
"Rest assured, Master, the size of the ships is absolutely satisfactory. However, given the rushed construction, they can only sail along the coast for now. If we want to venture deep into the ocean, your magical skills will be necessary," Emperor Wanli confirmed.
Li Si had warned him earlier that the royal family was one of the key reasons for the downfall of the Ming Dynasty. After Emperor Wanli took power, he naturally conducted a thorough investigation into this matter.
Many things are only discovered and shocking when they are examined.
Even the imperial family members in the eleventh year of Wanli reign accounted for one-eighth of the national finances in terms of the actual annual expenditure. The extent of their appropriation of farmland and forests is even more astonishing.
The expenses involved here are not just the meager salary received. Various benefits and costs for personal care are the biggest expenditures.
In addition, the tax exemption on the royal family's land holdings makes it impossible to estimate the actual loss of funds and food.
So after Wanli found out the truth, he had even stronger thoughts about sending these royal relatives overseas than Li Si did.
With the speed at which those royal relatives were producing children, if it were to be delayed for another twenty or thirty years, who knows how many people would emerge. No wonder it became the root of the downfall of the Ming Dynasty!
"National Teacher, there is no need to doubt. The imperial court has gathered a majority of manpower and resources, and we have even mobilized all the accumulated timber that we have saved for many years. It is only with the full strength of the country that we manage to complete your request so quickly," Empress Dowager Li said with a smile.
Now she understands very well that she and Li Si are completely in different leagues. He can easily create chaos and destruction with just a flick of his hand. No matter how clever her strategies are, she doesn't deserve to discuss cooperation.
"Oh? Then I must thank Your Majesty indeed. There are plenty of high-quality timber in many overseas locations. Once the fleets are stable, we can ask them to bring back more timber to the Central Plains on their return journey."
Li Xi smiled and said that although the fleet was not built for one person, he still had to bear this sentiment.
"That's great! In order to build this fleet as soon as possible, I even used the timber intended for constructing the palace. If we can receive a shipment from overseas, it would be even better!"
Wanli smiled and said, with an implied intention of seeking credit.
Li Si naturally understood his meaning and pondered for a moment, then nodded and said:
"Your Majesty, it's no trouble at all. How about this, you can make one request, as long as it is fair and reasonable, I can agree to it."
在李思看来，对方大概率是想要点延寿之物，自古以来的皇帝，就没几个不想长生。
万历作为皇帝还算合格，个人能力方面也不差，至少当得起一个“守成之君”。
谷榴
Let him live for a few more decades, overall the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. At least the goals set by Li Si for the Great Ming Dynasty can be more stably and continuously implemented.
Besides, his son Taichang and his grandsons Tianqi and Chongzhen each had their own problems.
Or their lives were too short, or they lacked the skills to be an emperor, it would be better to let Wanli continue to sit on the throne.
However, what Li Si didn't expect was that Wanli and Empress Dowager Li exchanged a glance and then solemnly said: Translation: "Translate the above Chinese into English and keep all @ matches."
"Master said before that cultivating immortality requires having spiritual roots to absorb the spiritual energy of the world into one's body."
"Since I lack spiritual roots, I have given up on seeking the path of immortality. However, could I please ask the master to spare some time and help test the spiritual roots of the royal family's descendants?"
"If there is someone who is capable of cultivating immortality, I kindly request the master to open the door of convenience and bring them back to Taohua Island, even if they become a registered disciple!"
This is the first time Li Si is teaching Wanli, and the latter asks him to help assess his aptitude.
Unfortunately, the young emperor not only lacks spiritual roots, but also has very ordinary aptitude for martial arts. Unless a huge amount of resources are invested, there is simply no hope of reaching the innate level.
Li Si has a fair amount of resources at his disposal, but Wanli is not someone who must be cultivated. The input and output are not proportional, so he naturally refuses to invest a massive amount of resources.
After being rejected by Li Si, Wanli also lost his enthusiasm for cultivation.
It's not that he didn't try to practice martial arts, and the palace was not lacking in experts and secret manuals. But the training was too arduous and exhausting, and he didn't have enough time to dedicate to it. Therefore, in the end, he had to give up on the path of martial arts.
不过李思收任盈盈为记名弟子之后，万历在李太后的提醒下，又产生了一个新的念头。
既然自己不能修炼，那不如在宗室内部培养一个修仙者。
I don't seek to reach the incredible combat abilities like Li Si, but as long as I can protect the imperial palace in the future and learn some alchemy and refining techniques, it will bring immense benefits to the Zhu Ming imperial family.
The miraculous medicine for longevity is just the fish, while the perfected cultivation system of Peach Blossom Island is the fishing rod.
Emperor Wanli is currently twenty years old, and Empress Dowager Li is only in her thirties, neither of them have reached the age of urgently seeking longevity.
So now they have a chance to negotiate and they simply asked Li Si to accept a member of the royal family as a disciple, in hopes of obtaining greater benefits in the future!
Wanli and Empress Li's intentions were easily understood by Li Si after a moment of contemplation.
A sheep is to be herded, two sheep are also to be let loose. After all, it's just a named disciple, investing a little resources to train another laborer is not a bad idea.
Moreover, currently, Peach Blossom Island only has Ren Yingying as a disciple. This girl is becoming somewhat arrogant, so having another competitor could make her work harder.
"The best way to cultivate immortality is to start from a young age, around ten years old is optimal. If they are any younger, it might be a bit difficult to discipline them."
"How about this, Your Majesty can select one hundred clever and obedient young boys from the royal family, ranging from at least ten to no older than fifteen."
“如果当中有人具备灵根的话，我便收为记名弟子，带回桃花岛教上几年，能学多少则看他们自己了。”
其实测试灵根并不复杂，但李思不愿日后经常被请去干这种活。
Therefore, limiting it to a hundred people serves the purpose of making certain individuals think carefully before speaking out, to consider whether they have the qualifications to request his assistance.
Moreover, when it comes to selecting disciples with registered identities, aptitude becomes secondary, while ease of management becomes the most important factor. Within the royal family, it would be preferable to first choose obedient juniors, which would save him quite a bit of effort.