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Once upon a time, there lived a vain Emperor who cared only for new clothes. He would admire himself in the mirror all day long, gazing at his silk robes and giant hats and fancy socks. He only left his palace in order to show off his luxurious outfits in large parades through the city streets.
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Two swindlers came to the palace one day. They had heard of the vain Emperor and his love for new clothes, and they had devised a plan to rob him of his riches and his dignity. "We are weavers who can weave the finest cloth in the world!" the swindlers lied. "Not only are our clothes' colors and patterns exceptionally beautiful, but the cloth itself is invisible to stupid people!"
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Emperor was very interested. "If I were to be dressed in such clothes," he thought, "I could find out who in my empire is stupid and who is smart." So he hired the swindlers to make him a new outfit.
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The swindlers demanded a room in the Emperor's palace outfitted with two looms, delicious food and drinks, the finest silk in all the land, treasure chests full of jewels, and gold as far as the eye could see. Each day, they would pretend to work at the looms, their fingers weaving the thin air and their scissors snipping at nothing at all. Each night, they would steal the riches and then demand more. "We're going to need some more silk, Your Majesty!" they grinned. "And some more emeralds, rubies, and diamonds!"
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Everyone was anxious to see the new clothes. The Emperor was worried, however, that the clothes might be invisible to him, so he sent the Prince to see the outfit first. The prince could not see anything on the looms, but for fear that he would appear stupid, pretended he had seen a fabulous new outfit. "It's splendid!" he exclaimed.
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Next, the Emperor sent the Queen in to see his new clothes. She too couldn't see anything on the looms, and she too lied. "Absolutely beautiful!" she told the Emperor, "amazingly bright and colorful."
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The Emperor finally went in to see for himself. He didn't see anything! "If I admit that I can't see my new outfit," he thought, "everyone will think I am stupid, and unfit to be Emperor." So he too pretended he could see the clothes, and the swindlers convinced him to wear them out in a grand parade.
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The Emperor undressed before his large mirror. "First, your bloomers," said one of the swindlers, pretending to help him dress. "Next, your shirt." The Emperor lifted his arms and the swindlers mimed cinching up his shirt. "Trousers, belt, socks, jacket, bow-tie, robe," they continued. The Emperor couldn't feel any fabric on his skin at all. "Don't they feel nice?" the swindlers asked, "the cloth is as light as a cobweb, which is why you must feel like you have nothing at all upon your body. That is the beauty of them."
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Everyone in the entire city was waiting anxiously outside the castle walls. Suddenly, the doors flew open and the Emperor appeared, standing completely naked. "Ooh!" the townspeople cried. "Magnificent!" The Emperor's attendants picked up the air as if they were holding up the train of his long robe, and the Emperor marched through the city.
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Only one small child in the audience of pretending townspeople spoke up. "But he's naked!" the child cried. One by one, everyone in the crowd started laughing.
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Everyone realized that an innocent child wasn't capable of being stupid, and even the Emperor himself blushed when he understood he wasn't wearing anything at all, that everyone had been pretending the entire time. Too proud and pompous to turn back now, the Emperor finished his slow promenade through the city and finally returned to his castle to find the swindlers had escaped with all his riches.
