In ancient myths and stories, there are always some ridiculous questions, such as in "Journey to the West", why did the Jade Emperor choose the peach-loving Monkey King to guard the peach in the garden?
In the world of ancient Chinese mythology, the Pan Tao Garden is a mysterious and sacred place, which is full of immortal peaches. And the heavy responsibility of guarding this garden actually fell on a monkey who loves peaches like his life, Sun Wukong.
It is said that the peach orchard in the heavenly court was originally in charge of other immortals, but due to the negligence of some immortals, the peach was repeatedly stolen, which made the Jade Emperor very headache. As the lord of the Three Realms, the Jade Emperor naturally couldn't tolerate this kind of thing, so he came up with a seemingly absurd but potentially meaningful plan to let Sun Wukong, a demon monkey, guard the Pan Taoyuan.
Ever since the stone cracked, Sun Wukong has doomed him to an extraordinary fate. He is naughty by nature, easy to fight, from Huaguo Mountain all the way to the East China Sea Dragon Palace, and then to the underworld, sweeping away all injustices, but at the same time it also caused countless troubles.
When Sun Wukong was named "Monkey King", his ambitions were not satisfied. He was arrogant and wanted to be on an equal footing with the righteous gods of the heavenly court. The Jade Emperor naturally loves and hates such a Monkey King. He is well aware of Sun Wukong's abilities, but he has to guard against his arrogance and instability.
In the confrontation and game again and again, the Jade Emperor seems to have seen through Sun Wukong's character. He deliberately arranged Sun Wukong in Pan Taoyuan, which was both a test for him and a strategy. The Jade Emperor seems to be using Sun Wukong's gluttony to lure him into making mistakes as a way to control or transform this powerful monkey.
Sure enough, Sun Wukong's days in Pan Taoyuan were not peaceful. He couldn't help but steal the immortal peach, which directly led to the later havoc in the Heavenly Palace. The whole incident seems to be caused by Sun Wukong's greed, but when you dig deeper, it looks like a big drama that the Jade Emperor had premeditated. Through this incident, the Jade Emperor showed his tolerance and generosity on the one hand, and on the other hand, he also taught Sun Wukong a lesson to understand the consequences of his actions.
Sun Wukong's title "Monkey King" sounds majestic, but in fact, it hides the vigilance and restraint of the heavenly court. As the saying goes, "it depends on the owner to beat the dog", every arrogant behavior of Sun Wukong is actually challenging the authority of the Jade Emperor. Through these incidents, the Jade Emperor tested and suppressed Sun Wukong again and again, the purpose was to let this monkey know that Heavenly Court was not a place where he could be arrogant at will.
Was Sun Wukong really led by the nose by the Jade Emperor like this? Apparently not. Throughout the story of "Journey to the West", Sun Wukong shows his cleverness and wit, constantly finding his place between the heavenly court and the Buddha realm. Although he was pressed under the Five Elements Mountain, he finally completed his self-redemption and transformation as a "fighting Buddha" in Buddhism.
This series of "tosses" may have been unexpected by the Jade Emperor, or it may have exceeded his expectations. The story of the Monkey King reflects the complex attitude of the Heavenly Court towards heroes on one level, both to use their power and prevent them from becoming a threat.
Back to the question at the beginning, why did the Jade Emperor let Sun Wukong guard Pan Taoyuan? This is not only to make up for the dereliction of duty of the previous caretaker, but also a deep insight into the personality of Sun Wukong and its use. In this way, the Jade Emperor not only demonstrated his trust in the Monkey King, but also skillfully exploited his weaknesses to achieve the purpose of control and education.
This also reflects the power struggles and complex relationships within the Heavenly Court. Although Sun Wukong's actions have repeatedly caused crises, they have also invisibly challenged the existing order and power structure of the Heavenly Court. Each of his challenges actually pushed the Heavenly Court in a more just or at least more stable direction.
Through these cascading events, we can see that behind every seemingly simple arrangement, there may be complex calculations and far-reaching intentions. The story of Monkey King is not just a simple farce, but more like a profound game of power, wisdom and personality.
It is no accident that the general Monkey King was arranged to guard the Pan Tao Garden, which is a part of the Jade Emperor's careful layout. Through this incident, it not only tested Sun Wukong, but also reflected the clever strategy of Heavenly Court in dealing with problems. Although Sun Wukong was trapped for a while, he finally returned to the fairy world with a higher identity and completed self-redemption.