Once upon a time there lived a rich king. He often, secretly from the Nazirs and Viziers, dressed in the clothes of a beggar and went to wander through cities and villages, listening to what the people were saying about him.
Once in one village the king met a girl so beautiful that whoever saw her said: don’t drink, don’t eat, don’t look at her.
The king returned to his palace and said to his Nazirs and Viziers:
— A beautiful girl lives in such and such a village. Go to her and tell her that the king wants to marry her.
The Nazirs and Viziers went to that village, found the girl’s house and also admired her beauty. They told the girl's father and mother that the king was fascinated by their daughter and wanted to marry her.
The girl's father was a poor peasant. He did not believe that the king had honored his daughter with such an honor. But the king’s people convinced him, and then he said:
“We are the king’s servants, as he orders, so it will be.” - And he turned to his daughter: - My daughter, the king sent his Nazir-Viziers to woo you. What should I answer them?
The girl asked:
-What is the king’s profession? - Why, my daughter, have you lost your mind?! What kind of craft could a king have? He owns the world, he will do whatever he wants, and we are all his servants. - No, my husband must master some kind of craft, otherwise I won’t marry him.
The viziers-nazirs went and conveyed the girl’s answer to the king. The king was surprised, but nothing could be done; for the sake of the girl, he decided to learn a craft.
He chose the easiest craft - he began to learn to weave carpets. Having mastered this craft, the king wove a beautiful carpet for his bride.
She said goodbye to her father and mother and went to the royal palace with the Nazirs and Viziers. The king celebrated the wedding for seven days and seven nights. They got married and began to live in honor and glory.
Either a year or two passed, and again the king, dressed as a beggar, began to walk around his cities and villages, deciding to find out what the people were saying about him.
Once, during one of these wanderings, the king fell into the hands of robbers, who, having learned about his craft, did not kill him, but sold him to a rich merchant.
The merchant locked the king in a dark closet, gave him wool so that he could dishevel it and weave a carpet. The king wove a carpet, and such a beautiful one, the like of which was not seen in the whole world.
Seeing this carpet, the merchant's wife said to her husband:
- Let him weave a big carpet. You will take it as a gift to the king, and perhaps he will not remain in debt.
The merchant went into the weaver's closet and said to him:
- I want to give the king a gift. Weave a carpet, but just make sure that this doesn’t happen in the whole world. And so that it was the size of the royal hall, not a hair more and not less. Your head will not be blown off if you do not fulfill my conditions. The king, hearing this, was very happy, and he knew the length and width of his hall well. And he wove such a carpet as the owner required. And in the corner of the carpet he wove letters (so that only the queen could read) that he was in trouble and was asking to be freed.
The merchant was pleased with the work and took the carpet to the royal palace.
The Nazirs and Viziers informed the queen about the gift they had brought. The queen laid out the carpet, saw that it was not a hair larger or smaller than the room, she was very surprised, examined the entire carpet and saw letters in one corner. Having read the inscription and learned what happened to her husband, the queen turned pale. The king had previously walked around the country for weeks, months and years, but it had never even occurred to him that such a fate could befall him. The queen immediately ordered that the one who wove this carpet be brought safe and sound to the palace.
The Nazirs and Viziers went with the merchant to his home, went into a dark closet, but the king had changed a lot, and they did not recognize him. The weaver was taken to the bathhouse, bathed, dressed in new clothes and taken to the royal palace. And the merchant instructed him how to behave in the palace, how to stand and bow.
When the king entered the chamber, the queen immediately rushed to him. They hugged and kissed.
“It’s true what they say, wife,” said the king, “that craft is more valuable than gold.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru