A king, who is extremely unhappy, becomes curious about his happy servant. The king discovers that his servant's happiness stems from being content with his simple life, having a family, and being taken care of by the court. The king's advisor suggests that the servant's happiness is due to being outside of the "circle of 99," where people are driven by a desire for something more.
To prove this, the advisor and the king secretly leave a bag of 99 gold coins at the servant's doorstep, claiming it's a reward for being a good man. The servant finds the coins and becomes obsessed with finding the 100th coin, which he believes will bring him complete happiness.
As the servant becomes fixated on acquiring the 100th coin, he becomes unhappy and changes his behavior. The king and his advisor use this as an example to illustrate how people are often driven by a desire for something more, which can lead to unhappiness.
The story concludes by highlighting the dangers of being trapped in the "circle of 99," where people are constantly striving for something more and never truly enjoying what they have. The narrator suggests that if people could learn to appreciate and enjoy their current treasures, they might find true happiness and fulfillment.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. A sad king had a happy servant.
2. The servant's happiness was attributed to his simple and content life.
3. The king was curious about the servant's happiness and asked him about it.
4. The servant explained that he had no reason to be sad because he had a wife, children, food, and clothing provided by the court.
5. The king was advised by a wise man to test the servant's happiness.
6. The wise man suggested giving the servant 99 gold coins to see how he would react.
7. The king and the wise man secretly gave the servant the coins and observed his reaction.
8. The servant was overjoyed and started counting and organizing the coins.
9. However, he soon became obsessed with finding the 100th coin to complete the set.
10. The servant started making plans to save money and find ways to earn extra coins to reach his goal.
11. The king and the wise man observed the servant's behavior and noted how his happiness turned into obsession.
12. The servant's obsession with finding the 100th coin led to his downfall, and he became grumpy and unhappy.
13. The king eventually fired the servant due to his bad mood.
14. The story is used to illustrate a moral lesson about the dangers of constantly striving for more and never being satisfied with what one has.
Note: I excluded opinions and interpretations, focusing on the events and actions described in the text.