I have already said that the Emperor ordered the word to be conveyed to the Schildburgers: let them ride out to meet His Majesty, half on foot and half on horseback, and respond to the greeting with a saying and in harmony.
The townspeople discussed this tricky matter in their town hall and, regarding a good saying, made the following decision: the mayor will be the first to address the emperor with the words:
Welcome, Emperor,
To the glorious city of Shilda, you are welcome!
And then His Majesty, willy-nilly, will have to answer:
Thank you, wise Schildburgers!
Well, if everything turns out as they planned, then the mayor will say:
And the wisest of us is the First Swineherd!
In this way they will complete one half of the lesson that the emperor gave them.
But the opinion of the city fathers differed about the second.
One suggested dividing into two detachments to meet the emperor: the first would ride out on horseback, and the second on foot.
Others thought that it was necessary to do this: line up in a line, and in each line one burgher was on horseback, and the other was on foot.
The third advised: it is necessary, they say, for every city dweller to take a horse, put one foot in the stirrup, and ride next to him on the other.
There were also some clever people who suggested this: the emperor should be greeted on horseback sticks, the kind the guys ride on. This will be half pawn, half horse. In addition, this stick is always at the ready - it is light, playful and quick to take care of: bridle, raise your leg and gallop.
Needless to say, the Schildburgers liked this proposal? And the mayor
He immediately issued a decree: everyone should be ready with a horse stick. By the way, there was not such a poor person in Shilda who did not have his own horse stick in his house. And soon all of them - some on a dun, some on a black, some on a piebald, and some on a bay - were rushing around the city, riding around their dashing horses.
And when the appointed day arrived and the emperor and his retinue appeared in the distance, the Schildburgers rushed towards him at full speed. Only now something happened to the new mayor. Either he was very worried, or for some other reason, but he had to fall behind and hastily take cover behind a dung heap.
Meanwhile, the emperor and his men were moving closer and closer. The Shilda army was confused - where did their new head go?
And he himself sees that he can’t hesitate any longer, he forgot about his horse and, picking up his pants, climbed onto the dung heap, so that, therefore, from there he could greet His Majesty in full form.
The emperor and his retinue are driving closer and closer, and it’s time for the mayor to take off his hat, but his hands are full. What to do? He put his hat in his teeth, supported his pants with one hand, waved greetings to the Imperial Majesty with the other, and he himself shouted from the dung heap:
You are welcome, Emperor Shilda, Welcome to our table here!
Such a meeting, and in such a place, opened the emperor’s eyes to the flight of the bird in front of him. He realized that the Schildburgers were serious buffoons and it was not in vain that they spread all sorts of rumors about them, he extended his hand to the mayor and said:
Thank you, wise Schildburgers!
This is where the head had to answer him with a simple saying, as it was decided at the council. And he, so as not to make a mistake, stands and remains silent. Then Another Schildburger, seeing that the head had swallowed his tongue out of fear, jumped out on his horse-stick and blurted out:
Our head is the first joke!
But to make it sound smooth, you had to say:
And the wisest of us is the First Swineherd!
Schildburger decided: that a swineherd and a jester are one and the same thing, and the mayor is indeed their first jester. So he inadvertently told the truth.
This is how the Schildburgers greeted the emperor.
After this, the townspeople galloped to the city gates. And the Emperor, before moving after them, asks the head:
- Why did you, eccentric, climb on the manure?
“Yes, my legs, Your Majesty,” the head answers, “they didn’t smell anything out of joy, so they flew up into a heap.”
The Emperor was quite satisfied with this answer, and the whole crowd headed to the town hall. And so that His Majesty would not be bored on the way, the Schildburgers amused him with stories of how they built their town hall and how they had recently accomplished something of great importance - they sowed salt. And then they asked the Emperor to exempt them from the salt tax when they harvested the crop, and to issue a patent - a charter for the salt grain.
The emperor heeded their request, and from then on the right to sow salt was assigned to the Schildburgers forever.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru