Final answer:
The story is about a Japanese Emperor who loved his flowerpot collection, passed a death sentence on an officer who broke one, but changed his mind when an old man broke the rest to teach him a lesson about valuing human life over objects.
Step-by-step explanation:
Once upon a time, a Japanese Emperor had a proud collection of twenty flowerpots, each one more exquisite than the last. These flowerpots were considered the finest collection in the whole empire, a symbol of luxury, pride, and imperial dignity.
One day, one of the emperor's officers inadvertently knocked down one of the flowerpots, breaking it. This accidental destruction infuriated the emperor so much that he issued a death sentence to the officer.
Just when all hope seemed lost for the officer, an old man made his entrance, claiming he knew the art of repairing such flowerpots. Hearing this, the emperor was filled with excitement and demanded the broken flowerpot be repaired.
Rather than repairing the flowerpot, the wise old man lifted his stick and, to everyone's shock, broke all of the remaining flowerpots. The Emperor was filled with anger and disbelief. The old man calmly explained, 'Each of these flowerpots, in your eyes, was worth one human life. I broke them to show you that objects, though priceless, can never equate to a human's life.'
Seeing the old man's wisdom, the Emperor realized his mistake and decided to forgive the old man and his officer as well.
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