“Queen Moon-Jin was born into a prestigious family; until she became the queen, she was a young lady from a Yangban[1] family and had received the best education. The norms of these families are famous for being strict — from an early age, they would be caned right away if they were to raise their voices, even if it was just by a little. So while she was born with a cold personality, she entered the palace as a disciplined and restrained young lady because of her education and upbringing and went through many hardships.”

Although she was put through rigorous education, she grew up as a lady of a wealthy and prestigious family and lacked nothing. However, upon entering the palace as the second wife of King Gyeong-Jo, she went through many hardships because of her insidious mother-in-law and inattentive husband, as well as high-spirited concubines that gave birth to sons. Even after giving birth to Prince Myeong-Hwan five years after tying the knot, Gyeong-Jo still disregarded her. He had neglected her even more and treated her with contempt. After going through such a hard time, her heart was filled with han[2]. Every word she uttered was cold. Nonetheless, the dignified woman had never once openly raised her voice or used a sharp tone whenever she spoke.

“Queen Moon-Jin was a very elegant...