"Tell me a story!" Yan Anzhi loved listening to the old eunuchs' tales from the court, which were always new to him.
However, later when the old eunuchs ran out of stories, he stopped hearing anything interesting.
"I've heard a tale about a year in winter when a tiger constantly provoked a snake outside its burrow, but no matter how much the tiger taunted, the snake would not come out," the eunuch, Yang Shun, began.
At this, Yan Anzhi interrupted, "Snakes hibernate in the winter. How could it possibly come out? Don't you know this?"
Even children aged three knew this. Yan Anzhi lost much interest in the story at once.
Yang Shun wasn't flustered by the interruption. He simply smiled and continued, "Your Majesty may not have known that while snakes do hibernate, they can wake up on sunny and calm days. They can also be woken up by noise."
"Is that so?" Yan Anzhi said thoughtfully, appearing to believe the young eunuch's words.
