This scenario reminds me of certain scenes in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Whenever Cao Cao is given a dilemma or puzzle, he thinks about it, says he know the answer, but then asks one of his advisers what they thought it was. It always ends with Cao Cao saying something along the lines of "Those are exactly my thoughts." As funny is it seems, it's actually a great tactic for an ambitious ruler. It allows him to appear intelligent, even if he doesn't know the answer, yet still seek council from his advisers. The only downside is that if it's overplayed people begin to just think you're an ass, lol.