The king’s brother couldn’t be executed simply because the officials suggested that the king appoint a crown prince. Both parties would continue competing with one another until the king established his dignity and Lee Hoo resolutely revealed his will. He groveled for forgiveness because he wanted to live — not because he wanted to die. Because of that, he had to endure till the end. Even if it meant dying after that.

The light snow falling since he arrived at the palace developed into roaring snow flurries. Initially, the snowflakes melted as soon as they touched his body, melting and evaporating repeatedly; from a certain point onwards, it started freezing before evaporating. And snow began to pile up.

When the snow stopped falling and the sun came up, the snow piled up on Lee Hoo’s body melted, wetting his hair and undergarments. However, the snow started falling once again, as though it was playing a cruel joke on Lee Hoo, and the biting wind kept blowing at him, repeatedly freezing his hair and undergarments solid. Even though he was only wearing undergarments, he wore them in several layers, so he could endure the cold. Several layers of thin cotton undergarment kept him very warm, and if it weren’t for the strong winds and snow, he would have...