Ever since the East Sea Dragon King had his Dragon King's Sea-Calming Divine Staff stolen by Sun Wukong, he had held a deep grudge against the Monkey King. He decided to go to the Jade Emperor to report the matter.
One day, when the Jade Emperor had just arrived at the Lingxiao Hall (the Hall of Supreme Harmony), he received a report that the East Sea Dragon King had arrived at the Tongming Hall to submit a formal petition. The Emperor ordered that the document be brought to him. It read:
"Recently, the demon immortals from Huaguo Mountain (Flower-Fruit Mountain), led by the rebellious Sun Wukong, barged into our Dragon Palace and forcefully demanded weapons. He not only stole the Sea-Calming Divine Staff but also showed off his martial arts in front of us, acting arrogantly. I humbly request Your Majesty to send celestial soldiers to capture this demon and restore peace to the seas."
After reading the Dragon King's report, the Jade Emperor decided to take action against Sun Wukong. Just then, another report arrived from the King of the Underworld, stating that Sun Wukong had caused havoc in the Underworld, destroyed the Book of Life and Death, and made it so that monkeys no longer followed the cycle of life and death. This further solidified the Emperor's determination to eliminate the Monkey King.
As the Emperor discussed which celestial general should be sent to capture the Monkey King, Taibai Jinxing (the Venus Star) stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this stone monkey is a creature born of Heaven and Earth, and now he has cultivated himself into an immortal with the ability to control dragons and subdue tigers. I suggest, rather than sending an army to capture him, you summon him to Heaven, appoint him to an official position, and use the power of authority to restrain him. If he obeys, you may grant him a higher position. If he does not listen, you can have him captured. This way, we avoid unnecessary conflict and can manage the situation rationally."
The Jade Emperor agreed with this suggestion and ordered Taibai Jinxing to go and invite Sun Wukong to Heaven.
Taibai Jinxing left through the South Gate of Heaven, riding a cloud and heading straight for the Water Curtain Cave. He told the young monkeys outside the cave, "I am an envoy from the heavens, here to bring your King to Heaven with an official decree." Sun Wukong, pleased to hear this, thought to himself, "I was just thinking about visiting Heaven! I didn't expect to have an official invitation." He happily agreed and told his four generals, "Train the monkeys well. I'll go to Heaven first, familiarize myself with the place, and later, I'll bring you all to live there." With that, he followed Taibai Jinxing up to the heavens.
Using his Somersault Cloud, which could travel 108,000 miles in a single leap, Sun Wukong quickly left Taibai Jinxing behind and arrived at the South Gate of Heaven first. Just as he was about to enter, a group of celestial soldiers blocked his way. Sun Wukong, furious, said, "So this Taibai Jinxing tricked me! If he invited me, why are the soldiers blocking my path?" While he was shouting, Taibai Jinxing arrived, out of breath, and quickly apologized to Sun Wukong. He explained to the guards, and Sun Wukong was allowed to pass.
Sun Wukong followed Taibai Jinxing through the South Gate and was soon stunned by what he saw. The Heavenly Palace was indeed a realm of immortals, resplendent with gold and jade, adorned with precious flowers and plants. The palaces were magnificent, and celestial maidens filled the air with their beauty. The sights were dazzling and overwhelming.
As Sun Wukong followed Taibai Jinxing, he was so captivated by the splendor that he didn't realize they had arrived at the Lingxiao Hall. Upon meeting the Jade Emperor, Sun Wukong did not bow as was customary. Instead, he stood beside Taibai Jinxing and watched him report to the Emperor. The Jade Emperor asked, "Who is this demon immortal from Huaguo Mountain?"
Quick on his feet, Sun Wukong immediately replied, "I am he." The other gods around them were furious and shouted, "How dare you, a monkey, not bow to the Jade Emperor and speak so rudely? You should be put to death!"
However, the Jade Emperor, taking pity on the Monkey King's ignorance, interjected, "This monkey has just transformed into a human and does not understand our customs. Do not hold it against him."
The Jade Emperor then summoned the officials responsible for appointments, asking them for a suitable position for Sun Wukong. Wu Qu Xing Jun (the God of Mars) spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, all the positions in the various heavenly halls are filled, except for the Stables Supervisor. He could be appointed to this position."
The Jade Emperor agreed, "Then let him be appointed as Bima Wen." (Bima Wen translates as Stable Master in English.)
Sun Wukong happily followed a celestial official to the Stables Supervisor position. His new job was to oversee the celestial horses, which were not ordinary horses, but magnificent creatures capable of traveling a thousand miles a day. Sun Wukong began by counting the horses and found there were exactly one thousand. He assigned his subordinates to feed them, clean them, and care for them every day. In just over half a month, the horses grew strong and healthy.
One day, the Stable Overseer saw how well Sun Wukong had taken care of the horses and was pleased. He invited Sun Wukong and some other officials to sit down and drink wine. As they were drinking merrily, Sun Wukong suddenly put down his cup and asked, "What rank is this Bima Wen position?"
The overseer replied, "It has no rank."
Sun Wukong, puzzled, asked, "No rank means my position is very high, right?"
The officials laughed and replied, "Not at all. Your position is very low. You are simply responsible for feeding the horses. If you do it well, you might get a few compliments. If you do it poorly, you will be punished."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong was furious. "How dare they treat me like this! I ruled Huaguo Mountain as king, and now I'm being made to do such a menial task. This is an insult! I won't stand for it!" With that, he overturned the table, pulled out his Ruyi Jingu Bang (Golden Staff), and stormed out of the stables, flying straight toward the South Gate.
The guards at the South Gate saw Sun Wukong coming and did not dare to stop him. He flew back to Huaguo Mountain without any hindrance.
Upon his return, Sun Wukong shouted, "I'm back, everyone!" The monkeys rushed out to greet him and helped him onto his throne in the Water Curtain Cave, bringing him fruits and wine. One of the young monkeys asked, "Great King, you've been to Heaven for over ten years. I'm sure you've enjoyed the wealth and power there, right?"
Sun Wukong was surprised and asked, "I've only been gone for a little more than half a month. Where did the ten years come from?"
The monkeys explained, "Great King, don't you know? One day in Heaven is like one year on Earth!"
Sun Wukong replied, "What happened up there was humiliating! The Jade Emperor looked at me and decided to appoint me as Bima Wen, the Stable Master, to take care of the horses. It's the lowest rank! At first, I thought it would be fun, but later I realized how degrading it was. So, I threw a tantrum, quit the position, and came back."
The monkeys cheered, "Excellent! You're the King here in Water Curtain Cave, living freely. Why would you need to be a lowly horse keeper in Heaven?"
Sun Wukong laughed and shouted, "Bring me the wine! Let's drink until we're merry!" The monkeys quickly brought the wine, and the celebration began, with cheers and laughter filling the Water Curtain Cave.