Once, there lived an emperor in a great kingdom who loved clothes. He spent all his money on fancy outfits, and his only concern was what to wear next. He didn’t care about his people or his kingdom; he only cared about his appearance.
One day, two cunning tricksters arrived in the kingdom. They pretended to be famous tailors and told everyone that they could make the emperor the most beautiful clothes in the world. These clothes, they claimed, were so special that only wise and important people could see them. “Fools,” they said, “won’t see anything at all!”
When the emperor heard this, he was thrilled. He thought, “If I wear these clothes, I’ll know who in my kingdom is wise and who is foolish!” So he gave the tricksters a lot of gold, and they pretended to work hard, though they weren’t knitting or sewing anything.
The emperor sent his honest ministers to check on the progress. The ministers saw nothing, but they didn’t want to admit they were fools, so they praised the “invisible” clothes. When the emperor himself went to see, he also saw nothing. But not wanting anyone to think he was a fool, he too pretended to admire the nonexistent clothes.
Finally, the day came for the emperor to wear his new clothes. He put on nothing at all and marched through the city in a grand parade. Everyone in the kingdom had heard about the special clothes and didn’t want to seem foolish, so they all praised the emperor’s invisible outfit.
Suddenly, a small child shouted, “The emperor has no clothes!” The crowd fell silent. Then people began to whisper, and soon everyone was shouting, “The emperor has no clothes!” The emperor blushed with embarrassment, but he continued walking, too proud to admit the truth.
The moral of the story is: Honesty is always the best policy. Don’t be afraid to speak the truth, even if others are afraid to.
