7
When the Emperor asked how many crows were in the city, Birbal answered without a pause and made room for crows visiting relatives or away on travel.
Asked to count every crow in the capital by sunset, Birbal bowed and named a number so precise it startled the court. When challenged, he smiled: any extra crows were visiting relatives; any fewer were attending a wedding in another town. The emperor laughed loudest, and the clerks put down their quills—they had been spared a foolish census by a clever clause.
