The Stand-In

Emperor Xiao Jinheng of the Great Yin has sat on the throne for five years—cold-blooded, suspicious, and merciless in his kills. No one knows that a man who matches him in build, voice, and bearing has always been hidden at his side. A shadow guard— Yan Wujiu. Yan Wujiu has been trained since he was seven years old. Learning to walk like Xiao Jinheng. Learning to write like him. Learning to kill like him. Even the wounds on his body must match the emperor's, scar for scar. He has only one mission: when the moment comes that Xiao Jinheng must die, to die in his place. But what Xiao Jinheng does not know is this— the reason Yan Wujiu is willing to become his shadow is not loyalty. It is revenge. Because fifteen years ago, the entire Yan family was put to the sword. The one who gave the order— was none other than Xiao Jinheng's own imperial father. And Yan Wujiu has always believed: that Xiao Jinheng had a hand in it too. One wants to kill him. One knows he wants to kill him, yet refuses to let him go.