Once upon a time, there lived a King who was overly fond of clothes. He spent all his time and money on clothes that he never cared for his soldiers or the people of his Kingdom. He had no interest for anything unless it involved displaying his clothes. He had a suit for every hour of every day.

One day, two rogues came to his court disguised as weavers and said, “Your majesty, we promise to weave the most beautiful coloured clothes for you. People will be in disbelief when they see you in those clothes. The clothes that we make have an exceptional quality – they will be invisible to anyone who is not smart or who is not fit enough to be in their profession.”

The King was very impressed. “If I have such an outfit, I can find out who is intelligent and who is foolish and if my courtiers deserve to hold their position or not,” he thought.

“That sounds like some real unique clothes indeed. Weave the clothes for me immediately,” the King said. Then turning to one of his courtiers, he said, “Give these men the best of rooms to live along with all the money and any materials they desire.”

So the fake weavers set up their looms and pretended to weave clothes all through the day. They demanded the most expensive silk and gold threads which they promptly put in their bags. They then continued pretending to work till late at night.

One day the King thought, “I want to know how my outfit is coming up. But what if I am unable to see those clothes? Will that be because I am not intelligent or because I am unfit to be a King? Better not take a chance myself. My chief minister is a wise person. I will ask him to go and check.”

He then called his Chief minister and said, “Go and check how my outfits are coming.”

When the minister went to the fake weavers, he was shocked to see empty looms. “I do not see any clothes here. I cannot see any thread or any material. I think I am a reasonably intelligent man. Does that mean I am unfit for my office?” he thought.

Seeing the minister, one of the weavers asked, “What do you think, sir? Have you ever seen such a beautiful design before?”

Unwilling to mention the missing clothes, the minister said, “Indeed. I have never seen anything more beautiful. But what are these colours and patterns? I am not familiar with them.”

The weavers went on to describe the patterns and colours of the clothes they were weaving and added, “We still need more silk and gold threads. Can you please arrange for them?”

The minister replied, “Yes. I will ensure I send them to you as soon as possible. I will also tell the King how beautiful the clothes are.”

The King was pleased to hear the minister’s report. After a few days, he sent another minister to check the progress. The second minister also came back saying the clothes were magnificent.

Soon the weavers and their outfits had become so popular that everyone in the kingdom was eager to see them. The King decided to hold a procession to display his elegant clothes to his subjects.

Finally, the day of the procession had arrived. The weavers invited the King to view the completed clothes. The King, along with his courtiers, entered the room where the weavers had been working.

The King was appalled.

He thought, “What is this? Two of my ministers claimed these were the most magnificent clothes that they had ever seen. But I see nothing. Does that mean I am unfit to be a King or that I am a fool?”

“What do you think, your majesty? Is it to your liking?” asked one of the weavers.

“Do you not think this is the best design you have ever seen, your majesty?” asked the chief minister.

“Indeed, it is. I have never owned clothes more beautiful than these,” replied the King.

“If your majesty can take off your clothes, we will dress you ourselves, ” said one of the fake weavers.

The King removed his clothes and the weavers put on a big show of dressing him up. Once done, the courtiers unanimously agreed that the clothes were exquisite. After dressing the King, the weavers left the kingdom.

The King began his procession on the streets, walking under a high canopy. His attendants pretended to lift his train and walked behind him. As promised by the weavers, the people watched the King in disbelief. They saw that the King was stark naked but did not want to say anything out aloud since they did not want anyone to call them as fools. When the people appreciated the elegant clothes, the King basking in the glory of their praise, waved at them.

Suddenly, a child yelled, “But the King is naked. He has no clothes on.”

Finally, everyone in the Kingdom heaved a sigh of relief for they were worried for no reason. They were neither fools, nor were they unfit for their office. The King was not wearing any clothes, and only a child was honest enough, to tell the truth out aloud.

The King was annoyed. “Oh, dear! The people are right. I am naked, and the weavers have duped me. But what can I do? I have no choice but to continue the procession,” thought the King. He then continued waving at the people until he returned to the palace.

That was the last time he was vain about his clothes.