Once, there was a wise man, Bruce, in the court of a king. All the people in the kingdom praised his honesty, for he never lied. This made the king jealous of Bruce. So, one day, the king decided to test him. He called Bruce and ordered, “Go to my palace and tell the queen that I will join her for lunch. Tell her to prepare a big feast.” Bruce bowed respectfully and went to the queen. The king laughed and said, “I will not go to the palace for lunch. So whatever Bruce tells the queen will be a lie. Tomorrow we will laugh at his foolishness.” The next day, the king called Bruce to the court. He said, “So, Bruce, you lied to the queen.” Bruce said, “No, Sir, I had just said, ‘My Queen, maybe you should prepare a big feast and maybe you shouldn’t. Maybe the king will come by noon, maybe he won’t.’” The king was amazed at Bruce’s wisdom and never tested him again.
The Wise Man Never Lies
