Once upon a time there was a king who was full of calculations from morning to night, and paid no attention to the sufferings of the people. He was particularly afraid of death, but the thought of "death" always appeared in his heart, making him afraid and worried for a while.

He thought, "Ah! I've done so many bad things, and I'm sure I'll go to hell after death." How can that be good?

Having established his mind, he immediately sent his ministers to the people to search for money, and issued a strict general order: "If anyone dares to hide a penny of gold, once found, they will be sentenced to death."

After three years of continuous search, the common people were penniless and impoverished, and there was no more oil and water to fish for.

But the king still thought it was not enough, and deceived the people and said, "If anyone can give me a little more gold, I will marry my little daughter to him and entrust him with an important task."

In this country, there is a widow who lives a poor life with her son. They recite Buddhist scriptures every day, gain a lot of knowledge, have a high moral character, and are extremely dissatisfied with what the king has done.

The son heard of the king's official wish notice and came up with a clever plan.

He said to his mother, "When my father died, we put a gold coin in his mouth to bribe the King of Hell, and it must still be there. Let's take it out and offer it to the king!" Mother agreed.

When the king saw the gold coin offered by the child, he was really surprised and delighted, and hurriedly asked, "Where did you find it?"

The child replied, "Tell your Majesty, this is the gold coin we put in my father's mouth to bribe the King of Hell when he died. Now that I heard that the king had given notice that he was willing to exchange his title for gold, I dug up the grave and found it."

The king asked, "Has your father been dead for many years?"

The boy said, "Yes! It's been eleven years."

The king asked again, "Then does he not want to use this money to bribe the King of Hell?""

The child said solemnly, "Your Majesty! I believe in the morality of the Buddhist scriptures. Good will be rewarded for good, and evil will be rewarded for evil. Blessings and disasters, like shadows, follow people everywhere, whether you like it or not. Can you move your body to avoid your own shadow?"

The king admitted, "No."

The child continued: "The human body is made up of four things: earth, water, fire, and wind. Once a person dies, these four things will no longer exist in the body. The human soul wanders everywhere. What's the use of paying bribes to save the soul? Your Majesty can only be king in this life because he has dipped in the light of the generosity of his previous life. Now, no matter how far or near you are, you admire righteousness and have a kind heart. Your good reputation has spread all over the world. Although you have not yet attained the Tao, you will definitely be king in the next life."

The king was overjoyed when he heard this, granted amnesty to the prisoners in prison, and returned the stolen gold and silver treasures, thus gaining the support and respect of the people. As a result, the country became prosperous and strong, and the people lived a happy life.