The Proof

King Amarsing was surrounded by powerful neighbors, and he was therefore obliged to keep his army constantly prepared for battle. Blacksmiths in his kingdom worked round the clock to manufacture swords and daggers. The king relied on a minister who claimed he could assess the sharpness of a weapon simply by smelling it. Somehow, the king came to believe this dubious assertion. However, the minister was dishonest; he never approved a weapon as satisfactory unless the blacksmith had first given him a bribe. As a result, many poorly made swords were passed as good, while some truly excellent swords were unjustly rejected.

In this kingdom lived a poor blacksmith who decided to have his dagger approved without bribing the minister. He cleverly placed some fine pepper in the dagger’s scabbard and made his way to the palace.

The minister raised his eyebrows at the blacksmith’s audacity in presenting his wares directly to the king, without first appeasing him with a bribe. As was customary, the minister unsheathed the dagger in the presence of the king. “I don’t think it has sharpness enough to scratch even a butterfly,” he declared, bringing it close to his nostrils. Suddenly, the pepper caused the minister to sneeze, and he unintentionally cut a small piece of his nose on the dagger’s edge.

“It is sharp enough, I see!” exclaimed the king, witnessing the unexpected turn of events. The minister, now in a state of dismay, was quickly led away to seek medical attention.

Thus, the blacksmith proved the sharpness of his dagger without succumbing to the corrupting influence of bribery, demonstrating his ingenuity and integrity in the face of dishonesty.