1. Ancestor Hongjun is a fictional character in the novel "The Romance of the Gods". Taoism does not recognize it, and "Journey to the West" naturally does not need to recognize it. Moreover, it is not certain which of the two novels is earlier.
2. The Jade Emperor cannot simply be understood as a Taoist figure here. Although he has clear records in Taoism, the Taoist Jade Emperor ranks 9th, 16th, and at most 4th, and is always the highest in Taoism. Under the Three Purities of God, the people do not buy this account. The people are accustomed to the emperor being the greatest, and naturally do not allow the emperor in heaven to be lower than others. Therefore, in the eyes of the people, the Jade Emperor is the supreme master who is higher than the distinction between Buddhism and Taoism. We cannot simply say that the Jade Emperor belongs to Taoism, but rather that both Buddhism and Taoism belong to the Jade Emperor. This is more closely related to Taoism. For example, Li Tang, who regarded himself as a descendant of Lao Tzu, became emperor and was closely related to Taoism. However, the emperor was higher than the Taoist Celestial Master and the Buddhist leader at that time. The power of life and death was in the hands of the emperor. Li Tang valued Taoism, but he also worshiped Buddhism. Therefore, the Jade Emperor in Journey to the West is the folk Jade Emperor, not the Taoist Jade Emperor.
3. This arrangement is for the development of the plot, and the whole text is the story of the scene.