Long ago, in a remote village, there lived an elderly couple. They worked hard every day, and although their life was poor, they loved each other deeply and lived a quiet, peaceful life.
One evening, after finishing their day’s work, the old couple sat in front of their dilapidated hut to rest. Suddenly, they heard the sound of wheels rolling in the distance. They looked up and saw a beautiful carriage approaching, pulled by four black horses, with a man dressed in fine clothes sitting inside.
The old man quickly stood up, walked to the carriage, and politely asked, “Sir, do you need any help?”
The elegantly dressed stranger got out of the carriage, extended his hand to shake the old man’s, and said, “I would like to have a meal here, just like what you usually eat. Please cook some potatoes for me.”
The old man smiled and said, “You must be an important person, either a count or a marquis. Only noble people would have such a request. But don’t worry, I can prepare a simple farmhouse meal for you.”
So the old woman went into the kitchen to start preparing the meal. First, she washed the potatoes, then peeled them and cut them into small pieces, which was how country people usually ate them.
Just as she was almost finished, the old man said to the guest, “Let’s go out to the yard and take a look. I still have some work to do.” He led the guest to the backyard, where there were several holes dug in the ground, ready for planting trees.
“Do you have any children?” asked the stranger. “They could help you with the work.”
The old man sighed and said, “I used to have a son, but he left home long ago. He was a smart boy, but he didn’t like to study and was always thinking about strange things. Eventually, he left and never came back.”
As he spoke, the old man picked up a small sapling, placed it in the hole, inserted a wooden stake beside it, covered the roots with soil, and packed it down with his feet. Finally, he tied the upper, middle, and lower parts of the tree to the stake with a rope to prevent it from being blown over by the wind.
The stranger looked at the crooked little tree and suddenly pointed to another large tree that had bent down to the ground and asked, “That tree over there grew crooked too. Why didn’t you tie a stake to it to make it grow straight?”
The old man smiled and said, “You can tell you don’t know anything about planting trees. That tree is too old, and its branches and trunk have already hardened. No matter what you do now, it won’t grow straight. Trees are like people. You have to nurture them well when they are young, or it will be difficult to change them when they grow up.”
The stranger nodded and asked, “Then if your son returns, will you still be able to recognize him?”
The old man shook his head. “I might not recognize him by his appearance, but he has a mark on his shoulder, a birthmark the size of a bean.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the stranger took off his coat, revealing his shoulder, which indeed had a birthmark shaped like a soybean.
The old man exclaimed in surprise, “My goodness! You really are my son!” He became overwhelmed with emotion, his heart filled with mixed feelings.
“But…” the old man hesitated, “You’re dressed so nicely. How could you be my son?”
The son said, “Dad, I have indeed become a rich man, but I didn’t make my fortune through honest means. I’m a thief, but I’m not the kind of thief who steals anything. I’m a master. There’s no door I can’t open and no lock I can’t pick.I only steal from the wealthy, never touching the belongings of the poor, and I even secretly help them.“
Upon hearing this, the old man’s expression changed. ”Son, no matter what you say, a thief is a thief. This kind of life will eventually lead to trouble.”
At that moment, his mother also rushed over. When she learned that this young man with an air of nobility was her son whom she hadn’t seen in many years, she was so excited that she cried. But when she heard that he made a living by stealing, she couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. But she still said, “Even if you’re a thief, you’ll always be my son.”
The family sat together, eating a simple and rough meal.The son said as he ate, “I haven’t eaten food like this in a long time. It’s so delicious.”
The father said with worry, “If the earl in the city finds out who you are, he won’t let you off. Do you remember him? He baptized you back then.”
The son smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make him look at me differently. I’ll go find him tonight.”
With that, he changed into a new set of clothes, got into a carriage, and set off for the earl’s castle.
The Showdown with the Earl
When he arrived at the castle gate, the master thief was invited into the hall. At first, the earl thought he was a distinguished guest and treated him with great courtesy. But when he revealed his true identity, the earl’s expression changed instantly, and he was speechless for a long time.
After a long while, the count finally spoke: “You are my godson, so I cannot be too harsh with you. Since you claim to be the world’s greatest thief, let me see just how skilled you are. If you can complete three tasks, I will spare your life; if you fail, prepare a rope for yourself and wait for the crows to sing for you.”
The master thief nodded in agreement: “Go ahead and give me the tasks; I will do my best.”
The earl thought for a moment and announced the first task: “The first thing you must do is steal my horse from my stable; the second thing is to take the mattress and ring from between me and my wife while we are sleeping, without us noticing; the third thing is to ‘invite’ the priest and deacon out of the church.”
The master thief listened, smiled slightly, and said, “No problem, just wait and see the results.”
First Action: Stealing the Horse
To complete the first task, the master thief went to the city and bought a set of old woman’s clothes, dressing himself up as an elderly woman. He also drew some wrinkles on his face to make himself look more like a sick old woman.
He also prepared a small wine barrel filled with strong liquor laced with sleeping potion.
After nightfall, he dragged his weary feet into the count’s castle. He sat down on a stone in the courtyard, pretending to cough violently as if he were seriously ill.
The guards saw him and felt sorry for him, so they invited him over to warm himself by the fire. The master thief took the opportunity to ask them to help him bring over the wine barrel, then sat down by the fire.
The soldiers asked him what was in the barrel, and he replied, “This is the wine I made. It’s quite good. If you like it, I’ll treat you to a cup.”
One of the soldiers took the cup, took a sip, and praised it repeatedly, “Excellent wine! Another cup!”
Soon, the other soldiers followed suit. Before long, all the soldiers were lying on the ground, snoring loudly.
The master thief took the opportunity to enter the stable and quietly lead the horse out. To prevent the horse’s hooves from making any noise, he wrapped them in cloth, then mounted the horse and rode away from the castle at full speed.
The next morning, he rode the horse back to the castle and boasted to the count, “Your horse is here, and the soldiers are all sleeping like the dead. If you’d like to go and see for yourself, you’ll know I’m telling the truth.”
The count couldn’t help but laugh, but he warned, “You won this time, but you won’t be so lucky next time.”
Second Mission: Stealing the Mattress and the Ring
That night, the count and his wife went to bed early. The count even locked the door and held a gun in his hand, ready to shoot the thief when he came in.
The master thief did not break in directly, but went to the gallows outside the city, cut the rope of a condemned man hanging there, and carried the body back to the city.
He set up a ladder outside the count’s bedroom window and carried the body up. When he was halfway up, the corpse’s head just peeked out the window. The count saw it and immediately fired his gun.
The master thief let go, and the corpse fell to the ground. He quickly hid in the corner and watched the situation inside the house.
The moonlight was bright, and the count thought he had killed the thief, so he climbed out of the window, slid down the ladder to the ground, picked up the “corpse,” and planned to bury it.
The master thief hid in the shadows, watching the count’s every move. When the count began digging a hole to bury the body, he quietly slipped out from behind, climbed the ladder, and entered the count’s bedroom.
He imitated the count’s voice and said to the countess, “Dear, I’ve already killed the thief. After all, he was my godson. I was just being a bit mischievous; I’m not a bad person. I don’t want anyone else to know about this, so I’ll bury him secretly.”
The countess believed him and handed him the blanket.
The thief continued, “To show my forgiveness, I want to take the ring with me so he can take it to the grave.”
Although the countess was a little reluctant, she took off the ring and handed it to her “husband.”
The master thief took the mattress and the ring and quietly left. Shortly after he left, the count returned from burying the body.
The next morning, the master thief brought the blanket and ring to the count. The count was astonished: “How did you do that? Are you really a magician? I buried you with my own hands. How did you come back to life?”
The master thief smiled and explained the whole process. After listening to him, the count couldn’t help but admire his cleverness.
Third Mission: Bringing the Priest and Deacon Out
The last task was the most difficult—to “invite” the priest and deacon out of the church.
That night, the master thief arrived at the church with a large bag and a package. The bag contained crabs, and the package contained candles.
He sat outside the church, took out a crab, attached a lit candle to its back, and let it crawl on the ground. He did this with many crabs, which crawled around the church like a group of ghosts.
Then he put on a robe similar to a priest’s and stuck a few white hairs on his chin to completely disguise himself as a clergyman.
He carried the bag of crabs into the church and stood on the pulpit.
As the midnight bells rang, he suddenly shouted, “Everyone, listen! I am Peter, the guardian of heaven! The world is about to be destroyed. Whoever wants to go to heaven must quickly crawl into this bag! There are wandering spirits everywhere outside. Hurry up and get in!”
His voice echoed throughout the village.
The pastor and deacon who lived nearby were the first to hear the commotion. They saw strange lights coming from the church and rushed over.
The two stood below the pulpit listening to the master thief’s “sermon.” The deacon nudged the pastor and whispered, “This is a rare opportunity. Let’s go in early.”
The pastor nodded, “You’re right. I’ll go first.”
So the priest climbed into the bag first, followed by the deacon.
The master thief quickly tied the bag shut, picked it up, and started walking out. Every time he stepped down a stair, the bag hit the floor with a “thud,” and he said, “We’re crossing mountains!”
When he walked through the muddy road, he said, “We’re flying through the clouds!”
Finally, he dragged the bag to the earl’s castle and threw it into the pigeon coop. The pigeons flew away in alarm, and he laughed, “Listen, the angels are welcoming you!”
The next day, he told the earl that the task was completed and that the pastor and deacon were in the bag in the pigeon coop upstairs.
The count went to check and found it to be true. He had to admit that this master thief was indeed extremely clever.
The End
The count said to the master thief, “You have won. I admit defeat. But from now on, you are not allowed to set foot on my property again, or I will send you to the gallows.”
The master thief bid farewell to his parents and set off once more on his wandering journey. From that day onward, he was never seen again.
But people always remembered that there once was a master thief of unparalleled intelligence who, with his wit, repeatedly challenged authority and ultimately earned respect.
This story teaches us: Even if one takes the wrong path, as long as one retains a sense of morality and wisdom, one can still achieve remarkable things. Though the master thief did wrong, he never harmed the poor but often helped them. Perhaps true justice is not merely about following rules, but about having love in one’s heart and knowing right from wrong.
