The Witch in the Woods: The Transmigration of Hazel-Anne Davis
Chapter 100: Nothing Less From You

Chapter 100: Nothing Less From You

The ride back from the palace was quiet. Zhu Mingyu didn’t speak, and I didn’t press him. He sat on the opposite side of the carriage, hand resting on his knee, eyes fixed on nothing in particular. Not anger, not fear—just silence. A man measuring the limits of the box he had willingly climbed into. I didn’t bother to disturb him.

The estate gates were already open when we arrived. The guards stood in formation. The servants bowed as we passed. Orderly. Predictable. Just as I preferred it.

I didn’t speak until we reached the central courtyard. "Where is she?"

Zhu Mingyu stopped as he studied my face. "Lady Yuan is still under confinement," he said as if that explained everything.

I rolled my eyes. "Confinement doesn’t mean isolation," I reminded him. "Confinement only means that you need the people to come to you first."

He didn’t reply. Instead, he nodded once before retreating toward his study, and I turned toward the rear gardens, letting the patterned stones guide my steps toward the koi pond. The water was still, glassy in the late afternoon light.

Shi Yaozu was waiting at the northern pavilion, leaning against one of the red columns. He nodded once in acknowledgment.

"Well?" I asked, folding my arms as I came to stand beside him. It seemed like my mind was going in a hundred different directions, and I needed him to center me.

"The envoy remains at the palace," he said quietly, his eyes searching my face just like Mingyu had done. I must look a bit more unhinged than I initially thought if both men were that worried about me. "He was escorted to a diplomatic suite after the audience. Heavy guard, minimal hospitality. He wasn’t invited to linger, but he hasn’t left either."

"Still circling the bait."

"Waiting for weakness."

"The only issue is... what is his plan?"

"He is interested in you," reminded Yaozu, and I could see a muscle in his jaw ticking at that statement.

"What can I say?" I chuckled. "I’m an interesting person. I am just wondering if this is a polite interest, making sure that I am a living person instead of just a myth or if he is contemplating just how to kidnap me and get me back to the east. Speaking of the east, what is that country?"

"Haiyu," replied Yaozu, his brows furrowing for a second like he was surprised that I didn’t know that answer.

"Not from around here, remember?" I chuckled. With a nod of his head, he fell into step beside me as I walked along the stone edge of the koi pond. The fish beneath stirred, their golden scales flashing in the shallows.

"The Imperial Palace has increased security. Two new guards near the outer walls. One near the stables. Two more at the southern gate."

"Efficient," I sneered.

"They’re preparing for disruption. Not attack."

"What about the court? The Ministers?"

Yaozu tilted his head slightly. "They’re watching. Gauging what happens next."

"Good. I want their attention."

A breeze picked up, rustling the bamboo screens overhead.

Then Yaozu added, "Lady Yuan’s servant tried to leave earlier. One of my men intercepted her. She was carrying a ciphered letter."

He handed me a scroll, already partially decoded. The message was simple—a plea, an accusation, a warning. Enough to stir her family, enough to set wheels in motion. A gambit.

"She’s testing boundaries," I said. "Looking for allies. Or an audience."

I looked up at the sky—clouds rolling in with dusk. No storm, but a curtain drawn over the sun. Stillness before motion.

I spent the rest of the evening in quiet. No guests. No meals. I changed into dark robes and pinned my hair back with the silver cherry blossom hairpin Deming had once gifted me. It glinted when the light struck it, a sliver of memory bound in metal.

When the moon rose, I left my rooms.

Servants nodded their heads as I passed. I offered no acknowledgment. I walked past the concubines’ courtyard. One girl peeked out—a teenager, likely new—and quickly ducked back. Let them think what they wanted. Whispers made excellent cover.

I crossed the covered bridge over the koi pond, pausing midway. The lanterns swayed gently. The water shimmered below.

"She’ll make another move," I said aloud. "Something more public next time."

"She will," said Yaozu behind me. "She believes she can provoke a larger response."

"Let her try."

Shi Yaozu hummed again like an old man who had already seen too much. I didn’t smile, but I felt the corner of my mouth twitch. "Seal the eastern wall. Quietly. Move the southern gate guards an hour early."

"Done."

"And the tea maid?"

"Gone this morning. Replaced by someone I trust from an outside village. Older. Sharp. More discreet."

"Perfect. Start a rumor that I’ve gone mad. That I speak to shadows. That I sing to mirrors at midnight."

"Subtle."

"It’ll make them second-guess everything. Fear doesn’t hold power. Confusion does."

He nodded slowly. "She’ll make another move soon."

"Then we’ll be ready."

The koi scattered beneath the surface.

"Do you want me to intercept her next letter?"

"Burn it. And make sure the ashes reach her pillow."

Yaozu raised an eyebrow. "Poetic."

"Practical."

We crossed the bridge together, steps unhurried. My hand brushed the railing as I passed, fingers trailing against the lacquered wood.

"The court will escalate."

"Then we’ll adapt."

I looked over my shoulder at the gardens, already cloaked in night. The shadows moved like old friends.

"I’m not worried, Yaozu. I’m comfortable. This is where I do my best work."

"Comfort isn’t the word most would use."

"Tell me something I don’t know."

We walked in silence until we reached the corridor that led to the outer courtyard. As we stepped inside, I paused.

"Yaozu," I said, "why hasn’t the North moved yet?"

He blinked, slightly caught off guard. "They’ve been quiet. No new deployments. No movements of supply caravans. Not even an increase in correspondence."

"West has stirred. South has spilled blood. East is sniffing at the gates. So why is the North silent? What are they waiting for?"

He didn’t answer immediately. I could see the flicker of thought behind his eyes.

"Maybe they’re waiting to see who survives the chaos," he said. "Or maybe they’re planning something big enough to warrant the silence. I don’t have enough information about what is going on in the north. I’ll have to get some."

"Tell me when you go so that I can go with you. While silence makes excellent cover, I don’t trust anyone who is too quiet." I murmured. "Especially when I don’t know anything about them."

"They aren’t the type to announce their moves in advance."

"Neither am I. That’s why we’ll get along so well when the time comes."

Yaozu’s expression flickered—approval, perhaps. Or concern. It was always hard to tell with him.

We stood beneath the arch of the corridor. The lanterns overhead swayed in the growing breeze.

"If Lady Yuan wants war," I said, switching subjects back to the original, "we’ll give her a lesson in consequences."

"I expect nothing less from you."