How Dare You - Ep 28-32 Discussion Post (Fast Track)
Previous Discussion posts: Ep 1-6 Discussion, Ep 7/8, Ep 9/10, Ep 11/12, Ep 13/14, Ep 15/16, Ep 17/18, Ep 19/20, Ep 21/22, Ep 23/24, Ep 25, Ep 26/27
Novel Translation: How Dare You
Ep 28: Prince Duan dreams of taking the throne, but his legs are broken. He dreams about the Empress Dowager attacking his mother. Yu Wanuin and the others make it to Peiyang City. She puts in the hairpin Xiahou Dan sent her and is taken by soldiers. It's Bai!
Yu Wanuin realizes that Xiahou Dan lied about not knowing Bai earlier. He explains that Xiahou Dan had him join the army years ago to help him gain military power from Prince Duan. Xiahou Dan was planning to use the Right army to attack the other two and seize power, but he stopped when Yu Wanuin arrived because she values all lives. Bai says the emperor was captured but he's not sure if the news is reliable. Wanuin wants to save him.
Back in the palace, Prince Duan's legs don't seem to be recovering. The royal physicians are all too scared to tell the truth, only Xiao Tiancai dares to say that his legs need to be amputated to prevent sepsis. Prince Duan tells the court that the emperor is sick and he'll be taking care of the country in the meantime. Scholar Li demands to see the emperor. The other two remaining scholars help him not be executed.
Bai reveals that they've been manufacturing guns! Thousands of them
The emperor dies
Yu Wanuin doesn't believe it. The Mute Girl now named Flower is Wanuin's new servant, having refused to leave. Flower wakes up Wanuin because she hears something.
Ep 29: Yu Wanuin goes to Bai's tent and suspects something is off. Bai offers again to help her leave, and Wanuin finds...
Waniun is righteously pissed off. Xiahou Dan is so, so sad. He says he couldn't meet at Peiyang City because he had a headache episode. Wanuin is willing to forgive him. They appear in front of the troops together in matching outfits so you know they are back together.
The scholars get together at a hideout that the emperor prepared for them in advance. Prince Duan is taking out disloyal ministers. They discuss what to do, Er Long wants to stay in court and keep doing good as long as she can. Er Long confesses to Cen Jintian, though not everyone realizes it.
Xiahou Dan asks Wanuin's real name and then laughs about it (I don't know why her name is funny). He says he's from 2016 while she's from 2026. He starts asking her about all the slang she uses that he doesn't understand. Wanuin says she's robbing the cradle and gets Dan to say something that sounds like "jiejie" (older sister).
Er Long takes Cen Jintian to view his plants. He says he's been happy to have them all as friends, then he passes away:
They made me love them and then ripped them away
The armies arrive at the city. The civilian officials are acting suspicious and won't let the armies in. It turns out Prince Duan is suspicious because he found out the Xiahou Dan he has is a fake. Prince Duan has a gun, but they aren't sure how to make more. He only has one bullet left.
Ep 30: The imperial guards are searching the armies for the emperor and empress. Wanuin is taken for inspection because she's too short.
The soldiers are not impressed with the inspections. Wanuin has Flower plant a gun on a Red hat soldier (Central army, Prince Duan's side). The central army starts fighting the imperial guards (blue helmet). The black helmets are the Right army (emperor's side). Wanuin protects Flower from an arrow and looks for Xiahou Dan. The armies are in confusion and attacking the city.
Side note: Eunuch An is not paid enough for this
The emperor and empress's army stomps the opposition with their guns and then reveal themselves. The armies surrender to the emperor. Prince Duan is informed that his fake funeral for Xiahou Dan is no longer valid. Xiahou Dan puts Yu Wanuin in charge of the military. Bai is sent to recover the hostages from Prince Duan.
They capture Prince Duan and take him to the dungeon. Er Long returns and tells the others that Cen Jintian has passed away. Inside the palace, they find out the imposter was Mr. Bei. He disguised himself as the emperor. Xiahou Dan doesn't believe it at first. Physician Xiao reveals that Bei harmed himself so he could pass as the critically ill emperor and buy them more time. He asked Xiao to save the emperor before he died and also attempted to assassinate Prince Duan, but killed his trusted guard instead. Xiahou Dan is so distraught he has an migraine.
Scholar Li tries to look after Er Long and it's very sweet. I'm not crying...
Ep 31: Xiahou Dan has been getting worse and having more frequent headaches. Yu Wanuin tells him that Mr. Bei always knew that he would die and chose to come anyway. Dan says he will bury Bei beside his mother, who was the only person who understood Bei (in the novel extras, Nan supports Bei's crossdressing when they are young and doesn't get him in trouble for it.) Then Wanuin visits Prince Duan in his very airy prison:
She tells him that he sucks and she's right
The scholars visit Xiahou Dan and he says he will reform the court. He is bringing back the disgraced minister from way back at the beginning of the show, whose son, Xu Tao, died in the library fire (1 million years ago... only 12 days ago?! what a ride this show has been). He wants to make everything right before handing over power to Yu Wanuin. He clears out all the corrupt officials. The minister of revenue is executed as promised when they found the treasury empty.
Physician Xiao is not optimistic about curing the emperor, they don't know how to replicate the poison that can combat the poison in Xiahou Dan and going to Qaing would take too long. Wanuin gives him Xie Yonger's letter, which promises that they will reunite (sob).
Yu Wanuin dreams about watching herself murder Xiahou Dan. She tells him that her character assassinated him in the original novel. Wanuin is worried, but Xiahou Dan brushes it off. Wanuin checks and the stars are aligned, which she thinks means one of them will die.
Yu Wanuin is running the country while Xiahou Dan is sick. Er Long tries to retire. Scholar Li has been converted to feminism. Wanuin convinces her to wait until things are more stable. Xiahou Dan is dying and no on can figure out what to do. He says he'll find her if he goes back to the real world or try to find her again in the novel world if reincarnation exists there.
Flower tries to sneak into the pharmacy that makes the emperor's medicine. Then she brings Wanuin some food, which later makes her sick. Flower tells her that calling for help is useless, as she's been poisoned. She turns out to be a Qaing assassin. They check Flower's poison to see if it can help, but there is no cure for Wanuin.
Ep 32: Yu Wanuin wants to trade her life for Xiahou Dan's (though honestly he'd hate that, he'd just be alone and miserable again). But it turns out Flower didn't give her deadly poison. Flower poisoned herself and confesses. Flower decided to kill the emperor because she liked Wanuin too much to kill her for revenge as the next monarch. Flower has the poison they need and leaves them a clue to how to make more. Turns out Xie Yonger grew the flower in her garden and the Empress Dowager was indeed from Qaing.
Prince Duan is going a bit nuts in solitary confinement. His minion promises him he'll rise to power again. It turns out Xiahou Dan is deliberately feeding Prince Duan false information. We learn that the drought is survived, Tu'er is emperor of Yan, and Er Long Lan is out of disguise! Qanuin wants her to stay in court and help improve female education.
All the consorts are dismissed and Yu Wanuin is installed as empress.
Wanuin talks about how they only met because of the novel. Xiahou Dan says he would have talked to her on the subway after work and asked for her number. They go watch a fireworks show. He proposes to her as Zhang San with a wedding ring.
Yu Wanuin wakes up back on the subway, Xiahou Dan hands her the book she dropped and asks in English "How are you?" She replies back with tears in her eyes.
All done! What a ride it has been. I'm very happy with the whole thing overall and those battles scenes at the end were amazing!
Ending changes from the novel: >!the Nameless man comes to the palace and tells Yu Wanuin that she will survive and that it's fate/the will of the heavens. She threatens fate with a gun (says she'll shoot herself) unless heaven changes it's mind. There is thunder and eventually the Nameless guy gives in. It's only after that they find the poison. However, Xiahou Dan doesn't live very long (probably 5-10 years) and Yu Wanuin reigns alone until one of their kids takes over. She dies of old age, while Zhang San waits ten years to meet her again in the real world. He's the CEO who bought the movie rights.!<
Posted Feb 18, 2026, 2:24 PM UTC