Once upon a time, there was a good and kind king who ruled his people with justice and mercy. He always treated his subjects fairly and he provided daily for their needs from his great treasury.
One day, a messenger appeared before the king and his council and told them that one of the king’s subjects had been overheard speaking rebelliously. Immediately, the council demanded that the man be punished, but the king replied,
“No. I know the man of whom you speak, and I know his intentions. They are far worse than you imagine, but if I were to punish him now, my people would think me a tyrant. They would say I was unjust to punish a man based on mere words. We must allow him to go on speaking for the time being. But send messengers to share the truth about me and to counteract his lies so that my people are not too easily deceived by him.”
After some time, the king’s messengers again appeared before the king to explain that the rebel had continued speaking against the king and had gained a small following. At this news, the council was certain the king would command that the rebellion be immediately crushed.
Instead, the king said:
“My subjects are free men, not slaves to be trampled by my power. If I destroy this man now, my people will resent me, and they will not understand the threat he poses. He must be allowed to do as he wills so that my people will see him for what he is. Let his influence grow, for it is only those who are already against me who will heed his words. But again, be sure to point out his lies to my people. Also, do not cease to grant the daily grain allowance to every citizen, even those who oppose me, for I want all to see how gracious and kind I am.”
After a while, the king’s messengers informed the council that the rebel’s influence had continued to spread, and that many people in the kingdom had begun to grumble about the king. The rebels had been stirring up trouble and blaming it on the king, so many of the subjects had become increasingly dissatisfied. Upon the announcement of this news, the king said:
“This grieves me deeply, but I knew it would be thus. Many people prefer this rebel to their rightful king. If I destroy him now, they will say I am cruel and power-hungry. They must see that he is not kind and just like I am. He will begin oppressing the people and will cause a great deal of sorrow. He will beat the people, take their possessions, and burn their homes…but I will not punish him until his wickedness has been made clear to all my subjects. Only after his evil reaches its full measure will I punish him and his followers.”
“Also,” the king continued, “though I allow the rebels to inflict harm, I will restore any losses my people suffer. Those whose copper is taken shall be given gold, and those whose shacks are burned will be given mansions. Every loss will be repaid a hundred-fold from my treasury. ”
When the king had said this, the council applauded their approval, agreeing with the wisdom, kindness, and justice of the king’s plan.
“There is more.” The king’s face became grave. “My people will not be alone, and I will not demand anything from them that I do not accept myself. Though the people will suffer at the hands of these rebels, I will suffer more. I will give my back to them, and they will beat me. I will turn my cheek to them, and they will pull out my beard. Only after I have allowed them to do their worst to me, in the sight of all my subjects, will I vanquish and punish them. Then all my people will know that my punishment of wickedness is not tyranny but justice.”
The council sat in awed silence at the king’s words.
“This is my plan,” the king continued, “to deal with this rebellion and to show my people my patience, mercy, and justice. My people must suffer because of this rebellion, and at times their suffering will be great, but when the full wickedness of the rebels is seen, I will restore all things. Tears and pain will be forgotten in light of the glorious reward I have for my people.
“Write the details of this plan in a letter, and send it to every person in my kingdom so that they will not lose heart. I want them to know that I have a plan and that they can trust me to make things right.”
But the people of the land ignored the letter. They didn’t read about the king’s plant, so they didn’t understand why he would allow the rebellion to continue. They grumbled bitterly, blaming the king when their homes were burned or their crops were destroyed. They said to one another, “No good king would allow this to happen to us. This rebellion is all the proof we need. Either he is not strong enough to stop it, or he does not care about us. He is a wicked king, and we want nothing to do with him.”
And these too joined the rebellion.