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35 The Prefecture of Fengxian

With that he turned and stepped outside the hall, murmuring a spell under his breath. Before long a black cloud came drifting from the due east, and it was Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. The Dragon King alighted before the hall, drew in his cloud and took human shape; then he bowed low to Wukong and said, "Great Sage, you have summoned this small dragon. What is your command?" Wukong asked, "Fengxian has been parched for years on end. Why have you not sent rain?" The Dragon King shook his head. "Great Sage, you do not know: though I can make rain, I must obey the bidding of Heaven. If the Jade Emperor gives no order, how dare I send rain of myself?" Wukong said in anger, "The folk of Fengxian have long suffered from drought, and so I came to you for rain. Why do you put me off?" The old Dragon King answered in alarm, "Put you off? Never! Only go to the heavenly palace and obtain a decree, and I will send rain at once." Seeing the sense in this, Wukong sent the Dragon King away, charged Bajie and Sandy to guard their Master, then leapt upon a cloud and sped straight for the heavenly palace. The prefect saw Wukong vanish in the blinking of an eye and stood bemused a long while before he asked, "Where has Elder Sun gone?" Bajie said with a laugh, "He has ridden a cloud up to heaven." At this the prefect grew very reverent, and he commanded that every household should set up a tablet to the Dragon King, place a jar of clear water by the door with a spray of willow in it, and keep incense burning before it. Now Wukong came to the gate of the Western Heaven, and the Guardian King who protects the nation stepped forward to greet him. "Great Sage," he asked, "what brings you here?" Wukong said, "Today I passed through Fengxian, where no rain has fallen for three years and the people live in bitter want, so I have come to beg a decree for rain." The Guardian King whispered, "I have heard that the prefect there offended the court of heaven, and the Jade Emperor laid a curse upon him and forbade rain to fall in that place. Why should the Great Sage trouble himself over such a matter?" At this Wukong's face darkened, and he insisted on seeing the Jade Emperor himself. The Guardian King did not dare stop him, and let him pass. Wukong came to the Hall of Bright Understanding, where the Four Heavenly Masters came out to meet him. He told them his errand, but they urged him, saying, "The Jade Emperor decreed long ago that no rain shall fall there!" Wukong said with a laugh, "Whether it shall or not depends on how much face old Sun has." The Immortal Ge shook his head. "I think you have no such great face. Take my advice and go back home at once!" Wukong said angrily, "You immortals of heaven idle away your days in ease and freedom. What can you know of the sufferings of the people of Fengxian?" Seeing that nothing would turn him, the Four Heavenly Masters led him to the Hall of Heavenly Mists, where they had audience with the Jade Emperor and reported Wukong's request for rain. The Jade Emperor listened, and said with displeasure, "On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, three years ago, I came down to roam among mortals. Passing through Fengxian, I found myself hungry, and seeing a tablet of mine set up in the prefect's house, I thought to sit and enjoy the offerings set before me. "But before I could taste them, the prefect of Fengxian shoved the offering table over with his own hands, and the food scattered across the floor and was eaten by dogs. So I laid my curse upon him and set three tasks in the Hall of Fragrant Draperies; until those three are accomplished, no decree for rain shall go to Fengxian."

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