Shen Yunxi had always been dissatisfied with the Chief Maid Zhang, and upon learning that she had ruined the silk robe worth a fortune, her anger exploded. Without listening to Zhang's explanation, she immediately ordered the palace attendants to beat her with paddles.
Shen Yinning stood by the side, watching.
The over-forty-year-old Chief Maid, usually commanding respect and authority, was now pressed onto the long bench for punishment. Her wizened face contorted in agony, twisted with sweat and tears, crying out in pitiful anguish, losing all dignity and pride.
After twenty strikes of the paddle, her buttocks were mangled and bloody. Her entire body was drenched in cold sweat, as if she had been fished out of water.
Shen Yunxi lounged lazily under the corridor: "Maid Zhang deliberately damaged this palace's silk robe, a garment worth a thousand gold coins. Even selling you wouldn't repay the loss. Today's twenty paddles are a minor warning. You best be cautious in the future."
