Mi-Tzu was the sovereign's favorite. And in his kingdom there was a law: whoever harnessed the royal chariot without permission had his legs cut off.
And then one day Mi-Tzu’s mother fell ill. He boldly took the royal chariot and went to his mother. The Emperor, hearing about this, was delighted and said this:
- How respectful he is! For my mother's sake I forgot that his legs could have been cut off!
And one day, while walking with the sovereign in the garden, Mi-Tzu picked a peach. And it was so sweet that the favorite, having eaten half, offered the rest to the sovereign. And the sovereign said:
- How he loves me! He forgets about himself - just to treat me!
When Mi-Tzu's youth faded, the sovereign grew cold towards him, and he fell out of favor. And now the sovereign said:
- What! After all, he resorted to deception in order to use my chariot. And he also treated me to a bitten peach!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru