Subduing the Jade Rabbit in India (IV)

Meanwhile, when the Princess was choosing a husband, Bajie also wanted to go.

Wukong laughed, "Fool, you don't want to be a monk, but you want to be someone's son-in-law!"

Bajie said, "Shameless! Shameless! Who wants to be the son-in-law? I'm just here to watch the show!"

Sha Wujing laughed and said, "Second Senior Brother, even if you fought for her, the Princess wouldn't choose you!"

Bajie retorted angrily, "How different are you two from me? Yet you dare to criticize me!"

After that, Bajie sat quietly for a while without saying a word.

Wukong and Sha Wujing were both secretly laughing at him.

Hearing the commotion outside, Bajie finally couldn't resist and got up to urge Wukong and Sha Wujing to join him:

"Master has left, and we don't know when he'll be back. If the Emperor invites us to dinner, it might be dark by then. It's so boring for us to stay here. Why don't we go and see what's going on? Even if we don't become the emperor 'Imperial Son-in-Law, we can still get a good feast and see what the Princess looks like! Everyone says she's Immortal, but we've never seen her. Why don't you all want to see her?"

Upon hearing this, Wukong was indeed tempted and turned to look at Sha Wujing.

Sha Wujing never made decisions; he always left them to Wukong.

Wukong laughed and said, "In that case, let's go take a look."

The three brothers dressed up; Wukong wore a round-topped hat, Bajie wore a reddish-brown turban, and Sha Wujing wore a wide robe. They went out the door and headed straight for the official residence, saying, "We're choosing Imperial Son-in-Law."

There was an official there who said, "You cannot enter lightly. You must either be able to compose poems and write essays; or be skilled in martial arts and have strength; or be good-looking and have a dignified appearance; or have wealth, family background, and land; or be of high moral character and have the testimony of the village elders."

Wukong and the others were all strong; they tossed a two-hundred-pound stone block around like a ball and passed it around until they were invited inside.

The three followed the officials to the Hall of Central Harmony, a large hall where a banquet was set up. More than two hundred men who had come to be selected were already seated at the tables.

Wukong and his two companions were also seated together.

There was some fruit on the table for guests, so Bajie took some and ate it first.

Wukong and Sha Wujing were waiting on the side.

More people joined later.

There were young men, young men, and some middle-aged men. As for those who were too old, they either already had families or knew they could not be selected, so they did not come.

After a while, when the hall was filled with about three hundred people, no more people entered.

Someone shouted, "His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!"

Upon hearing this, everyone rose from their seats and bowed.

Ao Tu, supported by the Jade Rabbit Spirit, ascended the Throne.

Everyone secretly looked up at the Princess's appearance. She was indeed extremely beautiful, Zhenzhen Immortal descended from heaven. She was also diligently supporting the Old King, showing herself to be a filial person. Marrying her would be a blessing for generations to come.

Bajie Earthly Way, "Creation! Creation! She's even more beautiful than the Palace Maids in Heaven! I should have changed my appearance and tried to rival her!"

Ao Tu took his seat, then instructed the Princess to sit to his side, and said to the crowd, "Rise."

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up and returned to their seats.

At this moment, an official approached and spoke with Ao Tu.

Wukong recognized him as the official who had previously sent word to summon Tang Sanzang to the palace.

After hearing the official's words, Ao Tu said, "In that case, bring them all up together."

The official then said, "Summon the Reverend Monk of the Great Tang to the palace."

Before long, Tang Sanzang entered the hall.

Everyone looked over and began to whisper among themselves.

Someone whispered, "Where did this old monk come from? At his age, he doesn't even follow the Precepts and is trying to steal the Princess from us!"

Someone chimed in, "Yes! Yes! They're shameless!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang was at a loss for words. He stepped forward, greeted Ao Tu, and after the greeting, said:

"Your Majesty, this humble monk comes from the Great Tang Eastern Land, on the orders of the Tang Emperor, to travel to Leiyin Thunderclap Monastery on Spirit Mountain to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. Today, I am passing through your country and have come to request Your Majesty to exchange the travel documents; I have no intention of vying for the position of Imperial Son-in-Law."

Ao Tu raised his hand and smiled, "Holy Monk, do not worry. I am holding court today to select Imperial Son-in-Law for the Princess. I happened to hear that the Holy Monk has come to the country, which I consider an auspicious sign. Therefore, I have invited the Holy Monk to the hall for a banquet. After the Imperial Son-in-Law is selected, we will exchange official documents with the Holy Monk."

Tang Sanzang was relieved upon hearing this and bowed to express his gratitude.

Ao Tu then instructed the officials to set up a separate Vegetarian Banquet on the right side of the main hall and invite Tang Sanzang to sit down.

Tang Sanzang bowed in gratitude again and then took his seat.

After Tang Sanzang sat down, Ao Tu said:

"I have invited you all to this banquet today to select Imperial Son-in-Law for my princess. My daughter has been blessed with Princess grace since childhood, thus her youth remains eternal, and she has never been betrothed. Today, I wish to choose one from among you all to be her husband. In the future, when they are married and become a Immortal couple, I will be at peace."

Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed, and many volunteered to help.

Ao Tu said, "Don't rush. After the banquet, I will give you a test, and the Princess will choose the winner."

Everyone agreed.

Ao Tu is also called "banquet".

The Palace Maids prepared a banquet.

Tang Sanzang's was vegetarian.

Everyone else had both meat and vegetables.

Bajie was overjoyed and was about to go eat.

Wukong said, "Fool, you're a vegetarian! Otherwise, when we get to Spirit Mountain, the Sangharama will definitely scold you!"

Bajie muttered, "If I could be chosen as the Imperial Son-in-Law, I wouldn't even want to go to Spirit Mountain!"

Despite saying this, Bajie still avoided meat.

However, even the vegetarian dishes, though some have a meaty taste and are oily, are still tastier than Buddhist vegetarian meal.

Everyone finished eating.

Ao Tu instructed people to clear away the banquet and then set out a test.

The topics are nothing more than morality, Wisdom, skills, and talents.

Although Wukong and his companions were ugly, they were all capable, and thus they all passed the test.

Tang Sanzang sat to one side, chanting scriptures with his head down. Because there were so many people vying for the position, he did not see Wukong and the other two.

The assessment lasted for half a day, and as it grew late, more than two hundred people were selected, leaving about fifty people, all of whom were skilled individuals from various professions.

Ao Tu said, "Those who are chosen should not rush to leave. We will celebrate together after the selection of the Imperial Son-in-Law, and I will reward them accordingly."

Upon hearing this, those people expressed their gratitude for the Emperor's grace.

Ao Tu said, "The rest of you, follow me to the back garden for another test."

Tang Sanzang waited for half a day, and seeing that it was getting late, and that the India emperor was about to leave the court and take everyone to the Imperial Garden for a test, he couldn't help but feel anxious. He stood up and bowed, saying:

"Your Majesty, would you please exchange this humble monk's travel document before proceeding to the Imperial Garden?"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Holy Monk, don't be in such a hurry. After the Imperial Son-in-Law is chosen, we will ask Holy Monk to recite some auspicious Scripture. At that time, we will offer gold and silver Generosity alms to send you to Spirit Mountain Holy Monk to worship Buddha."

Seeing this, Tang Sanzang didn't say much and simply replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Ao Tu said, "The Holy Monk is old and must be tired. Someone, take the Holy Monk to the rear hall to rest. After the Imperial Son-in-Law is chosen, we will summon him again."

An official responded and led Tang Sanzang away.

The Jade Rabbit Spirit beside Ao Tu said, "Father, I'm tired too. I'll go rest first, and you can choose after the test!"

Ao Tu said, "These people have all come for you. Would it be inappropriate for you to go and rest?"

The Jade Rabbit Spirit clung to Ao Tu's arm and said coquettishly, "But Father, your daughter is really tired!"

Upon seeing this, the people present felt their hearts melt and hurriedly replied, "It's alright! It's alright! Your Highness is of Princess birth! Please, Princess Your Highness, go and rest!"

Bajie jumped up and shouted, "Princess Your Highness! Go and rest! I'll see you again after Old Pig pass the test!"

Upon hearing Jade Rabbit Spirit covered her mouth and chuckled, saying to Ao Tu, "Father, look, they've all agreed!"

Ao Tu said, "Very well, since that's the case, Princess, please go and rest first. We'll invite Princess back after the test."

The Jade Rabbit Spirit bowed and said, "Thank you, Father King." Then, accompanied by several Palace Maids, it went to rest in the back.

None of the three, including Wukong, noticed anything amiss when they witnessed this scene.

On the other side, Tang Sanzang was led by the eunuch to a narrow corridor inside the palace, where two paths branched off to the left and right. Suddenly, the eunuch said, "Holy Monk, I need to relieve myself. Please wait here for a moment, I'll be right back. This is a forbidden area of the palace, so please do not wander around carelessly."

After saying this, the eunuch left before Tang Sanzang could reply.

Tang Sanzang remained alone in the same spot, and not knowing the way through the Imperial Palace, he naturally dared not move.

After waiting for half an hour, it got dark, but the eunuch still hadn't returned.

Tang Sanzang was getting anxious and called out twice, but there was no response.

Suddenly, I heard some sweet laughter coming from the right corridor. It turned out to be two Palace Maids carrying lanterns, walking from the right.

Upon seeing this, Tang Sanzang thought to himself: If I were to run into them, how could I, a mere monk, explain myself clearly in the dead of night? The eunuch who brought me here earlier only led me to two separate paths, one on the left and one on the right. Now, with palace Palace Maids moving about on the right, it must be the residence of the palace women. In that case, the left path must be where the guests rest.

Thinking this to himself, Tang Sanzang walked straight to the left.