When it was the eighth day, the Wazirs all assembled and spoke together and said, "How shall we deal with this youth, who overcomes us with his much talk? Indeed, we fear lest he be saved and we fall into destruction. So, let us all go in to the king and unite our efforts to gain our cause, before he appears without guilt and comes forth and gets the better of us." Accordingly they all went in to the king and, prostrating themselves before him, said to him, "O king, beware lest this youth ensorcell you with his sorcery and beguile you with his wiles. If you heard what we hear, you would not suffer him to live; no, not a single day. Why heed you not his speech? We are your Ministers, who labour for your permanence, and if you hearken not to our word, to whose word will you hearken? See, we are ten Wazirs who testify against this youth that he is guilty and entered not the king's sleeping chamber save with ill intent, so he might put the king to shame and outrage his honour; and if the king slay him not, let him banish him from his realm, that the tongue of the folk may desist from him."

When the king heard his Ministers' words, he was wroth with exceeding wrath and bade bring the youth, and when he came into the king's presence, the Wazirs all cried out with one voice, saying, "O lackwits, think you to save yourself from slaughter by guile and sleight, that you beguile the king with your talk and hope for pardon for such a mighty crime you have committed?" Then the king bade fetch the sworder, so he might smite his neck; whereupon each of the Wazirs fell to saying, "I will slay him;" and they sprang upon him. The youth said, "O king, consider and ponder the eagerness of these your Ministers. Is this of envy or is it not? They would gladly make a severance between me and you, so there may fall to them what they shall plunder, as aforetime." The king said to him, "Consider their witness against you." The young man said, "O king, how shall they testify of that which they saw not? This is but envy and spite; and you, if you slay me, will indeed regret me, and I fear lest there happen to you of repentance that which happened to Aylán Sháh, by reason of the malice of his Wazirs." Azadbakht asked, "And what is his story?" and the youth answered, "Hear, O king,