One day Emperor Akbar called his Chief Minister and said, "You are a very smart man and intelligent man. Well, can you tell me the exact number of hair on my head?"
The chief minister was a shrewd man, and thinking to himself that this presented an opportunity to put Birbal (Akbar's loved courtier and friend) in an awkward position said to the king, " Your Majesty! Only Birbal can answer such a question easily. He did tell you the exact number of crows in the city, didn't he?"
The Chief Minister was sure that he had put Birbal into real trouble and was happy about it. Once the Emperor had asked Birbal about the exact number of crows in the city, Birbal got away with a trick answer. He had said that if the number of crows were more than the number given by him then obviously some crows were visiting the city. If the number was less it meant that some crows had gone on a visit to the countryside.

Well this time, Birbal will not have another chance to fool the Emperor by a trick answer, thought the Chief Minister.
The Emperor called Birbal and asked, "Birbal, can you tell me the exact number of hair on my head?"
Birbal closed his eyes and pretended to do some counting. After a while he opened his eyes and said, "One hundred twenty six thousand six hundred and thirty six."
The Chief Minister realizing that Birbal was fudging figures which were difficult to check, and to show up Birbal in a poor light he said, "Birbal can you tell me the exact number of hair on my head?"
Once again Birbal closed his eyes and pretended to be thinking deeply, and did some counting. He opened his eyes an said, " Ninety nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine."
At once the Chief Minister said, " Wrong, there are one hundred twenty six thousand six hundred and thirty six hairs on my head!"

Birbal's answer, "If you have the same number of hair on your head as His Majesty has, you would have been the Emperor. You are only a Minister!"
The Emperor appreciative of Birbal's witty answer said to his Chief Minister, "If you do not believe Birbal, why don't you check it out yourself?"
The Chief Minister said, "I am ready to do so Your Majesty!"
Birbal, " All right. Please call the barber."
The Emperor, " A barber? What for?"
Birbal, " Your Majesty in your presence, I will get the Chief Ministers head shaved off. Then put a hundred people to count the exact number of hair thus shaved. So the exact number of hair as of this moment can be counted to verify my answer and no hair that has fallen off or grown will be vitiate the count."
The Chief Minister was now in a fix. He was fond of his appearance which was likely to change appreciably. He pleaded with the Emperor, " Your Majesty! I agree with Birbal. I accept his answer to be correct."
Akbar, The King Emperor, burst into laughter as he was amused by the clash of wits.