The Emperor's New Clothes

Many years ago, there was an Emperor who loved new clothes more than anything else. He spent all his money on them. He had a different suit for every hour of the day. He did not care about his soldiers at all.

The Emperor lived in a large, busy city, and visitors came there every day. One day, two bad men came to the city. They said that they made cloth. They said that their cloth had the most beautiful colors. "But our cloth is special," they said. "Anyone who is very stupid cannot see it. And anyone who is not good enough for his job cannot see it either."

"These must be wonderful clothes!" thought the Emperor. "If I have a suit like that, I will know which of my men are not good at their jobs. I will also know who is clever and who is stupid. They must make this cloth for me at once!" So he gave the two men a lot of money, and they started work.

The two men put two big machines for making cloth in a room. They asked for the best silk and gold. Then they put it all into their own bags. After that, they sat at the empty machines and moved their hands until late at night. But they didn't really work at all. Soon everyone in the city heard about the special cloth.

The Emperor wanted to know about the work. But he felt a little afraid to go himself. "I'll send my good old minister," he said. "He is a clever man, and he is very good at his job."

So the old minister went into the room. The two men were sitting at their empty machines. He opened his eyes very wide. He couldn't see any cloth on the machines!