Since becoming the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong had little to do. He spent his days wandering around the Heavenly Palace, socializing with various deities and heavenly kings, and making new friends. Over time, someone reported to the Jade Emperor that Sun Wukong was idle and constantly mingling with the gods, forming factions, which could lead to trouble. The Jade Emperor thought this was a valid concern and decided that Sun Wukong should be assigned a task to keep him occupied and prevent any future issues. He summoned Sun Wukong and said, "I see you have too much free time. How about managing the Peach Garden?" Sun Wukong happily agreed, eager to get to work, and rushed off to the garden.Since becoming the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong had little to do. He spent his days wandering around the Heavenly Palace, socializing with various deities and heavenly kings, and making new friends. Over time, someone reported to the Jade Emperor that Sun Wukong was idle and constantly mingling with the gods, forming factions, which could lead to trouble. The Jade Emperor thought this was a valid concern and decided that Sun Wukong should be assigned a task to keep him occupied and prevent any future issues. He summoned Sun Wukong and said, "I see you have too much free time. How about managing the Peach Garden?" Sun Wukong happily agreed, eager to get to work, and rushed off to the garden.
Upon arriving at the Peach Garden, Sun Wukong summoned the garden's steward, the Earth God, and asked, "How many peach trees are there in this garden?" The Earth God, proud of his knowledge, replied, "Great Sage, there are 3,600 peach trees. The first 1,200 trees bear small peaches that ripen every 3,000 years. Anyone who eats them will become healthy and may even become immortal. The next 1,200 trees bear larger peaches, ripening every 6,000 years, granting eternal life. The last 1,200 trees bear the largest peaches, ripening once every 9,000 years, and eating them grants immortality, allowing one to live as long as the heavens themselves."
Sun Wukong, delighted by this information, thought to himself, "I must get my hands on some of those peaches when no one is watching!"
A few days later, Sun Wukong saw that the peaches were nearly ripe. His craving grew unbearable, so he sent a few of his servants out of the garden and told them to wait outside while he took a rest. Once they left, Sun Wukong eagerly climbed into the trees, picked a handful of large, ripe peaches, and ate them greedily until he felt stuffed. Over the next few days, he repeatedly snuck into the garden, consuming nearly all the ripe peaches.
After a while, the Queen Mother of the West decided to hold a grand banquet in the Jade Pool, inviting all the gods to enjoy the peaches from the garden. She sent the Seven Fairies to pick the fruit. When they arrived at the gate of the Peach Garden, the Earth God and the garden's attendants were waiting. The Seven Fairies said, "We are here by the Queen Mother's orders to pick peaches for the banquet. Please let us in." The Earth God replied, "Please wait. The Great Sage now oversees the garden. I must first inform him before allowing you in." The Earth God went to find Sun Wukong but could not locate him. This was because Sun Wukong, feeling sleepy after eating so many peaches, had transformed into a tiny, finger-sized version of himself and hidden among the branches to nap.
The Seven Fairies, seeing the Earth God return empty-handed, decided, "If we can't find the Great Sage, we can't go back empty-handed." One of the attendants suggested, "Since the Great Sage is likely out for a walk, you can go ahead and pick the peaches. I'll inform him later." So, the Seven Fairies went into the garden to pick peaches. After searching for a while, they could only find a few unripe, small peaches. However, as they continued, they noticed a half-red, half-white peach on a southern branch. The Blue-Clad Fairy reached up to pick it, and when she did, she accidentally disturbed the branch where Sun Wukong was hiding.
Sun Wukong, realizing someone had entered his garden, grabbed his magical staff and shouted, "How dare you, vile creatures, steal from my garden!" The Seven Fairies, startled, quickly responded, "Great Sage, we come by the Queen Mother's command to pick peaches for the banquet. Please forgive us." Sun Wukong, intrigued, asked, "Did the banquet invite me?" The Fairy shook her head and said, "We were not informed of your presence." Sun Wukong said, "In that case, I will go and investigate the matter myself." He muttered a spell, and the Seven Fairies froze like statues, unable to move. Sun Wukong jumped onto a cloud and flew toward the Jade Pool.
On the way, he encountered the Celestial Elder (Chijiao Daxian), who was heading toward the Jade Pool. Sun Wukong, thinking quickly, stopped him and asked, "Where are you going, Elder?" The Celestial Elder replied, "I have been invited by the Queen Mother to attend the Peach Banquet in the Jade Pool." Sun Wukong, pretending to be knowledgeable, said, "Ah, Elder, you don't know? This year, all the gods must first attend a ceremony at the Hall of Clear Illumination before proceeding to the banquet." The Elder, being straightforward and naïve, didn't suspect anything and flew off toward the Hall of Clear Illumination.
Sun Wukong, seeing his opportunity, quickly transformed into the Celestial Elder's likeness and flew toward the Jade Pool. He arrived in no time. The scene was breathtaking—jade palaces, fragrant incense, and tables laden with sumptuous delicacies. Sun Wukong walked down the long corridor, watching the attendants bustle around, bringing wine and fruits, the air rich with the aromas of fine food.
He quickly came up with an idea. Taking a few hairs from his body, he whispered a spell, turning them into tiny sleeping insects, which he scattered on the attendants. Instantly, the attendants fell into a deep slumber. Sun Wukong then approached the banquet table, filled his cup with wine, and began devouring the food and drink with great gusto. Before long, he was so drunk that he could barely walk. Sun Wukong, thinking that the other gods would soon arrive and reprimand him, decided it was best to leave. He staggered out of the Jade Pool and made his way back to his residence.
Unfortunately, he drank too much and became disoriented. In his drunken state, he ended up at the Taoist Immortal's residence instead of his own. There, he stumbled into the Immortal's alchemy room, where five gourds filled with newly made pills were sitting. Sun Wukong thought, "These must be valuable pills. I'll try a few." He quickly drank all the pills in the gourds, and instantly, he felt sober and clear-headed.
Realizing his mischief at the Peach Banquet and the theft of the pills, Sun Wukong thought, "The Jade Emperor will surely punish me for this. I won't return to my palace; I'll head straight to Flower-Fruit Mountain." With a flick of his hand, he turned invisible and flew back to his mountain retreat.
Back at Flower-Fruit Mountain, Sun Wukong proudly told the monkeys about his adventures in the heavens. The monkeys cheered and brought fruits and coconut wine to celebrate. Sun Wukong took a few sips and declared, "This wine is awful. The drinks in the Jade Pool were so much better, and they even have the power to grant immortality. I'll go back to steal some more for you all to enjoy." With that, he summoned his cloud and set off for the Jade Pool again. When he arrived, he saw the same attendants still lying asleep from his earlier trick. He seized the opportunity, grabbed two barrels of wine, stuffed them under his arms, and flew back to Flower-Fruit Mountain. There, the monkeys held a grand "immortal wine party," drinking and celebrating into the night.