AKBAR AND HIS EMPRESS

One day Akbar got angry with his Empress and ordered her to leave his palace immediately.

The Empress tried to speak, but Akbar would not listen. "Go away, you may, however, take with you, whatever is dear to you but leave my palace now."

The Empress was very upset and did not know what to do. Then she thought of Birbal and had him called. When Birbal came, she told him all that had happened.

Birbal said, "The Emperor said that you could take what was dear to you. Is that right, Your Highness?"

"Yes," said the Empress.

Birbal told his plan to the Empress and went away. The Empress told her maids to pack her clothes.

When the packing was done, she asked her maid to tell Akbar to come and meet her as she was going. Akbar came and stood silently. He was still angry and would not speak with her.

The Empress said, "Don't talk if you don't want to, but have this juice."

Birbal had asked the Empress to put a sleeping pill in the juice. Akbar felt drowsy after drinking it and fell asleep.

Birbal had planned everything already. The sleeping Emperor was carefully carried to a palanquin.

With the sleeping Emperor in the palanquin, the Empress left with her bodyguards for her father's house.

When they reached her father's house, he was very surprised but glad to have them come to stay with him. Akbar was carried to a room and laid on a bed.

Her father was worried to see the sleeping Akbar being carried to bed, but the Empress said, "Don't worry, Father. He will wake up in an hour."

When Akbar woke up, he was shocked to see where he was. Angrily, he shouted at his wife, who was standing nearby, "How did I come here?"

The Empress said, "Don't be angry, Your Majesty, but I was just obeying your orders."

Akbar said, "What do you mean?"

His wife said, "When you asked me to leave the palace, you had said that I could take with me whatever was dear to me. Well, you are the dearest of all to me, so I brought you with me."

Forgetting his anger, Akbar burst out laughing.

He said, "You are very clever, my dear wife."

"No, actually this was Birbal's clever thinking," confessed the Empress.

Akbar said, "Birbal! I should have known. We are so lucky to have him. His clever thinking got us together. God bless him."