Once upon a time, there was an emperor who didn’t act much like an emperor at all; he resembled more of a model.
This was because instead of attending to affairs of state, he spent his days in the dressing room trying on clothes. Almost every moment, he would change into a new outfit.
Two swindlers, upon learning of the emperor’s obsession, devised a scheme.
They approached the emperor and said to him, “The fabric we weave is exquisite, and more importantly, it possesses a magical quality: only those who are incompetent or foolish cannot see this fabric.”
The emperor thought to himself, “If that’s the case, then if I wear clothes made from this fabric, whoever can’t see my clothes, I’ll know which officials are incompetent and which people are foolish, won’t I?”
So, the emperor paid the swindlers a considerable sum of money and instructed them to start weaving the fabric immediately.
The two swindlers pretended to be busy weaving at the loom, but in reality, there was nothing on the loom at all.
They took a lot of money from the emperor, claiming it was to buy materials for weaving, but in truth, they pocketed the money for themselves.
After some time had passed, the emperor was eager to see how the fabric was coming along.
However, he hesitated, fearing that if he couldn’t see the fabric, it would prove he was an incompetent or foolish emperor.
So, he decided to send two officials to take a look first.
The first official to go was the most honest old official. When he saw the empty loom, he was shocked.
He thought to himself, “Goodness! I can’t see a single thread of fabric. Does this mean I’m incompetent? Or am I just foolish? I mustn’t let anyone know. I’m about to retire, and if I get dismissed, I won’t receive my pension. How will I live out my remaining years?”
So, he hurried back to tell the emperor that the fabric was the most beautiful he had ever seen in his entire life.
The second official sent was a young official whom the emperor trusted.
When he saw the loom devoid of even a single thread, he stared blankly, thinking to himself, “Oh no! I can’t see anything at all. I’m not foolish, so does this mean I’m incompetent? I absolutely cannot let anyone know if I’m incompetent. I’m still young, with elderly parents and young children to support. If I lose my job, who will take care of my family?”
Quickly, he rushed back to inform the emperor that the fabric was undoubtedly the most exquisite in the world.
Upon hearing this, the emperor felt much relieved.
He instructed the two swindlers to hurry and make clothes out of the fabric for him to wear at the upcoming celebratory event.
The two swindlers pretended to work tirelessly day and night, seizing the opportunity to swindle even more money.
Finally, they announced that the new clothes were completed.
The emperor quickly brought a group of officials to see the new clothes.
However, the emperor couldn’t see anything at all.
He thought to himself, “Oh no! I can’t see anything. What does that mean? Does it mean I’m an incompetent, foolish emperor? This is terrifying. If they find out I can’t see the fabric, I might not be able to remain emperor.”
So, he pretended to admire the fabric endlessly.
The officials who accompanied him quickly flattered and praised the fabric.
The next day, the celebratory event began.
The two swindlers pretended to hold clothes in their hands, but in reality, they had nothing.
They instructed the emperor to take off his clothes and pretended to dress him in the new clothes they had supposedly made.
After the emperor changed into the new clothes, nobody could see that he was wearing anything, but nobody dared to say anything.
The celebratory procession wound its way through the entire city, with the emperor riding proudly in his carriage.
The common people had already heard about the emperor’s magical new clothes, so they all came out to watch, crowding the streets.
Everyone craned their necks eagerly to catch a glimpse of the emperor.
Finally, they saw him, but to their surprise, they couldn’t see a single piece of clothing on him!
Yet, nobody wanted to admit they couldn’t see the clothes because nobody wanted to be seen as foolish or incompetent. Instead, they all began praising the emperor’s new attire.
At that moment, a child cried out, saying, “But he’s not wearing any clothes at all!”
There was a moment of silence, and then one by one, people started saying, “The emperor really isn’t wearing any clothes!”
The emperor heard the whispers and his intuition told him it was true.
That’s when he realized they had been fooled by the two swindlers.
He thought to himself, “When I return, I’ll immediately throw them into prison. But for now, I must continue pretending to wear clothes, or it will be even more embarrassing.”
So, the emperor bravely carried on with the procession, pretending to be majestic and unfazed.
Upon returning to the palace, the emperor immediately ordered for the two swindlers to be captured.
However, they had already fled with the ill-gotten money they had tricked out of him.
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