How could one painting inspire so MUCH parody?

alright.  a Mermaid Doll Explosion is Rocking the Nether World!

There was once an Emperor from China who had no children

and were surprised when the Emperor exclaimed that he was going to choose

one of them. He gave them all a seed. They were to go home to their villages,

plant the seed in a pot and tend it for a year. When they returned in a year,

the Emperor would judge their efforts and choose his successor.

One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed.

He went home and excitedly told his mother the story.

She helped him get a pot and some potting soil, and he planted the seed

and watered it carefully.

Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown.

After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds

 and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by. Still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant,

and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by; still nothing in Ling's pot.

He just knew he had killed his seed.

Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing.

Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however.

He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all of the youths of the kingdom brought their plants

to the emperor for inspection.

Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot

but his mother said he must be honest about what happened.

Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right.

He took his empty pot to the palace.

When Ling arrived, he was amazed

at the variety of plants grown by the other youths.

They were beautiful - in all shape and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor

and many of the other kids laughed at him.

A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people.

Ling just tried to hide in the back.

"My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor.

"Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"

All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room

with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front.

Ling was terrified.

"The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the emperor asked his name.

"My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him.

The emperor asked everyone to quiet down.

He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd,

"Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!"

Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed.

How could he be the new emperor?


Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed.

I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today.

But I gave you all boiled seeds, which would not grow.

All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers.

When you found that the seed would not grow,

you substituted another seed for the one I gave you.

Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty

to bring me a pot with my seed in it.

Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"


Source: http://bit.ly/ZgdG8g
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