A monkey is still a monkey; unaware of others' schemes, he only thought that being a high-ranking official was easy and was overjoyed.
Seven monkeys called the Great Sage
Sun Wukong, being a monkey at heart, was unaware of the shady dealings within the Heavenly Court. He was overjoyed to receive the position of弼马温 (Bima Wen, a low-ranking official in charge of the Heavenly Horses), and after checking the records and noting the number of horses, he was delighted. The clerk in charge of the stables was responsible for collecting and preparing fodder; the strongmen were responsible for washing the horses, binding the hay, providing water, and cooking the feed; the supervisors and deputy supervisors assisted in expediting the process. 弼马温 did not sleep day or night, nourishing the horses. He could manage to play with them during the day, but at night he was diligent in his supervision. If a horse slept, he would rouse it to eat grass; if it wandered off, he would bring it back to its trough. When the heavenly horses saw him, they would purse their ears and stamp their hooves, all becoming plump and well-fed. Before they knew it, more than half a month had passed.
During a day of leisure, the officials all prepared a banquet, partly to welcome him and partly to congratulate him. In the midst of the revelry, the Monkey King suddenly had a thought, stopped drinking, and asked, "What kind of official title is my position as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses?"
The crowd said, "This is the official title."
Wukong then asked, "What rank is this official?"
Everyone found it amusing and simply said, "There is no quality to follow."
Upon hearing this, the Monkey King, not understanding why everyone was laughing, simply said, "How tasteless! It must be extremely vulgar."
Everyone chuckled inwardly, thinking, "Not very big, just considered mediocre."
The Monkey King asked in surprise, "What do you mean by 'not up to par'?"
The crowd said, "This is the lowest rank. Such an official is the lowest of the low, only fit to tend horses. After you took office, you were so attentive, feeding the horses until they were fat, and all you got was a 'good' in return; if they were even slightly weak, you would be blamed; if they were seriously injured, you would be fined and punished."
Upon hearing this, the Monkey King was enraged. He had thought himself a high-ranking official, only to find himself relegated to the position of a mere stable boy. Gritting his teeth, he roared, "How dare they look down on me! I reign supreme on Flower Fruit Mountain, how dare they trick me into becoming their stable boy? Stable boy work is a lowly job for juniors, not for me! I refuse! I refuse! I'm leaving!" With a bang, he overturned his desk, pulled out a treasure from his ear, and with a flick of his wrist, it grew as thick as a bowl. He used all his skills to fight his way out of the Imperial Stables and straight to the South Heavenly Gate. The heavenly soldiers, knowing he had been tricked by immortals and was merely a stable boy, dared not stop him and let him leave the Heavenly Gate.
A moment later, he descended from the clouds and returned to Flower Fruit Mountain. There he saw the four generals and the demon kings of various caves drilling their troops. The Monkey King shouted loudly, "My little minions, I'm here!" A group of monkeys kowtowed and welcomed him into the depths of the cave, inviting him to ascend the throne. They prepared a feast to welcome him, saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! You've been away in the mortal realm for over ten years. You must be returning in triumph!" The Monkey King replied, "I've only been here for a little over half a month. How could it have been over ten years?" The monkeys said, "Your Majesty, you don't feel the passage of time in heaven. One day in heaven is equivalent to one year on earth. May I ask, Your Majesty, what is your official position?"
The Monkey King, recalling the incident, was filled with rage again. He waved his hand and said, "It's hard to say, hard to say! It's utterly shameful! That Jade Emperor doesn't know how to use people. Seeing my appearance, he appointed me as some kind of弼马温 (Bima Wen, a lowly stable boy), which means I'm just there to tend his horses—a lowly position. When I first arrived, I didn't know this and just played around in the Imperial Stables. Only today, when I asked my fellow monkeys, did I realize how lowly it was. I'm furious! I overturned the banquet, refused the official title, and that's why I've come down here." The monkeys said, "Good riddance! Good riddance! Your Majesty is so respected and happy in this blessed land. How could you possibly become his stable boy?" They ordered, "Men! Quickly prepare some wine to cheer Your Majesty up!"
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