The throne hall immediately after the sixth bell: black-gold lamps, cold marble, the dead empress above, Wei Qun trapped on the throne while the court watches.

Wei Qun watches the side door, waiting for the promised swap.

The rules of the vigil trap Wei Qun in place while she waits.

Wei Qun remembers Liang Moke drilling the seventh-hour swap procedure.

Liang explains what happens after the swap, and what Wei Qun is supposed to hope for.

The seventh bell begins, and Wei Qun's training memory snaps back into the present.

The side door finally opens, but the expected figures do not emerge.

Yan Suzhen enters alone, making the absence of Liang and Lu Min unmistakable.

Wei Qun realizes Liang Moke is absent, and that the swap is not happening.

Yan Suzhen explains the verification ritual plainly before the court.

Wei Qun must give the palm that will expose her.

Wei Qun gives her palm to the Hand while fighting the urge to flee.

Yan Suzhen studies Wei Qun's palm and finds the three reconstructed childhood scars.

The court senses something wrong when Yan Suzhen pauses over the absent fourth mark.

Wei Qun remembers Lu Min's private teacup injury from last winter.

The private detail becomes Wei Qun's only weapon.

Back in the present, Yan Suzhen is about to announce the mismatch, and Wei Qun decides to speak first.

Wei Qun names the missing scar in Lu Min's voice before Yan Suzhen can condemn her.

Yan Suzhen understands that Wei Qun has placed the Hand inside a paradox: truth that should be impossible.

Yan Suzhen chooses action instead of announcing the mismatch.