Lord Mengchang of Qi kept several thousand retainers. The Records of the Grand Historian says that he “did not choose among his guests and treated them all well.” When King Zhaoxiang of Qin held him and planned to kill him, he asked the king’s favorite concubine for help. She wanted his white fox-fur coat, which he had already given to the king.
A retainer from the lowest seat, who could steal like a dog, slipped into the palace storehouse at night and took the coat back. Freed, Lord Mengchang reached the Hangu Pass at midnight. By law the pass opened at cockcrow. A retainer from the lower seats crowed, the roosters all joined in, and the party got through shortly before the pursuers arrived.
“At first, when Lord Mengchang placed these two among his guests, the other guests were all ashamed of them.”