The Understudy Body

Synopsis

Wei Rong, a dead court secretary from a fallen dynasty, wakes inside Double №7—one of twelve clay-and-blood decoys bred to die in place of Crown Prince Yán Zhi. His advantage: a full past life of court intrigue. His curse: proximity to the prince for 24 hours causes physical, then mental, drift toward that person. Standing too close saves his life but erases his soul. As he climbs from stable-decoy to close-attendance shadow, he discovers the rule that will destroy him is also the rule that could crown him. He engineers a real assassination to create the chaos for a swap—but every hour beside the prince makes the substitution more complete. By the night he finally strikes, he no longer remembers why he wanted to live as Wei Rong. He rules well as Yán Zhi, and signs the order to burn the remaining doubles, and cannot recall his own mother's face.

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