The magistrate at her trial, though knowing she was sixteen years old, asked her, ”You must be fifteen years old, aren't you?” At the time, boys and girls under the age of sixteen were not subject to the death penalty, and since strict family registration systems were not yet widely implemented, confirmation of age by a bureaucrat was sufficient.
The judge at her trial, aware she was sixteen, asked if she wasn't actually fifteen. Back then, children under sixteen weren't subject to the death penalty, and since family records weren't thoroughly checked, official verification by an administrator was enough.