The Witch in the Woods: The Transmigration of Hazel-Anne Davis

By late afternoon, the silence had teeth.

The kitchen staff was gone—dragged out like trash, their screams swallowed before they could echo. Eunuchs moved in their place, efficient and quiet, as if nothing had happened. As if they hadn't tried to poison the Crown Princess in her own manor.

I lounged beside the open window, watching shadows stretch across the floor. A second tray of food sat untouched before me, a lunch offering that I couldn't swallow. I had summoned it out of morbid curiosity, just to see if things had improved after breakfast.

They had not.

Another wilted collection of boiled weeds and thin broth that tasted like it had been strained through a worn sock. The meat had vanished entirely. And the vegetables? If I hadn't seen them with my own eyes, I would have assumed they were decorative.

I poked the sad little sprig of greens with a pair of chopsticks.

A few hours ago, I'd been fed grapes soaked in honey and roasted pheasant with crisped skin—each piece prepared by the same hands that ran the capital's most dangerous black-market kitchen, along with a few other less than savory businesses. Yan Luo had brought me breakfast to my door, thanks to Yaozu's prompting, and he set it down like it was nothing.

When the show was over and everyone had moved on, he bowed low before me, kissing the back of my hand like a knight of old before murmuring that he had business elsewhere.

I thought I was in for a quiet afternoon. Maybe read a book, take a nap, be lazy. But no, apparently, everyone just wanted to see what happened when they poked the bear. I thought I had proved what I was willing to do, but I guess killing servants didn't matter much to these women.

So, I would make sure that I picked my next punishment with that in mind.

I leaned back, tapping my lip thoughtfully. I knew we were all playing a game right now, even if I didn't like playing them. It wasn't incompetence, the reason why my food looked like this. It wasn't lack of resources. It was a message. One that said: you may wear green and speak softly, but we don't serve you.

Cute.

Very, very wrong.

But cute.

I stood slowly and walked over to the window. Outside, the inner courtyards lay still, the painted eaves glowing gold in the sunset light. Somewhere in those pretty halls, a half-dozen concubines were probably laughing behind their fans.

Let them laugh.

I waved over a eunuch.

"Send word to the entire inner court," I said sweetly. "We'll be meeting at sunset in the west garden. Tell them to dress comfortably."

He blinked. "Comfortably, Your Highness?"

"Yes. The kind of attire one wouldn't mind getting a little dirt on."

-----

I thought they would drag their feet, trying to prove some sort of point, but all the women came anyway.

Some in silk. Some in gauze. A few—smarter than the rest—in simple linen. But every one of them showed up, their expressions arranged between confusion, boredom, and the subtle disdain they thought I wouldn't catch.

I stood in the center of the garden, my sleeves tucked up and a shallow smile resting on my face. No guards. No consorts flanking me. Just me—and the eunuchs standing quietly behind with tools and bags of seed.

The silence was expectant.

"Ladies," I began cheerfully. "Thank you for joining me. I've called you here to announce a new initiative. Starting tomorrow, each of you will be responsible for maintaining a vegetable garden within your own courtyard."

They stared.

Lady Yuan's fan twitched. "A… what?"

I smiled wider. "A garden. You know—plants? Dirt? Food? You will till the earth, plant the seeds, water them, and harvest them. We'll rotate based on season, but for now we'll begin with daikon, cucumber, squash, and cabbage."

Another concubine choked on her breath. "You want us to farm?"

"Not farm," I corrected gently. "Garden. Such a lovely, delicate word, don't you think? And far more productive than gossip."

A few faces turned pale.

Lady Yuan stepped forward, every inch the loyal advisor. "Your Highness, forgive me, but the inner court has never been responsible for—"

"Oh, I know," I interrupted, folding my hands. "Traditionally, concubines are not required to contribute anything of value beyond their painted faces and sharp tongues. But I've recently come to understand the dire state of our food supply."

I gestured dramatically to a eunuch, who brought forward a tray. On it sat the miserable plate from earlier—soggy greens, dry rice, and one lonely turnip.

"This," I said, holding it aloft, "was served in the Crown Prince's manor."

Soft gasps rippled through the crowd. I let the moment hang.

"If this is what he is eating, I can only imagine what the common people are surviving on. It's tragic, really."

Several women shifted uncomfortably.

"Therefore," I said, setting the tray aside with mock reverence, "we must do our part. We will become an example of self-sufficiency. If the palace grows its own vegetables, that means fewer coins spent on food—and more available for rouge, fabric, or your beloved peacocks."

Lady Zhao Min dared to speak. "Surely the kitchens—"

"The kitchens have been…reassigned," I said flatly. "And if the rest of you believe I'll allow this kind of negligence to continue, you are mistaken. You're not just consorts—you're part of the Crown Prince's household. So act like it."

I pointed to the row of tools. "Eunuchs will begin clearing land in each courtyard tonight. Seeds will be distributed at dawn. If you refuse to grow your share, I will simply reassign your rooms to someone more eager."

More shifting. Less whispering now.

Lady Yuan's fan had gone still. "And… the food grown?"

"Will be inspected, measured, and accounted for," I replied. "Some for your personal use. The rest will go to the poor. Consider it penance."

I turned then, not bothering with a dismissal. The order had been given. It was already done.

Let them dig.

Let their delicate hands blister.

Let them look at every head of cabbage and remember that the girl in green wasn't playing concubine. She was building an empire.

And I was starting with their fingernails.