Once, people from a small country came to China and presented three identical golden statues, dazzling and splendid, which delighted the emperor. However, the small country’s envoy also posed a challenge: which of the three golden statues was the most valuable? The emperor tried various methods, inviting jewelers to inspect, weighing and examining the craftsmanship, but all three appeared exactly the same.
What could be done? The envoy was still waiting to report back. Surely a great empire would not fail at such a small task. Finally, a retired senior minister claimed he had a solution. The emperor invited the envoy to the hall. The minister confidently took three straws and inserted one into the first statue’s ear; it came out the other ear. The straw for the second statue fell straight out of its mouth. For the third statue, the straw went in and dropped into its belly without any sound. The minister declared: the third golden statue is the most valuable! The envoy was silent, acknowledging the answer was correct.