“You mistake my meaning,” he said at once. “It was what I was advised to do, what my father would have done—but not what I will do. Surrendering your mother would merely offer a temporary reprieve, for it would make Wugang invincible. He will sweep through the Immortal Realm like a pestilent plague, and when it is barren, he will devour us then. He might be an ally at present, but he is undoubtedly our future foe. My father realized this too—which is why he preferred to aid us, though he would also have dealt with Wugang to further his own ends.”

His gaze held mine. “Yet that is not the only reason. I confess, you are a strong inducement to think of another plan.”

I steeled myself against letting my heart soften. “This can be an opportunity. We might be able to use this to our advantage.”

He nodded reluctantly, for he had thought of this too. “I do not want this. It will be dangerous.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “But less so than letting Wugang rampage unhindered.” Still, it was too soon. I was not ready … if I would ever be.

“It’s the best way. I can’t appear in some inexplicable coincidence; Wugang would suspect a ruse at once.” I spoke quickly before terror stifled my words. “Do what they expect of you, what any cautious ruler would when faced with this threat. Surrender my mother. Except it will be me in her stead. Let Wugang think he has us where he wants us, that victory is in his grasp. It will lull him into a false sense of security and—”

“You will make him pay,” Wenzhi finished my sentence for me, his expression grim. “Except Wugang will not accept our acquiescence easily. He believes that I—unlike my father or brother—would be loath to accept an alliance with him. He knows that I would never surrender the Moon Goddess willingly, for no other reason than the fact she is your mother.”

I remembered what Wugang had said to us before, the knowing looks he had cast at Wenzhi and me. “This will not work if Wugang has a flicker of suspicion, if he tests my disguise. What if you refuse his terms? Have one of your courtiers offer the information to Wugang in exchange for a reward. I could allow myself to be captured, let him bring me to the laurel.”

“An illusion, mirroring what he expects.” He nodded. “That could work. Either way, we must prepare our forces to stand against him—in part to fit our ploy, in part for defense. I believe he is set on attacking us. Too many of his soldiers have gathered along the border for this to be a simple excursion.”