Once upon a time, there was a king who had a grand palace. Behind the palace lay a vast field where many sheep grazed. These sheep were dearly loved by the king. But a cunning fox lived nearby and used to sneak in every night to steal one sheep.
This went on for quite some time until, one day, the palace guards finally caught the fox. The king became furious and ordered, “Tie this thieving fox with a golden rope! He shall be punished in the morning.”
That night, the fox was tied with a golden rope in a corner of the royal palace. Just then, a mighty tiger, who had lost its way in the forest, happened to pass by and noticed the fox.
The tiger asked in surprise,
— “Fox brother, why are you tied up here?”
The clever fox thought this was a chance to escape. Pretending to be sorrowful, he said,
— “Oh dear tiger brother! What a tragedy! The king is forcing me to marry his daughter. But I am a forest creature — I don’t want to live in a palace with a princess. That’s why they’ve tied me up with this golden rope, so I can’t run away.”
The tiger was amazed.
— “What! You don’t want to marry the princess?”
The fox replied,
— “No! But you can take my place. Just lie down here — the king won’t notice in the dark.”
Overjoyed, the tiger agreed. The fox quickly tied him tightly with the golden rope and fled quietly into the forest.
The next morning, the king arrived to punish the fox. But when they saw a huge tiger in his place, everyone was terrified! Though the tiger roared, it couldn’t escape. The soldiers rushed in and, by the king’s order, killed the tiger with spears and arrows.
The guards happily informed the king, “Your Majesty, the thieving fox has been dealt with!”
Meanwhile, the fox sat far away in the forest, laughing,
“A wise mind can escape the royal ropes and even outwit a royal tiger!”
Moral: Cleverness and wit can often be more powerful than brute strength.