Tu Shanying almost cried out loud, but she held back her anguish. The whole idea of the punishment was meant only as a show. Tian Mowen told her that she would be a good example to show the public how serious the enforcement would be. It was only then that everyone, even the noble, would obey the law.
She made a mistake on purpose, which that led her up to this point of punishment. Tian Mowen told her that the lashing and whipping would be real, but he also promised to control his strength so that she would not be harmed. Thus, she agreed.