I am not a replacement; I am the one Luan'er loves most

"Wh-what?"

The man asked in astonishment, "What Tuoba Xiangtai?"

"Who are you?"

"Where is Luan'er?"

"What are you doing here?"

Hearing this, everyone snapped back to reality. The person before them was not the Third Prince of the barbarian tribe, Tuoba Xiangtai. But, damn it, the resemblance was uncanny!

Wearing the same plain clothes, possessing the same gentle and refined demeanor, looking like the exact same elegant young master... Even his facial expressions and the sound of his voice instinctively made people think that this was absolutely Tuoba Xiangtai!

The very Tuoba Xiangtai who had thrown the royal court into chaos and imprisoned Empress Xiao Mingzhao!

Alike, too alike, simply too alike!

Ren Tianye was the first to fully recover his wits, though he still sighed inwardly. Just where on earth did Xiao Mingzhao find such a person?

Are we sure this isn't Tuoba Xiangtai's twin brother?

They were practically cut from the same cloth!

Compared to the man in the portrait, you couldn't just say they looked extremely similar—they were exactly the same!

Wei Shuo's heart was also churning with towering waves.

He had never seen Tuoba Xiangtai, nor had he seen this man in the room before. He had only sent people to gather information, obtained a portrait, and coincidentally seen a painting of Tuoba Xiangtai at Xiao Ruyi's place, which was why he was so shocked beyond measure.

But seeing him with his own eyes now, he could barely keep his grip on his sword.

Too similar!

It made him want to treat the man before him as the alien barbarian Tuoba Xiangtai and hack him to death with a single strike!

After a long while, the crowd finally calmed their racing hearts.

Looking again with a clear head, they could spot some clues.

Although the man before them looked incredibly like Tuoba Xiangtai, he probably wasn't his twin brother. If one observed carefully, there were slight differences between him and Tuoba Xiangtai.

This man's nose bridge was a bit straighter, and he seemed slightly taller than the Tuoba Xiangtai in the portrait. However, portraits lacked a strict scale, so it was hard to say for sure; it was just a feeling.

Aside from that, there were more or less some minor differences in their facial features.

However, when combined, at first glance, he instantly made people think of Tuoba Xiangtai.

The most crucial part was...

This person's way of speaking, voice, behavior, and movements... were far too identical to Tuoba Xiangtai's.

It felt like he was a clone of Tuoba Xiangtai!

"Just who are you people?"

"Why didn't Luan'er come? Why did she send you?"

"Luan'er never allows outsiders to enter. How did you get in?"

As he asked, his expression suddenly changed. "What have you done to Luan'er? If you people dared to disrespect Luan'er, I'll fight you to the death!"

His elegant young master persona vanished in an instant as he postured to charge at them. However, before he could even make a move, Wang Ming easily subdued him.

Wang Ming nodded at Ren Tianye.

The meaning was obvious: this man knew no martial arts.

Ren Tianye looked at him and asked, "What is your name?"

The man struggled for a long time without breaking free, looking indignant and furious, but finally huffed out a word.

"Xiangxiang!"

"Wh-what?" Ren Tianye thought he had misheard and asked, "What did you say your name was?"

"My name is Xiangxiang. Are you deaf?"

Ren Tianye: "..."

"I am asking for your real name, your full name, your original name. What is it?"

Xiangxiang immediately replied, "Luan'er has ordered me to change my name to Xiangxiang. From now on, I am Xiangxiang, I must be called Xiangxiang, and all of you must call me Xiangxiang!"

He said this with a hint of arrogance.

This prompted Wang Ming to instantly press a blade against his neck, stating coldly, "Boy, speak properly to our Grand Commandant. Don't reject the face you are given!"

With the blade at his neck, Xiangxiang's expression did not change in the slightest; instead, he grew even more stubborn. "I said, my name is Xiangxiang! Even if swords and axes are brought down upon me, I am still Xiangxiang!"

"Even if you kill me, my name is Xiangxiang!"

"Alright, alright..." Ren Tianye waved his hand helplessly, signaling Wang Ming to lower his sword and release Xiangxiang. "If you want to be called Xiangxiang, then Xiangxiang it is."

"General Wei Shuo, what was his original name..."

Wei Shuo had looked up Xiangxiang's background, so he certainly knew. However, before Wei Shuo could answer, Xiangxiang flared up in anger again, "Are you insulting me?"

"You want to change my name?"

"Let me tell you, keep dreaming!"

"I am Xiangxiang! In this life I am Xiangxiang, in the next life I am Xiangxiang, and when I die, the name Xiangxiang must be carved on my tombstone!"

Ren Tianye: "..."

Fine, the name wasn't important anyway.

It was just that the crazed look of this man, fiercely protecting the name given to him by Xiao Mingzhao, was somewhat different from the Tuoba Xiangtai that Ren Tianye knew.

But he quickly understood.

This was the Tuoba Xiangtai in Empress Xiao Mingzhao's heart, or rather, the version of Tuoba Xiangtai that she imagined.

Having realized this, he lost much of his interest in this Xiangxiang and bluntly exposed his true identity.

"It seems Xiao Mingzhao treats you quite well to have specifically bestowed a name upon you. It's just..."

A half-smile played on Ren Tianye's lips. "I wonder if you are aware of what kind of person you are in Xiao Mingzhao's heart?"

"Luan'er's husband, of course!" As soon as Xiangxiang mentioned this, his arrogant air returned. "I am Luan'er's husband! The timing just isn't right at the moment. Luan'er said that one day, she will let me appear openly and honorably before everyone!"

"Holding her hand, telling the people of the world!"

"That I, Xiangxiang, am the person Luan'er loves the most!"

These words were shouted deafeningly loud, echoing through the roof tiles with quite an extraordinary momentum.

It demonstrated the extreme confidence in his heart.

However, Ren Tianye immediately poured a basin of cold water over him.

"You are overthinking things."

"As far as I know, you, Xiangxiang, are merely one of Empress Xiao Mingzhao's many body doubles. Moreover, you are the double who most resembles the man Xiao Mingzhao truly loves: Tuoba Xiangtai..."

Reaching this point, Ren Tianye's heart suddenly stirred.

Looking at Xiangxiang again, he suddenly felt like he had found a treasure!

In his plan to make Tuoba Xiangtai kill the Empress, he had used quite a few methods to pressure Tuoba Xiangtai, but none of them had yielded great results in the end.

Through the subtle clues in the memorials from the Imperial Chen Estate, he could see that the relationship between Tuoba Xiangtai and Empress Xiao Mingzhao was deteriorating. Tuoba Xiangtai was becoming increasingly unreasonable, sticking closer to Xiao Mingzhao and controlling her even more strictly.

Therefore, his ongoing plan was to wait for the time to ripen, wipe out the barbarian army outside the capital, drive Tuoba Xiangtai mad with rage, and then have Tuoba Xiangtai wield the knife.

Now, this plan remained unchanged.

But...

He could add a little spice to it!

If, while destroying the barbarian army outside the capital, he also sent this Xiangxiang over to Tuoba Xiangtai...

Ren Tianye was instantly thrilled.

Xiangxiang was also agitated at this moment. He immediately let out a roar and said angrily, "Nonsense! You're talking nonsense! How is that possible?"

"The person Luan'er loves the most is me!"

"How could I possibly be someone else's substitute?"

...