Guilt often shows itself

One day, Emperor Akbar’s favourite horse went missing, and he suspected it had been stolen by someone in his court. He asked Birbal to find the thief without directly accusing anyone. Birbal thought of a clever plan. He gathered all the nobles and gave each a straw, announcing that the straw of the thief would grow longer by the next morning. The next day, Birbal examined everyone’s straw and noticed that one noble's straw was shorter. The guilty man had cut his straw, thinking it would otherwise grow and reveal his crime. Realizing his mistake, he confessed to stealing the horse. Akbar was pleased with Birbal's clever strategy for exposing the truth without causing conflict or suspicion among the others, showing his wisdom and understanding of human nature.