Once there lived an Emperor. He was very fond of new clothes. He spent his money on getting new clothes for himself.

One day two men came to his court. They said they could make the most beautiful cloth in the world for the Emperor. The Emperor was very much pleased with their words. They also told the Emperor that their cloth was so special that only wise people could see it, but fools could not. The Emperor thought by wearing clothes made with that cloth, he could see who were wise and who were fools in his kingdom. So the Emperor gave them a lot of money and told them to begin their work at once.

The two men were given a special room for their work. In that room, they set up two looms. They acted to be working. But there was nothing on the looms. They asked the king to give them the finest silk and the purest gold thread. The king did so. But they put those in their bags and acted working at the empty looms until late at night.

One day the king sent his old minister to the weavers to know how they were getting on with his cloth. The minister entered their room. He felt surprised to see nothing on the looms and the men doing nothing. The weavers asked the minister how the cloth they made was. The minister thought that if he said the truth, he would be treated as a fool. So, though he could see nothing there, he said that the cloth was very splendid. 

Next time, the king went into the room along with his officers. Both the king and the officers could see nothing there. But they all said that the cloth was very beautiful.

At last the weavers said that the cloth was ready. They cut it with a huge pair of scissors in the air. They stitched the clothes with needles without any thread in them. 

They told the Emperor that the clothes were ready. The weavers said that they made the trousers and the coat for the king. The officers said that they were beautiful though they could see nothing there. Even the king could see nothing but he could not admit it.

The two young men asked the king to put on the new clothes that they had made. The Emperor took off all his clothes and pretended to be putting on the new clothes. He knew he wore nothing but did not complain because he would thought to be a fool if he said the truth.

The Emperor walked along in the procession. People in the street cried that the Emperor’s new clothes were beautiful. But a little child said that the king had got nothing on, at all. Then all the people there cried that the king had got nothing on. The king felt greatly ashamed and unhappy. He knew that the people were right. But the procession had to go on.