Morning inside the foreign-concession certification courtroom, harsh overhead lamps, damp coats, seal trays, and testimony scrolls waiting at the witness table.

The gallery shows Bai Lou's quiet control of the room while Wen Jia waits for the oath.

Magistrate Du opens the hearing and states the charge and penalty in plain procedural language.

The court spells out the fixed penalty; Wen Jia recognizes that the danger is not a threat but a rule already waiting.

The room notices Wen Jia's missing fingers, and Bai Lou watches her response rather than the law.

Wen Jia takes the oath and binds her words to the record.

The alleged final letter is introduced into evidence, along with comparison sheets from Bai Yan's known hand.

Wen Jia begins with material facts: paper, fiber, and ink sediment.

The court narrows the inquiry to whether the materials alone prove authorship, and Wen Jia refuses to overstate.

Wen Jia demonstrates pressure patterns, the first strong evidence tying the letter to Bai Yan.

Wen Jia identifies private writing habits while Lin Qiao realizes the testimony is moving toward the expected conclusion.

Magistrate Du keeps the testimony disciplined, and Wen Jia continues toward the conclusion without yet revealing her full inference.

Wen Jia examines the seal and confirms the document was deliberately completed, not interrupted.

The court prepares to ask the narrow yes-or-no question that Bai Lou expects Wen Jia to answer.

Magistrate Du asks whether the letter was written in Bai Yan's hand.

Wen Jia gives the expected truthful answer: yes.

The court begins to close the record, but Wen Jia stops the procedure before the conclusion can harden into a narrow truth.

Magistrate Du challenges whether Wen Jia is trying to change her answer; she insists she is adding evidence.

Wen Jia explains the living pressure pattern: the writer had steady breath and control inconsistent with the death story.

Wen Jia adds the ink timeline and paper handling that contradict the recorded fire date.

Wen Jia says the forbidden conclusion plainly: Bai Yan is alive or was alive after the fire.

The courtroom erupts as officials realize the death record, estate claim, and hearing have been thrown into crisis.

Bai Lou's lack of visible reaction chills Wen Jia more than open rage would have.

Wen Jia seals the amended testimony with her thumbprint, making the record irreversible.