Once upon a time there lived a very rich man in a village. He was industrious and industrious and increased his modest fortune by raising and selling livestock and poultry. Over time, he married a pretty girl, and soon they had a son. When the boy was thirteen years old, his mother died, and he began to help his father with housework. The fame of their untold wealth spread throughout the area and reached the ears of the king.
And that king was greedy and treacherous. For a long time he thought about how he could take possession of other people's wealth, and decided that the most reasonable thing was for his rich father to take over his young son.
Having planned evil, the king sent his minister to the rich man with an order, which said that, they say, he, the king, is also keen on breeding poultry and asks to immediately deliver three rooster eggs to the palace. The king allowed seven days to carry out the order, and threatened the death penalty for non-compliance.
The rich man was upset. The king's order was like a death sentence. After all, rooster eggs do not exist in nature! The thought of imminent death deprived him of peace, and he turned to his son with these words:
- Dear son! Trouble has visited our house. It seems that I am destined to die at the hands of the king. I ask you one thing: when I am gone, work zealously so that everything I have achieved does not go to waste. Be smart and quick-witted, and then you will find a way out of any situation.
“Dear father,” the son answered him, “you are in vain to be so sad.” Seven days will pass, I will go to the king and teach him how to get cock eggs.
However, the father did not pay attention to his son's words. It is difficult to find comfort in the words of a child when there is no hope of salvation.
After seven days, the boy appeared at the palace and asked to report to the king that the son of a rich man who was engaged in breeding birds had appeared. When the boy appeared before the royal eyes, the angry king said:
-Who called you here, you stupid fool? This matter concerns your father. Why didn't he come to the palace himself?
The boy smiled.
- O honored king! - he said. “The father was about to go to the palace, but his stomach hurt very badly, and he unexpectedly gave birth to a son.
Hearing the boy's wise answer, the king realized that he was in trouble. The king felt ashamed and was overcome by a feeling of remorse. After all, he is the ruler of his people and he must be kind and fair!
“Go in peace,” he said to the boy, “and tell your father that from now on I won’t need rooster eggs!”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru