Once upon a time there lived a king, and he had a son. The time has come for the king to die. He lies on his deathbed, and the courtiers have gathered around him. The king called his son to him, took his hand, put it in the hand of his old adviser and said:
- Son! Do everything as he says.
Then the king told the adviser to promise that he would protect his son, and soon quietly walked away. The whole kingdom grieved and cried for him.
Days passed. The king's son was enthroned, and the old adviser, fulfilling his promise, served him faithfully. The young king highly respected the adviser and did everything as he said. The other courtiers saw how the adviser was held in high esteem, and they lost their peace - envy tormented them. All they could think about was how to denigrate him. Every now and then the king happened to hear unkind things about his adviser. Everyone vied with each other to tell him that he needed to replace the old man with someone younger. But the king did not listen to such speeches, and the old adviser tried his best to ensure that things in the state went well and his subjects had nothing to complain about.
It is not without reason that they say that a drop wears away a stone. The king was tired of hearing the same thing every day, and he decided to test his entourage. He called the old adviser to him, talked with him face to face, and then announced publicly that the adviser was retiring and would receive support from the treasury, and another young man was appointed in his place.
Several months have passed. Nobody complained. Things went on as usual. At first the courtiers kept their ears open, but now they saw that the king was pleased with the new adviser, and they calmed down, even began to become self-willed. It seemed that the king did not know anything about this, but in fact he noticed everything. His secret spies reported to him about everything that was said among the people, and he knew well how careless state affairs were and how self-willed the new councilor and other courtiers were.
One day the king went hunting. There were hunters and dogs with him. In the evening, on his way back, he stopped to rest in his country garden. He called the gardener, pointed to one of the dogs and said:
- I'll leave it with you. Keep a good eye on her. When I need it, I'll let you know.
The gardener bowed and accepted the dog, and the king went to his palace.
After a few days, the king gathered his court. Among other things, he remembered the dog.
“When I was hunting, I left my dog with the gardener,” he told the new adviser. - Go and see how she is doing.
The adviser mounted his horse and rode into the garden. He arrives there and asks the gardener:
- Well, how does the royal dog live here?
- Okay, sir. She brought puppies. The adviser returned to the palace and reported to the king everything he had learned about the dog. The king was delighted and asked:
- How many puppies?
“He didn’t tell me that, Maharaj!” Then the king graciously says:
- If you still find it difficult, go and ask again. The adviser rushed back. He drove up to the garden, called the gardener, and asked:
- How many puppies did the dog bring?
“Five,” answers the gardener.
The adviser galloped into the palace and reported. And the king asks:
– How many males, how many females?
“He didn’t say that, Maharaj.” The king says even more mercifully:
“I’m making it very difficult for you today, but still serve me one more time: go and ask how many dogs she brought and how many bitches.”
The poor councilor went to the gardener again.
“Three males and two females,” the gardener tells him.
The adviser arrived at the court and reported this to the king. The king was delighted and asked:
– Could you tell me how many puppies promise to become good hunting dogs?
“I don’t know that, Maharaj,” the adviser answers. The king again kindly asked him to go and find out.
What was the adviser to do? He went again to the gardener and asked him the king’s question.
“Sir, two males and one female will be very good for hunting,” the gardener answers. - These are excellent dogs. And the others are worse.
The adviser returned to the palace and reported on this. The king was very happy:
– It turns out that I have three more dogs! But are they fed well? Don't you know what they're being given?
The adviser said he didn't know. Then the king asks even more affectionately:
- Go again and ask what they feed. Otherwise, it’s as if they grew up weak from underfeeding.
The unfortunate adviser again dragged himself to the gardener. He calmed him down and said that the puppies were fed as they should be. The adviser returned and reported this to the king.
- Apparently, the gardener is an understanding person. “He feeds them properly,” says the king. “You would make me very happy if you told me one more thing: are there at least one brown color among the good puppies?” I really love this suit.
The adviser had to go back. He was already tired of jumping back and forth, but there was nothing to do. So he learned from the gardener that there was not a single brown puppy, so he came and reported this to the king.
The king was upset and asked:
- What color are they? The adviser again could not answer. Then the king said:
“I want to know what color each puppy is and whether there is at least one among them that I like.”
The adviser gathered his last strength, went to the garden again and reported to the king what color the puppies were. The king thanked the adviser and even asked him for forgiveness for his troubles.
Some more time passed. The king remembered the old adviser and ordered him to be summoned to court. He appeared immediately. The king received him warmly and began to question him. During the conversation, the king suddenly said:
- Since you have already come, do one thing for me.
- It would be a pleasure to serve you.
- It's a trivial matter. I still have a dog in the country garden. It would be good for you to go there and find out about her.
The adviser immediately went to the garden. He arrived and asked the gardener to show him the dog. The gardener respectfully took him to where the dog was. The old adviser examined the dog and puppies, looked into the bowl of food and wrote down everything he saw for memory. Then I went back to the yard.
He arrived and the king asked him:
- Well, how is the dog?
- Everything is fine, Maharaj. She brought puppies.
-Can you tell me how many puppies there are?
- Five, Maharaj.
– How many males and how many females?
- Three males, Maharaj, and two bitches.
The king asked how the puppies were fed, what color they were and their hunting characteristics. And the adviser answered every question without hesitation. The king found out everything he wanted about the dog and began asking about the garden and the gardener. The old adviser talked about this too. Then the king turned to the courtiers and said:
“You tried to persuade me to retire the old adviser and take a young one in his place.” Now see for yourself which of them is more useful.
The courtiers only lowered their heads.
The king immediately ordered the old adviser to return to his post. From then on, the old adviser continued to rule affairs.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru