A long time ago, there lived in a certain country a wise and happy king. There was only one thing that darkened his old age - he had no children. And then one day the king thought: “I’ll choose the most honest child in the country and adopt him.” He ordered flower seeds to be distributed to all the children and announced:
“The one who grows the most beautiful flowers from these seeds will be my son or daughter.”
All the children planted seeds and watered them morning and evening.
Song Il also carefully looked after the seeds. But ten days passed, half a month passed, a month passed, and the seeds in the pot still did not sprout.
“How strange,” Song Il was perplexed. Finally he asked his mother:
— Why don’t my seeds germinate?
And the mother, also concerned about this, said:
- Plant them in another land.
Song Il replanted the seeds, but they did not germinate again.
The day came when the king was supposed to look at the flowers. Many children in smart clothes went out into the street, holding pots of flowers in front of them. Everyone wanted to become the crown prince. But what is it? Why did the king, looking at the flowers, pass by all the children and not have a shadow of joy on his face?
Suddenly, at one house, he saw a crying Song Il, who was standing with an empty pot. The king ordered the boy to be called to him.
- Why are you standing with an empty pot? he asked.
Song Il, sobbing, told how he sowed the seeds, but they did not germinate, probably as punishment for the fact that he once secretly picked an apple in someone else's garden.
Hearing this answer, the king took Song Il in his arms and said:
- Here is my honest son!
People made noise:
- Why did the king adopt a boy with an empty pot?
And the king explained:
- People! The seeds that were distributed to the children were boiled.
And then everyone nodded approvingly. And the children, standing with beautiful flowers, had their cheeks burning with shame: after all, they had all planted other seeds.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru