Shi Qingxuan couldn't act with more pomp and circumstance than now, when he was about to give his critique and cast his vote, being the Head Judge of the festival. His nonchalance was even rivalling Hua Cheng's; the waving of his fan contributing immensely for the spectacle.
"Esteemed Lords and Ladies! The honour of this last and final vote lays on me, Temple Master and organiser of The Bian Zhuang Huanghou Xuan Mei, or Shi Qingxuan's Dragrace. As aforementioned, the decision isn't mine to make, but yours Lords and Ladies."
The crowd went mad with cheer and applause, barely containing their excitement; Shi Qingxuan kept signalling the crowd to be noisier, if that was even possible.
He continued, enjoying his power over the audience thoroughly, his showmanship, his finesse, "Bound by a magical oath taken earlier with my fellow judges, I'm forced to cast my vote on the queen my heart appoints as the belle of the ball, the fairest of them all. That's a hard choice Lords and Ladies."
He paused for dramatic effect; he succeeded. The audience couldn't possibly be more on the edge.
"My vote goes to Black Water Sinking Boats He Xuan." He said, theatrically, which was somewhat shocking, considering the introduction about being bound by the magical oath.
The contestant's faces dropped once again, and they started to seriously doubt this magical binding oath; then it transpired it was devised by His Highness The Crown Prince of XianLe, who by all accounts was a skilled cultivator and a righteous heaven official. So Shi Qingxuan's reason to vote for He Xuan was yet to be established, which was almost giving all officials a mental breakdown.
Thanks for reading, we're almost getting to the end... 😁😁😁