The Witch in the Woods: The Transmigration of Hazel-Anne Davis
Chapter 98: Tell Me Something I Don’t Know

Chapter 98: Tell Me Something I Don’t Know

The summons came from the Palace the next morning. We were expecting it, but I had to admit that I was a bit surprised at just how efficient the Emperor could be when it wasn’t a serious matter. I mean, he couldn’t be bothered to send an army when his country was being invaded, but when it came to his favorite’s niece?

Well, that was a matter of national interest.

The eunuch who brought the summons didn’t even bother looking for me. Instead, he went directly to Zhu Mingyu’s study, giving me the side eye on his way out.

"Are you ready for this?" asked Zhu Mingyu as he left his study, handing me the summons so I could read it over.

"Should I be worried?" I sneered unrolling the scroll. "We all know how this is going to playout."

"Don’t worry," sighed Zhu Mingyu, adjusting his robes. "I’ll be beside you the entire time."

----

The Crown Prince’s carriage rolled to a slow stop just outside the palace gates. I could feel Zhu Mingyu watching me, but I didn’t speak. My eyes were focused on the figures awaiting us: guards in crimson and bronze, ministers in stiff robes, a ceremonial eunuch holding a scroll with my name etched in gold.

A second summons from the Emperor. I guess he was getting tired waiting for me.

I stepped down first.

The guards parted, not for Mingyu, but for me.

The main hall was cold despite the heat of late summer. Layers of polished stone beneath our feet and thick pillars rising like forest trunks above. Zhu Mingyu walked half a step in front of me, silent as the shadow he used to trust more than anyone. Yaozu remained outside, where all shadows belonged.

But that didn’t matter. We were not alone.

Ministers lined the right and left flanks, officials in gleaming silk, their faces carved with suspicion. I recognized none of them by name, only by posture—those who feared me, those who hated me, and those who wanted to use me.

The Left Prime Minister was already there, standing with his chin slightly raised. A vulture with soft skin and sharp words. He didn’t wait long.

"Your Majesty," he began the moment we knelt, "there are reports. Tragic ones. That a child has died—an unborn member of this very household. The culprit is said to be..."

He didn’t need to finish the sentence. He turned, allowing his eyes to land on me like a blade being drawn.

The Emperor raised a single finger, silencing the man. "Let her speak."

I lifted my head slowly. The man on the throne was not foolish. He wasn’t kind either. A ruler long past the point of needing to prove himself, and yet always looking for ways to eliminate threats that couldn’t be controlled.

"Your Majesty," I said calmly, my hands folded in front of me. "I was summoned."

"Indeed." His voice echoed through the throne hall. "A royal child has been lost. A concubine weeps. A court is unsettled. And yet, the supposed cause of this tragedy walks into my hall unshaken."

"I do not shake easily," I replied with a half smile. "Besides, all this fuss because of a weeping concubine? What happened to keeping things in the manor. I don’t think that any of your houses can withstand such close scrutiny either. Especially when it comes to only the word of a concubine."

A ripple went through the room. Zhu Mingyu stiffened beside me, but I kept my gaze forward.

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed. "Did you kill the child?"

"No."

"And if you had?"

"I would not have come in a carriage," I said evenly. "I would have walked through your gates alone, without waiting for permission." If I had actually injured a child of any kind, I would have happily served my own head on a platter to Hattie.

Such crimes were unforgivable as far as I was concerned. And the fact that Lady Yuan was willing to kill her own just to set a trap for me? She had signed her own death warrant. She just didn’t know it yet.

Gasps echoed around the room.

The Emperor chuckled. "So proud. So sure of yourself."

I didn’t reply. There was no point

The Left Prime Minister, my so-called father, stepped forward again. "Your Majesty, may I remind you that Lady Yuan was part of a noble family. Her father commands two hundred thousand men in the east, Imperial Consort Yi is her aunt. If this court appears to dismiss the death of their grandchild without action, we risk insult. And rebellion."

"So you would like me to act?" the Emperor asked, his head cocked to the side. Honestly, if I was to rate his acting skill, he might be qualified for a B-list movie.

A child could see through this play.

"I would like justice."

Zhu Mingyu’s voice cut in. "Then let us have truth, not theater. A physician’s report states the child was not far enough along to survive. The miscarriage came shortly after tea. But not the tea served by my wife."

"And who would poison their own cup?" I added, voice cool.

The Left Prime Minister’s mouth tightened.

Another voice rose. "Regardless of truth or poison, the rumor has spread, and it needs to be addressed."

Everyone turned, their eyes to the open doors at the back of the hall.

A foreign envoy, clothed in robes of dark indigo and gold trim, stepped from the shadows behind the pillars. His accent was sharp but fluent. He bowed once, not to the Emperor, but to me.

"I have traveled far from the Eastern provinces," he said. "I came not to see a Crown Princess or a general’s concubine. I came to meet the Witch who brought two hundred thousand men to their knees."

Whispers spread like fire through dry reeds.

The Emperor’s face remained still.

"I do not answer to titles given by rumors," I said.

"Then what title do you answer to?"

I looked at the envoy, then past him.

"None. But I do have a name. And if the East came looking for a Witch, they’ve wasted their time."

"On the contrary," the envoy said, stepping forward again. "We would offer tribute. An alliance. Our Emperor wishes to speak with you directly."

The Emperor of Daiyu rose slowly. "My court is not yours to address."

The envoy bowed again. "Then remove the one who holds its attention."

His words echoed like a death knell.

I took a single step forward, the long hem of my robe whispering across the floor. The silly envoy thought that he had all the power, that I would submit to him just like I supposedly submitted to the Emperor.

But he knew nothing.

The Emperor studied my back as I stared down the envoy, and let the silence stretch.

Finally, he turned to the envoy. "You will not take her. Not yet. Deliver this message for your master. The Witch is a citizen of Daiyu, married to the Crown Prince. She stays in my capital."

The envoy’s expression did not change, but he bowed.

And then the Emperor turned back to me.

"Crown Princess, I expect you to remain silent until I call for you again. This court is brittle. And you are a hammer."

"Of course, Sire," I replied, dipping my head slightly. If I were to ignore him outright, it would be seen as too disrespectful to a foreign envoy and then he would be ’forced’ to teach me a lesson in front of everyone.

Truthfully?

I was pretty sure he was hoping I would be disrespectful.

Zhu Mingyu took my hand and led me out of the hall where the ministers and envoy remained. "You have a target on your back," he announced, his voice soft.

"Tell me something I don’t know."