Chapter 342 "Demotion to Commoner"

Stealing exam questions may not be a big deal in the eyes of some uninvolved citizens.
It's just a test question, you can just retake the exam!
Just punish them a little, for the sake of it!
But to those scholars who have been preparing for a long time and have been staying in the small house for three days, it is not a trivial matter!
Leaking the test questions would make all their previous efforts and hard work in vain, and they may not have the same mindset to take the test again!
Moreover, if this is discovered, wouldn't it be very unfair for them if it wasn't discovered?
This year, the prince stole the exam questions, and it was just a minor incident!
If next year a minister steals the exam questions and only gets demoted as punishment, what's the point of the imperial examination?
Those students from humble backgrounds will no longer have the motivation to participate!
Besides, the purpose of stealing the exam questions this time is not to make money, but to win over and cultivate influence in order to deal with the other princes.
After much thought, Ying Zheng made a decision.
"Ying Fan, you are demoted to common people, and the Lady Ding shall be relocated from Xianyang!"
As soon as these words were spoken, both of them were stunned.
Ying Fan collapsed to the ground, looking pale and devoid of any spirit!
"Your Majesty, you cannot treat Fan'er like this. It's all my idea, Fan'er had no idea!"
Madam Ding pleaded tearfully, wanting to run to Ying Zheng's side and plead her case, but she was stopped by Jingfu.
"Take him away!"
嬴政挥了挥手，脸色很不好。
一个是自己同床共枕多年的女人。
另外一个是自己的亲儿子。
做出这样的决定，他的心不痛才怪！
There is no other way. Someone who can do such a thing cannot stay in the palace anymore!
After all, nothing serious happened. Even if they are chased out of Xianyang, Ying Zheng will find a secure place for them and buy them a house to live in peace.
"Ying Feiyu, you will face retribution...!"
Before being taken away, Ying Fan seemed to suddenly realize, roaring with all his might.
"Young master... Young master? Please don't go, what shall we do if you leave?"
The three young masters in the study panicked even more when they saw this, with fear written all over their faces.
They had all heard of Ying Zheng's methods.
And now they were seeing it with their own eyes!
If even his own son couldn't escape, could they still protect their own lives?
"Pull him down and execute him!"
As expected, the next moment, the stern voice of King Ying Zheng came from the study room.
"Your Majesty, we are innocent, we were misled by Gongzi Fan!"
"Your Majesty, please give us another chance, we are willing to work hard and serve the court!"
"Your Majesty...!"
A group of guards entered and dragged the people out.
The people, still unwilling to give up, waved their hands in hopes of a miracle happening!
However, contrary to their wishes, even if their voices were louder, Ying Zheng would not give them another chance!
"Hmph! If they were really allowed into the court, it would probably be thrown into chaos by them!"
Wang Li snorted twice and disdainfully said,
"Alright, everyone disperse!"
Ying Zheng seemed a bit exhausted, rubbing his head and waving his hand at the crowd.
……
The prince's dismissal was undoubtedly the most sensational news, occupying the front page headline in the newspaper the next day.
"Humph! I can't believe the prince would steal the test questions!"
"Yes, luckily the examiner discovered it early and replaced the exam questions in time. Otherwise, it would have been so unfair for us candidates!"
"Yes, that Zhao Hongsheng I know. He used to rely on being Zhao Cheng's relative and was arrogant and domineering everywhere. He never paid for things when shopping. He is merely a ruffian and a rogue. It was only after Zhao Cheng's downfall that he became slightly more restrained. I never expected him to actually hitch a ride with Gongzi Fan. If he passes the imperial examination, I will never want to participate in it in this lifetime!"
"Well, Xu Xingfa is also similar. He used to be a prominent figure in Sishui County. Seeing that the Lu family has developed a relationship with the young master, and their business is doing better than his, he became jealous and wanted to enter the imperial court to conspire against the young master along with Gongzi Fan. Luckily, the young master was one step ahead, and saw through their plot!"
"As we can see, people should not do unscrupulous things. Otherwise, even if it is carefully concealed, it will eventually be discovered and they will have to suffer the consequences."
"Yes, we rely on our abilities to achieve success and maintain integrity!"
……
People and scholars from all over the country talked about it after seeing the content in the newspaper.
They scoffed at the actions of Ying Fan and Zhao Hongsheng and others!
It's just that the few of them are not in front of them now. If they were, they would probably beat them up.
【Ding! Congratulations, Host. Discovering cheating in the imperial examination, seeking justice for all students. Reward: a map of the shipping routes!】
【Complimentary compass included!】
【Stored in the system warehouse!】
After leaving the study room, the little boy's mind immediately heard the familiar mechanical sound of the system, which made his eyes light up.
It was as if he had just yawned, and the big brother system had sent a pillow!
The steamship has just been developed, and the system rewarded him with a route map!
It is very necessary to have this thing for sailing at sea!
In this era, there are no lighthouses to guide the way.
To distinguish directions, we can only rely on the experiences of sailors!
Therefore, besides awe, people also have more fear towards the ocean!
Every year, many fishermen lose their lives due to the storms at sea and the inability to discern directions.
Over time, no one is willing to go to sea, and even if they do, they won't go far!
That's why Xu Fu was able to successfully deceive Ying Zheng by claiming that there is a fairy island overseas with an elixir of immortality!
Ying Zheng also firmly believed and built a huge ship to send him to search!
Because no one had sailed across the seas before him, it was impossible to verify the authenticity of his words.
At that time, Ying Zheng was obsessed, and for the sake of immortality, even if there was only a glimmer of hope, he had to try!
This allowed Xu Fu to take advantage of the situation and bring three thousand boys and girls together to set sail, never to be heard from again!
Now, with the navigation chart and compass, Ying Feiyu can take a boat and sail out to capture Xu Fu, allowing Ying Zheng to exact his revenge on him once and for all!
After the successful testing of the steamship, Xin Sheng began daily simulated training with the navy in the Wei River.
Strive to train a group of elites in the shortest possible time!
Feng Quji requested the Ministry of Works to help build a larger shipyard for Ying Feiyu.
Steamships can travel thousands of miles a day and can carry people and goods. In the future, there will definitely be a huge demand from the imperial court and the public. We must have larger shipyards!
Huang Yuan is leading the craftsmen to work overtime to produce steamships and trains, striving to improve the people's means of transportation as soon as possible!
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Rites is busy examining the answer sheets of those scholars, selecting talent for the court!
On the other hand, Ying Feiyu has more free time and goes around various industries, inquiring about the sales of each store!