The Ungrateful Tsar and the Clever Peasant's Son

Once upon a time, there lived—or perhaps didn’t live—a poor man. He had an only son. One day, the poor man said to his wife:

"Let’s send our son to study in the city. Maybe he’ll live a better life than we have."

And so they did. They sent the boy to study in a distant city. The poor parents denied themselves even a crust of bread, all so their son could become an educated man. Years passed.

The young man completed his studies, learned all the intricacies of science, and returned to his homeland. But there was no work for him there—no one would hire the educated son of a peasant.

The young man grew despondent: his parents had spent so much money on his education, yet he couldn’t even provide for them. He thought and thought about what to do, and finally decided to leave home.

"I can’t live like this anymore. I can’t bear to see you in poverty," he said to his father and mother. "I’d rather sell myself into slavery than let you suffer."

His parents begged him not to go, pleading with him to stay.

"We won’t starve. We’ll always find a crust of bread."

But no matter how much they begged or reasoned, the young man left home.

He traveled far and wide until he arrived in a city, but even there, he couldn’t find work suited to his knowledge. Desperate, he went to the king, despite having heard of the king’s greed and cruelty.

"Your Majesty, take me into your service," said the young man.

"And what can you do?"

"I can discern the truth and unravel any deception."

"How much should I pay you?"

"You decide. I am versed in all sciences."

The king tossed him two gold coins.

"Take this. You’re not worth more."

The young man took the money and sent it to his parents. The king ordered his new servant to be housed in a small room and given one corn cake a day.

One day, a peasant came to sell the king a nag.

"Buy my horse, great king."

"How much do you want for it?"

"Ten gold coins."

The king thought, "Let me test what my new servant knows."

He summoned the young man.

"What do you say, my learned servant? Is this horse worth ten gold coins?"

The young man walked around the nag, examined it from all sides, and said:

"It’s true, she’s very thin and loves to lie in water, but she’s still worth ten gold coins."

The king bought the horse, handed it over to the stable hands, and ordered it to be fed barley and raisins to its heart’s content.

Time passed. The horse became a joy to behold—so beautiful and spirited, it seemed fit to race the stars!

One day, the king decided to go for a ride. He ordered the new horse to be saddled and rode out into the field with his viziers.

"Let’s see how it gallops," said the king, and he spurred the horse into a full gallop. The horse pranced beneath him and flew forward like a swallow.

"Now let’s see if it really likes to lie in water," said the king, and he rode into the river.

Before the horse could reach the middle, it suddenly lay down and nearly drowned the king.

The servants barely managed to pull the king to safety. The horse, freed of its burden, lay in the water for a long time, enjoying itself. The king returned to the palace and summoned his wise servant.

"How did you know the horse liked to lie in water?"

"This horse was raised by a buffalo cow, and she taught it to love water. If you don’t believe me, ask its former owner."

The king sent for the peasant who had sold the horse.

"What kind of horse did you sell me?" asked the king.

"It’s just a horse, but it was raised by a buffalo cow," replied the peasant.

The king increased the young man’s rations—besides the corn cake, he now received a small wheat loaf. It was a pitiful reward, but the young man consoled himself: "It’s no matter that I suffer, as long as my parents’ lives are easier."

Time passed. One day, a deceitful merchant came to the king and offered:

"Buy this magical stone, Your Majesty—natvristavali. It will grant all your wishes."

The merchant was lying—the "magical stone" was not natvristavali but a greedy human eye.

"How much do you want for it?" asked the king.

"As much gold as it weighs."

They placed the magical stone on one side of the scale and gold on the other. The natvristavali outweighed the gold. They added more gold, nearly emptying the treasury, but the magical stone still outweighed it. No one could understand this marvel!

The king summoned the all-knowing young man. The peasant’s son took the "magical stone," rolled it on the ground, and handed it back to the king.

"Now weigh it!"

They weighed it, and the magical stone was lighter than a copper coin!

Overjoyed, the king increased the young man’s rations to one and a half loaves a day. The king’s stinginess offended the young man, but he kept silent and thought, "Even if it’s hard for me, I’ll endure it, as long as my parents’ lives are easier!"

Time passed.

Life was hard in the kingdom—there was no justice or order—and many rebelled against the king. The king decided to gather all the discontented and execute them.

"Go through my kingdom and bring all those who are dissatisfied with me!" he ordered his viziers.

"No one will tell us the truth, Your Majesty," said the chief vizier. "Send your wise servant instead. He’ll surely uncover the truth."

The king summoned the peasant’s son.

"Go through my kingdom and bring all those who are dissatisfied with me."

What could he do? He couldn’t disobey the king. The young man pondered.

Before he could set out, word spread across the land: "The king’s truth-seeing servant is coming! He wants to find out who is unhappy with the king!"

And nearly everyone was unhappy with the king.

Fear gripped the people. They turned to an old sage known for his wisdom.

"Tell us, what should we do? How should we behave with the king’s envoy?"

"When he comes, ask for his protection. If he truly seeks the truth and loves justice, he will side with us and not betray us to the king," said the old man.

The peasant’s son arrived in the village where the old man lived. He saw that nearly the entire kingdom had gathered there.

The old man stepped forward and said:

"We know why you’ve been sent. Don’t destroy us. Don’t lead us to the king—he’ll hang us all. The law and power are in his hands."

"Don’t be afraid," replied the young man. "Come with me. I’ll tell the king the truth on your behalf."

The people hesitated: what if he was trying to deceive them and lead them to their doom?

But the old man spoke again:

"Let’s trust this young man. If he betrays us, our blood will be on his conscience. We were born once, and we’ll die once!"

The young man led the people to the king.

"Your Majesty, I’ve carried out your command!" he reported.

"Well, what have you learned? Tell me!"

"First, promise not to be angry at the truth."

The king promised and swore an oath.

"The people in your kingdom are honest and hardworking—you don’t deserve them, Your Majesty. From morning till night, they toil, and you take the last of what they have. You’re an unjust king. Why say more? You bought me, a living man, for two gold coins, but paid ten for a nag! Remember when the deceitful merchant tried to sell you a greedy human eye and nearly took your entire treasury? It was the eye of a greedy man, and nothing but the raw earth could satisfy it. That’s why I rolled it on the ground—to let it feast! I saved you, and how did you repay me? By giving me half a loaf more a day! I’ve traveled your entire kingdom at your command. Look, all the people are here, and they’re all dissatisfied with you!"

The king flew into a rage, forgetting his oath, and ordered everyone to be hanged!

But it wasn’t so easy.

"People, let’s pass our own judgment on the king and deal with him before he kills us all!" shouted the young man.

And the people, as one, rose against the king.

From that day on, the kingdom enjoyed a peaceful and prosperous life, so peaceful that, as they say, the wolf no longer harmed the goat, and the cat no longer chased the mouse.

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The Ungrateful Tsar and the Clever Peasant's Son

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