A man in the state of Chu named Bian He discovered a big piece of uncut jade in a mountain and offered it to King Li. The king immediately sent for a jade craftsman to examine it, but the craftsman declared it was only an ordinary stone. The king thought Bian He was a cheat and got very angry and ordered that one of Bian He's legs be cut off.

Not long after that, King Li Died. King Wu ascended to the crown.

Jade in hand, again Bian He went to the palace, hoping the new king might be able to distinguish treasure from rubbish. Unfortunately what had happened last time was repeated, and he lost his other leg!

Time went on until King Wu's death. When Bian He heard that King Wen had come to the throne, he crawled to the foot of Mount Chu with the uncut jade in his arms, and cried bitterly. For three days and three nights his flooding tears did not cease until he could cry no longer. The tidings reached King Wen's ear and an official was sent to find out the cause of Bian's grief.

Bian He said mournfully, "What hurts me most is not the loss of my legs, but the wrongs done to me, mistaking the precious jade for an ordinary stone, mistaking my ardent loyalty and devotion for cheating!"

Bian He's words were reported to the king.  He then ordered the craftsman to carefully carve the stone. It turned out to be a most beautiful piece of jade in the world. To praise and reward Bian He, the jade was named after him, called Heshi Jade.

Through this story, the writer, Han Fei, a philosopher during the Warring States period tried to allude to his own political setbacks. It also reminds leaders to find hidden talents among their people.