One day The king asked Goodboy what he would choose if he were given a choice between justice and a gold coin.
“The gold coin,” said Goodboy. The king was taken aback.
“You would prefer a gold coin to justice?” he asked, incredulously.
“Yes,” said Goodboy.
The other courtiers were amazed by Goodboy’s display of idiocy.
For years they had been trying to discredit Goodboy in the king’s eyes but without success and now the man had gone and done it himself!
They could not believe their good fortune.
“I would have been dismayed if even the lowliest of my servants had said this,” continued the king. “But coming from you it’s . . . it’s shocking – and sad. I did not know you were so debased!”
“One asks for what one does not have, Your Majesty!” said Goodboy, quietly. “You have seen to it that in our country justice is available to everybody. So as justice is already available to me and as I’m always short of money I said I would choose the gold coin.”
The king was so pleased with Goodboy’s reply that he gave him not one but a thousand gold coins.
