Who will become China’s next ruler?
Learning Objective: Students will identify the character traits of the main characters in this play.
Characters
Choose the character you will play.
Narrators 1, 2, 3 (N1, N2, N3)
Emperor
Aides 1, 2, 3
Jun (chuhn), the Emperor’s nephew
Lan (lahn), the Emperor’s niece
Mei (may), the Emperor’s niece
Ling, a girl from the village
Mama and Papa, Ling’s parents
Scene 1
The Emperor’s gardens, ancient China
N1: The Emperor and his aides sit in a beautiful garden.
Emperor (sighing sadly): These gardens are my pride and joy. If only I had children to take over my kingdom.
Aide 1: What about your nieces and nephew?
Emperor: Their hearts are dishonest. I do not trust them.
Aide 2: Let’s find out what they’re up to.
N2: Jun, Lan, and Mei are chatting nearby.
N3: They do not see the Emperor and his aides approaching.
Jun: Has anyone seen our uncle the Emperor, Ruler of the Sun, and blah, blah, blah?
Lan (laughing unkindly): He’s probably staring at a rosebush.
Mei: These roses are a waste of space.
Jun: I would bury these gardens under marble.
Lan: Then we could build statues of ourselves!
Mei (smiling): We’d look much prettier than those silly roses.
N1: The Emperor steps out from the trees.
N2: Jun, Lan, and Mei gasp in surprise.
Jun: Uncle! We didn’t see you behind the trees.
Emperor: How are you enjoying my gardens?
Mei (sweetly): We simply love them.
Jun (nodding): What a perfect use of space.
Lan (with her hand on her heart): I wouldn’t change a rose petal.
Emperor (angrily): Enough! Leave me!
N3: The children are surprised but leave.
Emperor: They are liars! None of them can rule.
Aide 3: Sire, what can we do to help?
Emperor: Gather all the children in the land. I have an idea.
Scene 2
The Emperor’s gardens, a week later
N1: Children from across the empire fill the gardens.
N2: A girl named Ling stands in the crowd.
N3: Ling works at a lovely flower stall in the market.
N1: She looks around the gardens in awe.
Ling: I never imagined so much beauty.
Lan (bumping into Ling): Step aside, peasant!
Mei (yawning): This is a waste of time.
N2: A gong rings.
Aide 1: Announcing the Emperor of China!
Emperor: Welcome. I am looking for a child to one day replace me.
Jun: Oh, pick me!
Lan: No, me!
Mei: Me! Me!
Emperor: Silence!
Aide 2: We will choose this person through a contest.
Emperor: I take great pride in my flowers. They bring joy to me and my people.
Aide 3: The Emperor commands you each to take home one pot and one seed.
Aide 1: Plant the seed.
Aide 2: Return one year from today.
Aide 3: Present your flower to the Emperor.
Emperor: Then I will choose the winner.
Scene 3
A small hut surrounded by a beautiful garden, that night
N3: Ling shares the news with her parents.
Mama (excitedly): Oh child, you are sure to be chosen.
Papa (proudly): No one grows prettier flowers than you!
Ling: I’ll get to work!
N1: Ling plants the seed in rich soil.
N2: Then she pours water over the pot and waits.
N3: And waits.
N1: And waits.
N2: For weeks, nothing happens.
Papa: Be patient, child.
N3: Ling cares for the seed day and night.
N1: Months pass, and still not the tiniest leaf grows in her pot.
Ling: Come on, little seed!
Mama: Maybe it’s a slow-growing flower.
N2: Ling turns the pot around in the sun. She even reads stories to her seed.
N3: Finally, a full year has passed.
Ling (sadly): I failed at what I do best. Tomorrow I must return to the Emperor. But with what?
Papa: Go with your honest heart.
Mama (kindly): You tried your very best.
Scene 4
The Emperor’s gardens, the next day
N1: Ling watches as other children enter the gardens.
N2: Each lugs a pot overflowing with colorful flowers.
N3: Jun, Lan, and Mei sweep past Ling.
N1: Servants carry their pots.
Jun: Ha! Look at this girl’s empty pot.
Lan (laughing): Did you grow an invisible plant?
N2: Ling sadly follows them into the gardens.
N3: Then a gong rings.
Aide 1: Announcing the Emperor of China!
Emperor: Show me what you have grown.
N1: Jun, Lan, and Mei push to the front.
Jun: Uncle, my lilac bush is as tall as you.
Mei: My rose tree is almost as lovely as me! I know how much you love roses, Uncle.
Lan: Look at my Venus flytrap! Works better than a fly swatter.
N2: The Emperor nods but says nothing.
N3: He continues down the line of children until he reaches Ling.
Emperor: Have you nothing to show me?
Ling: Forgive me, Your Majesty. I planted and cared for my seed. But nothing would grow.
Emperor: You were very brave to return with your empty pot.
Ling: I was?
Emperor: Oh yes. This is excellent!
Ling (confused): But what is excellent, Sire? My plant is the only one that didn’t grow.
Emperor: Which means that you are the only honest child here.
Aide 2: The seeds we gave everyone were boiled.
Aide 3: That means they could not grow.
N1: The children gasp.
Emperor: What Ling has in her pot—and in her heart—is the most precious seed of all. It is the seed of honesty.
N2: The Emperor takes Ling’s hand.
Emperor: Here is the next Emperor of China!
Ling: Thank you, Sire! I will try to be an honest and fair ruler.
Mei: Speaking of fair, this isn’t fair!
Emperor: Well . . . there might be something for you three to do.
N3: Jun, Lan, and Mei look eagerly at their uncle.
Emperor: You love my gardens, right?
Jun: Of course we do!
Lan: They’re so beautiful.
Mei: Every last petal.
Emperor: Excellent! Starting tomorrow, you three can help me take care of my roses.
Jun and Lan: Noooo!
Mei: Not the roses!
Epilogue
N1: Ling grew up and became the emperor.
N2: While she ruled, China was a land of truth and natural beauty.
N3: Jun, Lan, and Mei never got their statues.
Emperor: But they did learn an important lesson.
Ling: Do you know what it is?
Think and Write
Using details from the play, write a speech from the Emperor to his nieces and nephew explaining why he chose Ling to rule after him.
Can't Miss Teaching Extras
Stay in ancient China and discover what life was like thousands of years ago in this issue’s Time Machine, “Journey to Ancient China.” You’ll see dancing dragons, underground armies, the Great Wall, and more!
Honesty is an important topic to discuss with students. Explore this theme further in “The Parade That Changed Everything,” a Fiction story about the intricacies of being honest with a friend.
In this play, several characters lie. Read our take on the classic fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” to discuss fibbing and its repercussions.
Table of Contents
5. Differentiate and Customize
Struggling Readers, Multilingual Learners, Advanced Readers, Creative Writing
1. Preparing to Read
Introduce the Text and Preview Text Features
Set a Purpose for Reading
Introduce Featured Skill
Build on the Think and Read prompt by explaining the play’s featured skill: Character Traits. Encourage students to describe how each character acts and why.
Introduce Vocabulary
Show or assign the Vocabulary Slideshow to preview challenging words. Then assign the Vocabulary Skill Builder before or after reading..
2. Close Reading
Reading and Unpacking the Text
Close-Reading Questions
Critical-Thinking Questions
3. Skill Building and Writing
Featured Skill: Character Traits
Ask students to write a response to the Think and Write prompt on page 29.
Differentiate and Customize
Build fluency and boost confidence with unison reading. Choose a scene, preview any challenging words, then assign students two or three of the characters to read aloud together while you take on the other roles.
Have students listen to the read-aloud of the play online before reading the play together as a class. The read-aloud will model fluent reading and expression.
Have students read a different read-aloud play, based on another classic story from our May/June 2020 issue. “The Emperor’s New Clothes” is a play that also offers a lesson on telling the truth. Ask students to compare and contrast that play with “The Emperor’s Contest,” including any differences in their themes.
