palace Emelian's wife did not go out of his head for a moment. The whole night he could not sleep and kept on thinking how he could take her away from Emelian, but no possible way occurred to him. He summoned his servants and asked them to think of a way.
And the servants said to him, "Get Emelian to come and be a labourer in the palace. We will wear him out with work, then his wife will become a widow and you can have her."
The King followed their advice. He sent a messenger to tell Emelian that he was to come and be a yard-porter in the palace and bring his wife to live with him there. The messenger came to Emelian and repeated the King's words. And Emelian's wife said to her husband, " It can't be helped; you must go. You can work there in the day and return to me at night."
Emelian went away. When he came to the palace the King's steward said to him,
"Why have you come without your wife?"
" Why should I drag her about with me? She has a home of her own."
