Authors: Yueh Tung
Monkey put on a sleepy face, clasped his hands over his breast, and took leave of the “sisters.” Supported by the four maids, he descended the hundred-foot Fragrance-gripping Pavilion. As they walked toward the main road, Monkey said, “You four go on back. Be sure to say thanks for me, and tell your mistress and my little sister' we'll get together again tomorrow.”
The maids said, “Just a moment ago when we left, Lady Green Pearl instructed us to accompany you all the way to Hegemon Ch'u's estate.”
Monkey said, “So you don't want to return, eh? See my cudgel!”
No sooner had he spoken than the cudgel was in his hand. With one full-power sweep, the four maids were beaten to red powder.
Monkey returned to his real form. He raised his head to look around and found himself directly in front of Nü-kua's
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gate. He was pleased and said, “Heaven was chopped open by Little Moon King's sky-gougers, and yesterday they put the blame on me. Although Lao-tzu is obnoxious and the Jade Emperor stupid, I made a mistake, too. I shouldn't have done something five hundred years ago to start tongues wagging. Still, I'm not going to surrender myself now.
“I've heard that Nü-kua has had long experience in patching heaven. I'll ask her to fix it for me today and then go crying up to the Palace of Magic Mists and wash myself clean. This is really a great opportunity.”
He walked up to the gate for a better look, but all he saw were two black doors shut tight. The doors were sealed with a piece of paper that said: “Went to the Yellow Emperor's for a chat on the twentieth. Back in ten days. Sorry, honorable visitor. I extend my apologies here in advance.”
Monkey read this and turned to go. He heard the cock crow three times. It was nearly dawn. He had traveled several million miles and still hadn't seen the First Emperor of Ch'in.
1
Green Pearl was the beautiful concubine of the rich and extravagant Shih Ch'ung of the Chin dynasty (264-419) who purchased her for fifteen pecks of pearls.
2
Hsi-shih was a famous beauty who lived in the state of Yüeh during the Spring and Autumn Period (722-481 B.C.). She was sent by King Kou-chien of Yüeh to King Fu-ch'ai of Wu and later caused the collapse of the state of Wu. According to one legend, on the way from Yüeh to Wu, Hsi-shih became romantically involved with the diplomat Fan Li who presented her to the King of Wu.
3
We are not able to identify Miss Silk.
4
The daughter of the ancient mythical emperor Fu-hsi drowned herself in the River Lo and became its goddess.
5
King Ling of Ch'u loved girls with slim waists.
6
I.e., the shoes worn on a lady's delicate bound feet.
7
Beautiful Lady Yü was the favorite concubine of Hsiang Yü, Hegemon of Ch'u, a leader of the rebellion that ended the Ch'in dynasty in 207 B.C. After wiping out the last Ch'in emperor's family and setting fire to the capital of Hsien-yang, he parceled the empire into separate states over which he exercised hegemony from the state of Ch'u. Shortly thereafter, he was destroyed by his vassal, King of Han (Liu Pang), who went on to found the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220).
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Nü-kua was a younger sister of the sage-emperor Fu-hsi, mythical author of the
I Ching (Book of Changes)
. She was supposed to have had the head of a woman and a serpent's body and to have repaired heaven after it was knocked from its supporting pillars during a war.
For a Face Half Covered with Tears, the True Beauty Dies; At the Mention of P'ing-hsiang, the General of Ch'u Is Grieved.
All of a sudden Monkey noticed a dark man sitting in a high pavilion. Monkey laughed and said, “So there are rebels in the World of the Ancients, too! His whole face has been blackened with coal and he's on public exhibit here.”
He advanced a few steps, then said, “No, he's no rebel; it's a temple for Chang Fei.”
1
But after thinking it over he said, “If it were Chang Fei's temple, he'd wear a turban. Even if there's a new style, at most he'd be wearing a general's helmet—an emperor's crown can't be worn by just anyone. Since he's wearing a crown and his face is dark, this must be Great Yü,
2
the Dark Emperor. I'll go see him and ask his secret method for controlling monsters and killing demons. Then I won't have to bother looking for the First Emperor of Ch'in.”
As he neared the front of the pavilion, he saw that below the platform stood a stone column, from the top of which flew a white banner. The banner had seven words written in purple saying, “The Famous Pre-Han Knight, Hsiang Yü.”
When Monkey read this he laughed aloud and said, “That just goes to show you shouldn't think about things that haven't happened—when you think about them, they won't turn out the way you expect. Here I speculated this way and that, saying he was Great Yü, the Dark Emperor, or Chang Fei, or a rebel—who'd have thought he'd be none other than my ‘husband’ from Green Pearl's tower.”
He thought a bit more and said, “Wait a minute—I drilled into this World of the Ancients to find the First Emperor of Ch'in and borrow his
Mountain-removing Bell. The Hegemon of Ch'u, whom I just saw, lived after him. Why haven't I seen the First Emperor? I've got an idea—I'll climb the pavilion to see Hsiang Yü and ask him for information about the First Emperor. Then I can figure out where he is.”
Monkey jumped up for a closer look. He saw that below the pavilion there was an area with green grass, red railings, flowers here and there, and bird song everywhere. There sat a beautiful lady. Monkey heard someone call, “Beautiful Lady Yü! Beautiful Lady Yü!”
Monkey laughed and said, “Well, well. Old Monkey from Green Pearl's tower is here now. What's it to me if this Lady Yü is dead or alive?”
Monkey gave his body a shake and, as before, changed himself into a likeness of the beautiful lady. He climbed the pavilion, took out a long white handkerchief, and began to daub at tears. With only half his face showing, he looked at Hsiang Yü as if resentful and angry.
Hsiang Yü was startled and fell to his knees. Monkey turned his back. Hsiang Yü flew over to kneel in front of Monkey and said, “Beautiful Lady, have pity on your bedfellow! Please, a little smile!”
When Monkey didn't respond, Hsiang Yü could do nothing but tear up in sympathy. Then Monkey's face became red as a peach blossom. He pointed at Hsiang Yü and said, “Stupid thief! A feared general like you can't even protect a girl! How can you have the face to sit on this high platform?”
Hsiang Yü only blubbered and didn't dare reply. Monkey put on a look of pity. He helped him up and said, “It's often said there's yellow gold on a man's knees. After this you really mustn't kneel without call.”
Hsiang Yü said, “What are you saying, Beautiful Lady? When I saw you knit your sorrowful brows, my heart and lungs were crushed. What do I care about my body? What did you mean by what you said?”
Monkey said, “I can't keep it from you, Your Majesty. I was feeling a bit ill, and slept on the rattan couch for half an hour. But then I saw a monkey spirit jump out of the magnolia tree outside the window. He claimed to be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and the Bodhisattva Sun Wu-k'ung, the one who caused a ruckus in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago.”
When Hsiang Yü heard this he leapt to his feet and shouted “Get my sword from the headboard of the jade bed! Get my sword! If you can't find the sword bring the tiger-head spear.”
Then he scratched his head, stamped his feet, and bellowed, “Where is he now?”
Monkey leaned over and said, “You needn't get so excited, Your Majesty. Don't get so angry that you hurt yourself. Let me tell you slowly. That ape was disgusting. He came up beside the couch and flirted lewdly with me. Though I'm not bright, how could I be so stupid as to mistake adultery for chastity?
“I shouted for the maids but didn't know the ape had said a charm to freeze them in their tracks. I knew something was wrong when I couldn't get a single maid to come. I flung down my round fan and straightened my gown. The ape glared at me. Then he grabbed me and threw me into the Blossom Rain Tower, then turned and jumped away.
“I was terrified in the Blossom Rain Tower, but I stole a glance to see where he'd gone. What do you think he did, Your Majesty? He went and sat on my flower-shaded rattan couch, changed into my likeness, and called for the maids. I'm afraid that in a little while he'll try to delude Your Majesty.
“I'm not worth troubling over—I'm just afraid that Your Majesty won't be able to tell the true from the false and will fall into poisonous hands. My crying was only for you, Your Majesty.”
When Hsiang Yü heard this, he took the sword in his right hand and the spear in his left and screamed “Kill him!” He leapt from the pavilion and charged to the flower-shaded couch. There he cut off Beautiful Lady Yü's head and threw it, dripping with blood, into the lotus pond.
He told all the maids, “Don't cry. This was a false lady, so I killed her. The real lady is in my pavilion.”
Holding back their tears, the maids quickly followed King Hsiang to the pavilion. When they saw Monkey they changed from sad to happy and said, “Our true lady is indeed here. It nearly scared us maids to death.”
King Hsiang was very happy. To the maids he said, “Sweep the Blossom Rain Tower. And carefully prepare some wine: first to calm the lady's nerves and second to celebrate my joy over killing the monster and dispelling doubt.” The maids below the pavilion answered, “Yes, Your Majesty,” in one voice. Meanwhile the maids in the pavilion came to soothe Monkey's breast and stroke his back. They offered tea and water, and some asked, “Were you afraid, Madam? Is your heart still thumping?”
Monkey said, “A little.”
One asked, “You didn't fall and hurt your lower body, did you?”
Monkey said, “No, I didn't. It's just that this gasping for breath is hard to bear.”
King Hsiang said, “Gasping for breath isn't serious. Just calm down and sit for a while—you'll be all right.”
Suddenly a couple of maids knelt before the king and the lady and said, “Your Majesty, My Lady, please come to the feast.”
Monkey said to himself, “I shouldn't do everything he says yet.” He pretended to be seized by an evil spirit, and with his two eyes staring blankly at the king he said, “Give me back my head!”
King Hsiang was alarmed and said again and again, “Beautiful Lady! Beautiful Lady!”
Monkey didn't respond, but rolled his eyes back till only the whites showed. King Hsiang said, “This has got to be Sun Wu-k'ung's ghost—it hasn't dispersed yet and has taken possession of Beautiful Lady's body. Quick! Get the yellow-robed Taoist priest to exorcise the spirit. Then she'll be all right.”
A Little while later two maids and the Taoist priest mounted the pavilion. The Taoist carried a bell and spat magic water from his mouth. He chanted a spell:
In the time of the Three Emperors, there were the Yellow Emperor, Hsüan Yuan, and the Divine Lord, Great Shun. Great Shun's name was Yü. Hsüan-yüan's family name was Kung-sun. Sun Yü and Yü Sun were originally related through marriage, but today there's been a feud—when will it be settled? I kowtow to your valiant spirit, Honorable Monk and Great Sage, Mr. Sun. Fly quickly to the upper regions and start another row in the Heavenly Palace. Release Beautiful Lady Yü and seek the T'ang Priest. Quick! Quick! Follow my orders. Otherwise this Taoist priest will gain no merit and a Buddhist monk will have to come.
Monkey called out, “Taoist Priest! Do you know who I am?”
The priest knelt and said, “A thousand years to you, My Lady.”
Monkey scolded, “Taoist Priest! Really! You can't get rid of me! I'm the Great Sage Equal of Heaven! I have a score to settle and I possessed her body to do it. Today is an auspicious day. I'm determined to marry Beautiful Lady Yü. Why don't you act as go-between? It'll be worth your while—you'll get the go-between's fee.” After that he yelled some more gibberish.
The Taoist priest's limbs went numb. He could only hold his sword before him and wave it feebly back and forth. He meekly spat half a mouthful of magic water and chanted in a low voice, “Make haste to follow the order of the Supreme Lord Lao-tzu.” But there was no response.
Monkey was secretly sorry for the priest, so after a while he made his eyes look alive again. He called out, “Your Majesty…dear Husband…Where are you?”
King Hsiang was greatly pleased. He immediately gave the priest a hundred taels of white gold and sent him back to the temple. Then he hurried over to help Monkey to his feet and said, “Beautiful Lady, why did you frighten me so?”
Monkey said, “I don't know. I only saw that Monkey coming near my couch again, and then I felt dizzy. When he took that mouthful of magic water from the Taoist priest, he couldn't stand steady, then he ran off in the direction of the southwest. But now my head is very clear—let's go and drink some wine.”
King Hsiang took Monkey's hand. They walked down from the pavilion and went to sit in the Blossom Rain Tower. There phoenix-lamps cast their brilliance, cinnamon candles flickered, and the maids all stood in rows.
After several rounds of wine, Monkey suddenly stood up and said to Hsiang Yü, “Your Majesty, I want to sleep.”
Hsiang Yü quickly called, “Maid P'ing-hsiang! Light the candles.” The two of them went into the bedroom holding hands. They had a cup of tea from Mount Chieh and sat side-by-side on the couch. Monkey thought, “If I leave now, I won't get any information about the First August Emperor of Ch'in. But what if I go inside the bed curtains with him and he makes some move? Should I let him or not? I'd be better off finding a way to escape.” And he said to Hsiang Yü, “Your Majesty, there's something I've been meaning to say to you, but there's been so much going on that every time I see you I forget. Ever since I've been with you, I've hoped to have children to carry on after us forever. Who would have thought that these several years there'd be no results? And also, Your Majesty, you love only me and haven't had to look around for concubines. Now the snow drifts in your locks and your body's grown plump. Although I'm not clever I secretly fear you'll become a lonely man, and that when you die you'll be a ghost without an heir. The maid P'ing-hsiang has natural beauty and supple grace; her eyes embrace a man like mist. I've sounded out her literary taste several times and find her quite sensitive. Why doesn't Your Majesty call her to serve you tonight?”
The color drained from King Hsiang's face and he said, “Beautiful Lady, I think today's shock must have tipped your heart. Why should such a jealous person as you say such an unjealous thing?”
Monkey smiled and said, “Your Majesty, it's only for your own good that I'm not usually so tolerant. Now I give you my leave for the sake of your sons and grandsons. My heart isn't tipped. I only hope that in the future your heart won't become slanted.”
King Hsiang said, “Beautiful Lady, even if you asked me ten thousand times, I wouldn't dare to take P'ing-hsiang. Have you forgotten so soon that five years ago on the fifteenth of the first month, the time of the Lantern Festival, we vowed to share life and death together? Now you're teasing me.”
Monkey saw that it wouldn't work. He smiled again and said, “Your Majesty, I only fear you might forsake me. How could I ever forsake you? But now there's something else that might upset you.”
1
Chang Fei was a general of the Kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period (A.D. 220-280). He is usually depicted with a black face.
2
“Great Yü was the legendary sage-emperor who quelled the Great Flood.