In ancient times, there lived a just king who cared for the well-being of his people. All his decrees, issued for their benefit, were obeyed without question.
One day, the king pondered:
"The people obey all my beneficial decrees without question. But what would happen if I issued a decree that would be harmful to them? Would they obey it just as blindly, or would they act differently?"
He summoned the viziers and ordered them to proclaim:
"From now on, no one shall work for their own gain, and lighting a light after dark is forbidden!"
The viziers carried the order throughout the country and then returned to the palace.
"Sire, the people obey this decree of yours just as unquestioningly as all the previous ones," they reported.
The king said nothing.
That night, he changed into old, shabby clothes and set out for the city. "Could people really obey even such a harmful order?" he thought.
It was dark everywhere. But on the outskirts, the king noticed a house with a light shining in the window.
He knocked and entered, pretending to be a beggar.
Inside sat a shoemaker, sewing shoes by lamplight. Seeing the poor traveler, the craftsman shared his bread with him.
The disguised king asked:
"Didn't you hear the sovereign's order? He forbade people to work for their own gain and ordered that no lights be lit in the evenings. Why do you disobey his order?"
The shoemaker calmly replied:
"And what does that matter to you? And the king himself, who issued such an order, acted foolishly. I am a poor man. Every day I receive four gold coins and spend four gold coins. That's how I live."
The king said nothing. He returned to the palace and immediately summoned the four viziers. "I've kept you close for a long time because I consider you wiser than many others," he said. "Now I want to ask you a question. A man says, 'Every day I gain four gold pieces and lose four gold pieces.' Explain how he gains and how he loses. I give him three days to think it over. On the fourth day, I expect an answer. If you don't answer, you will be executed. You can only save yourself in one way: by bringing someone who can solve this riddle."

For three days, the viziers racked their brains, but they still couldn't find an answer. Nor did they find anyone who could explain the enigmatic words.

Despairing, the viziers were about to flee the country secretly, to avoid appearing before the king.

And then they encountered the same shoemaker.
"And what will you give me if I answer the king's question?" he asked.

The viziers rejoiced.
"The life of each of us is worth a thousand gold pieces. Take four thousand from the four of us, and just help us!" The shoemaker received four thousand gold coins and went to the palace with the viziers.
He said to the king:
"Sire, I make shoes and earn four gold coins every day. And I spend these same four gold coins every day. I lend one gold coin. I pay off an old debt with the second. I throw the third into the well. And the last one, my wife and I, spend on ourselves."
The king became interested:
"The last gold coin is clear. You and your wife live on it. But explain where the other three go."
The shoemaker replied:
"When I say I lend one gold coin, I mean I spend it on my son. I hope that when I grow old, he will support me, just as I support him now."
"I am repaying an old debt to my aged father and mother. When I was little, they fed and raised me. Now it's my turn to care for them."
"And the gold coin that I pretend to throw into the well, I give to my daughter." Her husband died, and she returned to her parents' home. I help her, not expecting to ever get the money back.
The king was pleased with both the accuracy of the answer and the wisdom of the simple shoemaker.
He decided that such a man was worthy of being at the ruler's side and appointed him his vizier.
Over time, the formerly poor shoemaker became rich and achieved everything he had ever wanted.