Wu Cheng-en - Journey to the West (vol. 3)

Kindness to others is rarely with kindness rewarded;

Kindness will often to hate and hostility lead.

Plunge in the water to rescue the drowning? You'll suffer.

Think before acting and spare yourself grief you don't need.

Sanzang and his disciples were just heading back with the gold, silver, clothing and jewelry when the crowd of men armed with spears and swords arrived. “Disciples,” said Sanzang with alarm, “look at all those armed men coming here. What is happening?”

“It's a disaster,” said Pig, “a disaster. They're the robbers we set free. They've found weapons and ganged up with some more people. Now they've come back and they're going to kill us.”

“They don't look like bandits, brother,” said Friar Sand. “Big brother, take a closer look.”

“The master's in bad trouble again,” Monkey whispered to Friar Sand. “These must be soldiers here to capture the bandits.” Before he had finished saying this the soldiers were upon the master and his disciples, surrounding them.

“You're a fine bunch of monks,” they said, “robbing a house then swaggering around here like this.” They then rushed them, dragged the Tang Priest off his horse and tied him up. Next they tied up Brother Monkey and the others, and carried them off hanging from poles, two men to each of them. Driving the horse along and seizing the baggage, they went back to the prefectural city. This is what could be seen:

The Tang Priest,

Shivering and shaking,

Weeping and lost for words.

Zhu Bajie,

Muttering and grumbling,

Full of complaints.

Friar Sand,

Talking away,

While secretly feeling uncertain.

Sun the Novice,

Chuckling merrily,

Ready to use his powers.

Hustled and carried along by the soldiers, they were soon back in the city, where the soldiers escorted them straight to the prefect's court.

“Your Honour,” they reported, “the constables have captured the robbers and brought them back.” The prefect, sitting in his place in the court, rewarded the constables, inspected the booty and sent for the Kou family to collect it. Then he had Sanzang and the others brought into court.

“You monks maintain that you come from a place far away to the East and are going to worship the Buddha in the Western Heaven,” he said, interrogating them. “But really you're housebreakers who used dirty tricks so that you could get to know your way around.”

“Your Honour,” Sanzang replied, “we are not robbers. I would not dare to deceive you. We carry a passport with us as proof. It was because we were so grateful to Mr. Kou's family for feeding us for a fortnight that when we ran into the robbers along our way we recovered the booty they had stolen from the Kou house. We were taking it back to the Kou house to pay our debt of gratitude when to our astonishment we were arrested as robbers by the constables. We really are not robbers, and I beg Your Honour to investigate closely.”

“You only made up that fancy talk about paying a debt of gratitude because you were arrested by the soldiers,” the prefect replied. “If you really met other robbers why didn't you show your gratitude by capturing them and turning them in? Why are only the four of you here? Look at the wanted notice Kou Liang submitted. He accuses you by name. How dare you still dispute it!” When Sanzang heard this he felt like a storm-tossed boat on the ocean, and all his souls flew away.

“Wukong,” he said, “why don't you come forward and argue in our defense?”

“The booty proves it,” said Monkey. “Arguing would do no good.”

“That's right,” the prefect said. “The booty is all here as proof. Do you still dare to deny it? Fetch the head-clamp,” he instructed his underlings, “and put it round the head of the bald robber. Then beat him again.”

Monkey was now very anxious. “Even though my master is fated to suffer this,” he thought to himself, “I mustn't let it be too tough for him.” Seeing the yamen runners tightening the cord to fix the head-clamp in place he opened his mouth to speak.

“Please don't squeeze that monk's head, Your Honour. When we robbed the Kou house last night I was the one who lit the torches, carried the sword, stole the goods and killed the man. I was the ringleader. If you want to torture anyone, torture me. It's nothing to do with them. The only thing is that you mustn't let me go.”

On hearing this the prefect ordered, “Put the clamp on him first.” The underlings then all fell on Monkey, fixed the clamp on his head, and tightened it so hard that the cord snapped with a twang. The clamp was fastened, tightened and snapped with a twang again. They did this three or four times, and the skin on his head was not even creased.

When they changed the cord and were tightening it again someone was heard coming in to report, “Your Honour, the Lord Assistant Protector Chen from the capital is coming. Will you please come to greet him outside the city?”

The prefect then ordered the head torturer, “Throw the bandits into gaol and keep a good eye on them. The torture and interrogation will continue after I have gone to greet my superior.” The head torturer then marched the Tang Priest and the other three into the gaol. Pig and Friar Sand carried their luggage in with them.

“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “what are we to do?”

“In you go, Master,” said Monkey with a grin, “in you go. There aren't any dogs barking in there. It'll be a lark.” The four of them were then taken inside, and each of them was pushed on a torture rack, to which their bellies, heads and chests were tightly fastened. The warders then started beating them up again.

Finding the agony unbearable, Sanzang called out, “Whatever shall I do, Wukong? Whatever shall I do?”

“They're beating us because they want money,” Brother Monkey replied. “As the saying goes,

Stay put when things are going well;

Spend cash when things are going ill.

They'll stop if you give them some money.”

“But where am I to get money from?” Sanzang asked.

“If you haven't any money,” Monkey replied, “clothes will do. Give them the cassock.”

These words cut Sanzang to the heart, but realizing that the beating was more than he could take he could only say, “Do as you will, Wukong.”

“Gentlemen,” Monkey called out, “there's no need to beat us any more. There's a brocade cassock in one of the two bundles we brought in with us that's worth a fortune. Open them up and take it.” When the warders heard this they all set to together, opening the bundles up to search them. There were some cotton clothes and a document case, but none of these were worth anything. Seeing something glowing brightly inside several layers of oiled paper the warders realized that it must be a treasure. When they shook it open and looked at it, this is what it looked like:

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.