The Witch in the Woods: The Transmigration of Hazel-Anne Davis
Chapter 115: Who Ruled The Game

Chapter 115: Who Ruled The Game

The study of the Eastern Wing was never meant to hold war councils.

The carved screens were too delicate, the incense too soft. It smelled of ink and old wood, not blood and iron, and Zhu Mingyu had always preferred it that way. But this morning, even the silk wall hangings seemed to quiver under the pressure in the room.

He stood behind his desk, hands folded behind his back as he stared at the open window. Wind moved through the patterned screens, ruffling the pages on his desk, but he didn’t reach to still them.

Behind him, Commander Yuan Lixing stood stiff as a spear—refusing the tea, refusing the seat, refusing even the pretense of civility.

"My sister has been disgraced," Lixing said, voice cold and measured. "Her child is dead. Her husband is cold. And now, our uncle’s head has rolled into the abyss without even a proper burial."

Zhu Mingyu turned slowly, the muscles in his jaw tight. "If this is your attempt at mourning, it’s doing little to stir sympathy."

"I didn’t come here for sympathy," Lixing replied. "I came to correct an imbalance. One that you, as the Crown Prince, have allowed to continue for far too long."

He stepped forward.

"You will depose the Crown Princess."

Zhu Mingyu’s eyes narrowed.

"And elevate my sister," Yuan Lixing continued, as if stating the weather. "She will take her rightful place as the main wife—matched in title to her birth and her bloodline."

There was a beat of stunned silence.

And then Zhu Mingyu exhaled a sharp breath and let out a bitter laugh. "Your sister was born of a concubine, not even a favored one at that. No matter how gilded her cradle, she is not eligible for that position. You ask me to break tradition, insult the Empress Dowager, insult the Emperor who granted me my official marriage, and invite the scorn of every noble house—all for a woman who can’t even keep her place in the shadows."

Yuan Lixing’s eyes were dark. "You speak of tradition. But when it suits you, you bend it. When it benefits you, you rewrite the rules. Your Crown Princess was chosen by the Emperor’s hand, not your own. Tell me, did you love her? Do you even respect her?"

Zhu Mingyu’s expression didn’t change, but something hardened in his shoulders.

"I respected her enough to leave her out of this madness. She does her duty. She keeps her head low. She is everything that I could ask for in a Crown Princess and more. I will not disgrace the both of us simply because of your household."

"Are you trying to imply that my sister doesn’t do her duty? She is a perfect example of Daiyu womanhood. Countless men wanted to marry her, and she chose you," Yuan Lixing said flatly. "Which is why you fear her. Because you can’t control her. Because she refuses to be buried in quiet duty like the rest of your dolls. She isn’t scared of you."

Mingyu’s fingers tapped once against the edge of the desk. "This has nothing to do with fear. I don’t fear your sister. I pity her."

That was a mistake.

Yuan Lixing stepped forward, the air between them shrinking. "Don’t pity her," he said softly, "because she still has brothers. And those brothers command the southern army. You want to unify the empire, do you not? Want to prove to the court that your rule will bring peace? Then you’ll need more than dreams and decrees. You’ll need soldiers. Supplies. Reinforcements."

Zhu Mingyu met his gaze. "Have we moved on to threats now?"

"A reality check," Lixing said. "You want to be Emperor. Fine. But power doesn’t move on words alone. It moves on loyalty. And loyalty must be earned—or bought."

"I don’t want to be Emperor," snapped Mingyu, his back straight as he stared down Lady Yuan’s older brother. "And to suggest otherwise is treason against the crown. Are you planning a rebellion? Is that it? You want me to be the figurehead while you control everything from behind? If that is the case, I won’t hesitate to go to Father and tell him your plans. You aren’t the only army in Daiyu. The Red Demons have more than proven their loyalty to the Emperor and the Emperor alone, or do you think the western front turned in our favor because I prayed harder than the others? I don’t need my own standing army. I don’t want my own army."

Yuan Lixing’s gaze didn’t budge. "No. I believe the west was won by someone who no longer listens to you. And I believe the Red Demons followed a woman you didn’t even choose. So, tell me—what victories can you truly call yours?"

Zhu Mingyu’s lips curled into a cold smile. "And I suppose your family would prefer I step aside and hand the title of Crown Prince to the Third Prince? I already assumed you were backing your cousin. If not, where were you when the Red Demons cried for reinforcements? Or when your own uncle’s sins blackened the court?"

Yuan Lixing didn’t flinch. "You’re not as clever as you think."

"And you’re not as clean as you pretend," Mingyu countered. "Your family has always profited off the chaos of others. You rise in tragedy. You build your name on corpses. But let me make something very clear, Commander Yuan—this is my house. I will not be bullied in it."

Yuan Lixing took another step forward until they were only a breath apart. "No. But you can be left alone in it. Without allies. Without support. Without the very people who could hold your reign together when the rest of the country starts pulling apart."

The words hung in the air.

Heavy. Honest.

Zhu Mingyu looked away, just for a moment. He crossed to the far side of the room, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and downed it in a single breath.

"I will not depose the Crown Princess," he said at last.

Lixing didn’t blink. "Then elevate my sister as equal wife."

"That is a title for Emperors," Mingyu said.

"Then act like one."

"I refuse," snapped Mingyu as his hand clenched around his cup. He knew this entire conversation was going to get back to the Emperor, and he needed to be above reproach. Let the Yuan family deal with the fall out of plotting treason. "You are asking for a war of precedence. If I elevate her, then the court will rise in protest. The Empress Dowager will call it a betrayal. The nobles will demand blood."

Yuan Lixing turned toward the door. "They’ll demand a lot of things in the days to come. What matters is what you give them." At the threshold, he paused.

"My sister may not have a crown, but she still bears the Yuan name. She was born from the same family as Consort Yi. From the same house that has supported your throne for three generations. Don’t make the mistake of thinking she came here alone."

He left without waiting for a response.

Zhu Mingyu stood in the center of the study for a long time, his reflection warping in the polished surface of his desk.

So many people now demanded things from him.

So many alliances balanced on the edge of a blade.

And somewhere at the heart of it all was a woman he could neither command nor discard. A woman who had taken his soldiers, then his court—and now even the loyalty of his allies—without lifting a sword.

His grip tightened.

For all his bloodline and birthright, it was Zhao Xinying who ruled this game.

And he didn’t know how much longer he could pretend otherwise.