Royal Consort Gwi-in of the Okcheon Jo clan is one of the best-known female fatale royal consort of the Joseon.
Biography
She was initially arranged to become a maid servant of a lord's daughter, but instead became a palace woman. She used to serve Queen Inryeol of the Cheongju Han clan's brother-in-law, and the queen was the one who arranged her to enter the palace.
Royal favorite
She caught King Injo of Joseon eyes and became his favourite consort overnight; her rank also changed rapidly, from the lowest Sukwon to Sowon, Soyong, Soui, and finally declared as a royal consort of the junior first rank, Gwi-in. No one could beat her in terms of receiving the king’s affection; both Queen Jangryeol of the Yangju Jo clan and Lady Jang Sukui failed to receive Injo’s love. Her personality was described as that of a sensual but cunning woman, and those who were in her bad book would not be safe in front of the king. Because of this, people inside the palace were very afraid of her. It was rumored that Lady Jo disturbed the relationship between Injo and Queen Jangryeol of the Yangju Jo clan, with the intention to tear them apart.
Feud with the Crown Princess
Another well-known fact about her was the hate she harbored towards the Yi Wang, Crown Prince Sohyeon ’s family, particularly Crown Princess Minhoe. Since the day she reached the rank of Soyong, she would badmouth them in front of Injo and it became a common thing for her to slander them with false accusations. Although there was no record of her involvement with Crown Prince Sohyeon’s death, her slanders did not stop after the prince passed away. Because of that, Crown Princess Minhoe suspected Lady Jo of poisoning her husband. Lady Jo accused the crown princess of attempting to poison Injo, leading to the princess’ execution by poisoning. The acupuncturist who treated Prince Sohyeon before his death was Lee Hyung-ik, who was rumored to be in a relationship with Lady Jo's mother. There was even a record about this.
Later life
After Injo's death, she was discovered to be involved in an attempt to put a curse on Queen Jangryeol of the Yangju Jo clan and the queen's niece. Kim Ja-jeom was her accomplice and he was executed. King Hyojong decided to spare the life of Princess Hyomyeong, Lady Jo's daughter, since she was not involved in the incident. Lady Jo was sentenced to death by poisoning and her mother Han-ok, who was also an accomplice, died before she could receive her punishment. There were officials suggesting for Lady Jo to be stripped of her position as a royal consort but out of respect for his father, who treasured Lady Jo, King Hyojong did not go through with the idea and she remained as a consort of the junior first rank. She had a daughter and two sons with King Injo of Joseon.
