The Emperor who was sitting beside her flashed her a warm smile before he returned his gaze to his country's talents that were now standing with bowed heads. "The tournament is about to start, no need to stand on ceremony. Go line up." He told them. They answered with a spirited "Yes!" before lining up on the right of the stadium in their respective numbers.
Jing Qie's contestants also gave their Imperial couple a bow after seeing their performance. Their reception was a bit more cold, with the Empress impassively looking at them and the Emperor giving a small pep talk before they were told to line up.
