Monkey at the Peach Banquet

At the sound of Jade Emperor’s voice, Monkey climbed to his feet. Although he was still laughing uncontrollably, he knew he was in deep trouble. I had better slip away, he thought. He staggered to the doorway to make his escape.

But it was too late. The guests had arrived. Jade Emperor was seated at the head of the great banquet table. All around him were dozens of high gods and immortals. As Monkey hesitated in the doorway, Jade Emperor looked up. “Ah! Lotus-Feet Immortal, where have you been?”

Monkey suddenly remembered that he was still disguised as the old goddess. He opened his mouth to say something polite. But instead of words, great gales of laughter burst out. All the gods and goddesses at the table turned and stared at him.

“Has something funny happened?” Jade Emperor asked with a frown. “Well, whatever it is, Lotus-Feet Immortal, come join us. But please do not laugh. We are discussing a very serious matter.”

Biting his lips to keep from laughing, Monkey made his way to the table. To his amusement, he was seated right across the table from Dragon King of the Eastern Sea!

“Now, to answer your question, Dragon King,” said Jade Emperor, “I have put Monkey in charge of the Heavenly Peach Garden. But my real plan is—“

Monkey King could not restrain himself. He broke out into another flood of giggles.

Jade Emperor looked gravely at Monkey. “Lotus-Feet Immortal, what do you find so funny?”

“Noth—noth—nothing,” Monkey sputtered, and before he burst out again, he slapped his paws over his mouth. He grew redder and redder, until he felt he was about to explode with laughter.

“Very well,” Jade Emperor said severely. “But do try to control yourself. Now, as I was saying,” he continued, “I have Monkey King working in the Peach Garden. It’s a kind of arrest, although he doesn’t know that—”

Arrest! Monkey was furious! But all he could do was throw his head back and laugh more uproariously than ever. He laughed so wildly that he lost control of his transformation, just for a split second.

Across from Monkey, Dragon King of the Eastern Sea blinked. Then he jumped up, scurried around Monkey’s chair, and screamed, “Ah ha! A monkey’s tail. Look, Your Majesty! This is not Lotus-Feet Immortal! It’s Monkey—in disguise!”

Monkey looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, his tail was showing. Run away! he thought to himself. Go home! He jumped to his feet. And before the gods and goddesses could do anything, Monkey was racing through the southern gate of Heaven. He dove into the sky and somersaulted down to Earth.

Meanwhile, at Jade Pond, there was a great commotion. No sooner had Monkey escaped than the seven fairies who had been frozen in the Heavenly Peach Garden came running in. Monkey’s spell had worn off.

“Great Jade Emperor,” the fairies cried, “forgive us. That monkey has eaten hundreds of your peaches!”

They had hardly finished speaking when the real Lotus-Feet Immortal zoomed in on her cloud. “Your Majesty, forgive me for being so late, but a monkey I met told me that the banquet was at Cloud Palace.”

Then a servant from the kitchen rushed in, panic-stricken. “Your Majesty! The Laughing Liquid is—is gone!” she cried.

Jade Emperor was furious! “Such chaos is totally unacceptable on such an important day. Thousand-League Eye, Thousand-League Ear, search out Monkey and see where he has gone. I am going to punish him severely!” Jade Emperor began sneezing repeatedly.

Both ministers rushed off. In a split second they were back.

“Monkey . . . is already back at the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits,” gasped Thousand-League Eye.

“And . . . he is still . . . laughing,” huffed Thousand-League Ear.

Jade Emperor was enraged. He turned to his bravest general. “Vaisravane,” he shouted, “I order you to take one hundred thousand soldiers and arrest this—this rascal . . . this rogue . . . this rapscallion . . . this wretched no-good monkey! Bring him to me immediately. He shall regret the day he ever set foot in Heaven!”