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

Zhan Yu hung up the phone, his face grim. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but he couldn't hide the rage he felt. "They started spreading rumors, saying we were unfilial and wanted to keep the inheritance for ourselves." He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning pale.

My heart sank. Sure enough, the feeling of being manipulated wasn't groundless. "What do they want?" I tried to remain calm, but my voice trembled.

"They want to undermine our trust in the family and leave us isolated and helpless." A cold light flashed in Zhan Yu's eyes. "It seems that we underestimated their despicableness."

We decided to take the initiative and strike first. We immediately rushed to the old house's study, where many family historical documents were stored, perhaps offering clues to the inheritance's distribution. However, when we arrived at the study door, it was locked. A heavy iron lock lay before us, silently mocking our presumption.

"What's going on?" I had a bad feeling in my heart.

At this moment, a trembling voice came from behind: "Young Madam, Young Master, this..." It was the maid of the old house. She lowered her head, twisting the corners of her clothes nervously with her hands. "Yes, it was the Second Master's order. He said... He said that these materials cannot be read casually..."

The second master is Zhan Yu’s distant uncle who has always been eyeing us covetously. It seems that he can no longer hold back and is going to take action against us.

Zhan Yu and I exchanged glances, each seeing the blazing anger in the other's eyes. I took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in my heart, and said in a cold tone, "Take us to see the Second Master."

The old maid walked ahead trembling with fear, as if we were not about to meet a human, but a ferocious beast ready to devour anyone. I sneered inwardly. I thought, this old house has been oppressed by the tyranny of the second master for too long, and even basic judgment has been lost.

We walked through a winding corridor and arrived at a quiet courtyard. The second master was reclining in a rattan chair, eyes closed, resting, twirling two walnuts in his hands, making a grinding sound that made his teeth ache. Hearing our footsteps, he slowly opened his eyes, a sly glint in them.

"Hey, isn't this our Young Master Zhan and Young Madam Zhan? What brings you here?" He sat up slowly, his tone full of sarcasm.

Zhan Yu stepped forward and handed the authorization letter to him: "Second Uncle, we want to check the family information in the study. This is the authorization letter signed by Grandpa before he died. We have the right to view all the information."

The second master took the authorization letter, glanced at it casually, and then a disdainful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "I can get this thing too, who knows if it's real or fake?"

"You!" I was immediately furious. This person was clearly lying with his eyes open!

"Uncle, don't go too far!" Zhan Yu suppressed his anger. "The seal and signature on this authorization letter can be authenticated by someone. Don't even think about denying it!"

"Appraisal? Okay, then you go and do it!" The Second Master threw the authorization letter on the table, crossed his arms, and looked fearless. "I'm telling you, this information involves family secrets, and you outsiders can't just look at it! If you really want to know, wait until the family meeting!"

"You..." I was so angry that I was shaking all over. It was obvious that this person was deliberately making things difficult for us!

Zhan Yu grabbed me and told me to calm down. He took a deep breath and said coldly, "Second Uncle, don't think I don't know what you're planning! If you want to take the inheritance for yourself, you'll have to see if you have the ability to do it!"

"How dare you talk to me like that?!" The second master stood up suddenly, pointed at Zhan Yu's nose and cursed, "You..."

"That's enough!" I couldn't bear it any longer. I took a step forward and looked him in the eye. "Second Master, don't think I don't know what kind of person you are! You've always coveted the Zhan family's wealth, and now that Grandpa has passed away, you can't wait to jump out and cause trouble! I'm telling you, we won't let you succeed!"

My voice echoed in the hall for a long time. The second master was stunned, as if he didn't expect me to be so tough. I held Zhan Yu's hand tightly, with only one thought in my mind: never give up!

At this moment, a burst of discussion came from outside the courtyard...

The whispers outside the courtyard pierced my heart like countless needles. I could even imagine the expressions on their faces: contempt, ridicule, gloating... I knew that in their eyes, we were outsiders who coveted the inheritance, and the second master was the "own man" of the Zhan family.

A tangled web of grievance, anger, and unwillingness threatened to overwhelm me. I bit my lip and clenched my fists, my nails digging deep into my flesh, causing a sharp pain that also made me more awake.

I can't fall! I can't let my grandfather's hard work fall into the hands of this hypocrite!

I took a deep breath, raised my head, and looked directly at the servants who were peeking around, my eyes firm and cold. They were probably intimidated by my gaze, and they all lowered their heads, not daring to look me in the eye.

"Second Uncle," Zhan Yu's voice was as cold as ice, "Are you trying to make a big deal out of this? Don't forget, when Grandpa was still alive, what he hated most was family infighting!"

The second master didn't care at all. Instead, he sneered and said, "What? You still want to use your grandfather to pressure me? He's dead now. I have the final say in this Zhan family!"

His words were like a sharp knife, piercing my heart. Yes, Grandpa is gone, and there is no one to protect us anymore...

At this moment, a dark figure suddenly jumped out of the crowd and rushed towards me! I was completely unprepared, screamed, and fell backward uncontrollably.

"Be careful!" Zhan Yu was quick-witted and quick-handed. He hugged me in his arms with one hand and held the man's arm tightly with the other hand.

"What do you want to do?!" Zhan Yu roared, his eyes seemed to be burning with flames.

The man was frightened by Zhan Yu's momentum and stammered, unable to speak.

I stood up and took a closer look, and found that the person who bumped into me was actually a butler of the second master!

"Second uncle, is this how you treat guests?!" Zhan Yu looked at the second master coldly, his tone full of warning.

The second master acted as if nothing had happened. He slowly picked up the teacup, blew gently on the tea leaves, and said calmly, "Young man, don't be so angry. It's just a misunderstanding."

Misunderstanding? I sneered. This was clearly arranged by him! He just wanted to anger Zhan Yu and then take the opportunity to cause trouble!

Zhan Yu's fingers were crackling, and it was obvious that he had reached the limit of his patience. I held his hand and shook my head gently, signaling him not to be impulsive.

I know it's not the time to fall out.

"Since Second Uncle doesn't want us to see the information, we won't force him," I took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in my heart, and said coldly, "However, we will definitely find out the truth. When the time comes, I hope you can give us a reasonable explanation."

After saying that, I pulled Zhan Yu and turned to leave, no longer paying attention to the cold gaze behind me...

"Wait," just as we were about to leave the courtyard, the second master's voice suddenly came from behind us, "You want to know the truth? I can tell you..."

I stopped dead in my tracks, my heart racing. Was he going to confess everything? No, that was impossible. Knowing him, he wouldn't give up easily.

I slowly turned around and looked at the second master. He still had that hypocritical smile on his face, but there was a cunning glint in his eyes.

"The truth is," he deliberately dragged out his voice, as if he was enjoying the anxiety and anticipation on our faces, "your grandfather never intended to leave the inheritance to Zhan Yu!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the air around us seemed to freeze. I felt dizzy and almost lost my balance. Zhan Yu held me up, his eyes like a knife piercing the Second Master.

"You're talking nonsense!" I suppressed my anger and retorted harshly, "Grandpa clearly said..."

"What did you say?" The second master interrupted me with a hint of sarcasm on his face. "Words are not enough. Can you produce evidence? Without a will, do you think you can take a penny from me?"

I was speechless. Indeed, Grandpa never liked to discuss his affairs after his death, and we'd never seen a will. Could it be that we were truly wrong?

"What? You have nothing to say?" The Second Master looked at us smugly, his eyes filled with the arrogance of a victor. "I advise you to give up this idea as soon as possible and go back to where you belong!"

Zhan Yu's face was ashen, his fists clenched and crackling, as if he was about to charge at me any second. I held his hand tightly, signaling him to calm down.

I know that now is not the time to break up with the Second Master. We are weak and if we act rashly, we will only put ourselves in a more disadvantageous situation.

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, then looked at the Second Master coldly and said word by word, "Second Uncle, don't be too proud too soon. We won't give up!"

After saying that, I pulled Zhan Yu and left the yard without looking back.

Back in the room, I slumped in my chair, my mind a mess. Could it be that we were really going to return empty-handed?

"Don't worry," Zhan Yu walked over to me and gently held me in his arms, "We will definitely find a way."

His voice was low and firm, like a warm current flowing into my heart, making me gradually calm down.

Yes, I can't give up like this! I still have Zhan Yu, and we will definitely find the truth and won't let Grandpa's efforts go to waste!

Outside the window, the sun sets, and the sky is a fiery red, as if foreshadowing the coming of a storm...

I raised my head, looked at Zhan Yu, and said word by word: "We..."