Yuan Shu's whip was made of a special material. Moreover, after the whip was completed, Yuan Shu still felt that it wasn't heavy enough, so she mixed iron threads with silk in the whip. It was softer and more strenuous. When she swung the whip, the pain was no less than that of five big whacks with a board.
Yuan Shu was famous in the palace for being good at wielding the whip. There were a few times when a small Imperial Supervisor who had made a mistake had to be punished, and the emperor would change the 20 whacks from a board to 15 whips from Yuan Shu's whip.
The pain from the whip didn't decrease at all, but compared to the board, it didn't affect his usual work. Basically, he could be on duty as usual tomorrow even after being whipped today. However, the pain was much more intense than that of the board.