Fable
Selecting a stonemason involves two procedures: the first examines craftsmanship, the second examines background
The capital was going to repair the stone carvings of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the Ministry of Works found three stonemasons to test their skills. Each stonemason received a piece of white marble of the same size and was to submit a stone lion within three days. Three vice ministers of the Ministry of Works judged on site with the drawings—whether the proportions were correct, whether the carving was even, and whether the lines and spirit restored the old system. In the end, Mason Pan scored highest, and his stone lion’s expression was closest to the original one at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The three vice ministers signed the evaluation form and reported to the minister that Mason Pan was the most suitable.
Just as the official seal was about to be stamped, the minister pulled an old rattan chest out of the corner; inside was a thick stack of records. He turned to Pan the stonemason's entry: three years earlier, while repairing Longfu Temple, Pan had passed off three-tenths inferior stone as white jade, was reported twice by the materials-room overseer, and was ultimately held accountable when the stone surface cracked during later repairs. The case itself had already been closed—compensation paid, position revoked—but the record was never deleted. The minister placed this entry on the contract approval desk and left it unpressed for a whole afternoon.
The three vice ministers grew anxious and came running with evaluation forms to argue: Mason Pan's craftsmanship ranks first—if you don't approve him, what about the ancestral temple's schedule? The minister replied: if his craftsmanship ranks first but he uses stone that cracks after a few years, you meet the schedule, but three years later the ancestral temple needs repairs again—does that count as meeting the schedule or not? The three vice ministers were stunned.
The minister drew the process diagram on the blackboard: the first step is called "evaluation," and you three have done it—looking at samples, examining craftsmanship, comparing quotes, ranking weights—and chose Mason Pan. The second step is called "background check," and you did not do it—checking historical records, compliance issues, financial capacity, and litigation risk. These two are not the same step made stricter; the key is that they are two procedures of different natures. Evaluation selects the best; background check screens out risk. Only when both pass can a contract be signed.
Later accounts quickly confirmed the minister's judgment. The second-ranked Mason Li, though less dazzling than Mason Pan, had clean stone procurement records, paid on time, and had no quality lawsuits in five years. With Mason Li, the project finished only ten days later than with Mason Pan, but three years on, the ancestral temple stone carvings needed no renovation. The extra ten days were the cost of due diligence; the renovation money saved was what due diligence earned.
Later the Ministry of Works wrote this into regulations: viewing samples, viewing skills and comparing quotes were the responsibility of the vice ministers; checking old cases, checking material sources, checking finances and disputes were the responsibility of the ministerial office. The two sides could not substitute for each other. Looking only at samples would select the best performer, while checking only old cases would not select the truly suitable person.
Someone asked the minister: where did the records in your old rattan box come from? The minister said they were shared across projects—after each project ended, the stonemason's violations, accidents, and overdue records had to be reported uniformly to the Ministry of Works for filing. Without this rattan box, a yamen could only rely on what the stonemason said himself; that is not checking, only listening.