Aramintai

Sure, starting from her mentor and ML's father. The main bad also covered his tracks well and a lot of time has passed.

I've no idea. But statistically, the victims would have been women anyway, even if this drama wasn't following a theme. They're weaker physically and had little to no laws defending them in that era, so they're always more likely to become a victim of a crime. General view on them was that they were men's property. And in the palace all women were the emperor's property. Any of their attempts to make something of themselves other than man's pleasure mat were met with ridicule and contempt.

It's rather unclear. The emperor calls FL's father his elder brother. But Chinese call everybody elder/younger brothers even if they're not related. The emperor may have been calling him brother because they were around the same age. On the other hand, they care a lot about social status and who's above whom. So calling him uncle would be more proper, if FL's father was late emperor's younger brother.
Maybe FL's father was the emperor cousin, that way he can call him elder brother without reservations.

I'm not sure sending her to that dilapidated mansion guarded by few guards where nobody else is allowed is safer than her Bureau with her colleagues. Perhaps the emperor's guards will protect her, perhaps the emperor simply sent her there to punish her and dare her to find clues there. But the main bad quickly got wind of it and ordered another assassination attempt. Killing her at the palace grounds surrounded by warriors likely isn't as easy.
As for female clothes, I'm thinking it's like when a policeman is forced to give up the badge and is forbidden from wearing a uniform when she's been suspended. She can now only wear what is proper for a lady, not for an investigator, also a part of punishment.

Depends on where you at. The main plot starts ramping up after around episode 22.

Wdym? FL's gonna find out who's the mastermind behind her family's murder and get revenge. It's been very clear since the first episodes, she's been dead set on doing that for 15 years, even if it kills her. And the main bad's gonna get served as seen in BTS.
The cases she's investigating are side quests, so to speak, with a chance to find clues for the main case.

Have you seen Kingdom kdrama as well? It's not a case by case drama, but it's a great historical mystery thriller. One of the best kdramas out there actually.

The masked assassin is his hireling. FL and co already found out that the masked assassin is a provincial general. The right chancellor was shown talking to the masked assassin when he got his eye injury. And in the latest episode, it was the right chancellor who danced with the masked troupe.

It's not a rom-com with doll faced idols, so immediately -0.5 points at the very least. Typical bias on this site.

It was just one fight, ML closed her eyes so that she won't see her mentor's death. And it also triggered her last memory. Usually it's FL who shields ML from gore, he can't stand it being a normal guy.

It looks like he realized that he was fooled by the main bad later, but doesn't have evidence. So he cared for FL out of guilt. FL figured he sent her to her family mansion not just to punish her, but to get to the bottom of it. It's also clear somebody very powerful is involved, so the emperor may not have enough political power to do anything about them. The main bad in the novel was the right chancellor, we've already seen him a few times in the drama. He may have a lot of influence at court, gotta be careful with him.

I love how ML very gradually made her care for her life for his sake, which started with him telling her to stop harming her body by testing poisons on herself and getting scarred for science, lol. And now they really care that both of them survive this whole ordeal. I'm liking this slow burn romance a lot. It doesn't take much of the screentime, but all romantic scenes are meaningful and impactuful.

She's very pretty in all outfits.

Rating is, as always on this site, very biased. If you like no-nonsense investigative dramas, with mysteries and martial arts, sprinkled with romance, then give it a try.

Lots, the leads are getting closer to the main bad.

Yea, they're plotting something there for sure, as always. No way she's just gonna sit there like a damsel in distress.

I don't think all those cases are gonna be related to the main plot. Sure, they follow a theme, but the main point in them I think is for FL to hone her investigative skills, to find clues about the main bad, and to get close with ML by spending time together solving them. They can't change much in the customs and laws of the palace, it's been clear. Though that pharmacist's death during epidemic did improve things for female medics. If FL finds justice for her family at least, that would be a win.
And ML and FL are gonna leave that shithole palace, it's been in the BTS already.

Lots of speculation unless you've read the novel. I'm more interested to know what was cut. For example, in the outro there 's a stone dragon statue in the mines somewhere - will we get that case, or was it cut? Not many episodes are left.

FL came to him seeking answers and he clearly knew something. But he threatened her and grounded her to her family's abandoned mansion for indefinite term. ML and co are gonna try to get her out of there.

No, he was cleverly framed.