On a sunny day, Tang Seng and his disciples were walking on the road to the Kingdom of Zhuzi. The sunlight bathed them, as if paving the way for their journey. Tang Seng sighed, “What a beautiful view we have on this road!” Just then, he spotted a city in the distance and curiously asked, “Disciples, what place is that?”
Sun Wukong immediately teased, “Master, you can’t be serious! You’re the one carrying the Emperor’s decree!” Tang Seng retorted, “I’ve been a monk since childhood, familiar with countless scriptures. How could I not recognize it?”
Wukong continued to poke fun, “Then why can’t you read the words on that apricot-yellow flag at the city gate?” Tang Seng, frustrated, replied, “You mischievous monkey! The wind is blowing, and the flag is fluttering. How can I see clearly?”
At that moment, Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng joined the discussion. “Master, don’t listen to his nonsense! A distant city is hard to see clearly!” But Sun Wukong confidently declared, “That must be Zhuzi Kingdom!” Tang Seng was startled and exclaimed, “Zhuzi Kingdom! That’s a western kingdom. We need to hurry and get the pass!”
Before long, they arrived at the city gate, dismounting and entering the city. The sight before them was breathtaking! The gate towered high, surrounded by flowing water, with mountains rising to the north and south. It was truly a bustling royal city! The streets were filled with people, bustling with business—what a lively scene!
As the group walked down the street, people stared at them. Especially Zhu Bajie, who looked quite comical, while Sha Seng was tall and dark, and Sun Wukong was all fur. They attracted quite a bit of attention. Tang Seng quickly reminded them, “Be careful! Don’t cause any trouble, keep your heads down!”
Zhu Bajie obeyed and hid his lotus mouth, while Sha Seng also kept his head low. But Sun Wukong was looking around, enjoying the sights. Some people understood the situation and moved along, while others, especially the mischievous kids, started throwing tiles at Bajie, trying to have some fun. Tang Seng felt anxious and broke into a cold sweat, thinking, “Don’t cause any trouble!”
As they walked, they turned a corner and suddenly saw a wall with the words “Huitong Pavilion” written on it. Tang Seng excitedly said, “Disciples, let’s go in!” Sun Wukong curiously asked, “Why should we go in?” Tang Seng explained, “Huitong Pavilion is a place for gatherings. We can rest there while I meet with the officials and get the pass.”
Zhu Bajie immediately pulled out his mouth, scaring off several people, and exclaimed, “Master is right! Let’s hide in there so these pesky people don’t bother us!” So, the group happily entered the pavilion, and the crowd outside gradually dispersed.
Inside Huitong Pavilion, two hosts were busy checking the guests and preparing to receive officials. Suddenly, Tang Seng and his disciples walked in, startling the two hosts, who simultaneously asked, “Who are you? Where do you want to go?” Tang Seng clasped his hands and replied, “I am a monk from the Eastern Tang, here to fetch scriptures from the West. I dare not intrude and seek a place to rest, hoping to exchange for a pass.”
Upon hearing this, the two hosts immediately dismissed the others, tidied their clothes, and personally welcomed Tang Seng and his disciples. They ordered people to clean the guest rooms and prepare light vegetarian meals. Tang Seng gratefully thanked them, and the hosts left with the servants. However, Sun Wukong was not pleased and muttered, “This guy is so lazy! Why can’t I stay in the main hall?”
Tang Seng replied, “This place doesn’t belong to our Tang Dynasty; it wouldn’t be appropriate to stay here.” Wukong was unwilling, saying, “Then I’ll make him invite me!” Just then, the steward brought in the food: a plate of white rice, a plate of white noodles, along with vegetables and tofu. Tang Seng instructed his disciples to set the table and asked the steward, “Is the king in the palace?”
The steward answered, “The king hasn’t attended court for a long time. Today is a good day, and he is discussing matters with his ministers. If you want to exchange for a pass, hurry up; otherwise, it will be too late.” Tang Seng quickly told his disciples, “Wukong, you prepare the vegetarian meal here. I’ll go get the pass, and we’ll eat before leaving.”
Before long, Tang Seng arrived at the front of Wufeng Tower, where the palace was truly impressive. He turned to the official and said, “Please inform the king that I am a monk from the Eastern Tang, here to seek scriptures and wish to exchange for a pass.” The king was delighted to hear this: “I have been ill and unable to ascend the throne, and today a high monk has come to my kingdom!”
The king ordered Tang Seng to the throne, and Tang Seng immediately knelt. The king then asked him to sit and commanded the Guanglu Temple to prepare a vegetarian meal. Tang Seng was very grateful and presented the pass. After reading it, the king was very pleased and asked, “Master, what are the rulers and ministers like in your Tang Dynasty?”
Tang Seng replied, “Our Tang Dynasty has three sovereigns ruling, five emperors dividing responsibilities, with a long history and wise rulers and ministers.” The king sighed, “I have been ill for so long, yet I have no capable ministers by my side to help me.”
Noticing the king’s pale complexion and tired demeanor, Tang Seng was about to ask something when an official from Guanglu Temple came in to request that Tang Seng partake in the meal. The king commanded, “Prepare my meal in the Pixiang Hall, and share it with the master.”
Now, Tang Seng thanked the king for his kindness and enjoyed a delicious vegetarian meal with him, but that’s a story for another time. Meanwhile, Sun Wukong and Sha Seng were busy preparing tea and food in Huitong Pavilion. Sha Seng looked troubled: “Tea and rice are easy to handle, but vegetables are a problem.” Sun Wukong curiously asked, “What’s so difficult about it?” Sha Seng sighed, “We don’t have any oil, salt, soy sauce, or vinegar!”
At that moment, Sun Wukong had a bright idea: “I have some money; let Bajie go buy some in the market.” But as soon as Bajie heard this, he immediately tried to dodge the responsibility: “I can’t go! What if I get laughed at? Master would blame me!” Sun Wukong scoffed, “It’s a fair trade; we’re not robbing anyone. What’s there to be afraid of?” Bajie shook his head: “Haven’t you seen that deer spirit? It scared people half to death at the entrance. What if I go to the bustling market and scare everyone?”
Sun Wukong laughed, “You only know how to be afraid. Have you ever seen what they sell in the market?” Bajie scratched his head: “Master told me to keep my head down, so I haven’t looked.” Sun Wukong, looking pleased with himself, said, “There are hotels, rice shops, mills, and don’t forget the good tea houses, noodle shops, sesame cakes, steamed buns, soup, and good dishes—everything you could want! How about I go buy some for you?” Bajie’s mouth watered at the thought, and he jumped up: “Brother, I’ll treat you next time!”
Sun Wukong chuckled to himself, telling Sha Seng to cook well while he took Bajie out to buy seasonings. On the way, a man asked, “Master, where are you going?” Sun Wukong replied, “To buy seasonings.” The man pointed, “Go west, turn a corner to Zheng’s general store; they have everything!” So the two set off westward.
Along the way, Sun Wukong deliberately didn’t buy anything, and Bajie grew anxious: “Brother, let’s just buy something!” Sun Wukong replied, “Let’s walk a bit more and choose the best!” The two chatted and laughed, attracting quite a few onlookers. When they reached the Drum Tower, seeing the crowd, Bajie immediately shrank back: “I’m not going there; it’s too crowded, and I’m afraid I’ll get caught!” Sun Wukong dismissed his concerns: “Monks don’t break the law; what’s there to be afraid of? Let’s go buy something.”
Bajie still refused: “I don’t want to get jostled so much I lose my ears!” Sun Wukong sighed, “Then you wait here; I’ll go buy something to eat for you.” After saying this, Bajie handed his bowl to Wukong and leaned against the wall. Wukong approached the Drum Tower and noticed that the crowd had gathered because of an imperial edict being posted.
He squeezed to the front and saw the notice, which read: “I am bedridden due to illness and am recruiting talented individuals to come and treat me. If anyone can cure me, I will share the kingdom with them.” Wukong felt a surge of excitement: “This is perfect; I can try my hand at being a doctor!” He then used his invisibility technique, gently took down the notice, inhaled some celestial energy, and returned to Bajie.
Bajie was still dozing against the wall. Wukong didn’t want to wake him, so he quietly placed the notice in Bajie’s arms and turned to head back to Huitong Pavilion, thinking about his plan.
Downstairs, the people were startled by a gust of wind, covering their heads and closing their eyes, fearing they would be blown away. After a while, when the wind passed, they opened their eyes and realized the imperial edict was gone, which shocked them. It turned out that the notice had only been posted for a few hours before the wind blew it away, and twelve eunuchs and officers hurriedly searched for it. Suddenly, they noticed a corner of paper sticking out from Bajie’s arms and quickly surrounded him, asking, “Did you take down the edict?”
Bajie looked up, pouted, and scared a few officers so much that they fell to the ground. He wanted to turn and leave, but a few bold ones blocked his way: “You took down the edict recruiting doctors! Where do you think you’re going without seeing the emperor?” Bajie panicked and said, “Your son took down the edict! Your grandson can treat him!” The officers insisted, “What do you have hidden in your arms?” Bajie looked down and indeed saw a piece of paper, angrily gritting his teeth and cursing, “This monkey has gotten me into trouble!” He tried to tear it up, but the crowd held him back: “Don’t act recklessly! This is the king’s edict; who dares to destroy it? Since you took it down, come with us!”
Bajie grew anxious: “You don’t understand! I didn’t take it down; it was my brother Sun Wukong who did it! He secretly tucked it in my arms and ran away!” The crowd scolded him: “Nonsense! You took down the edict; how can we go look for your brother? Come with us!” At this moment, Bajie stood there like a stubborn nail, and even a dozen people couldn’t pull him away.
He was furious: “You really don’t know what’s what! If you keep this up, I’m going to lose my temper!” Before long, people on the street gathered around, and two old eunuchs asked, “You look strange, and your voice is off; where are you from?” Bajie quickly replied, “We are from the Eastern Land going to the Western Heaven to fetch scriptures. My master is the monk of the Tang king, who just went to exchange for a pass. My brother and I came here to buy seasonings; he saw the crowd and told me to wait here while he went to take down the edict.”
The old eunuchs nodded: “I saw a chubby monk with a white face rushing towards the palace gate; that must be your master!” Bajie hurriedly said, “Exactly, exactly!” The eunuchs asked, “Where did your brother go?” Bajie answered, “We are four in total; my master went to exchange for the pass, and my brother and I were waiting at Huitong Pavilion. He went back first.”
The eunuchs said to the officers, “Don’t bother him anymore; let’s go to the pavilion and find out the truth.” Bajie smugly said, “You two old ladies really understand!” The officers were displeased: “This monk doesn’t know any better; how can he call the eunuchs ‘ladies’?” Bajie laughed, “Don’t feel ashamed! How can these two old ladies be called eunuchs?” The crowd grew anxious: “Stop dawdling and go find your brother!”
The street was bustling with noise, with several hundred people gathered. Seeing this, Bajie quickly said, “Everyone stop! My brother is not easy to deal with; he’s a serious and formidable person. When you see him, you must pay your respects and call him ‘Lord Sun’; then he’ll give you face; otherwise, he might turn hostile!” The eunuchs and officers nodded: “Your brother is indeed capable; if he cures the king, we should pay our respects!”
Meanwhile, those bystanders were making a commotion outside. Bajie led a group of eunuchs and officers straight to Huitong Pavilion. As soon as they entered, they heard Sun Wukong and Sha Seng chatting about the edict in the guest room, laughing heartily. Bajie, dissatisfied, rushed over and shouted, “You’ve really become something! You sent me to buy vegetarian noodles and sesame cakes, but it was all for nothing! You even created a whirlwind to take down the imperial edict and secretly tucked it in my arms—what a brother you are!” Sun Wukong, hearing this, burst into laughter: “You fool, did you take a wrong turn? I went to buy seasonings at the Drum Tower, and I was in a hurry to find you. How could you be here making a fuss about an edict?”
Bajie angrily said, "All the officials here are looking at the edict!" Before he finished speaking, several eunuchs and officers bowed to Sun Wukong, saying, "Lord Sun, today our king is fortunate, and heaven has sent you to come; you will surely display your talents and cure our king's illness, and the kingdom can be shared!" Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately stopped smiling, took Bajie's edict, and said to the crowd, "Do you think I am an official here to read the edict?"
The eunuchs quickly bowed their heads, saying, "I am a servant of the Department of Rites, and these are the embroidered-uniformed officers." Sun Wukong continued, "I did indeed take down the medical edict. Since your master is ill, please have the king come personally to invite me; I have the ability to cure him."
The eunuchs were all stunned, while the officers began to whisper, "This guy really dares to speak!" So, four eunuchs and six officers immediately went to the court to report: "Your Majesty, there is great joy!" The king was having a meal and chatting with Tang Seng when he heard this and immediately asked, "What joy is this?" The eunuch replied, "We have already received the imperial edict recruiting doctors, which was posted under the Drum Tower. A holy monk from the Eastern Tang, Elder Sun, took down the edict and is now waiting at Huitong Pavilion for the king to personally invite him; he can cure the illness!"
Upon hearing this, the king was overjoyed and turned to Tang Seng, asking, "How many capable disciples do you have?" Tang Seng joined his palms and replied, "I have three unruly disciples." The king then asked, "Which of your disciples is skilled in medicine?" Tang Seng sighed and said, "To be honest, my disciples are all rustic talents; they do not know medicine. They only carry my bags, help me up and down mountains, and capture demons; they do not understand medicinal properties at all." The king shook his head and said, "Master, why must you be so modest? It is truly fate to meet you today! Since your disciple took down the edict, he must have medical skills." He then called out, "Civil and military officials, I am weak and cannot ride in a palanquin; you go invite Elder Sun to come, and we shall treat him with the respect due to a ruler and his subjects!"
The officials accepted the order and, accompanied by the eunuchs and officers who were looking at the edict, hurried to Huitong Pavilion. Bajie was so frightened that he hid in a side room, while Sha Seng quietly slipped to the wall. Sun Wukong sat there, unmoving, and Bajie grumbled inwardly, "This monkey is really torturing me! So many officials are bowing to him, and he doesn’t even react!" Soon after, the formalities were completed, and the officials reported, "We respectfully inform the holy monk Elder Sun that we are all subjects of the King of Zhuzi, and we have come to invite you to enter the palace to treat the king."
Only then did Sun Wukong stand up and ask, "Why doesn’t your king come himself?" The officials replied, "Our king is weak and timid; he does not dare to ride in a palanquin and has specially instructed us to invite you on his behalf." Sun Wukong nodded, "Alright, please proceed; I will go with you." The officials lined up, and as Sun Wukong adjusted his clothing, Bajie became anxious and said, "Brother, please don’t drag us out!" Sun Wukong laughed, "I won’t drag you; I just need you two to help me collect medicine." Sha Seng asked, "Collect what medicine?" Sun Wukong replied, "Anything that people bring me as medicine, take it all; I will use it when I return." The two nodded in agreement, thinking to themselves that this was quite a hassle.
As it happened, Sun Wukong and the officials soon arrived before the king. The officials entered the hall first to inform the king. The king raised the pearl curtain, and upon seeing the dragon eyes, immediately asked, "Which one is the holy monk Elder Sun?" Sun Wukong puffed out his chest and said loudly, "I am Old Sun!" The king, hearing this voice, felt a tightness in his heart and nearly fell off the dragon bed. The female attendants hurriedly helped him back into the palace, muttering, "You scared me to death!" The officials were even angrier, accusing Sun Wukong, "This monk is really rude; how dare he casually take down the edict!"
Hearing this, Sun Wukong laughed heartily: "Don’t wrong me! If you all move so slowly, the king's illness will be delayed for a thousand years!" The officials retorted, "How long can a person live? A thousand years isn’t long!" Sun Wukong shook his head: "He is currently a sick king; if he dies, he becomes a sick ghost, and even in reincarnation, he will still be a sick person. Is a thousand years really considered good?" The officials were so angry they stomped their feet: "You monk really don’t understand etiquette!" Sun Wukong smiled and said, "I’m not talking nonsense; listen to me: to treat an illness, one must observe, listen, question, and feel the pulse—none of these can be omitted!"
At this moment, the officials from the Imperial Medical Institute nodded in agreement, saying, "What this monk says makes sense; even immortals must follow these four steps when treating illnesses." Thus, the officials decided to report to the king: "Elder Sun must use the principles of observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking to diagnose and prescribe medicine." Upon hearing this, the king on his dragon bed quickly shouted, "Have him come! I cannot bear to see strangers!" The attendant hurried out of the palace to convey the message: "That monk, your majesty's decree is for you to go; you cannot face the king."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Then I’ll diagnose by feeling the pulse from a distance!"
The officials were secretly delighted: "Diagnosing by feeling the pulse from a distance, we’ve heard of it but never seen it; let’s report this!" The attendant returned to the palace and said, "Your Majesty, Elder Sun said he will not see you in person but will diagnose by feeling the pulse from a distance." The king thought to himself, "I have been ill for three years and have never tried this method; quickly invite him in!" So, the attendant hurriedly conveyed the message: "The king has agreed to the distant pulse diagnosis; quickly invite Elder Sun into the palace!"
As soon as Sun Wukong entered the main hall, Tang Seng immediately scolded, "You rascally monkey, you’ve harmed me!" Sun Wukong smiled and said, "Master, I am doing this for your benefit; how can you say I have harmed you?" Tang Seng was so angry he jumped up and down: "In these years with me, who have you ever cured? You don’t even understand medicinal properties; how dare you cause this trouble!" Sun Wukong laughed and replied, "Master, you don’t know; I have a few herbal remedies that can cure major ailments. As long as I can treat it well, even if someone dies, it’s just a case of a quack doctor killing someone; it’s no big deal!"
Tang Seng retorted, "Have you ever seen the 'Suwen,' 'Nanjing,' 'Bencao,' or 'Mai Jue'? How can you talk nonsense?" Sun Wukong chuckled, "I have golden threads on me; you haven’t seen them!" As he spoke, he pulled out three hairs, twisted them into three threads, and held them up, saying to Tang Seng, "Isn’t this my golden thread?" The attendant urged from the side, "Elder, stop the chatter and please go in to see the king!"
Sun Wukong bid farewell to Tang Seng and followed the attendant into the palace to see the king. It was just like the saying: "With a secret remedy, one can rule a nation; hidden within are marvelous techniques for longevity." What will he diagnose this time, and what medicine will he prescribe? Stay tuned for the next installment!
