liddi

Fenglong and Jing were standing when they pled for Cang Xuan in Ep38. Similarly, all the Greater Plain leaders were standing in court attendance when the Xiyan king came. As such , it feels strange that even Fenglong's father knelt during the petition while the clan leaders did not. As such, I am inclined to think that it is the decision to make the leads stand out in that scene, though I could be wrong too.

Vol 1 Ch5 of the novel describes the four great clans thus:
"不过都不如四世家，那是能和王族抗衡的大家族。They [the lesser clans] cannot compare with the Four Great Families, which are great clans that are able to contend with the imperial families."

As such, their positions would certainly be one that the royal families do not view lightly. Nonetheless, it still seems unusual that only Fenglong's father and the rest of the clan leaders were kneeling before the Xiyan king, while the clan leaders of the four great famiies did not. By right, all should be bowing down while petitioning the king. Not sure if it is a production oversight, or deliberate to reflect the position of the four leaders to the viewers.

Quick answer to your questions:
1. She transforms to her female form in Ep18

2. Tushan Jing knew she was a woman back when she asked him to bathe himself in Ep2

3. She doesn't end up with anyone at the end of S1. However, she is firmly by Cang Xuan's side in his journey to claim the Xiyan throne

4. Are you referring to S1 or overall?
S1 is a very satisfying conclusion, ending on a high note.
As for S2, it depends on your POV. Based on the novel (which the drama appears to follow), there will be a lot of heartache with and for all the men who love her, but she does end up with one of them (Jing) at the end

Hope that helps somewhat.

I don't recall it being specifically mentioned in the drama, but based on the novel：
The three royal families are
神农 Shen Nong (辰荣 Chenrong in the drama)
轩辕 Xuan Yuan (西炎 Xiyan in the drama)
高辛 Gao Xin (皓翎 Haoling in the drama)

The four noble families are 赤水 Chishui, 西陵 Xiling, 涂山 Tushan and 鬼方 Guifang.
Next are the six grand families from 中原 the Greater Plains (don't recall all their names)
After them come the smaller clans - 金天 Jintian (who forged Xiao Yao's bow) in the south; 防风 Fangfeng in the north.

长相思 Lost You Forever brought me back to Cdramaland, and I am so moved that 12 years after 步步惊心 Scarlet Heart, there is finally another worthy adaptation of Tong Hua's incredible novels.

All round excellent production, well paced and thoughtfully delivered, perfectly complemented by a gorgeous soundtrack composed by the incredible Dong Dongdong; and strong ensemble performances, which left me with such a hollow feeling after the S1 finale. While the CGI leaves much to be desired, ultimately, the storyline is riveting enough that the less than impressive effects do not bother me anymore.

Yang Zi's portrayal captured the essence of her male alter-ego Wen Xiao Liu through the shift in the timbre of her voice and her mannerisms, while nailing the different facets of Xiao Yao. Zhang Wanyi's masterful interpretation especially in the later episodes brings Cang Xuan to life, and I ache desperately for what could have been, should have been for him had not fate played a cruel hand. Deng Wei is the perfect Tushan Jing visually and truly delivers the sweet awkwardness and jealousy of Ye Shiqi whose whole world revolves around Wen Xiao Liu, even before he ever knew what her true form was like. Last but definitely not least, Tan Jianci is the definitive Xiang Liu, from the moment we see him on screen to his every movement, perfectly capturing the duality of Xiang Liu and Fangfeng Bei - the micro expressions in his eyes or the infinitesimal shift in his mannerisms, augmented by the fact that he had so few lines.

And now, I am left counting the days to when we see them again in S2, while preparing my heart for what I know is coming.

Didn't think that anyone would be reading my monologic ramblings on Soompi 3 years down the road! Glad that the recaps encouraged you to watch it after all. While not perfect, with some rough edges in terms of script and performances, it certainly deserves more credit for the courage to depart from a blatant re-enactment of the original, opting to imbue its local backdrop and adapt from their own cold cases instead. Hopefully there will be a sequel, just as I continue to hope and pray that Kim Eun Hee will finally give us Signal S2.