Today, we are going to tell a story full of wisdom and humor – Avanti’s classic wisdom story “More Than Wisdom”.This story is not only funny, but also teaches us how to deal with difficulties with wisdom. The main character of the story is the clever and witty Avanti, who uses his mind to help the people get out of danger. Do you want to know how he did it? Let’s enter this wonderful story together!
I. The King’s Folly and Challenge
In a splendid palace there lived a fat and arrogant king. One day he had a strange dream that he had grown donkey ears and a donkey tail, and the people were laughing at his stupidity. When he woke up, the king was very angry and felt that this was an insult to his intelligence.
In order to prove that he was the wisest man, the king decided to organize a “Wisdom Contest”. He gathered many scholars, doctors and professors to answer his questions. However, these so-called “wise men” were not only thrown out of the palace, but also severely beaten because they could not answer the king’s questions.
After that, no one dared to enter the palace to participate in the competition. But the king was not satisfied. He ordered the people of the city to send representatives to answer his questions, and if they failed to do so, they would be put to death! Faced with such a threat, the people were thrown into a panic.
At this point, Avanti stepped forward. He offered to represent everyone to the king and use his wisdom to save everyone.
II. Avanti’s Clever Answer
When Avanti came to the palace, the king couldn’t help but be a little impressed when he saw how confident he looked. “Avanti, you have courage, the widow admires you.” The king said, “Let me ask you the first question: how many stars are there in the sky?”
Avanti smiled slightly and answered, “Your Honor, there are a total of ninety-nine million, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine stars in the sky, one not more, one not less.”
Upon hearing this, the king cried out, “No, no, no! You are talking nonsense!”
Unperturbed, Avanti said, “Your Majesty, if you don’t believe my answer, you can climb up into the clouds and count them yourself!” The king looked up at the sky and realized that it was impossible to count the number of stars, so he could only rub his hands together hopelessly.
Then the king asked a second question, “So, where would you say the center of the earth is?”
Avanti thought for a moment, pointed to his donkey and said, “Your Majesty, what a coincidence! The center of this earth is exactly where the right front hoof of my donkey steps.”
The king was very unconvinced and stomped his foot, “By my good fortune, the center of the earth should be where I step on my right foot!”
Avanti smiled and responded, “Wise Majesty, then you can measure the whole world. If I am wrong by just one point, you can cut off my head at any time!”
The king immediately ordered his fat servant to measure it, but the fat servant excused himself, saying that he was not good at arithmetic; he then asked his long-faced servant to try, but the long-faced servant shook his head and said, “The earth has no boundaries, so it is impossible to measure it at all.” The king was embarrassed and angry.
Finally, the king threw out a third question, “Avanti, do you know when you will die?”
Avanti, still calm and collected, smiled and said, “Your Majesty, I will die one day before you.”
The king froze, for he realized that if Avanti died, he himself would die right after him. This response left him both frightened and helpless.
III The Ploy and the Truth at the Dinner Party
Even though Avanti managed to answer all the questions, the king was not willing to let him go. So, at the dinner party, the king and his courtiers kept pouring wine on Avanti, trying to get him drunk and then take the opportunity to get rid of him.
But Avanti saw through their plot. He pretended to drink, but in fact secretly poured the wine into the donkey’s mouth. At night, several masked assassins broke into Avanti’s room and slashed at the bed. Thinking they had killed Avanti, they went back to report to the king.
However, when the king remembered what Avanti had said before – “I died a day before you” – he suddenly began to fear. The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, and he even hallucinated, as if he saw Avanti’s eyes approaching him with a fierce light.
“Help! Help!” The king cried out in terror.
Just then, the Avanti really appeared. However, he had not come to take revenge, but to bid the king farewell. He said he had more important things to do and was ready to leave the palace.
IV The Humorous Ending of the Donkey Chancellor
At the time of parting, the king was thoroughly impressed by Avanti’s wisdom and wished to hire him as his chancellor. But Avanti shook his head and said, “Your Majesty, a more suitable chancellor is already waiting for you, look this way!”
The king and his courtiers went into the great hall and were surprised to find that Avanti’s donkey was wearing the chancellor’s hat and braying merrily. The scene made the king so angry that he almost fainted.
Eventually, Avanti left the palace on his donkey and began a new journey. The smug king, on the other hand, became the laughing stock of the whole country after dinner because of his own stupidity and greed.
Lessons for Kids
Children, we can learn a lot through this story. With his wisdom and bravery, Avanti not only protected the people, but also skillfully solved the crisis. He tells us not to be afraid even if we face a powerful enemy, and we can find a solution to the problem if we think calmly.
At the same time, this story also reminds us not to be as proud and arrogant as the king, or we will only make jokes. True wisdom is not for showing off, but for helping others and benefiting the society.
So, no matter what difficulties you encounter, stay optimistic and resourceful, and be a smart and kind person like Avanti Oh!
