Mr. Zhu, a district magistrate in Jiangsu Province during the Qing Dynasty, some 300 years ago, was commissioned to transport a large amount of cash to the national capital, Beijing.  The journey would take several days, and he had to make a number of stops on the way.  One of the stops was in the suburbs of Linqing, in eastern Shandong province, reportedly an area to be infested with bandits.

The moment he arrived at an inn, which was the only inn in town a few young women came up, eager to entertain him by singing.  They were actually hookers.  It was the practice in the north for the prostitute to sing for potential clients in lieu of direct solicitation.  The price they charged was only half of that in the south, but those hookers were often associated with local bandits.  They would inform the bandits if they found their clients to be rich men.

Mr. Zhu had traveled a lot.  He had heard about Linqing being a touch area in which to travel.  He noted that these young hookers did not act haphazardly.  They seemed to take cues from a girl in a black dress as to whether they should sing or dance or approach him directly.  While other hookers wore heavy make-up and were dressed seductively, this girl did not use nay cosmetics. But still she looked attractive. She was about twenty.  Zhu figured that she must be the ringleader.  The circumstances smelled trouble to him.  The remote location of the inn made it virtually impossible for him to escape or get help.

Mr. Zhu decided to confront the girl directly. He had to take a chance.  And that might be the only chance to avert imminent danger.  He dismissed the other girls and made it clear that he wanted to be quite alone with the woman in black.  She seemed agreeable to his suggestion and accepted his invitation to dinner.  Zhu began to tell her that he came from a poor family and got where he was through hard work.  She said that her parents were too poor to support her so that she got into such a miserable profession to make a living.

Zhu listened with sympathy and then began to tell her stories of how some famous courtesans of ancient times became patriotic heroines and how they got married to distinguished scholars.  Zhu expressed his admiration for those women.  Zhu's words seemed to have struck her.  The girl was visibly moved.

The conversation then turned to his mission. Zhu decided to be candid with her and told her that he was in charge of tens of thousands of ounces of silver to be transported to Beijing.

As they were chatting, a heavy snow began to fall, turning the land into a vast expanse of glistening white under the pale moonlight.  The fire in the stove was low, the oil in the lamp was running out, and the room turned very cold.  Seeing the girl was shivering with cold in her thin black dress, Zhu took out a fur coat from his luggage and wrapped it around her shoulders.  They chatted on like close friends.

The first streaks of dawn were gleaming in the east before they knew it.  The girl rose to her feet, took off the fur coat, and was ready to go.

"Take it with you," he said, handing her the fur coat. "It's cold outside. You need it." He also put four ounces of silver in her hand.

"Thank you for your generosity.  You should not pay me.  I haven't done anything for you. Neither can I accept the fur coat."

"Please take the coat.  I give you this out of my admiration and respect for you.  You are no common woman.  I have enjoyed your company."

She thanked him again and left.  Zhu was still uneasy.  About fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door.  It was the woman in black again.

"I must tell you the truth," she said in real earnest. "I am a robber and my father is the head of the local bandits. I do appreciate your kind interest in me.  When I get home, I'll have somebody bring the coat back to you, together with something, which will prove useful to you.  Take it and get on your journey before the road becomes too slippery when the snow starts to thaw."

Zhu bowed to her, feeling very much relieved.

An hour later, a messenger came with the fur coat and a small parcel for Zhu.

"This is from our mistress,” the man said. "It will come in handy in case of trouble on your journey.  Now listen.  Keep this until you have got your destination."

Zhang wanted to tip the man, but he refused, saying that his mistress told him not to accept a penny.

Zhu was astonished by what he found in the parcel.  It was a triangular flag.

Now he was ready to continue his journey.  To the surprise of the driver, Zhu produced the flag and placed it on the carriage window.

"Where did you get this?!" the driver exclaimed.  "Come on in! Let's get going.  We are safe now."

After ten miles or so, they found themselves confronting a gang of more than twenty armed horsemen.  They surrounded his carriage, examined the flag carefully and then just turned back without making any trouble.

Upon arrival at the destination, a man from the security office came to meet them and invited Zhang to a very good dinner.  Late that night, he came to Zhu's room and asked Zhu how he managed to get that flag.  Zhu told him about the woman in black.

"This is a most precious gift.  She must like you a lot.  Now you are in the city which marks the boundary of their activities.  You have no need for it any more."

Zhu gave the flag back thanked the man and left the place the following day.