I personally love the pace and direction of the story. Sure romantic scenes are nice but i prefer the slow burn and developing chemistry between them. As the author intended, this is more of Imperial court drama, intrigue and solving mysteries while navigating a world of rules, teadition and status. In my opinion the mystery and the little hints of romance between Jinshi and MaoMao is what makes the story interesting. Though I would love to see a happy ending ofc, afterall I'm already hooked and is emotionally invested in it.