How Dare You - Ep 11/12 Discussion Post
Previous Discussion posts: Ep 1-6 Discussion, Ep 7/8, Ep 9/10
Novel Translation: How Dare You
Main characters:
Yu Wanuin (character)/Wang Cuihua (real name) - corporate drone who is brought into the novel The Devil's Beloved Consort, which is a transmigration novel based on another novel
Xiahou Dan (character)/Zhang San (real name) - transmigrator, emperor and villain of both novels
Xie Yonger - transmigrator, she read the original novel, A Thousand Trees Blossoming at Night in the East, "cannon fodder" (a character who dies for the plot) in the original novel, female lead of the transmigration novel
Xiahou Bo (name) /Prince Duan (title) - Xiahou Dan's brother, transmigration status unknown, male lead of both novels
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Ep 11: The national treasury is completely empty. Xiahou Dan threatens the new Minister of Revenue and he runs off to the Empress Dowager. The scholar team proposes a new salt policy that solves the money problem and they start handing out the drought resistant millet seeds. The scholars have dinner, Er Long and Li squabble a bit, because she got promoted for presenting his idea. Yu Wanuin scolds herself for not reading the farming bits of the novel, but girl don't feel bad we've all skipped the farming bits of a novel (I might have skimmed some of these very scenes myself...)
So pretty! Also matching couples outfits
Yu Wanuin sees a butterfly and talks about how she doesn't know if this world or her original one is real. This is a reference to The story of Zhuangzi and the Butterfly where a man dreams he's a butterfly and proposes the question of if he's a human or a butterfly dreaming. Xiahou Dan agrees that he doesn't know which is real (he's been here so long, maybe he really can't tell...)
They meet a skilled martial artist, Bai, who comes from a master of divination. He brings a prophesy about Xiahou Dan, implying that the emperor is a new person (transmigrated). He pretends never to have met the emperor, but it turns out he's the one whose been sending Xiahou Dan medicine and they have plans together. Xiahou Dan says he's been waiting for the wrong person (Xie Yonger), but that Yu Wanuin has saved him.
Baby Diary! Little Xiahou Dan buries a message in the middle of the SOS. He tells his grandmother that it's a picture of two dragons and a pearl. The grandmother says she's his only ally as his father remarried.
Ep 12: Bai asks if Xiahou Dan likes Yu Wanuin and he says that "calling it 'like' would be too limiting." Bai says he'll seduce Yu Wanuin, which is just stupid for him to say but it is funny.
Xie Yonger meets the doctor again, Xiao Tiancai. His name means "tiny genius." She lights up. Bai fights Yu Wanuin's guards and Mr. Bei, then offers to take her out of the palace to see the world. I will admit that his flirting game is decent, but it's all for nothing since she leaves with the emperor
Flower petals, very important to flirting
We learn about Yan state, which is supposed to declare war at some point in the original novel. The prince of Yan has a grudge against Xiahou Dan because his childhood sweetheart was sent to Xia and was executed for trying to assassinate the emperor. They decide to secretly send an envoy from the scholars to see if they can make peace, Bai goes along to protect him.
Prince Duan wants to meet Yu Wanuin again. He wants information from her about the martial artist near the emperor. Xie Yonger sees them together. Yu Wanuin tests which martial artist he's seen, since there are two now. Yu Wanuin realizes that her maid is probably suspicious. She tests her maid and finds the leak! Her maid has been informing Prince Duan and that's how they found the boat party. Yay! It wasn't Xiahou Dan!
This scene was so good! The way she withdraws her hand
Yu Wanuin feels badly because her character's maid was very faithful. Xiahou Dan comforts her and it's very lovely:
In the morning, the maidservant Mei tries to stab one of the other consorts and is killed for it. Yu Wanuin is demoted and taken to the Cold Palace (exile land). This is the first major departure from the novel so far (>!in the novel, Yu Wanuin orders her maid to poison the other consort and is directly responsible for her death!<)
Baby Diary! The little Crown Prince watches his ally and grandma die of a head disorder. It's clear the Empress Dowager of today caused it. None of the servants even react to her confession. Little Dan is terrified.
Posted Feb 9, 2026, 12:50 PM UTC