Bao Shen 葆申 was a high minister of King Wen of Chu 楚文王 (r. 689-677). The King did never attend to the court but preferred to indulge in pleasure. Bao Shen therefore tried to formally punish the king, according to the regulations of his predecessors, with the sound of a whip, but the King was not impressed by this didactic play. Bao Shen then accused himself openly of incompetence in order to awaken the king and reclaimed the death penalty for himself. Only then the king changed his mind and started caring for government affairs.