A long time ago, there was an emperor who loved fine clothes.
He spent all his money on beautiful coats and fancy shoes.
One day, two clever tricksters arrived in his peaceful city.
They told the emperor they could make the most amazing cloth.
They said this magic cloth was invisible to foolish people.
The emperor thought this was a wonderful and useful idea.
He gave the men a lot of gold to start working.
The tricksters set up two weaving machines in a large room.
They pretended to weave, but they actually used no thread at all.
The emperor sent his smartest helpers to check on the cloth.
The helpers saw nothing, but they were afraid to look foolish.
They told the emperor that the colors and patterns were beautiful.
Finally, the tricksters brought the finished clothes to the proud emperor.
He looked in the mirror and pretended to see the magic cloth.
He walked proudly through the center of the city in a parade.
Everyone in the crowd cheered and praised the invisible clothes.
Suddenly, a small child pointed at the emperor and laughed loudly.
The child shouted that the emperor was not wearing any clothes.
Soon, all the people in the crowd started to laugh too.
The emperor knew they were right, but he kept walking proudly.