The Emperor’s Challenge
In a Nutshell
A wise minister solves an impossible puzzle presented by a rival kingdom.
The Emperor of the East received a mysterious gift from a rival kingdom: a perfectly smooth, solid wooden sphere with a tiny hole on one side, and a coiled, complex maze inside it. The accompanying letter presented a challenge: "Thread a silk string through the maze to the other side. If you fail, you must concede the borderlands."
The Emperor’s brightest scholars and engineers tried for days. They used long needles, blew air, and tried to shake the string through, but the maze was too complex. Defeated, the Emperor called upon his cleverest minister, a humble man named Tariq.
Tariq examined the wooden sphere. He asked the Emperor for a little honey and an ant. The court laughed, but the Emperor obliged. Tariq tied the ultra-thin silk thread securely around the ant’s tiny waist.
He placed a drop of honey on the hole at the far side of the sphere, and placed the ant in the hole on the near side. Smelling the honey, the ant navigated the dark, complex maze perfectly, searching for the sweet treat. Minutes later, the ant emerged on the other side, pulling the silk thread all the way through. The kingdom’s lands were saved by a simple, elegant solution.