Monolith

The King looked at his monolith. "Advisors, is my monolith big enough?" he asked.

The advisors were frugal, and stingy! They didn't want to spend money to build a new monolith. So they told him, "Yes, O Regal Majesty! Your monolith is large as any on the land!"

The King was dissatisfied. He turned to the nobility. "Dukes, Counts, Barons, is my monolith big enough?" he asked.

The nobles were jealous of the King's great power! They did not want him to build monoliths any bigger, or theirs would seem even smaller by comparison. "Yes, O Majestic Regality! Your monolith is quite large enough, and brings glory to your kingdom!"

The King was uncertain. He turned to the common man. "Serf, is my monolith big enough?"

The serf thought about this. He was afraid of incurring his king's wrath; but equally he was afraid of lying to him. And he looked unto the monolith; and it was old, and ugly, and in general unbefitting a modern kingdom. And he told his king, "Great Lord, King of Kings, your monolith much wants replacement."

The King, finding support from the most unlikely of corners, went into action. He at first thought to build it from his own funds - but it was too much! His advisors were right - the treasury could not bear it. So he went among the nobility, and persuaded them to commit certain sums to the enterprise - but then came the Huns, and the Tartars, and the Turks, and with one thing and another there was not time!

But, long after his first consideration had passed, his vassal kingdoms gathered to pay tribute to him. And among their gifts, on a dozen stone rollers, was a vast monument - half again the size of the old, with facing and decorations many times the quality.
The King was greatly pleased, and at once raised this vassal kingdom to freedom, making it his closest ally. And itte wasse goode.