Ping’s Heart of Honesty
Ping’s Heart of Honest The Emperor loved flowers more than gold. But he loved truth more than flowers. So when the time came to choose his successor, he didn’t hold a test of strength or a battle of wits. He called every child in the kingdom to the palace gardens. “Here,” he said, handing each one a single seed, “plant this. Return in one year with what has grown. Whoever brings me the most beautiful flower will rule after me.” Ping took his seed home with both hands, as if it were a tiny heart. He placed it in the finest pot his family owned, painted with lotuses and cranes. He set it under the cherry tree where the light was softest. Each morning he watered it. Each night he whispered to it. He tried new soil. He sang songs his grandmother taught him. He even asked the moon for help. But nothing happened. Spring turned to summer. The pot stayed stubborn a...