A fortune-teller who traveled around was summoned by the county magistrate.

The county magistrate said to him: "Among the three people sitting beside me, one is my wife, and the others are her maids. If you can identify which one is my wife, I will forgive your crimes. Otherwise, if you set up a fortune-telling stall in this county again, I will punish you for 'spreading false rumors to deceive the masses!'"

The fortune-teller looked at the three women, whose clothing, hairstyles, and ages were identical, and whose faces were all expressionless. He then said to the magistrate: "Such a simple matter—my apprentice can do it!"

Following his master’s instructions, the apprentice examined the three women sitting in a row from left to right, then from right to left. After looking for a long time, he still couldn’t figure it out.

With a confused look, he said to the fortune-teller: "Master, you never taught me this!"

The fortune-teller slapped his apprentice on the head, and at the same time, casually pointed to one of the women and said: "This lady is the wife!"

Everyone present was stunned—this man really knew how to read faces.

The truth was: When the fortune-teller slapped his apprentice on the head, the master and apprentice looked quite comical. The two maids, who had little experience of the world, couldn’t help but cover their mouths and laugh.

The woman who remained sitting upright with an expressionless face was naturally the one who had seen the world and was well-mannered—the wife.