The Emperor's New Clothes

The two strangers arrived in the city with a plan that would earn them a fortune. They found lodgings near the Emperor's palace and announced they were weavers who could make the most beautiful fabric in the world.

Not only was their material beautiful, but it also had magical powers. People who were not intelligent could not see the wonderful cloth; only wise people could.

Before long, news of the weavers' claim reached the Emperor. He loved wearing beautiful clothes and summoned the two weavers at once. He would look handsome in his fine new clothes. He would also be able to spot those courtiers who were too stupid to see the wonderful material and sack them.

The tricksters set up two looms in the palace and began to 'weave'. All they did, of course, was just to pretend to be weaving. There was only air on the loom.

Yet they kept asking for large amounts of gold and expensive silk so they could weave them into the new fabric. At night they took all the gold and silk back to their rooms.

The Emperor was excited about the two weavers' progress and sent his Prime Minister to inspect the new fabric.