Story of the Foreign Fairy Chapter 4

Many years ago there was an emperor who liked to wear nice new clothes. He spent all his money on clothes to look good, he cared nothing for his army, and he did not like going to the theatre. He also didn't like riding around the park in a carriage unless it was to show off his new clothes. He wears a new set of clothes every hour of the day. When people mentioned the emperor, they always said: "The emperor is in the conference room." But when people mentioned him, they always said: "The emperor is in the dressing room."

In the big city where he lived, life was easy and pleasant. Many foreigners arrive every day. One day two liars came. They said they were weavers. They said they could weave the most beautiful cloth that no one could imagine. The colors and patterns of this kind of cloth are not only very beautiful, but the clothes sewn with it also have a strange effect, that is, no incompetent or stupid people can see the clothes.

"That is my favorite dress!" the emperor thought to himself. "By wearing such clothes, I can tell who are incompetent in my kingdom; I can tell who are smart and who are fools. Yes, I will ask them to weave such cloth immediately Come!" He paid the two crooks a lot of money and told them to start working immediately.

They set up two looms and pretended to be working, but there was nothing on their looms. One after another they asked the emperor to send them some of the best raw silk and gold. They put all these things into their pockets, but pretended to be busy working on the two empty looms until late at night.

"I would like to know how well they weave," the emperor thought. However, he immediately remembered that the cloth cannot be seen by stupid or incompetent people. He did feel a little uncomfortable in his heart. He believed that he had nothing to fear. Even so, he still thought it would be more appropriate to send someone to take a look first. Everyone in the city had heard that this cloth had strange powers, so everyone wanted to take the opportunity to test it and see how stupid and stupid their neighbors really were.

"I will send the honest old minister to the weavers," thought the emperor. "Only he can tell what the cloth looks like because he is a very clever man and no one else is as good at the job as he is."

So the good old minister went to where the two crooks worked. They were busy working on the empty looms.

"What's going on?" the old minister thought, opening his eyes as big as the mouth of a bowl.

"I didn't see anything!" But he didn't dare to say this.

The two swindlers begged him to come closer and asked him whether the pattern and color of the cloth were beautiful. They pointed to the two empty looms.

The poor old minister's eyes opened wider and wider, but he still could not see anything, because there was nothing to see.

"Oh my God!" he thought. "Am I a fool? I have never doubted myself. I must not let this be known. Am I incompetent? No; I must not let it be known that I cannot see the cloth."

"Hey, don't you have any objection at all?" said a weaver who was weaving.

"Ah, it's so beautiful! It's so wonderful!" said the old minister. He looked carefully with his glasses on. "What beautiful patterns! What beautiful colors! Yes, I will report to the Emperor that I am very satisfied with this cloth."
 
"Well, we're so glad to hear you," said the two weavers together. They described the rare colors and patterns and added some nouns. The old minister listened carefully so that he could recite it when he returned to the emperor. In fact, that's what he did.

The two swindlers asked for more money, more silk and gold, which they said they needed for weaving. They put all these things in their pockets without even putting a thread on the loom. But they continued to work on the empty racks.

Soon after, the emperor sent another honest official to see if the cloth could be woven quickly. His luck was no better than that of the first minister: he looked and looked, but there was nothing on the two empty looms, and he could see nothing.

"Do you think this piece of cloth is beautiful?" the two swindlers asked. They pointed to some beautiful patterns and gave some explanations. In fact, there are no patterns at all.

"I'm not stupid!" thought the official. "This is probably because I am not worthy of taking such a good official position now, right? This is really funny, but I must not let others see it!" So he praised Bu, whom he had not seen at all, and said to them at the same time , he likes these beautiful colors and clever patterns very much. "Yes, that is so beautiful," he said back to the emperor.

All the people in town were talking about this beautiful cloth.

While the cloth was still being woven, the emperor wanted to see it in person. He selected a specially selected group of followers, including the two honest ministers who had already visited him. So he went to where the two cunning liars lived. The two guys were weaving with all their energy, but not a single thread could be seen. "Don't you think this is beautiful?" said the two honest officials. "Your Majesty, please look at what a beautiful pattern! What a beautiful color!" They pointed at the empty loom, because they thought others would be able to see the cloth.

"What is going on?" the emperor thought to himself. "I saw nothing! This is ridiculous! Am I a fool? Am I not worthy of being emperor? This is the most terrible thing that has ever happened to me."

"Oh, it is so beautiful!" said the emperor. "I am extremely satisfied!"

So he nodded in satisfaction. He pretended to look at the loom very carefully, because he did not want to say that he saw nothing. All the entourage who came with him also looked carefully, but they didn't see anything more. However, they also followed the emperor's words: "Ah, it's so beautiful!" They suggested that the emperor use this novel and beautiful fabric to make clothes and wear them to participate in the upcoming parade in person. "So beautiful! So exquisite! So wonderful!" Everyone echoed. Everyone has unspeakable happiness. The emperor gave each of the swindlers a knighthood and a medal that could be hung in a button hole; he also named them "imperial weavers."

The parade will be held the next morning. The two swindlers stayed up all night and lit 16 candles. You can see them working at night to finish the emperor's new clothes. They pretended to take the cloth off the loom. They used two large scissors to cut in the air for a while, and at the same time they used unthreaded needles to sew. Finally, they all said in unison: "Look! The new clothes are sewn!"

The emperor arrived in person with a group of his noblest knights. The two liars each raised a hand as if they were holding something. They said, "Look, here are the trousers, here are the robes! Here are the coats!" and so on. "This dress is as light as a spider's web: the wearer will feel as if there is nothing on him, which is the beauty of this dress."

"That's true," said all the knights. But they saw nothing, because there was nothing.

"Now please take off your clothes," said the two swindlers. "We will put on new clothes for His Majesty in front of this big mirror."

The emperor took off all his clothes. The two swindlers pretended to hand him the new clothes they had just sewn one by one. They worked on his waistline for a while, as if they were fastening something: this is the back train (note: the back train (Slaebet) is a long piece of cloth trailing behind the dress; it is a piece of cloth in the feudal era A attire of European aristocrats). The emperor turned in front of the mirror and twisted his waist.

"God, how it fits me! How beautifully cut it is!" everyone said. "What beautiful patterns! What beautiful colors! What a precious outfit!"

"Everyone has already prepared the canopy outside. We just need to wait for His Majesty to go out before we can stand up and go to the parade!" said the ceremony official.

"Yes, I'm already dressed," the emperor said. "Does this dress fit me?" So he turned around in front of the mirror again, because he wanted to let everyone see that he was seriously admiring his beautiful beauty. clothing. The ministers who were about to pick up the train all moved their hands here and there on the ground, as if they were really picking up the train. They walked away, holding the air in their hands so as not to let anyone see that they actually saw nothing.

In this way, the emperor began to parade under the magnificent canopy. People standing on the street and in the windows said: "My dear, the emperor's new clothes are so beautiful! How beautiful the train is under his coat! How the clothes fit!" No one wants to let people know that they can't see anything, because Doing so will expose you as incompetent or stupid. Never before had any of the emperor's clothes received such universal admiration.

"But he's not wearing any clothes!" a child finally cried out.

"God, listen to this innocent voice!" Dad said. So everyone spread the words of the child privately and quietly.
 
"He's not wearing any clothes! One kid said he's not wearing any clothes!"

"He really doesn't have any clothes on!" All the people said in the end.

The emperor trembled a little, because he seemed to think that what the people said was right. But he thought to himself: "I must complete this parade." So he put on an even more proud look, and his ministers followed him, holding a non-existent train in their hands. .