"Oh, indeed she could!  Or so the stories that were not officially recorded said.  There is a variation of the tale, you see, that says it was Little Blossom who borrowed the Benevolent Goddess's unmentionables..."<br/><br/>Wu laughed.<br/><br/>"But I am getting ahead of myself.  You all wish to hear more?  Then attend!  For there came a day after SuLan the Fire-haired Golden-eyed Monkey Princess dared to follow in her father's footsteps and invited herself to tour the heavens!  The Jade Emperor, reminded of what had befallen the last time, sent a polite escort to keep her out of trouble.  Alas for the peace of the heavens, he sent a handmaiden of the Phoenix Queen."<br/><br/>"Now, of the Empress of the Southern Sky, this may be said--her ladies in waiting and handmaidens were all nearly as beautiful as she, and because of the unfortunate concentration of yin in their quarters, it must be said that they were often bored.  The one sent to escort the Monkey Princess was, therefore, easily distracted and woefully slipped from her charge to flirt with a handsome pair of war gods discussing an upcoming campaign."<br/><br/>Wu cleared his throat.<br/><br/>"At this point, or so the sages surmised, the mischievous girl and her companion must have slipped into the personal quarters of the Benevolent Goddess, who returned unexpectedly to find the Princess cavorting about with her unmentionables in hand and three of her own handmaidens, stripped and bound, blushing and exhausted from wicked and wanton pleasures, helpless upon her bed!  This humble one must report that there was supposed to be an illustration appended to this text that would have done it full justice..."<br/><br/>"In any event, the Benevolent Goddess was roused to a terrible fury!  But the Princess stood her ground and draped the delicates around her shoulders."<br/><br/>'You enjoyed having me wear your rosary,' she said to the Beloved One.  'I thought you'd be happy to see me move on to something smoother and silkier!'<br/><br/>Great and terrible was the fury unleashed!  And yet, unused to fury as she was, the Benevolent Goddess could do nothing to prevent Chou Sulan from escaping her quarters, nor to keep her from racing away over the rooftops of the Heavenly Court, the divine underthings streaming behind her, until at last the pair of intruders escaped through the very gates.  It is said that they even left the Goddess's belongings behind, dangling in the breeze from the last gate."<br/><br/>"And that is why the Beautiful Monkey Princess is forbidden to return the the Heavenly Courts under pain of...well, they'll think of something."