The Emperor’s Seed and His Successor

An old and wise emperor, wanting to choose his successor, called the children of his kingdom and gave each of them a single seed. "Take these seeds home, plant them, and in a year, return with your plant. The child with the best plant will become the next ruler," he announced.

A humble boy named Lin took his seed home and planted it with great care. He watered it daily and placed it in the sunlight, but weeks passed, and nothing grew. Meanwhile, other children boasted about their flourishing plants. Lin felt sad but refused to be dishonest.

A year later, all the children presented their beautiful plants to the emperor. Lin, however, arrived with an empty pot. The emperor inspected all the plants and then smiled at Lin. "The seeds I gave were boiled and could never grow. All of you, except Lin, have been dishonest," he declared. "Lin has shown true integrity and will be the future emperor!"

The kingdom celebrated Lin’s honesty, proving that integrity and truthfulness are the strongest virtues.

Moral: Integrity leads to true success, even when honesty seems difficult.