"A counterfeit emperor?"
Xiao Che was taken aback when he heard this word, but then he understood what Lin Wanwan meant.
He touched his chin, his brow furrowing slightly. This was indeed the most crucial and difficult part of the entire plan.
Finding someone to handle state affairs in his place is virtually impossible. But finding a stand-in to sit on the dragon throne and pretend to be one, to fool the ministers, seems... not entirely impossible. After all, during court sessions, he is a considerable distance from the ministers; as long as the physique is similar and the demeanor is deliberately imitated, it might not be impossible to fool them.
"Among my personal guards, there are quite a few with similar builds to me." Xiao Che immediately had an idea. "Tomorrow, I will personally select some under the pretext of 'inspecting the Imperial Guards'!"
Let's get right to it.
The next morning, the Royal Guards' drill ground witnessed an unprecedented "grand spectacle".
Their emperor, accompanied by a group of generals, actually came to the training ground in person, saying that he wanted to personally inspect and examine his most elite personal guards.
This is an immense honor!
Hundreds of tall, hand-picked imperial guards stood tall and straight, doing everything they could to make a good impression on the emperor.
Xiao Che walked slowly past the rows of people with his hands behind his back, his eyes sharp and his expression serious, displaying the majesty of an emperor.
However, his gaze, which seemed to be inspecting the military formation, was actually like picking cabbages at a market, constantly scanning each guard's height, build, shoulder width, and even the length of their necks.
Lin Wanwan, standing not far away under the guise of "accompanying the Emperor," appeared to be admiring the Imperial Guards' drills, but in reality, she was also secretly observing and helping Xiao Che with the "selection process."
"This one is too fat; he can't fit into the dragon robe." Xiao Che walked past a burly guard, shaking his head inwardly.
"This one is too thin, like a bamboo pole, he doesn't have the majesty of an emperor." He then passed by a thin young man.
"This... its neck is too short!"
"This... walking with your toes pointed outwards is bad posture!"
"This one... he's cross-eyed?! Next!"
A morning passed, and Xiao Che had inspected almost all of his personal guards, numbering no less than a hundred, but the result greatly disappointed him.
Let alone finding someone who can imitate his "imperial aura," even finding someone with the same physique as him is as difficult as climbing to heaven.
He sat back down on the throne of the viewing platform, somewhat irritated, picked up his tea and took a sip. His enthusiasm for "skipping work" was extinguished by this bucket of cold water.
Lin Wanwan saw that above his head floated a narcissistic emoji, a cartoon version of Xiao Che, standing with his hands on his hips, his whole body shining with gold, with a line of big words next to him—【I am indeed unique.jpg】.
Lin Wanwan couldn't help but laugh. She knew she couldn't let him continue being so "narcissistic."
Her gaze passed over the Imperial Guards who were still diligently training on the drill ground and landed on the farthest corner.
There was a man there who wasn't participating in the drills, but was instead wielding a large axe, mechanically chopping firewood, stroke by stroke.
The man was dressed in the most ordinary guard uniform, with his back to the viewing platform, leaving everyone with only a broad and silent silhouette.
"Your Majesty," Lin Wanwan walked to Xiao Che's side and asked in a low voice, "What do you think of that guard chopping wood over there?"
Xiao Che looked in the direction she was pointing, initially not paying much attention. What could be so special about a woodcutter?
But upon closer inspection, his gaze sharpened slightly.
The man's height seemed to be about the same as his own. The width of his shoulders, the lines of his back... from behind, he looked seven or eight parts similar to him!
"Go, bring that person over!" Xiao Che immediately ordered the chief eunuch beside him.
Soon, the guard who was chopping wood was brought to the viewing platform.
When he turned around and looked up, the glimmer of hope that Xiao Che had just ignited was extinguished.
This man was named Wei Wu, and his physique was indeed 90% similar to Wei Wu's, even down to the size of his hands and feet. But the problem was that his appearance was far removed from that of the "wise and mighty" Emperor.
Wei Wu's face was dark, as if it had been exposed to wind and sun for many years. His features were regular, but when put together, they exuded an inescapable honesty and simplicity. Especially his eyes, which were clear, but lacked any of the depth and majesty of an emperor. Instead, they were like those of an honest ox, full of bewilderment and restraint.
At that moment, he knelt on the ground, not daring to lift his head, his whole body as tense as a stone.
This...this can replace me?
Xiao Che's brows furrowed deeply. The difference in their demeanor was too vast. Forget attending court, they probably wouldn't even be able to leave the palace; they'd be arrested as assassins.
Just as Xiao Che was about to give up and wave him away, Lin Wanwan tugged at his sleeve, gave him a wink, and then walked up to Wei Wu, asking softly, "Your name is Wei Wu? Raise your head and let me see you."
Wei Wu raised his head tremblingly.
Lin Wanwan scrutinized his face carefully, from his brow bone to his jawline, looking extremely intently. After a while, she turned her head and gave Xiao Che a confident smile: "Your Majesty, it's him."
Xiao Che was full of suspicion, but out of trust in Lin Wanwan, he still ordered that the guard named Wei Wu be secretly taken back to the secret room of the Imperial Study.
Inside the secret room, candlelight shone brightly.
Wei Wu knelt on the ground, trembling like a leaf. He still didn't know what had happened, only that he feared a great calamity was about to befall him.
Xiao Che stood to the side with his arms crossed, looking at Wei Wu with a scrutinizing expression, clearly still doubting Lin Wanwan's judgment.
Lin Wanwan ignored him, smiled mysteriously, turned around and took out a strangely shaped wooden box from a hidden compartment.
"What is this?" Xiao Che asked curiously.
"Your Majesty's 'Disguise Box'." Lin Wanwan opened the box and saw that it was divided into several layers, filled with various bottles and jars, brushes of different sizes, and some ointments of different colors. Many of these items were things that Xiao Che had never even seen before.
Looking at the box of strange and unusual things, and then at Lin Wanwan's eager expression, he suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Wei Wu, don't be nervous, lift your head." Lin Wanwan's voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, but it made Wei Wu tremble even more.
She took a small bottle out of the box, poured out some milky white liquid, and then... smeared it directly on Wei Wu's dark face.
Then, she took out various colored ointments and used oddly shaped brushes to apply and sweep them across Wei Wu's face. Sometimes she made him close his eyes, sometimes she made him open his mouth, her movements so skillful they were dazzling.
Xiao Che stood to the side, completely dumbfounded.
He watched as his gentle and virtuous empress, like a skilled craftswoman, performed a kind of "transformation" on Wei Wu's honest face that he could not understand at all.
What is he doing? Drawing?
Time passed by, bit by bit.
From initial terror to numbness, and finally to drowsiness, Wei Wu was completely at Lin Wanwan's mercy.
Finally, Lin Wanwan put down the last "pen" in her hand, let out a long sigh of relief, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face. She clapped her hands and said to Wei Wu, who was still kneeling on the ground, "Alright, get up and go look in the mirror."
Wei Wu felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He stood up in a daze and staggered to the huge bronze mirror in the secret room.
Xiao Che followed curiously, wanting to see what Wanwan could do to this "black-faced man" after all that fuss.
However, when the two looked at the mirror at the same time, time seemed to stand still.
Xiao Che gasped, his eyes widening instantly, his face filled with disbelief.
The mirror clearly reflected the images of two people.
One of them was himself.
And the other one... was none other than himself!
The dark, honest face of Wei Wu in the mirror had vanished. In its place was a face identical to Xiao Che's! Fair skin, deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and even the curve of his mouth was perfectly imitated!
If it weren't for the lingering confusion and fear in those eyes, and the inappropriate guard uniform he was wearing, Xiao Che would almost have thought he was seeing a long-lost twin brother!
What...what kind of sorcery is this?!
When Wei Wu, the person involved, saw the "dragon face" in the mirror, his reaction was even more intense than Xiao Che's.
He froze at first, then touched his face in horror. When he felt the familiar touch on his fingertips and the person in the mirror did the same thing, a huge fear gripped his heart instantly!
"ah--!"
Wei Wu let out a piercing scream, his legs buckled, and with a "thud," he immediately knelt down before Lin Wanwan, kowtowing repeatedly, his voice already trembling with sobs:
"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! I...I don't know what crime I've committed, please don't turn me into His Majesty! I...I..."
He was rambling incoherently, clearly terrified by his own face.
Xiao Che stood to the side, watching this absurd yet shocking scene unfold before him, his heart churning with turbulent emotions. He turned to look at Lin Wanwan, who was smugly admiring her "masterpiece," and above her head, an emoji filled with admiration and disbelief slowly floated by—
[This skill is useless for palace intrigue! .jpg]
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