Yuan Nanyu frowned: "How do I change it? What happens after I change it?"

"I will go to Pei'an as an envoy to persuade King Han to send troops on behalf of Chen Yu. You can change into my appearance. As long as we leave Pingliang, with your kung fu, you can always find a chance to escape halfway."

"What about you?"

Yan Sikong gently tapped the mask on Yuan Nanyu's face with his finger: "I'll take this and stay here."

"This is sheer nonsense." Yuan Nanyu's eyes widened. "If Chen Yi finds out, he won't let you go!"

"Don't worry, he won't kill me even if he's discovered." Yan Sikong said firmly, "But if you don't leave, he might kill you."

Yuan Nanyu shook his head: "No, I can't let you suffer for me. If this is your plan, I can't do it."

"Yu'er, at this moment, are you still so indecisive?" Yan Sikong stared at him, "The king governs the world with filial piety. Chen Yu wants to be the emperor. How can he kill his teacher? Now time is running out. There is no better way."

"Second brother." Yuan Nanyu stared at Yan Sikong without blinking, and said seriously, "I will not leave you here to bear the responsibility while I escape. Even if he doesn't kill you, he will definitely not let you off easily. If you can't be safe, what's the point of me getting out alive?"

Yan Sikong took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Because you can't die here, you still have unfulfilled ambitions, you still have a lot of things to do, even if you go out to correct the mistakes you made, you can't just die and escape like this."

Yuan Nanyu bit his lip lightly and turned his face away.

Yan Sikong turned his face over and forced him to look at him: "Yu'er, do you know why you took the blame for me and went into exile for me twenty years ago?"

Yuan Nanyu shook his head in confusion.

"Because we are brothers." Yan Sikong's voice trembled slightly. "What you are willing to do for me, I am willing to do for you, because we are brothers. Yu'er, just think of it as your elder brother repaying you. Your elder brother has owed you for twenty years. I suffered all those days and nights when I thought you were dead. Let me repay you."

Yuan Nanyu's eyes turned red and his shoulders were shaking slightly.

Yan Sikong couldn't help but hold Yuan Nanyu in his arms, stroking his back like he did when he was a child, and choked up and said, "If you live, we still have hope. If you die, my second brother will have nothing."

"I...I will definitely rescue you..." Yuan Nanyu gritted his teeth, "I will definitely defeat Chen Yu and come back to rescue you."

"You don't have to worry about me. I wanted to find Chen Yu on my own, and I have my own way to protect myself." Yan Sikong whispered, "Don't be stupid again in the future, and don't act on your emotions."

"……yes."

Yan Sikong smoothed his messy hair and said, "We need to exchange some things with each other, such as people we know, things we know, and words we have said. You need to imitate my voice, mannerisms, and movements, and I need to imitate yours. You also need to starve yourself and lose weight so that you look more like me."

Yuan Nanyu nodded heavily.

"I can't stay too long today. You should think about it carefully. I will come to see you tomorrow. I will bring the disguise cream that She Jun left for me. We must play each other well in the shortest possible time."

Yuan Nanyu wiped his face and said, "Second brother, I'll try my best."

——

Yan Sikong returned to his residence and began to prepare for this matter. He and Yuan Nanyu were very similar in appearance, figure and voice, except that Yuan Nanyu was slightly stronger than him. The two of them had no blood relationship, but they were like twins. Such a coincidence must have been destined by fate to have such a tortuous fate.

New Year's Eve is coming soon, and Yan Sikong decides to switch identities with Yuan Nanyu on that day. There are many people and most of them are busy during the New Year. The two people who are most likely to discover the abnormality - Chen Yu and Shen Hexuan, should spend more time with their families. There is no better time to deceive than this. After the New Year, he will go to Pei'an. In such a short time, as long as Yuan Nanyu pretends well, he will be able to hide the truth.

Having made up his mind, Yan Sikong went to ask Chen Yi for permission, saying that it was useless to use force against Yuan Nanyu, and that if they drank and chatted happily in prison, Yuan Nanyu would slowly let down his guard, and asked Chen Yi to allow him to visit him at any time.

Chen Yu was busy fighting with Feng Ye over a distance, so he agreed without any suspicion.

Shen Hexuan didn't say anything, but after Yan Sikong left, he followed closely and stopped Yan Sikong in the corridor.

Yan Sikong cupped his hands and said with a fake smile, "What can I do for you, Lord Shen?"

"Yan Sikong, what do you want to do?" Shen Hexuan said coldly.

"I am stupid, could you please explain clearly, Lord Shen?"

"Your Highness has handed Quewang over to me for interrogation, but you want to befriend him. I'm afraid you have other intentions."

"Your Highness did ask you to interrogate him, but what did you get out of that?" Yan Sikong mocked, "Since you can't get anything out of that, why don't you let me try? Could it be that Lord Shen is afraid that I will take credit for it?"

"I have never cared about fame." Shen Hexuan said angrily, "You are cunning and treacherous, and people have to be on guard. Your Highness trusts you, but I have to keep an eye on you all the time. I will never let you make trouble under my nose."

"Haha." Yan Sikong sneered, "Lord Shen has no basis and is slandering others like this. This is not what a gentleman does."

"You are not a gentleman, so you don't have to treat me like one."

Yan Sikong sneered, "Wait until Lord Shen finds something to hold against me before you tell His Highness about this."

The moment Yan Sikong turned around, the murderous look on his face could no longer be concealed. After sending Yuan Nanyu away, he would definitely find a way to get rid of Shen Hexuan.

——

Yan Sikong went to visit Yuan Nanyu in prison for several days in a row, and each time he brought good wine and good food. Those things would be checked by the prison guards, so Yan Sikong hid the disguise ointment on his body. This thing was specially formulated by She Zhun, and it would not dissolve in water for several days. When you apply it, it is like you have put on another layer of skin.

After entering the prison, Yan Sikong took out the ointment and said, "This is the stuff I was talking about. It should be better than what you made yourself."

Yuan Nanyu scooped a little and rubbed it on his arm. Then he rubbed it and it blended into his skin. It looked very natural. He praised: "It's really a good thing. This She Jun is really good."

"He is the most famous intelligence dealer in the world. I don't even know how many identities he has." Yan Sikong took off Yuan Nanyu's mask, poured the wine on the towel, wiped his face clean, and then smeared the ointment on the remnants of the ink punishment.

"When will he come to find you? If he is here, he may be able to rescue you."

"I don't know. He will come to me after he settles Ali." Yan Sikong said with a smile, "He always saves me in times of danger. We are as close as brothers. There is a long way to go. I hope you can meet one day."

"must."

Yan Sikong applied the cream evenly and nodded with satisfaction: "It's so seamless that you can't even tell at all."

Yuan Nanyu touched it lightly: "Really?"

"Really." Yan Sikong said, "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, everything will go according to plan."

Yuan Nanyu looked uneasy: "Second brother, I still feel... it's not right. You pretending to be me might work, but I... I'm really not good at pretending."

"You have to do it even if you can't. Fengye is pressing Chen Yi hard right now, and Chen Yi has no intention of exchanging you for the city. If the princes really respond and raise an army to attack Fengye, the first thing Chen Yi will do is to use your blood as a sacrifice for the military flag." Yan Sikong stared deeply into Yuan Nanyu's eyes. "After this year, whether you are released or dead will soon be determined. I will never let you stay here and take risks."

“But you…”

"I said, don't worry about me, I will definitely be able to save my life, nothing else matters." Yan Sikong held Yuan Nanyu's face. Looking at this familiar face, he seemed to see himself. Although they were not twins in reality, they had the love of twins. He wished the best for Yuan Nanyu, just like wishing the best for himself. He believed that Yuan Nanyu thought the same when he took the blame for him.

Yuan Nanyu sighed and nodded.

"I teach you to learn from me. How are you doing?"

Yuan Nanyu stood up, straightened his chest, imitated Yan Sikong's way of walking, bowed, coughed lightly, and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Your Highness, I have met you."

Yan Sikong smiled and said, "Very good. You should try to avoid seeing them as much as possible. You should avoid them if you can. You must hold on until you leave Pingliang."

"I won't let my second brother down." Yuan Nanyu said in a deep voice, "Second brother, take care of yourself too."

"rest assured!"

——

On New Year's Eve, Yan Sikong finished the task assigned to him by Chen Yu, and before the banquet, he went to see Yuan Nanyu again with some New Year's Eve dinner.

The two of them changed their clothes quickly. Yan Sikong wiped Yuan Nanyu's face and combed his hair. In order to hide the stench of Yuan Nanyu who had not washed for many days in prison, he poured strong liquor on his clothes. "After you get out, go back and wash up first. Chen Yi will definitely be too busy to take care of you at the banquet tonight. Stay away from Shen Hexuan, pretend to be drunk, and go back to your room early."

"Okay." Yuan Nanyu looked a little nervous.

"Fortunately, you followed me to Yunnan, and you know many of Chen Yu's officers and generals. If something goes wrong, don't be afraid. Just pretend to be drunk and keep calm."

"Don't worry, second brother."

After fixing Yuan Nanyu's appearance, Yan Sikong ruffled his hair, smeared dust on his head, face, hands and feet, and then held the mask in his hand, staring at it intently.

Yuan Nanyu said softly: "Second brother, if you..."

Yan Sikong put on the mask without hesitation: "From now on, you are Yan Sikong and I am Que Wang."

Yuan Nanyu took a long breath and said, "Second brother, I'm afraid I will regret it if I do this."

"If you die at the hands of Chen Yu, you won't even have the chance to regret it." Yan Sikong was afraid that he would hesitate, so he pulled him up and pushed him out of the prison. The eyes behind the mask were gentle and firm, "Yu'er, go quickly."

"Second brother..."

"Believe me, brother. We brothers will definitely meet again."

Yuan Nanyu opened his eyes wide and held back the tears that were about to fall. He clenched his fists and bowed deeply to Yan Sikong: "We will definitely meet again!" After saying that, he forced himself to turn around and leave.

Yan Sikong sat in the cell and touched the mask on his face with slightly trembling hands. The mask was difficult to take off after being worn for a long time, but this mask was originally supposed to be worn by him, and now it was just returned to its original owner.

He no longer had time to think about his fate. He would accept it even if he died here instead of Yuan Nanyu. His only wish was that Yuan Nanyu could escape from the golden cicada shell smoothly.

——

Yuan Nanyu, who pretended to be Yan Sikong, suppressed his anxiety, stretched his body as much as possible, relaxed his steps, and walked out of the prison.

The guard had received money from Yan Sikong, and they had become more or less familiar with each other after seeing each other frequently in the past few days. While bowing, he smiled and said, "Happy New Year, Lord Yan. How did you spill the wine on your clothes? Don't let it freeze."

"I'll go back and change now." Yuan Nanyu's heart finally calmed down when he saw that the prison guards had no strange expressions.

According to Yan Sikong's description, he found his own residence, ordered his servants to prepare hot water, washed himself inside and out, and then did some makeup. For safety reasons, he applied some ointment on his forehead. Only when he looked flawless did he dare to attend the New Year banquet.

Chen Yi invited many officials and close associates to celebrate the New Year together. He shared the main seat with the daughter of King Ning, his wife, while Qi Manbi sat gently at the side.

As Yan Sikong said, Chen Yi had too many guests to receive and had no time to pay too much attention to him. He bowed to Chen Yi and sat down aside.

After sitting down, Yuan Nanyu did not forget to observe the people at the banquet, so that he could match those people he had not seen but had heard Yan Sikong describe with names, so as to avoid being exposed.

The princess had an elegant face, but compared with Qi Manbi's charm, she was rather bland. No wonder Chen Yu and she did not behave like a normal couple, chatting and laughing, and treating each other with respect, during the New Year's Day.

Yuan Nanyu felt Shen Hexuan's gaze, he looked back calmly and gracefully, he even raised his glass to Shen Hexuan with a hint of provocation in his brows.

As long as he didn't say anything, he was confident that he could imitate Yan Sikong 80%.

The banquet began, and the guests who came to celebrate brought one gift after another. The congratulatory speeches were so bold and frivolous that it seemed as if Chen Yi was already an emperor. Chen Yi did not shy away from suspicion and accepted them all. His young and handsome face was full of pride, which made Shen Hexuan frown frequently.

Yuan Nanyu recalled the little prince he met a few years ago. He would only follow Yan Sikong and call him "teacher" all the time, as if he could not move forward without Yan Sikong. This was indeed the case. It was he and Yan Sikong who helped Chen Yi stabilize the situation, eliminate the bandits, recruit soldiers and horses, and recruit talented people, helping him to get to where he is today step by step.

Although the main purpose of helping him in the beginning was to use him to control the other dukes for Feng Ye, he turned out to be so scheming and ambitious at such a young age that he could not be controlled, which led to the current situation. He was a double-edged sword that benefited him but also hurt him.

Perhaps Chen Yi really has the blood of an emperor flowing in his bones. He had also seen Feng Ye's arrogant look in his early twenties, but he was different from Chen Yi. Feng Ye's arrogance was wanton and unrestrained, while Chen Yi's arrogance was accompanied by sophistication and self-control, as if every move he made had a purpose. Yan Sikong cultivated him to be the master of the world since he was young, and the results were remarkable.

Thinking of this, Yuan Nanyu felt very emotional.

After drinking a few glasses of wine, Yuan Nanyu pretended to have a headache, stood up staggeringly, and went back to his room to rest.

The servant came over and supported Yuan Nanyu: "Master Yan, what's wrong with you?"

Yuan Nanyu waved his hands: "I have a headache, help me go back and rest."

"yes."

"Lord Yan." A woman's soft voice came from behind, and it sounded particularly clear and graceful in the noisy house.

Yuan Nanyu turned around and saw that it was Chen Yi's concubine, Madam Qi. He had noticed this woman when he came to Yunnan with Yan Sikong. After all, they looked somewhat similar. If it weren't for her, he would not have guessed Chen Yi's intentions towards Yan Sikong.

"Madam." Yuan Nanyu narrowed his eyes.

"Are you feeling unwell, my lord?" Qi Manbi said softly, "I ordered people to prepare some pear soup to sober you up early. It's for the prince, and I'll send some to you as well." It looked like she was trying to please him, just as Yan Sikong said.

"Thank you, ma'am. I'll just go back and take a nap. It won't be a problem."

Qi Manbi smiled and said, "The prince ordered me to take good care of you. If you feel unwell, you can take some medicine. Don't try to be strong."

"Don't worry, Madam." Yuan Nanyu smiled, "I just drank too much, it's okay, Madam, go back and serve the prince."

Qi Manbi bowed slightly, and Yuan Nanyu was helped back to his room by the servants.

When there was no one around, he looked at himself in the mirror for a long time, fearing that he might see something wrong. Seeing that everything was the same as before, he felt relieved and prepared to go to bed early. Today was his first day pretending to be Yan Sikong, and he was already very satisfied that he had gotten away with it.

At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door.

"who?"

"Master Yan, it's me."