1A long time ago in China,
2there was a boy named Ping who loved flowers.
3Anything he planted burst into bloom.
4Up came flowers, bushes, and even big fruit trees,
5as if by magic!
6Everyone in the kingdom loved flowers too.
7They planted them everywhere, and the air smelled like perfume.
8The Emperor loved birds and animals,
9but flowers most of all,
10and he tended his own garden every day.
11But the Emperor was very old.
12He needed to choose a successor to the throne.
13Who would his successor be?
14And how would the Emperor choose?
15Because the Emperor loved flowers so much,
16he decided to let the flowers choose.
17The next day a proclamation was issued:
18All the children in the land were to come to the palace.
19There, they would be given special flower seeds by the Emperor.
20"Whoever can show me their best in a year's time," he said,
21"will succeed me to the throne."
22This news created great excitement throughout the land!
23Children from all over the country swarmed to the palace to get their flower seeds.
24All the parents wanted their children to be chosen Emperor,
25and all the children hoped they would be chosen too!
26When Ping received his seed from the Emperor,
27he was the happiest child of all.
28He was sure he could grow the most beautiful flower.
29Ping filled a flowerpot with rich soil.
30He planted the seed in it very carefully.
31He watered it every day.
32"I couldn't wait to see it sprout, grow, and blossom into a beautiful flower!"
33Day after day passed,
34but nothing grew in his pot.
35Ping was very worried.
36He put new soil into a bigger pot.
37Then he transferred the seed into the rich black soil.
38Another two months he waited.
39Still nothing happened.
40By and by the whole year passed.
41Spring came,
42and all the children put on their best clothes to greet the Emperor.
43They rushed to the palace with their beautiful flowers,
44eagerly hoping to be chosen.
45Ping was ashamed of his empty pot.
46He thought the other children would laugh at him because for once...
47he couldn't get a flower to grow.
48His clever friend ran by, holding a great big plant.
49"Ping!" he said.
50"You're not really going to the Emperor with an empty pot, are you?"
51Couldn't you grow a great big flower like mine?"
52"I've grown lots of flowers better than yours," Ping said.
53"It's just this seed that won't grow."
54Ping's father overheard this and said,
55"You did your best,"
56"and your best is good enough to present to the Emperor."
57Holding the empty pot in his hands,
58Ping went straight away to the palace.
59The Emperor was looking at the flowers slowly, one by one.
60How beautiful all the flowers were!
61But the Emperor was frowning and did not say a word.
62Finally he came to Ping.
63Ping hung his head in shame, expecting to be punished.
64The Emperor asked him,
65"Why did you bring an empty pot?"
66Ping started to cry and replied,
67"I planted the seed you gave me and I watered it every day,"
68"but it didn't sprout."
69"I put it in a better pot with better soil,"
70"but still it didn't sprout!"
71I tended it all year long, but nothing grew.
72So today I had to bring an empty pot without a flower.
73It was the best I could do.
74When the Emperor heard these words,
75a smile slowly spread over his face,
76and he put his arm around Ping.
77Then he exclaimed to one and all,
78"I have found him!"
79"I have found the one person worthy of being Emperor!"
80"Where you got your seeds from, I do not know."
81"For the seeds I gave you had all been cooked."
82"So it was impossible for any of them to grow."
83"I admire Ping's great courage to appear before me with the empty truth,"
84"and now I reward him with my entire kingdom"
85"and make him Emperor of all the land!"