King Fritz I was a great conqueror and a master of court politics, everyone feared him and many a times he rode on a white horse to personally lead troops into battle.
At the beginning of this OP, Fritz I has been dead for a few years. Instead, his 16 year old son Fritz II sits on the throne as king. Instead of ruling the kingdom, Fritz II spends his days drinking, hunting, whoring and having parties.
As a result, although Fritz II sits on the throne, his uncle, Vladimir has been effectively running the kingdom. Vladimir has filled the entire bureaucracy with people who support him and he’s been calling the shots on all matters in the palace because the King is too bored to care.
…
You are a regional governor. Recently you’ve been promoted to a small time position with the royal court in the capital. Excited, you pack your stuff and head to the capital with your family, eager to bring prestige to your house.
On day 1, having just set your things down you are called into the throne room for a meeting with the King and his main officials. There are 20 main officials, counting yourself.
As per the tradition, the King welcomes you to his court; and you once again re-iterate your oath of fealty to the King, swearing to him your unwavering allegiance.
At this point the door bursts open and Vladimir steps into the room, being very clearly late for the royal meeting but not seeming to care.
Vladimir walks up to the King with a donkey by the leash.
…
Fritz: Well well… Uncle Vladimir!
Vladimir: Your Highness. Please forgive my tardiness to this meeting. I was held up.
Fritz: Ha don’t worry about it. Can someone fetch me more wine? (snaps his fingers at the servants)
Vladimir: Your Highness. What do you think of this horse I intend on gifting your cousin?
Fritz II is a bit confused.
Fritz: Huh? Horse? What horse? You mean donkey?
Vladimir: … Your Highness. There is no donkey. This here, is a fine white horse, one of the rarest breeds in the land. Why would I give your cousin a donkey for her name day? That would be an insult!
Fritz: … Uncle Vlad? I don’t see a horse; I see a donkey. This isn’t really that funny. Stop with the bad jokes.
Suddenly, Vladimir’s face lits up with a cruel smile. It sends shivers down your spine as you and 19 other court officials watch the scene unfold further.
Vladimir: Your Highness. This here is a horse.
Fritz: It’s a donkey.
Vladimir: It’s a horse.
Fritz: … Dude. No.
Vladimir: Then let’s ask the other people in the court.
Fritz: Yeah let’s do that. Someone, PLEASE speak up. It’s a Donkey RIGHT?!
Dead silence. You look left and right and you detect a degree of nervousness from the 19 other officials.
Official 1: Your Highness, I… I mean no disrespect, but it’s a Horse.
Official 2: It’s a HORSE. It just REALLY looks like a Donkey. But it’s a Horse. A special Horse.
Official 3: Horse. It’s a Horse. Yeah I could have mistaken it too.
Fritz: … …
Official 4: Its DEFINITELY A HORSE. Vladimir is right. He’s absolutely right. Vladimir is 100% in the right. I’m sorry your Grace.
No other official says anything but some of them nod silently in agreement. There’s a couple of muttered “Horse” replies. No one is willing to point out the truth.
Vladimir smiles as he turns back to the King.
Vladimir: You see your Highness? It most definitely is a Horse. Now I would like your expert opinion on its quality.
Fritz completely loses it.
Fritz: GOD DAMN IT! IT’S A DONKEY! IT’S A FUCKING DONKEY! WHAT THE FUCK IS THE MATTER WITH YOU PEOPLE?!!! ARE YOU ALL BLIND IDIOTS?!!!
He points his finger straight at you.
Fritz: HEY “NSG POSTER!” Yeah I’m talking STRAIGHT at you. It’s a fucking CRIME to lie to your King and you just swore loyalty. Now tell this whole room, tell it true, and tell it right… is this a Horse or a Donkey?!!! It’s a fucking Donkey RIGHT?!!!
You look to your left and to your right, everyone looks nervous and scared. Vladimir looks supremely calm and confident. There’s 30 palace guards in the room and they have no expressions on their face.
…
The discussion question is this:
What do you say to the King?
(please focus your answer on what you will say to the King, if anything and your pragmatic/idealistic justification for why this is your chosen answer; try to be as realistic and serious as possible taking into account what you’ve just observed and the dynamic of the place; remember this is your first day on this job and you’re a relatively minor official)
Due to the complexity of the situation, I might edit to Clarify
