Pan Li was sleeping soundly, hugging her husband.
She had gone to the government office that day, but she didn't hand over anything.
Instead, she just showed her face, gave a gift to the official's assistant, and made sure people knew she had been there.
As for why she came—did it really matter?
She had been in her position as village head for more than ten years.
Every year, she gave a lot of money to the officials.
It was because of all the bribes that she could stay in her position without worry for so long.
Now, she was thinking hard about how to deal with Julie, that brat.
Julie wanted to buy land?
Just wait.
Pan Li would make sure Julie couldn't stay in the village anymore and would drive her out completely.
At the same time, Julie had quietly entered Pan Li's room.
No one could tell that it was her standing there.
Before she left home, she had disguised herself.
She took a special pill that changed her voice for one hour.
Her hair was tied up tightly and secured with a wooden hairpin.
Her face was changed to look like an ordinary man in his thirties, and she covered her face with a black cloth.
She put lifts in her shoes, making her look like a man about 1.78 meters tall.
Before she arrived, she had already used sleeping incense in every room.
No one would wake up for two hours.
She didn't wake Pan Li immediately.
First, she started searching the whole house.
She found the land deed sitting in the drawer of Pan Li's desk.
Her eyes flashed coldly—it was just as she thought.
She searched every room and even searched Pan Li's body.
Altogether, she found 286 taels of silver and hundreds of copper coins.
She put everything into her storage space.
Pan Li was supposed to be a friend of her late mother, but instead, she bullied an orphan who had just lost her parents and even stole her land.
So these things would be taken as Pan Li paying back her debt—and the extra would be counted as interest.
Julie carried Pan Li on her back and went to the study.
There, she tied her tightly to a chair with hemp rope.
Then, she splashed a bucket of water onto her face.
Still didn't wake up.
The sleeping incense was too strong.
She splashed two more buckets of water.
Julie thought to herself: if Pan Li still didn't wake up, she would have to use acupuncture to force her awake.
Luckily, Pan Li finally woke up.
At first, she was confused, thinking she was still in bed and reaching for her husband.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide, full of fear and shock.
What was happening?
Why was she in the study?
Why was she tied up?
Who was this man?
She was about to scream for help when Julie quickly dislocated her jaw.
Pan Li's eyes were filled with terror.
She didn't understand what was going on.
Julie enjoyed looking at her scared expression for a moment.
Then she spoke in a deep, rough man's voice, "You killed Leng Yun, didn't you? Think carefully before you answer. If you tell the truth, I might let you live. If you lie, I'll kill you right now. Don't hope anyone will come save you. Have you thought it through?"
Pan Li's jaw was dislocated, so she couldn't speak.
Drool ran down her chin onto her clothes and legs when she tried to open her mouth.
Julie quickly fixed her jaw again.
Pan Li's mind was racing.
Who was this person?
Was he connected to Leng Yun?
Was he here for revenge?
Since Pan Li didn't answer, Julie grew impatient.
She directly dislocated Pan Li's left arm.
The sharp pain made Pan Li sweat from her forehead.
Now she had no other thought except wanting to stay alive.
"Yes, it was me! When she was sick, I told her I would go to town to get her medicine. But I swapped the medicine with poison. That's how both Leng Yun and her husband died. But it's not my fault! She brought it on herself! I told her many times to leave the village, but she refused. As long as she was here, she would always overshadow me. Even though she didn't become village head, everyone respected her more than me. As long as she was alive, I would always be second. Why should I live under her shadow? She deserved to die!"
Julie thought to herself: just as she had guessed.
When she first arrived in this world, she felt that her mother's death was suspicious.
Normally, a simple cold couldn't kill two healthy adults, especially after taking medicine.
Now, her suspicions were confirmed, but her heart stayed calm.
There was still one more thing to do.
"You have two choices. One, write down how you killed Leng Yun and admit your crimes. Also, write that you are giving up your village head position to Julie. Then personally hand it to the official. Two, die. Choose."
Pan Li heard the first option and thought it was impossible.
She didn't want to agree.
How could she write down her crimes and give up her position to that useless girl?
She wasn't willing.
Julie knew some people wouldn't give up easily.
She took out a small pill and forced it into Pan Li's mouth.
The pill melted instantly.
Pan Li didn't know what she had just swallowed.
She panicked and tried to spit it out, but her hands were tied, and the pill had already dissolved.
She felt her body weaken, like all her strength was drained.
Her face was full of despair.
She didn't want to die.
She wanted to live.
As long as she stayed alive, she could find another way later.
The magistrate loved money.
She could use all her savings to save herself.
Even if she gave up her position for now, she believed that Julie would mess things up.
When that happened, she could come back and take over again.
Thinking this way, Pan Li calmed down.
"If I write it down, will you really give me the antidote and let me go?" Pan Li asked cautiously.
"Of course. What I gave you is a special poison. Only I have the antidote. If you don't take it within three hours, even the gods can't save you. Have you decided?"
Pan Li made up her mind.
She only wanted to survive for now.
She remembered this man's voice.
Once she made a comeback, she would definitely get revenge.
Julie wasn't worried she would run away.
She untied Pan Li and let her write.
Pan Li wrote two full pages, admitting her crimes.
She also wrote that she willingly gave her position to Julie.
She signed it with her handprint.
After reading everything carefully, Julie was satisfied.
Pan Li's use was over.
Without hesitation, Julie used another hemp rope to strangle Pan Li tightly.
She watched as Pan Li struggled, her pupils widened, and finally stopped breathing.
She touched Pan Li's nose to make sure she was dead before letting go.
Heh... spare her?
Julie was never a kind or foolish person.
She knew that dangerous people must be dealt with first before they caused bigger trouble.
Julie folded the confession papers and put them inside her clothes.
She took the rope and carried Pan Li's body away.