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The Reeve told his story that he’s with the faithful ones to recite the Quran, the doctors of the law attended and they started to eat altogether after the recitation. One of his peers who is a merchant refused to eat due to strange reasons and the others convinced him to eat. The guy stated his words that he has to was his hands forty times with soap, another with potash, another with galingale with all of it being around a hundred and twenty times. The host ordered the servants to bring him what’s required and he washed. After the washing, the person trembles that he can only eat with four fingers with no thumb on each hand and he also stated that his pair of feet only has four toes. The fellow stated his story that his father is a chief merchant of Baghdad at the time of Khalif Haroun er Reshid; the merchant is said to pass away and left with nothing, the fellow buried his own father and later opened a shop but not before knowing that he is under a huge debt. To clear out the debts, he has to trade and pay the debts everyday until he's no longer under the influence of it. A day later, he saw a lady on a mule with accompanying slaves. The lady along with a male assistant interacted with him and he's astonished when the lady revealed her face in which reciting the verse about the beauty of the lady, she recited the verse which her beauty won't treat a man's loneliness but a faith in Allah does. Afterwards, she wants a trade of luxurious merchandise for the servants and the merchant asked her to wait for other merchants to open their own shops; both have a casual conversation and then she bought a five thousand worth of merchandise later which the merchant has to pay the debt, the merchant goes home and has obsession with the lady in which he cannot sleep. A week later, the merchants want their owed money back but the merchant told them to wait another week and the same lady with two servants met him again and paid the debts for him; later, both have casual conversation and wanted more of the other merchandise. The merchant has to struggle another week due to the fraction of the debt being paid.

As the days passed, the merchant is being deceived by the lady which she pays less than the exact price of merchandise which upsets him as well as the other merchants; the merchant is forced to sell his store and he encountered the lady again in the same bazaar which he's no longer troubled. She greeted the merchant and she saw him wept due to the debts which he cannot tell; and as it turned out that the merchant is already a love interest of the merchant since they met; them merchant eventually paid all the debts being owed from the lady and her eunuch. Later night, the eunuch told them merchant that the lady is madly in love with him as she is the waiting-maid of Lady Zubeideh, the wife of Khalif Haroun er Reshid in which granted her to become a stewardess of the royalty, he stated that the waiting-maid has to be married to the merchant. To be seen by Lady Zubeideh, the merchant has to be careful not to be seen by Khalif Haroun er Reshid or loyal servants as they will behead him once caught on their sights. He agreed to the eunuch as packed up his stuff at night to be seen by Lady Zubeideh on the palace; after sneaking past, he his love interest and they go to the boat afterwards with the merchant hiding on one of the chests. After they arrive at the palace, the guard convinces the lady to open the chest but they argued until some merchandises were ruined and they passed it along eventually. They passed through many servants of the king until they reached the chief eunuch in which attempts to open the chests by knowing what's inside of them; as usual, it gets passed and the merchant is still struggling to hide in one of the chests and the presence of the Khalif made it worse but eventually passed along. Later, the merchant reached Lady Zubeideh's room in which he saw many gorgeous servants and he payed respects to her. The merchant stayed for ten days straight preparing for the marriage; one day, his love interest called him out for being unsanitary and never saw her for ten days and also had his thumb and toes cut by a maid with a sharp blade. After what happened, Lady Zubeideh gave the merchant fifty thousand gold and find a house to live somewhere. This is what the Reeve himself told to the king.

Parent Tale[]

Trivia[]

  • In some translations, it is called "The Controller's Story"
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