Once upon a time in a far away China, there was a young man whose name was Ping. Ping loved flowers so much. Everything he planted bloomed. His reputation for the gift of raising the most exquisite of flowers became known far and wide.

The emperor loved flowers too. He loved flowers so much he decided to use them to determine who his successor would be. You see, he was already old and sickly; and he was without any child. So, there was no apparent heir to the throne when he dies.

The emperor sent out messengers throughout the land, inviting all able-bodied young men to come to the palace on a specified date and time. It was made known to all that the emperor would chose his successor from among those who would come.

At the appointed time the palace ground was full with aspiring men. All were ready to do whatever is required of them. Then, the emperor ordered everyone to line up. To each one, he himself handed some seeds. After everyone received the seeds he announced to all: "Plant those seeds. Care for them for one whole year. And make them blossom to be the very best flower in the kingdom. The one who could produce the most beautiful and unique one would be the king."

Everyone hurried off to plant the seeds and make them grow. Ping did likewise. He cultivated the soil,planted the seeds, watered them, cared for them in the best way he knew. Day after day, he did just that. But nothing happened. He replanted the seeds to a bigger pot and better soil-still, nothing happened.

Meanwhile, all around him, the seeds of the other young men began to sprout and grow healthy, sturdy plants. Later, men were showing off rare blooms and flowers of unparalleled beauty.

What about Ping? After months and months of persistent effort and diligent care, still nothing had happened. His seeds refused to even sprout at all. When it was time to go back to the emperor, Ping had nothing to show to the ruler except a pot with soil and unsprouted seeds. He could not understand the reason why.

 Ping was a downcast. A concerned friend offered flowers to Ping but he refused.

 At the palace ground the flowerpots were all lined up. There was a rainbow of colors and inviting whiffs of fragrance coming from the blooms assembled. The emperor inspected each flower-then sadly turned away.


When he came to Ping, Ping explained...what happened, how the seeds failed to grow despite his loving attention to it and care for them.

 Surprisingly, the emperor embraced Ping. His face was finally radiant when in a loud voice he spoke: " I DO NOT KNOW WHERE YOU GOT YOUR FLOWERS..THE SEEDS THAT I HAVE GIVEN YOU ALL HAVE BEEN BOILED FIRST. SO, I WONDER HOW A COOKED SEED COULD EVER HAVE SPROUTED. IT IS ONLY PING WHO HAS THE COURAGE AND HONESTY TO COME TO ME IN TRUTH. SO, I REWARD HIS INTEGRITY WITH ALL MY KINGDOM; AND I WILL MAKE HIM KING!"

 NOTE: This story is light. But the message runs deep.