Princess Leina fell ill. The royal physicians were helpless. When the king asked his daughter what she desired, Leina said she wanted the moon from the sky. The king immediately summoned his chief minister, Chamberlain Zhang, and ordered him to find a way to pluck the moon from the heavens.
Chamberlain Zhang pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket, glanced at it, and said, "I can procure ivory, blue puppies, insects made of gold, and even find giants and dwarves..."
The king grew impatient, waved his hand, and said, "I don't want any blue puppies! You must get me the moon immediately."
Chamberlain Zhang looked distressed, spread his hands, and said, "The moon is made of molten copper, 6,000 kilometers from the earth, and larger than the princess's room. This humble servant is truly powerless."
Enraged, the king ordered Chamberlain Zhang to leave. Then he summoned the court mathematician. This master mathematician, bald on top with a pencil always tucked behind his ear, had served the king for forty years, solving countless difficult problems with ease. But this time, upon hearing the king's request, he repeatedly declined, saying, "The moon is as large as the entire kingdom, fastened to the sky with giant nails. I really have no way to take it down." Disappointed, the king waved the mathematician away.
Next, the court jester was called. Dressed in comical attire with strings of bells hanging all over, he bounced and jingled his way to the king, asking, "Your Majesty, what are your orders?" The king repeated the whole story. After a long pause, the jester slowly said, "Your Majesty, your ministers are all wise and far-sighted, but their opinions on what the moon actually is differ. Why not ask Princess Leina what she thinks the moon is?" The king agreed.
The jester hurried to ask Princess Leina. The little princess, lying in bed weakly, said, "The moon is a bit smaller than my fingernail, because when I hold my finger in front of my eyes, it covers the moon. The moon is about as high as a tree, because I often see it resting on the branches outside my window."
The jester then asked what the moon was made of. The princess said, "I think it's probably made of gold."
The jester quickly had a craftsman make a small golden moon and gave it to the princess. The little princess was overjoyed, and her illness vanished. The next day, she got out of bed and played in the courtyard.
But as dusk approached, the king grew anxious again, thinking, "When my daughter sees another moon rising in the sky, won't she start making trouble again?" He quickly summoned the chief minister and the mathematician to discuss a solution.
The chief minister suggested, "How about giving the princess a pair of sunglasses? With them on, she won't be able to see the moon."
The king disagreed, saying, "If the princess wears sunglasses, she'll trip while walking."
The mathematician paced back and forth in the room, deep in thought. Suddenly, he stopped and said, "I have an idea, Your Majesty! Set off firecrackers! The fireworks and sparks will light up the night as bright as day, and then the moon won't be visible, will it?" The king shook his head, saying, "The noise from the firecrackers is too loud; it will certainly keep the princess from sleeping."
By now, the moon had already risen above the treetops. The king had no choice but to consult the jester once more.
This time, the jester didn't hesitate, speaking with confidence: "Your Majesty, let's ask Princess Leina again."
When the jester entered the little princess's bedroom, she was lying quietly in bed, though not yet asleep. The jester asked the princess, "How can the moon be in the sky and around your neck at the same time?" Princess Leina smiled and said, "You're so silly. What's strange about that? After I lose a tooth, a new one grows back. After I pick a flower, a new one grows. After day comes night, and after night comes day. The moon is the same—everything is like that."
The little princess's voice grew softer and softer, her eyes slowly closed, and a sweet smile spread across her face.
The jester gently covered the princess with a blanket and tiptoed out of the room.