'Is it not a beautiful piece of cloth?' asked the two impostors,
and they pointed to and described the splendid material which was
not there.

'Stupid I am not!' thought the man, 'so it must be my good office
for which I am not fitted. It is strange, certainly, but no one
must be allowed to notice it.' And so he praised the cloth which
he did not see, and expressed to them his delight at the
beautiful colours and the splendid texture. 'Yes, it is quite
beautiful,' he said to the Emperor.

Everybody in the town was talking of the magnificent cloth.

Now the Emperor wanted to see it himself while it was still on
the loom. With a great crowd of select followers, amongst whom
were both the worthy statesmen who had already been there before,
he went to the cunning impostors, who were now weaving with all
their might, but without fibre or thread.

'Is it not splendid!' said both the old statesmen who had already
been there. 'See, your Majesty, what a texture! What colours!'
And then they pointed to the empty loom, for they believed that
the others could see the cloth quite well.

'What!' thought the Emperor, 'I can see nothing! This is indeed
horrible! Am I stupid? Am I not fit to be Emperor? That were
the most dreadful thing that could happen to me. Oh, it is very
beautiful,' he said. 'It has my gracious approval.' And then he
nodded pleasantly, and examined the empty loom, for he would not
say that he could see nothing.