Ultimately, it is impossible to say with certainty what the king's reaction truly was, given that the story ends with the hermit providing those answers. We don't actually see the king's response to the hermit's wisdom, so any speculation on this topic would in the end be inconclusive.
That being said, it is worth noting that the king's reaction to the hermit's answers is actually a vital component to the story's themes and meaning, and on those grounds, you can make an educated guess as to Tolstoy's artistic intentions (and based on those intentions, you can then provide an answer to this question). Ultimately, consider a scenario where the king, upon hearing the hermit's answer, remarks that it is all sophistry and walks away. Such a reaction would completely alter the tone of the story, providing a radically different moral and thematic meaning: perhaps the meaning would be that such speculations amount to a waste of time and effort altogether. Regardless, the hermit and his wisdom would become objects of ridicule in such a context.
From that perspective, it makes sense to speculate that the king would have been satisfied with the hermit's answer. Assuming that Tolstoy was sincere about his themes and moral message (and there is nothing in this story's tone to suggest that he was not), this would represent the likely response.
The short story "The Three Questions" by Leo Tolstoy is a parable about a king seeking wisdom by getting answers to three questions. He wants to know the right time for every action, the right people to listen to, and the most important thing to do in every situation. He offers a generous reward to anyone who can tell him these things, so many people come to counsel him. However, he is dissatisfied with their replies. In frustration, he seeks out a supposedly wise hermit.
When the king reaches the hermit's cottage, he asks his questions but receives no reply. Instead, he helps the hermit with his gardening and then tends to a man who has been wounded. It turns out that the wounded man was an enemy planning to kill the king, but they reconcile and become friends.
The king tries once more to ask his questions, but the hermit says that they have already been answered by what has recently occurred: now is the most important time, the most important person is the one you are with, and the most important action is to do good.
The story does not directly tell us whether or not the king is satisfied with the hermit's answer. Because of what transpired before, though, we can assume that the king is satisfied, because he did the right thing at the right time to the right person and, as a consequence, got the right result.
In answer to your question, the king must have been satisfied with the hermit's answers; after all, Tolstoy does not indicate otherwise. Additionally, the king voiced no complaint regarding what he heard.
The...
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text tells us that this king is not one to keep his opinions to himself nor is he one to be satisfied with placatory words. Earlier in the story, we discover that the king was dissatisfied with the answers he received from the wise men. Thus, he rewarded none of them and sought out the hermit, instead. Tolstoy ends the story immediately after the hermit provides his answers to the king.
The hermit's speech testifies powerfully to the truths he speaks, and it is telling that Tolstoy lets him have the last word.
1) When is the right time?
According to the hermit, the right time is the present, the only time we have "dominion over ourselves."
2) Who are the right people?
According to the hermit, the right people are the ones we are currently engaged with, because "no one can know whether or not he will ever have dealings with any other man."
3) What is the most important thing to do?
According to the hermit, the most important thing to do at any one time is to "do good" to the person(s) we are with.
The hermit's words make perfect sense and that is why the king has no argument against them. Thus, we can conclude that the king was satisfied with the hermit's answers.
The hermit doesn't answer the king's questions, at least not verbally. In fact, the hermit appears to ignore the king, continuing to go about his digging as if there was no one there. In any case, as we subsequently learn from the story, actions speak louder than words. The hermit doesn't need to say anything in response to the king; he simply stands back and allows the king to work out the answers to his own questions by tending to the wounds of the seriously injured stranger.
After doing so, the king now has the answers to his three original questions:
- What is the right time for every action? The right time is always now.
- Who are the most important people? The people that you're with—in this case, the injured stranger.
- How might we know what's the most important thing to do? The most important thing is always to do good to the person you're with, as the king does when he tends to the injured man's wounds.