was it ever explained or hinted at why/how Shuli looks like the first Empress? I mean like is there an actual connection or secret familial relationship between the two characters? Somehow it's a bit off-putting that literally almost all the big men in power are basically tripping over themselves for Shuli just because of whom she resembles and not because of whom she personally is. That type of story trope is really irritating when they don't see her as "Shuri" but as someone who resembles the actual person they really want which is disgusting.
Also, just curious but that cardinal that - ECK YUCK - is lusting after Shuli, is his reasoning behind that sickening desire, possibly because he suspects her as some sort of holy divine being or maybe holds divine powers herself? In the last chapter, he definitely emphasized that she had the confidence beyond that of a 16-year-old, so it makes me wonder if as such a devout religious man that he lusts after her because he sees her as a physical manifestation or a physical symbol of a holy divine woman? You know like, something pure and holy to crave after but forbidden to touch kind of deal?