The Price of Greed

Once there was a king who had a strong craving for fish. Unfortunately, fish was not available in the kingdom. However, a fisherman came to the rescue and brought a fish for the king. As the fisherman approached the palace gate, he was stopped by the gatekeeper who demanded half of whatever the fisherman would receive.

Without much choice, the fisherman agreed to the gatekeeper's condition. The king was delighted to finally have the fish and eagerly asked the fisherman about its price. To the king's astonishment, the fisherman replied, "I will accept one hundred lashes on my bare back as the price."

The king was taken aback by the unexpected demand, but he reluctantly ordered for the punishment to be carried out. As the fisherman endured fifty lashes, he suddenly cried out, "Stop! I have a partner in this business, and half of the profit should rightfully go to him. It is the gatekeeper!"

Realizing the clever scheme, the king understood the true intentions of the gatekeeper and the fisherman. In a swift turn of events, the gatekeeper received fifty lashes on his bare back and was subsequently dismissed from his position. The fisherman, on the other hand, was rewarded generously for his honesty and ingenuity.

The moral of the story is that greed brings nothing but misfortune and suffering. It serves as a curse that can lead to one's downfall.