Lady Hong, also known as Lady Hyegyeong, was born in 1735. A Korean writer and a crown princess during the neo-Confucian Joseon Dynasty, she reveals in her memoirs the tortured life of a high-status, elite woman in Korea’s conservative society. Lady Hong was married to Crown Prince Sado when she was just nine years old and spent most of her life in the palaces of modern-day Seoul. In 1744, a royal edict was dispatched throughout the Joseon realm requesting that families with eligible young girls submit their names for the selection of a spouse for the son of King Yeongjo. The Hong family was not wealthy, but Lady Hong was selected to be betrothed to Crown Prince Sado. When she was nine years old, Lady Hong was separated from her family and ensconced in Changdeokgung Palace, “The Palace of Prospering Virtue.” She was married to Prince Sado in elaborate ceremonies held over seven days in early 1744.