Читать книгу River of fairy tales. Unprofessional translation from Russian онлайн

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The old man came, and the sultan told him about his doubts. The counselor listened to the ruler attentively and said:

«You have a large, withered garden. Divide it into three parts and instruct the fiancés to restore it, so that it would be green and blossoming.»

The sultan was surprised at this advice but took it. He called the fiancés, gave them a hoe and a bucket each. He ordered them each to cultivate a third of the old garden on the outskirts of the palace.

The youths were also astonished at the task. But they all wanted to marry the beautiful young princess. So, they obeyed and set about the sultan’s task from an early morning.

When the princes left, the old wise man came to the ruler again. He sat down on the silky cushions near the bride’s father and looked at him attentively. Then he smiled and advised the sultan to change into plain clothes, so that nobody would recognize him. Then he instructed him to leave the palace, go to the youths and ask them what they were doing.

The sultan dressed as a commoner, and nobody would recognize a great a powerful ruler in this man. He left his chamber on the quiet and headed for the abandoned garden.