The ancient war between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in a wealthy family

The dusty files trembled slightly in my hands, and Zhan Yu's face was paler than the walls of the archive room.

His hesitant look aroused my curiosity even more.

I'm not the kind of little white rabbit who can be easily fooled.

"Talk? Okay, where should we talk? How about this gloomy basement?" I raised my eyebrows and deliberately used a relaxed tone to hide my inner nervousness.

Zhan Yu took a deep breath, as if he had made an important decision, and nodded silently.

The Zhan family’s basement is even more eerie than I imagined.

The air was filled with dampness and mildew, and the dim light barely illuminated the narrow passage, as if a monster would jump out of the darkness at any moment.

I held Zhan Yu's hand tightly, feeling the warmth of his palm, and tried to keep myself calm.

Deep in the basement, there is a heavy iron door with intricate patterns carved on it, exuding an ancient and mysterious atmosphere.

Zhan Yu opened the iron gate with trembling hands. A cold breeze hit me in the face and I couldn't help but shiver.

The room was empty except for an old table and a chair.

There was an oil lamp on the table, and the dim light illuminated a portrait on the wall.

The man in the portrait had eyebrows and eyes very similar to Zhan Yu, but his eyes were sharper, revealing an aura of majesty without even being angry.

Is this the secret of the Zhan family?

My heartbeat started to quicken, and I felt myself getting closer and closer to the truth.

Just then, I felt something strange.

The floorboards seemed to be loose.

I bent down and checked carefully, and found a tiny crack in the floor.

My intuition tells me that there must be something hidden underneath.

I carefully pried open the floorboards and found a secret compartment underneath!

There was a wooden box in the secret compartment. I opened the box and found a diary and a letter inside.

The diary records a secret history of the Zhan family's ancestors, while the letter mentions a mysterious organization and a shocking conspiracy.

I quickly browsed the contents of the diary and the letter, and my heart was in turmoil.

It turns out that the Zhan family has been guarding a huge secret, and this secret is related to the fate of the entire family!

I closed the diary and the letter, took a deep breath, and tried to stay calm.

I knew that I had to tell Zhan Yu this information as soon as possible and find out the truth together.

Just as I was about to leave the basement, I suddenly heard a faint sound of footsteps.

somebody is coming!

I quickly put the diary and letter back into the secret compartment and hid behind a pillar.

The person who came was none other than the mysterious Ke!

He was searching for something furtively in the basement, his eyes full of greed and sinisterness.

It seems that he also knows the existence of the Zhan family's secret!

I held my breath and dared not move, for fear of being discovered by him.

The mysterious man Ke didn't find what he wanted, so he cursed a few words and left the basement.

I walked out from behind the pillar, feeling secretly happy.

It seems that my plan was successful!

I had deliberately left some clues on the floor to mislead the mysterious man Ke and make him look in the wrong place.

Now, I must hurry up and find more clues to uncover the truth about the Zhan family's secret!

I returned to the ground and Zhan Yu was waiting for me anxiously.

"How is it? What did you find?" he asked impatiently.

I shook my head and said mysteriously, "Now is not the time to tell. However, I have found some clues and I believe I can solve this mystery soon." Zhan Yu wanted to ask something else, but suddenly, a voice interrupted us.

"Miss Bai, let's talk." A member of the Qin family appeared at the door without anyone noticing. His face was gloomy, and there was a hint of warning in his eyes...

Qin Hai, the old man from the Qin family, was blocking the door to the basement, his face darker than the bottom of a pot.

"Miss Bai, there are some things you shouldn't know. Don't worry about it." There was a warning in his tone, a typical example of someone taking advantage of his seniority.

I sneered, "Mr. Qin, the secret of the Zhan family now concerns the interests of the Bai family. How can I sit back and do nothing? What's more, it concerns the future development of the Zhan family. Don't I, the daughter-in-law of the Zhan family, even have the qualifications to ask about it?" I deliberately raised my voice, and every word was sonorous, making it clear that I wanted to confront him head-on.

He was choked by me and started to bring out the clichés of family rules. I interrupted him directly, "Rules are dead, people are alive. Sticking to the rules will only lead the family to decline!" I raised the banner of family development, and he was suddenly speechless. His face turned pale and blue, and finally he had to leave with a wave of his sleeves, leaving behind an angry back.

Zhan Yu stood silently behind me, watching me debate with the group of scholars, his eyes full of admiration.

He took my hand, and the warmth of his palm gave me strength.

"Let's go to the old manor." His voice was low and firm.

The old manor of the Zhan family is located in a secluded place on the outskirts of the city.

Here, there are towering ancient trees, pavilions and terraces, and there is an ancient and mysterious atmosphere everywhere.

Zhan Yu held my hand tightly and took me through the winding corridors.

His hands were warm and strong, as if telling me that no matter how many storms lay ahead, he would always be by my side.

"No matter what happens, I will be by your side." His voice was soft, but it was like a reassurance, making me feel at ease in this exploration full of unknowns.

The air in the old manor is filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, giving people a sense of tranquility.

We came to a remote courtyard. It seemed that no one had been here for a long time, and the lock on the gate was rusty.

Zhan Yu took some effort to open the lock and pushed open the creaking gate.

The yard was overgrown with weeds, and an old pavilion stood quietly in the center.

We walked into the attic, which was filled with dust and cobwebs.

I gently brushed away the dust on the table, revealing the exquisitely carved patterns underneath.

Suddenly, I noticed that there seemed to be some strange symbols carved on the legs of the table.

I squatted down and looked carefully, and found that these symbols were very similar to the symbols recorded in the diary I saw in the basement!

Could this be the key to unlocking the secrets of the Zhan family?

I raised my head excitedly and wanted to tell Zhan Yu about this discovery, but I saw him standing by the window, staring into the distance in a daze.

His back looked a little lonely, as if he was worried about something.

"Zhan Yu, look..." I just opened my mouth when he suddenly turned around, with a complicated look in his eyes.

"Let's go to the archives." His tone left no room for doubt, and he turned and walked out.

Although I was confused, I followed him anyway.

The archives room is located in the basement of the main building, where important documents of the Zhan family from past generations are kept.

We arrived at the door of the archives room. Administrator Lin was standing there, holding a key in his hand, but his expression was a little strange...

He looked at us, hesitant to speak...

The smile on Manager Lin's face was uglier than crying. "Madam, this is a family secret, you'd better not look at it." As he said that, he was about to reach out to grab the parchment scroll from my hand.

I was prepared and dodged his attack by moving sideways, hiding the parchment scroll behind me.

"Uncle Lin, what are you doing? Is there some shameful secret?" I deliberately raised my voice with a hint of sarcasm in my tone.

His face changed and his eyes flickered, "No, ma'am, you misunderstood, I'm just worried about you..." I sneered, "What are you worried about me? Are you worried that I know the truth that I shouldn't know?" He was forced to retreat again and again, and beads of sweat seeped out of his forehead.

I pressed on step by step, and he was finally defeated. He collapsed on the ground, muttering, "It's over, everything is over..." I found the key clue from the parchment - a secret hidden in the cellar of the old manor.

Just as I was about to leave the archives room, a figure blocked my way.

"Miss Bai, long time no see." The mysterious woman Xiao stood in front of me with a sweet smile, holding a yellowed photo in her hand.

In the photo, Zhan Yu and she are in an intimate posture, looking like a perfect couple.

"Some things should be let go. Why bother pursuing them and adding to your troubles?" Her tone was gentle, but with a hint of threat.

I snatched the photo, tore it into pieces, and threw it in her face.

"Ms. Xiao, do you think this little trick can scare me? I'm not one of those fools who can be played around with by you!" I looked at her panicked expression and felt extremely happy.

She didn't expect me to be so tough, and she was stunned for a moment.

I followed the instructions on the parchment and found the entrance to the cellar of the old manor.

Just as I was about to open the cellar door, an old voice came from behind me.

"Young man, there are some things you shouldn't know." The elder of the Zhao family walked over slowly, leaning on a cane.

There was an elusive light flickering in his cloudy eyes.

My hand stopped on the cellar door, and a chill ran from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

He walked slowly to me and patted my shoulder with his dry hand.

"Kid, it's never too late to turn back." His voice was low and hoarse, like a call from hell.

I……