“Every four weeks at full moon they sat together again, late in the evening, ate together at the large, richly laid table and deliberated the general situation of the kingdom.
With particular attention they discussed the good education of the future ruler so that he may one day rule the country with the same wisdom as his father had done.

“During these discussions the opinions of the ministers were gaping far apart.
Every one of them believed it was the most urgent task to first of all educate the boy in the scope of his own ministry.
Every one of them was convinced that, without the precise knowledge of his own particular field, the prince could not take care of the most important tasks of the kingdom.
Indeed, everyone of them came in those full-moon nights to the same indisputable conclusion: if the adolescent king did not learn conscientiously the affairs of his particular ministry and mastered them as well as he, the minister did, then the whole kingdom, from that part of these particular duties, was doomed to decay and finally to destruction.

“This meant often restless, sleepless nights which the ministers spent, and they left their marked traces on their faces.
Whereas earlier - at the times of the old king - they were used to success when they attended to their duties with appropriate dignity and never differed in their opinions - and often did not know the tasks of the other very well, for they were busy enough with their own duties - now they had often heated debates over which ministry was now more important than the other one - and why it was, and why again not.

“And when at the time of the new moon the great decisions for the coming month were made - the king had always briefed them on their tasks at that particular time - then in these nightly meetings often many a minister was inclined to step back from his office.
However there was no one yet to discharge him of his office - nor was there anyone to continue the work in a proper way.

“Indeed, over the many years the ministers had become very familiar with each other and had thus become very intimate friends, but their sudden responsibility towards the kingdom as a whole and the difficulties amongst each other - to explain the other the importance of his own scope of responsibility - took the deep friendship often to a test.
But every time they came to terms again and took decisions which in the end they had brought about collectively - even if the one or the other at times felt wronged or taken in.