The courtier's advice

1. Folklore around the globe holds troves of interesting tales of morality. They include many stories about attempts by those who possess power and wealth to do injustice to ordinary people. 

2. Essentially, there is a resourceful character in every story. He might be a wise sage or a witty courtier who plays the role of protecting the have-nots from being victims of unfair treatment. Consider the following tale of instant justice.

3. Once upon a time, an emperor who was accompanied by several courtiers, stumbled over a piece of rock in his garden. Being in a bad mood and feeling embarrassed by the incident the emperor pinned the blame on his gardener and odered his arrest and execution. 

4. On the following day, the gardener was asked to make his last wish before his hanging and he asked for an audiece with the emperor. As he knelt before the latter, the gardener hacked and spat on his footwear. 

5. The emperor was stunned and just as he was about to explode with rage, his favourite courtier stepped forward in the gardener’s defence. 

6. He explained that there could be no person more loyal to his master other than the accused. He pointed out that the unfortunate man had acted against his will in order to give the emperor a good reason for hanging him; otherwise he feared that people would say the emperor hanged him for a mere trifle. 

7. The courtier's explanation opened the emperor's eyes to a great injustice that he could have done. So the gardener's life was spared. 

8. As you might imagine, the gardener wouldn't dare to insult the emperor on his own account; he had acted on the courtier's advice all along.