Exquisitely decorated with shining pearls,
Set with some wonderful Buddha treasures.
Embroidered dragons curled around;
Flying phoenixes adorned brocade edges.
As they all struggled to look they disturbed the head gaoler, who came up to them and shouted, “What are you all making this row about?”
Falling to their knees, the warders replied, “His Honour has just started a case against four monks and sent them here. When we roughed them up a bit they gave us these two bundles. After we opened them we saw this, and we don't know how to deal with it. It would be a real pity to tear it up to divide between us, but it would be hard on everyone else if just one of us had it. It's a good thing you've come, sir: you can give us a ruling.” The head gaoler could see that it was a cassock. Then he inspected the other clothes and the document case, and on opening the case to read the passport he saw that it was covered with seals and signatures from many states.
“It's a good thing I saw this in time,” he said. “If I hadn't, you people would have caused bad trouble. These monks aren't robbers. On no account touch their things. When His Honour questions them again tomorrow we'll find out the truth.” The warders then gave the wrapping cloths back to the prisoners, who repacked them and handed them over to the head gaoler for safekeeping.
Evening was slowly drawing in. The drum could be heard from its tower, and the fire wardens began their patrols. By the third mark of the fourth watch Monkey could see that the others had stopped groaning and were fast asleep. “The master was fated to meet with the hardship of a night in gaol,” he thought. “That was why I said nothing in our defense and didn't use my magic powers. But now the fourth watch is nearly over, and his suffering's almost done. I'd better start getting things sorted out if we're to leave this gaol at dawn.”
Just watch as he uses his powers to make himself smaller, get off the rack, shake himself and turn into a midge who flies out of the prison through a gap between the tiles over the eaves. By the light of the stars and the moon in the still, silent night sky, he could see where he was going, and he flew quietly straight towards the gates of the Kou house. On the West side of the road was a house where a lamp was shining brightly, and as he flew closer for a better look he saw that it was a house of beancurd-makers. An old man could be seen looking after the fire while an old woman was squeezing out the bean juice.
“Wife,” the old man suddenly called out, “Mr. Kou had wealth and sons, but he didn't live long. When we were boys we were both at school together. I was five years older than him. His father was called Kou Ming. In those days he had less than 150 acres. He couldn't even collect his overdue rents. Old Kou Ming died when his son was nineteen, and once the young man took charge of the household things went really well. He married the daughter of Zhang Wang-she used to be known as Threadneedle when she was a girl, but she made her husband a rich man. Once she came into his house his crops were good and the debts to him got paid. Whatever he bought showed a profit, and whatever he went in for made money. His family's worth a hundred thousand now. When he reached forty he turned pious and he fed ten thousand monks. Fancy him being kicked to death by robbers last night! Poor man. He was only sixty-four. Who would have thought so good a man would meet with so evil a reward and be murdered just when everything was going well for him? What a pity! What a pity!”
By the time Monkey had listened to all this it was now at the first mark of the fifth watch. He then flew into the Kou house, where a coffin was placed in the main room. A lamp was burning at the head, and around the coffin was incense, candles and fruit. His wife was weeping beside him, and the two sons also came to kowtow and weep, while their wives brought two bowls of rice as an offering. Monkey landed at the head of the coffin and coughed. This gave the two daughters-in-law such a fright that they ran outside waving their arms about.
Kou Liang and his brother lay on the floor, too terrified to move, and crying out, “Oh, father, oh!” Their mother, being bolder, hit the head of the coffin and said, “Have you come back to life, old man?”
“No,” replied Monkey, imitating Mr. Kou's voice, to the great alarm of the two sons, who kept kowtowing, weeping, and repeating, “Oh, Father, oh!”
Their mother summoned up even more courage to ask, “Husband, if you haven't come back to life why are you talking?”
“King Yama has sent demons to bring me here to talk to you,” Monkey replied. “He told me that Threadneedle Zhang had been lying and trying to frame the innocent.”
In her surprise at hearing him call her by the name she had been known as a child, the old woman fell at once to her knees, kowtowed and said, “You're a fine old man! Fancy calling me by my childhood name at this age! What lies have I been telling? Which innocent people have I framed?”
“Wasn't there something about 'The Tang Priest lit the torches, Pig incited to murder, Friar Sand stole the gold and silver, and Sun the Novice murdered our father?'“ Monkey replied. “Your lies have landed those good men in terrible trouble. What really happened was that the Tang Priest and the other three teachers met some bandits and got our property back for us to show their thanks. How good of them! But you had to concoct a wanted notice and send our sons to denounce them to the authorities. The court threw them in gaol without making a careful investigation. The gaol god, the local deity and the city god were all so alarmed and uneasy that they reported it to King Yama, and he ordered demons to escort me back home. I'm to tell you to have them released as soon as possible. If you don't, I will have to make havoc here for a month. Nobody in the household, young or old-not even the dogs and the chickens-will be spared.”
Kou Liang and his brother kowtowed again and begged, “Please go back, Father, and don't harm us all. At dawn we'll submit a petition to the court for their release and withdraw our charge against them. We only want peace for both the living and the dead.”
When Monkey heard this he called out, “Burn sacrificial paper money. I am leaving.” All his family started burning paper money. Monkey then rose up on his wings and flew straight to the prefect's residence. Bending low to look he saw that there was a light in the bedroom: the prefect was already up. When Monkey flew into the main room, he saw a scroll-painting hanging on the back wall. It showed an official riding a piebald horse with several servants holding a blue umbrella and carrying a folding chair. Monkey did not know what the picture was about, but landed in the middle of it. All of a sudden the prefect came out of the bedroom and bent low to comb and wash himself. Monkey gave a sharp cough, alarming the prefect and sending him hurrying back into his bedroom. When he had combed his hair, washed himself and put on his formal clothes the prefect came out to burn incense to the picture and pray to it.
“Venerable uncle, divine Jiang Qianyi, your dutiful nephew Jiang Kunsan is now prefect of Brazentower, thanks to the hereditary privilege won for me by your ancestral virtue, and also to my success in the examinations. Morning and evening I offer incense without interruption. Why did you speak today? I beg you not to haunt us and terrify the household.”
“So this is a holy picture of his ancestor,” Brother Monkey thought with a hidden smile, and making the most of this chance he called out, “Nephew Kunsan, you have always been uncorrupt in the office you were given through ancestral privilege. How could you have been so stupid yesterday? You took four holy monks for thieves and threw them into prison without finding out why they had come. The prison god, the local deity and the city god were all so disturbed by this that they reported it to the king of Hell. He told demon envoys to bring me here to speak to you and advise you to consider the circumstances and find out the truth, and release them at once. Otherwise you'll have to come back to the Underworld with me for the case to be sorted out.”