Chapter 4: The Great Sage is Dissatisfied with the Peach Banquet

Summary

In Chapter 4 of Journey to the West, the Jade Emperor learns of the great powers of the demon monkey, Sun Wukong, who had defeated celestial generals and was demanding the title of "Great Sage Equal to Heaven." To avoid further conflict, the Jade Emperor grants his request and appoints him with a prestigious, though empty, title. Wukong enjoys his new role, managing the Peach Garden where he secretly eats the magical peaches, which grant immortality. When the Queen Mother of the West organizes a Peach Banquet, Wukong disrupts the event, steals food and wine, and consumes the legendary "Nine Turns Golden Pills." His actions anger the deities, leading the Jade Emperor to send an army to capture Wukong, setting the stage for further conflict.

Content

King Li Tian led his generals back to the Heavenly Palace and reported to the Jade Emperor, saying, "We were ordered to capture the demon monkey, but unexpectedly, this monkey is highly skilled, and we were unable to defeat him. We request your majesty to decide what to do." The Jade Emperor was shocked and asked, "Such a small demon monkey, and he has such power?" Nezha replied, "That demon monkey wields an iron staff, which first defeated the Giant Spirit God, and later, my arm was injured by him. He set up a large flag at the cave entrance, embroidered with the words 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven,' and declared that if we do not officially appoint him, he will not hesitate to wage war against Heaven." The Jade Emperor became furious and said, "This demon monkey is too arrogant to claim such a title. Send more celestial soldiers to capture him!" At that moment, the Morning Star appeared and reported, "Your Majesty, even if we send more soldiers, it may be difficult to subdue this demon. It may be better to invite him to Heaven with an official title to pacify him, and perhaps he will no longer cause trouble." The Jade Emperor thought for a moment and agreed, assigning the Morning Star to be the envoy to summon Sun Wukong.

The Morning Star arrived at Flower-Fruit Mountain and was immediately confronted by a murderous atmosphere, as the mountain’s little demons brandished spears and sticks. Upon seeing the Morning Star, they rushed forward. The Morning Star hurriedly said, "Please inform your king that the Jade Emperor's emissary has come to deliver a decree." The demons reported to Wukong, who said, "Ah, it’s surely the Morning Star." He ordered a proper welcome.

When the Morning Star entered the cave and saw Wukong, he said, "The Great Sage once rejected a small post and left Heaven, so King Li hastily sent troops, but they returned defeated. The Jade Emperor now wishes to formally appoint you as the 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven.' Please follow me to Heaven to receive your title." Wukong bowed and said, "Thank you, Morning Star, for your kindness." He followed the Morning Star to the Lingxiao Palace to meet the Jade Emperor.

The Jade Emperor said, "Sun Wukong, I hereby appoint you as the 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven,' the highest of ranks. But you must not cause trouble anymore." Wukong, hearing this, expressed his thanks. The Jade Emperor then ordered the construction of the Great Sage’s residence in the right section of the Peach Garden, assigning the Five Peaches to guide Wukong to his post and giving him two bottles of imperial wine and ten golden flowers. Wukong happily accepted and went to his new role.

As the Great Sage, Wukong lived freely in his new residence, wandering around the Heavenly Court, befriending various deities, treating them like brothers. One day, Xuyangjing, a celestial immortal, reported to the Jade Emperor, "The Great Sage has been wandering freely, calling all the heavenly stars his brothers, regardless of their rank. I am concerned that he may cause trouble in the future." Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor immediately issued an edict appointing Wukong to oversee the Peach Garden.

When Wukong arrived at the Peach Garden, a land deity stopped him, asking, "Where are you going, Great Sage?" Wukong replied, "I have been appointed by the Jade Emperor to manage the Peach Garden." The land deity greeted him respectfully and led him into the garden, introducing the three types of peaches: those that ripened every 3,000 years and granted immortality; those that ripened every 6,000 years and granted eternal life; and those that ripened every 9,000 years, allowing one to live as long as Heaven and Earth. Wukong, overjoyed, began managing the Peach Garden meticulously and stopped his wanderings.

One day, seeing that most of the peaches had ripened, Wukong decided to sneak a taste. He told his attendants that he was tired and needed to rest, and once they left, he climbed a tree and ate his fill. From then on, he regularly stole peaches.

When the Queen Mother of the West prepared the Peach Banquet, she sent seven fairies to pick peaches. A land deity stopped them, saying, "Since the Great Sage is in charge of the Peach Garden, you must inform him first." The fairies, unable to find Wukong, were allowed to pick the peaches. They found two baskets of peaches from the front trees, three from the middle, but at the back trees, there were no ripe peaches, only some unripe ones. One of the fairies picked a half-ripe peach, and as she did, a small figure jumped from the branch. It was Wukong, who had eaten several peaches, transformed into a small form, and fallen asleep on the branch. Upon being discovered, Wukong shouted, "Who dares to steal my peaches!" The fairies hurriedly explained that they were following the Queen Mother's orders and apologized. Wukong asked, "Who else is invited to the banquet?" The fairies listed many notable deities but did not mention him. Enraged, Wukong set a spell on the fairies and flew to the Yaochi (Jade Pond) to investigate.

On his way, he met the Barefooted Immortal, who was also headed for the Peach Banquet. Wukong, using a clever ruse, told the Barefooted Immortal that the Queen Mother had ordered him to inform the guests to first visit the Tongming Hall before the banquet. The immortal, confused, turned around to follow this new instruction. Wukong then disguised himself as the Barefooted Immortal and made his way to the Yaochi.

At the Yaochi, a lavish feast was laid out, but no guests had arrived yet. Wukong, noticing the aroma of wine, saw a group of celestial officers preparing alcohol. He quickly cast a spell to turn himself into several sleepy insects, which made the workers fall asleep. Wukong then sampled the food and wine, becoming drunk and planning to return to his residence before the guests arrived.

However, he became lost and ended up at the Doushuai Palace, where he mistakenly ate the legendary "Nine Turns Golden Pills" that were being prepared by the Taoist Lord. Realizing his mistake, Wukong fled back to Flower-Fruit Mountain.

The celestial officials eventually reported the theft of the peaches and the pill, and the Jade Emperor was enraged. He ordered the Four Heavenly Kings, along with other deities, to lead an army of ten thousand celestial soldiers and set up an array of traps around Flower-Fruit Mountain to capture Wukong.