NINETY-FOUR

Four priests are feted at the royal garden;

One fiend vainly longs for sensual joys.

We were telling you about Pilgrim Sun and his two companions, who followed the summons official to the gate of the court. The custodian of the Yellow Gate immediately notified them to enter. The three of them walked in together and stood still, without, however, even bowing.

“Which three are the noble disciples of the sage monk, our royal son-in-law?” asked the king. “What are your names? Where do you live? For what reason did you become priests? What scriptures are you seeking?”

Pilgrim strode forward and wanted to ascend to the main hall. The guardians of the throne at once shouted, “Stop! If you have anything to say, speak up at once!”

“We people who have left the family,” said Pilgrim, smiling, “will advance one step when we have the chance to take one step.” After him Eight Rules and Sha Monk also drew near. Fearing that their vulgarity might upset the throne, the elder, standing on one side, stepped forward and said, “Disciples, His Majesty is asking for your origins. You should present a proper reply.”

When Pilgrim saw that his master was standing in waiting on one side, he could not refrain from yelling, “Your Majesty, you slight others and you slight yourself! If you have taken in my master as the royal son-in-law, why do you make him stand? The world addresses your daughter’s husband as ‘Honored Man.’ How can an honored man not be allowed to sit?”

When he heard that, the king paled with fright. He would have withdrawn himself immediately from the hall had he not feared impropriety. Forcing himself to be bold, he asked his attendants to bring out an embroidered cushion for the Tang Monk to sit on. Only then did Pilgrim memorialize to him, saying,

Old Monkey’s ancestral home is located at the Water Curtain

Cave of the Flower-Fruit Mountain, in the Aolai Kingdom of

the East Pūrvavideha Continent.

My father was Heaven, my mother, Earth:

I was born when a stone burst.

Once a perfected man’s pupil,

I mastered the Great Way

Ere returning to my divine home

To congregate with my kind in the cave-heaven of a blessed land.

In the ocean I subdued dragons;

On the mountains I captured beasts.

Having wiped out the register of death

And placed our names in the book of life,

I was appointed the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven,

To enjoy the towers of jade

And roam the treasure lofts.

I joined the celestial immortals

To sing and revel every day;

Living in the sages’ realm,

I had great pleasures each morning.

For disrupting the Peaches Festival

And causing great havoc in Heaven,

I was subjugated by Buddha

And pinned beneath the Mountain of Five Phases,

With but iron pellets for my hunger

And copper juice for my thirst,

And not a drop of tea or rice for five hundred years.

Fortunately my master left the Land of the East;

As he headed for the West,

Guanyin delivered me from Heaven’s calamity.

Free of my great ordeal,

I made submission as a student of Yoga.

My old name’s Wukong,

But people address me as Pilgrim.

When the king heard such an important pedigree, he was so impressed that he left the dragon couch immediately to walk forward and take the elder’s arm. “Royal son-in-law,” he said, “this must be our affinity ordained of Heaven that we may have you as a divine kinsman.”

Tripitaka thanked him profusely and asked him to ascend his throne once more. Then the king asked, “Who is your second noble disciple?” Sticking out his snout to display his authority, Eight Rules said,

In his previous incarnation old Hog

Was most fond of pleasure and sloth;

My whole life was chaotic,

My nature confused and my mind deluded.

I never knew Heaven’s height or Earth’s thickness,

Nor could I perceive this world’s breadth and length.

In that leisurely existence

I met suddenly a realized immortal

Who, with half a sentence

Untied my net of retribution,

And with two or three words

Punched through my door of calamity.

Immediately coming to myself,

I took him at once as a teacher.

With care I cultivated the work of two-eights,¹

And smelted fore and after the time of three times three.²

My work done I ascended

Into the palace of Heaven.

By the great kindness of the Jade Emperor

I was appointed Marshal of Heavenly Reeds,

In command of the troops of Heaven’s river,

Roaming freely throughout the cosmos.

For getting drunk at the Peaches Festival

And dallying with Chang’e,

I was stripped of my rank

And exiled to this mortal world.

An erroneous incarnation

Made me born in the form of a hog.

A resident of Mount Fuling,

I committed boundless evils

When I met Guanyin,

Who pointed out the way of virtue.

I submitted to the Buddhist faith

To give the Tang Monk protection

On his way to the Western Heaven

To bow and seek the wondrous texts.

My religious name’s Wuneng,

But they call me Eight Rules.

These words made the king’s spleen shake and his heart quiver, and he hardly dared look at the speaker.

Our Idiot, however, became more energetic than ever; shaking his head, sticking out his snout, and raising both ears, he laughed uproariously. Fearing again that the throne might be terrified, Tripitaka snapped, “Eight Rules, behave!” Only then did Eight Rules lower his hands, putting one over the other, and stand there pretending to be a gentleman.

Then the king asked once more, “For what reason did the third noble disciple become a priest?” Pressing his palms together, Sha Monk said,

Old Sand was originally a mortal man.

Fear of the karmic wheel made me seek the Way,

Roaming cloudlike the edges of the sea

And wandering at the shores of Heaven.

As always my frock and almsbowl followed me;

Long I taught my mind and spirit to stay put.

For such sincerity

I found an immortal mate;

I nurtured the Baby³

And married the Fair Girl.

When my merit reached three thousand,

My work harmonized the Four Signs,⁴

I went beyond Heaven’s bound

To bow at the mysterious height.

Made the Great Curtain-Raising Warrior,

I attended the phoenix-and-dragon chariot

With appointed rank of general.

At the Peaches Festival also

I dropped and broke a crystal chalice,

For which I was exiled to the Flowing-Sand River.

My head and features transformed,

I sinned by taking lives.

Fortunately the Bodhisattva going far to the Land of the East

Persuaded me to repent

And wait for a Buddhist son of the Tang court,

Who would go seek scriptures at the Western Heaven.

Henceforth I stood in this renewal

And sought once more the great awakening.

I use the river as my surname;

My religious name’s Wujing,

And they address me as Monk.

When the king heard that, he was filled with great joy but also great terror. What brought him joy was the fact that his daughter had taken a living Buddha in for a husband, but what brought him terror was that the man’s disciples were actually three monstrous deities. In that very moment, the chief imperial astronomer arrived to say, “The date of the wedding has been set for the fine day of renzi, the twelfth day of this month in this year. That day ought to be felicitous for the entire family, and it is thus fitting for a marriage to take place.”

“What day is today?” asked the king.

“Today is the eighth,” replied the astronomer, “the day of moushen, when the gibbons come to present fruits. It is thus a day appropriate for receiving the worthies and setting appointments.” Exceedingly pleased, the king immediately asked the attendants to sweep out some towered buildings in the imperial garden, so that the royal son-in-law and his three disciples could use them for lodging. Thereafter he asked for the preparation of the wedding banquet so that the princess could get married. All his subjects reverently obeyed. After the king had retired from court, the various officials dispersed, and we shall leave them for the moment.

We tell you now instead about Tripitaka and his disciples, who went together to the imperial garden. As it was getting late, a vegetarian meal was set out. Delighted, Eight Rules said, “It’s about time we eat after one whole day!” Those in charge toted in whole loads of rice and noodles. Eight Rules ate and ate; the more they brought, the more he ate. He did not stop till his guts were stuffed and his stomach was bloated. In a little while, lights were brought in and bedding spread out for each of them, so that they could sleep.

When the elder saw that they were by themselves, he shouted angrily at Pilgrim, “Wukong! You wretched ape! You put me in a bind every time! I told you that all I wanted was to have the rescript certified, and I told you not to go near the festooned tower. Why did you insist on taking me there to look? Now, have you seen anything good? We’ve ended up in this pickle. What are we going to do now?”

Trying to placate him with a smile, Pilgrim said, “The master’s statement that his deceased mother, who also met the person destined for her by the tossing of an embroidered ball, whereupon the two of them became man and wife, seems to indicate a longing for the past. Only because of that did old Monkey lead you to the tower. Moreover, I thought of the words of that abbot from the Benefactor-of-Orphans Gold-Spreading Monastery, and I wanted to use this occasion to examine the true and the false. Just now when I looked at the king, I noticed that his complexion was somewhat dark and swarthy. But I haven’t been able to look at the princess to determine what she was like.”

“What would you be able to do if you saw the princess?” asked the elder. Pilgrim said, “The moment these fiery eyes and diamond pupils of old Monkey see her face, they will be able to discern truth and falsehood, good and evil, wealth and poverty. Then I will be able to act to distinguish the right from the deviant.”

With loud giggles, both Eight Rules and Sha Monk said, “Elder Brother must have recently learned the art of physiognomy!”

“Those physiognomists,” said Pilgrim, “ought to be regarded only as my grandsons!”

“Stop gabbing!” snapped Tripitaka. “It appears now that they are bent on taking me in. What should we do, really?”

Pilgrim said, “Let’s wait till the twelfth, the day of the wedding ceremony, when the princess undoubtedly will appear to pay homage to her parents. Let old Monkey take a look at her from the side. If she were a real woman, it wouldn’t be too bad for you to become the royal son-in-law and enjoy the glory of a nation.”

These words sent Tripitaka into greater fury. “You wretched ape!” he cried. “You still want to injure me! As Wuneng puts it, nine-tenths of our journey has been covered already, and you still stab me with your hot tongue! Stop wagging it, and don’t you dare open that stinking mouth of yours! If you behave with such insolence just one more time, I’ll recite that spell to make life intolerable for you!”

When Pilgrim heard that he wanted to recite the spell, he was so horrified that he immediately went to his knees and said, “Don’t do that! Don’t do that! If she were a real woman, we’d wait till the time of the mutual bows, and then we would create havoc in the palace and get you out.” As master and disciples conversed, the announcement of the night watches began. Truly

The palace clock drips slowly;

The floral scent spreads softly.

The boudoir drops its pearly screen;

In empty yards no lights are seen.

The swings stand idle, showing only their shades;

All is quiet as a Tangut flute fades.

The moon on the blossoms confers her grace;

The stars seem brighter in a treeless space.

The nightjar ends her song;

The butterfly-dream is long.

The Milky Way crosses the sky

As white clouds to one’s homeland fly:

A time when travelers feel the keenest pain,

Saddened by the wind-swept young willow-skein.

“Master,” said Eight Rules, “it’s late. If there’s anything important, discuss it tomorrow. Let’s go to sleep! Let’s go to sleep.” Master and disciples indeed enjoyed a restful night.

Soon the golden rooster announced the arrival of dawn, and the king ascended the main hall for his early audience. You see

The palace open, the purple aura high;

Wind-blown, royal music rends the blue sky.

Clouds move the leopard’s-tails⁵ and banners shake;

The sun hits carved dragons⁶ and girdle-jades quake.

Fragrant mist heightens the palace willow green;

Dew drops moisten the flowers’ imperial sheen.

Midst shouts and dances the ministers stand,

For peace and harmony reign o’er the land.

After the hundred officials, both civil and military, had paid their homage, the king gave this order: “Let the Court of Imperial Entertainments prepare the wedding banquet for the twelfth. For today, however, let us make ready some spring wine and entertain our royal son-in-law in the imperial garden.” He also instructed the Director of the Bureau of Ceremonies to take the three worthy kinsmen back to the College of Interpreters. There they would be served a vegetarian feast by the Court of Imperial Entertainments. The staff from the Office of Music would be asked to play at both the college and the garden, so that all could be entertained while they spent time enjoying the sight of spring.

When Eight Rules heard all this, he at once spoke up and said, “Your Majesty, since we, master and disciples, made each other’s acquaintance, we have not been separated for a single moment. Today, if you plan to eat and drink in the imperial garden, take us along and let us play for a couple of days. That’s the way for you to make my master your royal son-in-law. Otherwise, I fear that you may find it hard to carry out this scheme.”

The king had already noticed Eight Rules’s hideous appearance and vulgar manner of speech. And when he saw him sticking out his snout and wagging his ears, constantly twisting his head and kneading his neck, he thought the speaker was showing signs of madness. Fearing that the marriage might be ruined, the king had no choice but to agree to the demands. “Prepare two tables,” said the king, “in the Eternal Pacification of the Chinese and Barbarian Loft, where we shall sit with our royal son-in-law. Three other tables are to be set up in the Spring-Detaining Arbor for those three guests. Master and disciples, we fear, may not find it convenient to sit together.” Only then did our Idiot bow and say, “Thank you!” before each person withdrew. The king also issued this order that the official in charge of the inner palace prepare another banquet, so that the queen and the consorts of three palaces and six chambers could assist the princess in putting on her headgear and present her with her dowry, in anticipation of the fine match set for the twelfth.

By about the hour of the Serpent,⁷ the king called for his carriage and invited the Tang Monk and his companions to go to the imperial garden. As they looked around, they saw a marvelous place indeed.

The path’s made of colored stones—

The railings bear carved patterns—

The path’s made of colored stones,

By the side of which rare blossoms grow.

The railings bear carved patterns,

Within and beyond which strange flora flourish.

Lush peaches bewitch the kingfishers;

Young willows display the orioles.

A walk brings quiet fragrance to fill your sleeves;

A stroll makes much pure scent cling to your robe.

A phoenix terrace and a dragon pool;

A bamboo garret and a pine arbor.

On the phoenix terrace,

A flute bids phoenixes to come courteously;⁸

In the dragon pool,

Fishes raised there change into dragons to leave.

The bamboo garret has poems,

All lofty rhymes composed with utmost skill;

The pine arbor has essays,

A noble collection of pearl and jade.

Green rocks form artificial hills;

The winding stream’s azure and deep.

The true-peony arbor,

The cinnamon rose props,

Seem like thick damask and brocade spread out;

The moli⁹ fence,

The pyrus patch,

Appear as mist or jade piled up.

The peony has exotic scent;

The Sichuan mallow shows rare glamour;

White pears vie with red apricots for fragrance;

Purple orchids strive with gold daylilies for brilliance.

The lichun flower,

The “wood-brush” flower,

And the azalea

Are all fresh and fiery;

The crape-flower,

The fengxian flower,

And the “jade-pin” flower

Are all tall and trembly.

Each spot of red ripeness seems like moistened rouge;

Each clump of dense fragrance is a brocade round.

A joy’s the east wind recalling the warm sun;

The whole garden’s lit up and with charms o’errun.

The king and his several guests viewed this scenery for a long time. Then the Director of Ceremonies came to invite Pilgrim and his two brothers to go to the Spring-Detaining Arbor, while the king took the Tang Monk to the Chinese and Barbarian Loft, each party being served separately. The music and dance, the decorations and appointments, were quite extraordinary. Truly

The Heaven-gate’s¹⁰ rugged in the morning light.

On dragon towers auspicious mists alight.

The soft hues of spring the flora adorn;

Silk robes shimmer, struck by the rays of dawn.

Like feastings of gods pipes and songs resound;

With juices of jade the cups make their rounds.

Joined in their fun are both subjects and king;

A world at peace must prosperity bring.

When the elder saw what great esteem the king showed him, he had little choice but to force himself to participate in the revelry. Truly he showed delight without but harbored anxiety within.

At the place where they were sitting, there were four gilded screens hanging on the wall, on which were painted the scenes of the four seasons. Inscribed on these paintings were poems, all compositions by noted scholars of the Hanlin Academy.¹¹

The Poem of Spring says:

The cycle of nature has made its turn.

The great earth quickens and all things seem new.

Plums vie with peaches in their beauteous blooms;

Swallows pile on carved beams their scented dust.

The Poem of Summer says:

The south wind blows to cause our thoughts delay;

The sun beams on k’uei¹² and pomegranate.

A jade flute’s soft notes stir our midday dream,

When scent of water lily spreads to the drapes.

The Poem of Autumn says:

Of golden wells’ pawlonia one leaf’s yellow.¹³

Draw not the pearl screen for the night has frost.

The swallows know it’s time to leave their nests,

As wild geese depart for another land.

The Poem of Winter says:

The rain clouds make the sky both dark and cold,

And wind blows the snow to build a thousand hills.

The palace, of course, has a warm, red stove

When plum blossoms o’erlay with jade the rails.

When the king saw how intently the Tang Monk was staring at the poems, he said, “If the royal son-in-law finds the flavor of poetry so attractive, he too must be skilled in the art of chanting and composition. If you are not parsimonious with your pearl and jade, please give a reply in kind to each of the poems, using the same rhymes. Will you do that?”

Now the elder was someone who could lose himself in such scenery, for his mind was enlightened by the vision of seeing the Buddha-nature in all things. When he heard the king favoring him with such a request, he blurted out the sentence, “The sun melts the ice as the great earth turns.” Exceedingly pleased, the king said to one of the palace attendants, “Bring out the library’s four treasures.¹⁴ Record the poetic replies of our royal son-in-law, so that we may slowly savor them.” The elder did not refuse. In delight he took up the brush to write

A Reply to the Poem of Spring:

The sun melts the ice as the great earth turns.

This day the king’s garden blossoms anew.

The people are blessed with such clement clime,

For rivers and seas are rid of worldly dust.

A Reply to the Poem of Summer:

The dipper points south to cause the day’s delay.

Ablaze are the huai¹⁵ and pomegranate.

Orioles and swallows midst the willow sing

And send their lovely duet through the drapes.

A Reply to the Poem of Autumn:

Fragrant’s the orange—green and yellow.

The verdant pine and cypress love their frost.

Brocadelike, the crysanthemum’s half in bloom.

Our songs resound through cloud and water land.

A Reply to the Poem of Winter:

The snow has stopped but still the air is cold,

When jagged rocks like jade surround the hills.

The stove’s beast-shaped charcoals have warmed the milk. ¹⁶

We sing, hands in sleeves, and lean on the rails.

The king read the poems and he could not have been more pleased. “What a marvelous line!” he chanted. “‘We sing, hands in sleeves, and lean on the rails!’” At once he asked the Office of Music to set the poems to music and perform them. They spent the day that way before dispersing.

Meanwhile, Pilgrim and his two companions also abandoned themselves to enjoyment at the Spring-Detaining Arbor. Growing somewhat tipsy from the several cups of wine they each consumed, they were about to leave to look for the elder when they spotted him in a distant room with the king. His silly nature aroused, Eight Rules shouted, “What great fun! What comfort! Today I’ve had my enjoyment! As long as I’m full, it’s time to take a snooze!”

“Second Elder Brother,” said Sha Monk, chuckling, “that’s not very dignified of you! With such a full stomach, how can you sleep?” Eight Rules said, “You wouldn’t know about this. The proverb says,

If after a meal you don’t lie flat,

Your belly won’t get fat!”

The Tang Monk took leave of the king and went to the arbor, where he rebuked Eight Rules, saying, “You coolie! You’re getting rowdier! What sort of a place is this that you dare to shout and holler? If the king takes offense, you may lose your life!”

“It’s nothing! It’s nothing!” replied Eight Rules. “After all, we are related to him as in-laws, properly speaking, and he can’t be offended by us. As the saying goes,

You can’t cut off your kin with beating,

Nor can you your neighbor with scolding.

We’re all having some fun. Why worry about him?”

“Bring that Idiot over here!” snapped the elder. “Let me give him twenty strokes with my priestly staff!” So Pilgrim pulled him over and bent him down, while the elder raised his staff to strike.

“Father royal son-in-law!” cried Idiot. “Please pardon me! Please pardon me!”

Those officials who had borne them company during the party persuaded the Tang Monk to stop. Scrambling up, our Idiot could be heard muttering, “Dear honored man! Dear royal son-in-law. The wedding hasn’t even taken place, and you’re administering royal law already!” Putting his hand over Eight Rules’s mouth, Pilgrim said, “Stop jabbering! Stop jabbering! Hurry and go to sleep!” They spent another night in the Spring-Detaining Arbor, and by dawn, they feasted once more.

They passed three or four days in such pleasure, and the auspicious day of the twelfth arrived. The officials from the three departments of the Court of Imperial Entertainments came to say, “Since receiving your decree on the eighth, your subjects have now finished building the royal son-in-law’s residence, though we are still waiting for the dowry to furnish the place. The wedding banquet, too, is prepared. Altogether, both vegetarian and nondietary, there are some five hundred tables.” Delighted, the king wanted to ask his son-in-law at once to attend the banquet, when an official of the inner palace suddenly appeared and said, “Your Majesty, the queen wishes to have an audience.”

The king went inside, and found the queens of the three palaces and the ladies of six chambers chatting merrily with the princess at the Zhaoyang Palace. Truly they were like bouquets of flowers and rounds of brocade! All that opulence could rival even that of the lunar palace in Heaven, and it certainly was not inferior to the divine jasper residence. As a testimonial, we have four new songs based on the words of Joy, Meet, Fine, and Mate.

The Song of Joy says:

Joy! Joy! Joy!

This happiness enjoy.

A matrimony

Of love most seemly.

Such smart palace fashion

Would rouse Chang’e’s passion.

Those dragon and phoenix hairpins

Of luminous gold threads thin;

Those lustrous teeth and cherry lips,

A body light as flower-slips.

Layers of silk

Within the five-colored groves;

Lovely fragrance

Rising from beauties in droves.

The Song of Meet says:

Meet! Meet! Meet!

One seductive and sweet.

Mao Qiang¹⁷ she rivals

And Chu¹⁸ maids equals.

A wrecker of city and state,

Fair like flower and jade.

Her makeup is fresh and charming;

Her jewels are more disarming.

An orchid mind and nature lofty,

And ice-white flesh and face most stately.

Like distant hills her dark brows are painted thin;

The regiment of silk she’s fairest therein.

The Song of Fine says:

Fine! Fine! Fine!

A maiden divine.

Profoundly lovely,

Truly praiseworthy.

Rare fragrances combine

With powder and carmine.

The blessed Tientai off somewhere.

Could it with a royal house compare?

She speaks and smiles in form so fair,

As pipes and music both rend the air.

Pretty are a thousand forms of flower and silk.

Scan the whole world but none is in her ilk.

The Song of Mate says:

Mate! Mate! Mate!

The orchid scents dilate.

Immortal crowd

And beauties proud.

The maidens’ colors fresh-born.

The princess newly adorned:

Her coiffure rises like a crow’s nest;

Phoenix skirt beneath a rainbow vest.

Celestial sonorities ahead;

Two rows of lovely purple and red.

In years past she had fixed a nuptial date;

This day she’s happy to meet her fine mate.

We tell you now about that king, who arrived in his carriage. The queen led the princess along with the consorts and palace maidens to meet him. Cheerfully the king entered the Zhaoyang Palace to take his seat. After the ladies had bowed to him, the king said, “Princess, our worthy daughter, we trust that the happy meeting with the sage monk when you tossed the ball from the festooned tower on the eighth has given you great satisfaction. The officials of various bureaus and departments, moreover, have been so considerate of our interests that all the preparations are now completed. Today is the auspicious day. You must make haste to attend the wedding feast, so that the goodly hour will not be forfeited.”

Stepping forward, the princess went to her knees to bow low and said, “Father King, please pardon your daughter’s ten thousand offenses! There is a matter about which I must speak to you. For several days I have heard the palace officials say that the Tang Monk has three disciples who are exceedingly ugly. Your daughter dares not face them, for they will surely cause me great fear and dread. I beg the Father King to send them out of the city so that my feeble body will not be harmed by fright nor our happiness ruined.”

“If our child hadn’t spoken of this matter,” replied the king, “we would have overlooked it. They are indeed quite hideous and wild. These past few days we’ve entertained them at the Spring-Detaining Arbor in the royal garden. We’ll take this opportunity today to go up to the hall and certify their rescript. After they have been sent out of the city, we’ll then hold our banquet.” The princess kowtowed to express her thanks. The king at once rode his carriage to the main hall, where he issued a summons for the royal son-in-law and his three disciples.

Now the Tang Monk too had been counting the days with his fingers. When he reached the twelfth, he began even before dawn to discuss the matter with his disciples, saying, “Today’s the twelfth. How are we to settle this affair?”

“I could tell,” said Pilgrim, “that the king has a certain gloomy aura about him. It has not, however, penetrated his body yet, and I don’t think it will cause him any great harm. But I still haven’t had a chance to see the princess. If only she would come out! With one glance old Monkey can tell us whether she is real or not, and only then can we do anything. You shouldn’t worry, though. Today they will certainly call for us in order to send us three out of the city. You should accept the summons without fear. In the twinkling of an eye I’ll be back at your side to give you protection.”

As master and disciples talked, the attendant to the throne and the Director of Ceremonies indeed arrived with a summons. Chuckling, Pilgrim said, “Let’s go! Let’s go! We are about to be sent off, while Master will remain for the marriage.”

“To send us off,” said Eight Rules, “they must present some thousand taels of gold or silver. That’ll be enough for me to get some gifts to go back to my in-laws. We’ll have another wedding and a little fun!”

“Clamp your mouth, Second Elder Brother, and stop blabbering!” said Sha Monk. “Just let Big Brother make the decision.”

They took the luggage and the horse to follow the various officials to the vermilion steps. When he saw them, the king asked the three disciples to approach him, saying, “Bring us your travel rescript. We shall use our treasure seal on it. In addition, we shall increase your travel allowance and wish you a speedy arrival at the Spirit Mountain to see Buddha. When you return with the scriptures, there will be further reward. The royal son-in-law will remain here, and you need not worry about him.”

Thanking him, Pilgrim asked Sha Monk to take out the rescript to hand over to the king. The king read it before applying his seal and affixing his signature. Then he presented them with ten ingots of yellow gold and twenty ingots of white gold as wedding gifts. As he had always been both lecherous and greedy, Eight Rules immediately took them, while Pilgrim gave a bow and said, “Much obliged! Much obliged!”

He turned and began to walk out. Tripitaka was so startled that he scrambled up and caught hold of Pilgrim. Teeth grinding audibly, he said, “Are you all abandoning me?”

Squeezing Tripitaka’s palm with his hand, Pilgrim winked at him and said, “Relax and enjoy your union here. When we have acquired the scriptures, we’ll return to see you.” The elder seemed not to believe him and refused to let go. The other officials, however, thought that master and disciples were indeed bidding each other farewell. Then the king asked the royal son-in-law to ascend to the hall once more, while the other officials were to see the disciples off outside the city. The elder had to loosen his grip and went back to the hall.

Pilgrim and his two companions went out of the gate of the court and took leave of the officials. “Are we really leaving?” asked Eight Rules. Without saying a word, Pilgrim walked back to the posthouse, where they were received by the posthouse clerk. As he went to prepare rice and tea, Pilgrim said to Eight Rules and Sha Monk, “You two stay here and don’t show yourselves. If the posthouse clerk questions you, just muddle through with some answer. Don’t speak to me at all, for I’m leaving to go protect Master.”

Dear Great Sage! He pulled off a piece of hair, blew his immortal breath on it, and cried, “Change!” It changed at once into a form of himself, which remained with Eight Rules and Sha Monk in the posthouse. His true self leaped into midair and changed into a bee. You see his

Yellow wings, sweet mouth, and sharp tail—

A mad dancer lost in the gale,

Most able to pick the buds and steal their scent,

To make through willows his descent.

He submits to both stains and dyes;

Hither and yon vainly he flies,

N’er tasting that sweetness he helps distill.

He has but his name for a will.¹⁹

Look at him! Ever so lightly he flew into the court, where he found the Tang Monk sitting most dejectedly and with furrowed brow on a brocade cushion to the left of the king. Alighting on his Vairocana hat, he crawled near his ear to whisper, “Master, I’m here. Please don’t worry.”

Those few words, of course, were audible only to the Tang Monk and to none of those other mortals. When the Tang Monk heard them, he felt more reassured. In a little while, a palace official came to say, “Your Majesty, the wedding banquet has been laid out in the Magpie Palace. The queen and the princess are waiting there for the presence of Your Majesty and the honorable man.” The king could not have been more pleased. At once he took the royal son-in-law inside the palace. Thus it is that

The deviant lord loves flowers, though flowers bring woe;

The Chan-mind stirs to thought, but thought begets sorrow.

We do not know how the Tang Monk in the palace will find deliverance, and you must listen to the explanation in the next chapter.