Sssnoopyyy:
Wow that makes more sense now! Gotta give it to the author for her writing style and the little nuances. Jing isn't weak at all! He can have a commanding presence,
Right? It's such a good way of showing us who TSJ is rather than telling us.
He's perceptive enough to immediately understand the Yellow Emperor's intention with his cough. He stops saying what he was about to say, but Tong Hua lets us know that it's definitely not because he's intimidated.
He is calm and patient, but also resolute when he stares back at the Yellow Emperor, making it clear, without having to say anything, that he's not going to back down. XY is going to get a response.
But he also waits and lets the Yellow Emperor make the next move (which reminds me of their games of Go actually). And it pays off. After XY breaks the tension, the Yellow Emperor compromises. He doesn't back down and let TSJ tell XY about the war or try to tell her himself (since that would make for an even worse / messier situation), but he does tell XY to go to ZX to get her answer. That approach is also better for TSJ, so it was smart of him to wait.
And on top of all that, Tong Hua also tells us that TSJ's aura is no less strong than the aura of an Emperor. And not just any Emperor. An Emperor who turned a minor god tribe into a kingdom that rivalled the two great kingdoms of the age, and then conquered one of them, all in one lifetime.