The Good Bargain

A peasant sets out to seek good counsel from a wise man, hoping to improve his fortune. He journeys to a distant mountain where a sage dwells in a cave, listening to all who seek his wisdom. The sage tells him: "Good counsel costs money. Provide payment, and you shall have my best wisdom." The peasant, having little but trusting the sage, gives his last coins. The sage tells him: "Never leave the old path for a new one, no matter how inviting. Never ask too many questions. Give away what you have freely, and you shall receive more in return." Traveling home, the peasant encounters a beautiful woman who urges him to follow a shortcut through the forest. Though tempted, he remembers: never leave the old path. He declines and continues on the known road. Later, bandits emerge from the forest where the shortcut led, confirming the woman was a temptress. At an inn, the innkeeper suggests the peasant taste a mysterious new wine. Remembering not to ask questions but to listen to his conscience, the peasant refuses. The innkeeper, frustrated, reveals the wine was poisoned. Finally, a beggar approaches, and the peasant, following the sage's counsel to give freely, shares his remaining food and money. The beggar reveals himself as the sage in disguise, testing whether the peasant would truly follow the counsel he had purchased. The peasant becomes the sage's heir, inheriting wisdom and comfort. Good counsel, rightly purchased and faithfully followed, transforms a poor man into a sage.