Crown Prince Sado
In addition, Lady Hyegyong uses her memoir to discuss why she and her child, Jeongjo, lived on after Sado's execution. Traditionally, when the male head of a household was executed as a criminal, his wife and children are expected to follow him in death. Pertaining to this norm, however, Crown Prince Sado's execution was far from normal. For one, the gruesome manner in which Crown Prince Sado was executed was not out of cruelty but due to circumstance. If Crown Prince Sado was executed as criminals normally were, his son, the remaining heir to the throne would be executed as well as the rest of his family.