Once there was a poor old man. He had one son and one daughter. When the son and daughter reached seventeen or eighteen years of age, the old man's wife passed away. After his wife died, the old man gave away his few cattle and about twenty sheep to marry off his son to the only daughter of another poor man, just like himself. The old man's daughter-in-law was extraordinarily beautiful. Shortly after their marriage, the old man's son died, leaving his daughter-in-law a widow. The old man continued to take care of his daughter-in-law and daughter. The daughter-in-law did not remarry. One day, three people came to visit the old man's house. One of them was a king from another land, dressed in simple clothes, who often roamed among the people. He set his eyes on the old man's beautiful daughter-in-law and said to the old man:
— I want to propose to your daughter-in-law; I will give a large bride price, give her to me, – he urged the old man. Then the old man's daughter-in-law replied:
— I am here as a son in place of a son and as a daughter in place of a daughter for my grandfather. If you want to marry me, you don't need to bring cattle; you will live here with my grandfather and my sister-in-law, otherwise, I will not marry you, – she said. In the end, the king married her and stayed at the old man's house for three months. The old man's daughter-in-law became pregnant. One day, the king said to her:
— I have been away from my country for a long time. I will go back and return. If I do not come back in time, whether the child is a boy or a girl, give this ring to me, – he said, giving her a ring with his name on it, and then he returned to his country. The king did not come back. The daughter-in-law gave birth to a son. She named the child Tolepbergen. Month after month, year after year passed. Tolepbergen turned sixteen. He grew up to be a strong and handsome young man, just like his mother. One day, there was a big feast. Swift horses and famous wrestlers came from other lands. In Tolepbergen's homeland, there was a wrestler known as the camel wrestler. He defeated all the wrestlers and finally wrestled with Tolepbergen. Tolepbergen threw him and, as he fell, his ribs broke and his leg was injured. Humiliated and injured, the wrestler said:
— Why don't you go and find your father, who abandoned you long ago, and show me your strength? – Tolepbergen returned home and asked his father and mother, – Tell me where I can find my father, – but they could not tell him. He then placed the golden ring in his hand. Month after month, Tolepbergen, tired and exhausted, came to a large mound among the thick graves in the desolate steppe and spent the night there. At night, a group of people came to one edge of the mound and quickly buried something before leaving. Tolepbergen uncovered what they buried and found a golden chest. When he opened the chest, he saw a beautiful girl lying inside, covered in blood. Along with the chest, there were nine golden coins and a handful of salt. The girl was barely alive. Tolepbergen carried her to the water's edge, washed her blood, and made her drink water. The girl regained consciousness and said:
— I will help you achieve your goal. I have always belonged to you. But the time for us to unite will come later. Until then, do not ask for my name. But I will ask for yours. With these nine golden coins, heal me, – she said. Tolepbergen noticed that the girl had wounds from nine spear thrusts. The girl sat up and wrote a letter. She told Tolepbergen:
— There is a city thirty kilometers away. If you enter the city, there is an old man sitting in a square house. If you give this letter to him, he will come with you, – she said. Tolepbergen gave the letter to the old man, who then came with him. The old man took Tolepbergen and the girl to his home and treated the girl. The girl fully recovered. Tolepbergen spent the nine golden coins on food. After the money ran out, the young man became distressed. The girl wrote another letter:
— Without showing this letter to anyone, if you enter the center of the city, in front of the door of the golden palace where a head is hanging, there is an old man sitting. If you give the letter to him, he will give you golden coins, – she said. Tolepbergen gave the letter and brought back a thousand coins. One day, Tolepbergen, feeling upset, said to the girl:
— I have been wasting my time and have fallen behind in my path, – he said. The girl wrote another letter and said, — If you give this letter to the old man who gave you the thousand coins, he will give you royal clothes. Do not wear them and come back to me, – she said. Tolepbergen brought that too. The girl dressed Tolepbergen in royal clothes and made him ride a horse, saying: — When you roam the city, there will be horse games. There, you will meet two kings. When they see you, they will invite you to be their guest. Do not stay overnight, come back. There is a golden pole in front of their door. Do not tie your horse to the pole, leave it free. When you return, invite them to your home. Do not reveal your secret, – she said. Tolepbergen met the two kings at the horse games. They invited Tolepbergen as their guest. The next morning, Tolepbergen came to the girl and told her that he had invited the two kings:
— I invited the two kings as you instructed. How can we host them in this poor old man's four-cornered house, what can we offer them? – he said. The girl wrote another letter and sent Tolepbergen to the old man who had given him the thousand golden coins. The old man came with forty demons and, in the blink of an eye, built a palace with forty rooms. Each room was shorter than the last, and in the center, he placed three golden thrones. He prepared a variety of delicious dishes. In the evening, the two kings arrived. Tolepbergen and the girl welcomed and entertained them. Tolepbergen sat on the high throne surrounding the palace. The two kings sat on the next two thrones. The forty demons served them. Music and songs filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere. Tolepbergen and the girl kept the two kings as their guests for the night. While Tolepbergen was sleeping, someone came and woke him up. It was his companion, the girl. The girl told Tolepbergen that she had ordered the forty demons to kill the two kings.
— Why did you have them killed, I will not be friends with you, – Tolepbergen said to the girl. Then the girl replied:
— I will tell you later about the cruelty they did to me. I brought their actions back to them. Now go back to sleep, – she said and left. In the morning, when Tolepbergen woke up, the girl was gone, and he found himself alone by a great river. He became upset about his situation and jumped off the bank into the water. Someone caught him as he was being swept away. It was the girl again, dressed in royal clothes. The girl revealed her secret to Tolepbergen.
— I was the only daughter of a king named Alim. My name is Aigul. After my father died, I became the king in his place. My father had two ministers. They conspired against me, saying that a girl cannot be a king. While I was sleeping, they stabbed me and buried me in a chest. I fell in love with you in my dreams. When I consulted a dream interpreter about my dream, he said:
— You will meet when you die and enter the grave, – he said. His interpretation came true. The two kings who killed me were those two ministers. The old man who first treated me was a friend of my father and a learned man. The one who gave you the thousand coins was my father's chief of staff. The forty demons were my father's forty young men he brought from the spirit world. They can even fly like birds in the sky. The learned old man figured out that your father was a king and that you were searching for him. Now, you should become the king in my place. I will ride the spirit to find your father, – said the girl. Tolepbergen replied:
— I will find my father with my own strength, – and he did not agree with what the girl said. When Tolepbergen refused, the girl gave him golden coins and made him ride a horse, saying, — After you find your father, return to me, – and let him go. Month after month, Tolepbergen arrived in a city and opened a shop as a merchant. The townspeople were amazed by his appearance. One day, three beautifully dressed girls came and invited Tolepbergen to be their guest. While Tolepbergen was eating at the three girls' palace, two beggars came. After they finished eating, they left. Tolepbergen spent the night at the three girls' palace. The next morning, the king of that city summoned Tolepbergen and asked where he had been at night. Tolepbergen recounted the events. Tolepbergen learned that the three girls he had been a guest of were the daughters of that king. The beggars who had come while he was a guest were the king and his minister. The king ordered that both the three girls and Tolepbergen be hanged to death. Just as they were about to be hanged, Tolepbergen threw the ring with the king's name in front of the king and said:
— I was an orphan searching for my father. If you find this, deliver it to my father. Tell him I have died, – he said. The king saw the ring and immediately embraced Tolepbergen. This king was Tolepbergen's long-lost father. Thus, Tolepbergen saved the three girls from death. While Tolepbergen was ruling in place of his father, another king from a different land declared war on his country. In battle, Tolepbergen himself challenged the king of the invading land to single combat. He was also a brave man and accepted the challenge. They fought for three days without being able to defeat each other. During the struggle, the veil fell from the face of the king of the invading land. It was the former Aigul, the king. They recognized each other and embraced. The two kings found Tolepbergen's father, mother, and sister, and they achieved their goal.