A classic folk tale!

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Silbaripuram, there lived a King named Vikraman. The King had a peculiar nature—he could never admit his own mistakes. Even if very important people pointed out his faults, he would somehow try to brush them aside or cover them up.

One day, while the King was chatting with the Queen, she remarked, "Your Majesty, you have a very bad mouth smell (halitosis). You must consult the palace vaidyan (doctor) and take some medicine."

Immediately, the King felt like picking up the cane from the table and giving his wife a thrashing, but he controlled his temper.

He replied, "I don’t feel like I have any bad breath. Let’s do one thing: we will ask these three servants standing here."

The King called the first servant and said, "I will blow air at you; you tell me if there is any smell."

When the King blew into his face, the servant honestly said, "Maharaja, there is a very strong bad smell."

The King lost his cool instantly. He grabbed the cane and beat him out of the room. Seeing this, the other two servants started shivering with fear.

The King called the second servant and did the same. This fellow tried to be clever and said, "Maharaja, I can only smell a beautiful fragrance coming from your mouth!"

The King picked up the cane again. "Scoundrel! Have you grown big enough to lie to my face? Does fragrance ever come out of anyone’s mouth?" He beat him away as well.

Now, the third servant was in a total fix. What could he possibly say to the King?

The King summoned the third man and asked the same question. But the third servant was very sharp. He gave an answer that satisfied the King so much that he let him go without any punishment.

Question: What did the third servant say to save his skin?

Answer: He said, "Maharaja, I have a heavy cold and my nose is completely blocked. I cannot smell any thing!