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

"Perhaps this slab is the mechanism that opens the passage..." I said, carefully observing the symbols on the bluestone, trying to find some pattern. Zhan Yu and Lawyer Fang also came over, and three pairs of eyes stared at this ordinary slab.

"Look at these symbols, do they look like..." I pointed at a few similar symbols, and a light bulb went off in my head. "Does it look like the family seal on the document we found in the old house earlier?"

Upon hearing this, Zhan Yu immediately pulled the document out of his pocket and compared it carefully. "Really? Could it be that..."

Before we could think about it, the stone slab suddenly sank, revealing a dark hole. The three of us looked at each other, and we saw surprise and a hint of fear in each other's eyes.

"It seems we guessed right." Lawyer Fang was the first to break the silence, his tone tinged with excitement. "Let's go in and take a look."

I took a deep breath, held Zhan Yu's hand tightly, and walked into the cave entrance first. The space inside the cave was much larger than we had imagined. In the dim light, we saw that it was filled with various ancient furniture, books, calligraphy and paintings. It seemed like a forgotten secret room.

We carefully avoided the piles of belongings and searched every nook and cranny. Suddenly, I found an old book in a box in a corner. I gently blew away the dust and flipped it open. I discovered it was an ancient tome that recorded the special rules for the distribution of the Zhan family's inheritance.

I flipped through it quickly and found that it contained some family history and secrets that I had never heard of. What surprised me even more was that I found that the handwriting on some pages was obviously different from the rest of the book, as if it had been deliberately modified by someone later.

"Ayu, Lawyer Fang, come and take a look!" I lowered my voice and pointed at the altered handwriting, saying, "There's something wrong here!"

Zhan Yu and Lawyer Fang immediately gathered around and examined it carefully. Lawyer Fang frowned and muttered to himself, "This handwriting..."

"This handwriting... looks like Elder Qin's." Lawyer Fang's voice was soft, but it resonated like thunder in my ears. Elder Qin, the most conservative elder in the Zhan family, had always been hostile to Zhan Yu and me, hindering us at every turn. Why would he modify the ancient family texts? What was his purpose?

My heart sank, a chill running from my feet to my head. Could it be that he was the manipulator behind everything that had been targeting us?

Zhan Yu also realized the seriousness of the matter, and his expression became solemn. "Mr. Qin? This... How is this possible?" He muttered to himself, as if he couldn't believe this inference.

I took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "It's too early to draw conclusions. We need more evidence," I said, pointing to the altered portion of the ancient book. "Lawyer Fang, can you tell what he changed?"

Lawyer Fang pushed his glasses up on his nose, brow furrowed as he carefully deciphered the revised handwriting. The secret room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, the only sounds were our rapid breathing and the rustling of pages. Time passed by, as if frozen.

"Found it!" Lawyer Fang suddenly raised his head, his tone tinged with excitement. "This originally recorded the whereabouts of a jade pendant, the key to unlocking the family vault! But after being altered by Old Qin, it became..." He paused, his expression becoming more serious. "It became a fake treasure map."

A fake treasure map? My heart sank again. This meant that Master Qin had not only altered the ancient text but was also deliberately misleading us. What exactly was he trying to do? Could it be that the family vault held some earthshaking secret?

"We must find that jade pendant as soon as possible!" Zhan Yu clenched his fists and said firmly, "This may be the key to uncovering the truth."

"But this ancient book only records the approximate location of the jade pendant, and doesn't specify where it's hidden." I said a little worriedly, "Where should we start looking?"

Lawyer Fang pondered for a moment and said, "According to records in ancient books, this jade pendant should be hidden somewhere in the ancestral temple. We might as well look for it more carefully. Perhaps we can find some new clues."

We were about to continue searching when suddenly, we heard footsteps coming from the cave entrance. My heart suddenly tightened and a sense of foreboding came over me.

"Who?" Zhan Yu asked vigilantly.

An old and majestic voice came from the cave entrance: "It's me."

As the voice fell, Qin Lao's figure appeared at the cave entrance. He was leaning on a cane, his face gloomy, his eyes as sharp as torches, and he glanced coldly at the three of us.

"What are you doing here?" Old Qin's voice was icy cold, with a hint of questioning in his tone.

My palms began to sweat, and I tried to stay calm. "We...we just came to visit the ancestral temple."

"Nonsense!" Old Qin shouted sternly, "This is a secluded area of ​​our family's sacred ground. No one is allowed to enter without permission! How dare you intrude without permission? How disrespectful!"

His eyes fell on the ancient book in my hand, and a glint of greed flashed in them. "Hand it over!" He held out his hand, his tone unquestionable.

I subconsciously hid the ancient book behind me, unwilling to give it to him. "We found this in our ancestral temple. Why should we give it to you?"

"How dare you!" Old Qin shouted angrily, "This ancient book is a family secret. How can you read it at will? Hand it over now!"

He approached, his cane pounding against the ground, a sound that seemed to strike at my heart. I gripped the ancient book tightly, feeling its cold touch, my heart filled with anxiety and fear. Zhan Yu stood in front of me...

Zhan Yu stood in front of me, looking directly into Elder Qin's aggressive gaze, his tone calm and firm: "Elder Qin, we don't mean to offend, we are just investigating the truth about the distribution of the family inheritance. This concerns the future of the Zhan family, and we have the right to know the truth."

Old Qin sneered: "The truth? What truth? It's just a lie made up by you young people to fight for the family property!" His eyes swept back and forth between Zhan Yu and me, full of disdain and hostility.

"Old Qin, we have no intention of fighting over the family fortune," I said, trying to control my trembling voice and appear calm. "We just want to understand why my dowry was inexplicably counted as a family inheritance. Is there some misunderstanding or... conspiracy?"

"Conspiracy?" Old Qin's tone became even more pointed. "What a joke! Is it your turn to meddle in family affairs? You young people only know how to speculate and stir up trouble!"

"We're not just imagining things, we have evidence that someone deliberately tampered with the family's ancient books," Zhan Yu said, pointing to the ancient book in my hand. "This ancient book records the secrets of the family's treasury, and someone modified its contents in an attempt to cover up the truth."

Elder Qin's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. "What nonsense! Only the head of the family is qualified to know the contents of this ancient book. What right do you have to comment on it?"

"We just want to find out the truth and give justice to the family," Zhan Yu argued. "Mr. Qin, you are the elder of the family. You should put the interests of the family first instead of blindly shielding criminals!"

"How dare you!" Old Qin was furious, slamming his cane on the ground. "How dare you slander a member of our family? This is sheer disrespect for our elders and sheer treason!"

I knew they were arguing endlessly. Talking to someone as stubborn as Mr. Qin was like playing the lute to a cow. I had to find another way. Taking advantage of a break in their argument, I surreptitiously pulled my phone from my pocket, pointed it at a few key pages in the ancient book, and quickly snapped a few photos. The flash went off, and I nervously watched Mr. Qin's reaction, fearing he'd notice. Fortunately, he was so engrossed in his argument with Zhan Yu that he didn't notice my subtle movements.

I put my phone back in my pocket, secretly feeling relieved. With these photos, even if the ancient book was stolen by Old Qin, we still have a backup and can slowly study the clues within.

"Enough!" Old Qin's roar interrupted my thoughts. He pointed at us, his fingers trembling. "You unfilial descendants, how dare you trespass into the ancestral temple and peek at family secrets! I must teach you a lesson today!"

He raised his cane, as if to hit us. Zhan Yu was quick to grab his cane and stop him. "Mr. Qin, please calm down! We have no ill intentions, we just want to find out the truth."

Old Qin struggled to take back his cane, but Zhan Yu was so strong that he couldn't break free. "Let me go! You rebellious descendants, I will kick you out of this family!"

"Mr. Qin, your stubbornness will only make things more complicated," Zhan Yu said in a calm tone. "We just want to find out the truth and protect the interests of our family. Why can't you understand?"

Qin Lao was so angry that he was shaking all over. He pointed in the direction of the cave entrance and roared, "Get out! All of you get out! You are not welcome here!"

Zhan Yu wanted to say something else, but I grabbed his sleeve and shook my head gently. The current situation is not favorable for us. Continuing to argue will only intensify the conflict and will not benefit us in any way.

"Let's go." I whispered.

Zhan Yu looked at Qin Lao deeply, and finally chose to compromise. He let go of Qin Lao's crutches, took my hand, turned and walked towards the cave entrance.

Just as we were about to leave the ancestral temple, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. A chill sank in my heart, a sense of foreboding washing over me. I quietly pulled out my phone, glanced at the screen, and my face paled.

A text message suddenly appeared on the screen: "I know you took photos..."

The text message was like a bucket of ice water, pouring down over me, leaving me cold all over. Who was it? Who was watching me? Was there someone else in the ancestral hall? I looked around in horror, but all I saw was Zhan Yu's concerned eyes and Old Qin's furious face.

Old Qin's breathing became rapid. He pointed at me, his fingers trembling even more violently: "You...you dare..." He seemed so angry that he couldn't speak. The crutch in his hand hit the ground heavily, making a dull sound, which hit my nerves again and again.

Zhan Yu noticed something strange about me and followed my gaze towards my phone. He snatched it away, and the text message on the screen caught his eye. His expression instantly turned serious, his brow furrowed, and a hint of coldness flashed in his deep eyes.

"Who sent it?" he asked me in a low voice, with a hint of subtle nervousness in his tone.

I shook my head, forcing myself to calm down. "I don't know, it's an unfamiliar number." My voice trembled, trying hard to control the panic that was spreading.

Zhan Yu put the phone back in my hand and squeezed it, offering silent comfort. He turned and faced Elder Qin, his tone firm and cold, "Er Qin, no matter who sent the text message, it won't change our determination to find out the truth. We won't give up, and we won't be threatened."

Qin Lao's rage seemed to have reached its peak. He pointed at the cave entrance and shouted with all his strength, "Get out! All of you get out! I don't want to see you again!"

I know this isn't the time to be stubborn. We've already got the crucial clues, and staying here will only intensify the conflict and be disadvantageous to us.

"Let's go." I pulled Zhan Yu's sleeve, signaling him to leave.

Zhan Yu looked at Old Qin deeply, said nothing more, took my hand, turned and walked towards the cave entrance.

Outside the ancestral hall, the sun was still shining brightly, but inside, a cloud of gloom hung over me. That text message, like a thorn, pierced my heart, filling me with unease and fear. Who was it? Who was secretly spying on us? What was their purpose?

We hurried to the car parked outside the ancestral hall. Lawyer Fang was standing by the car, anxiously waiting for us. When he saw us emerge, he hurried over to greet us.

"How is it? Any findings?" he asked impatiently.

I handed him the phone and asked him to read the text message. After reading it, Lawyer Fang's face became serious.

"It seems that someone doesn't want us to find out the truth." He said in a deep voice, "We must be more careful."

I nodded, my heart filled with worry. The appearance of this text message undoubtedly adds a new variable to our investigation. We not only have to face resistance from within the family, but also be wary of threats from the shadows.

"Let's go back first." Zhan Yu opened the car door and let me get in first.

I got in the car, followed by Zhan Yu and Lawyer Fang. The car started slowly and drove away from the ancestral hall.

I stared out the window at the receding scenery, my mind racing. The secrets of the ancestral hall, that mysterious text message—all of it was like a fog, shrouding my heart and suffocating me.

"Are the photos clear?" Lawyer Fang broke the silence in the car.

I nodded, took out my phone, and showed him the photo I had taken. Although the photo was a little blurry, the key content was still clear.

Lawyer Fang examined the photo carefully, his brow furrowed, as if pondering something. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he pointed at a pattern in the photo and said, "I know! I know where the key is!" His tone was excited, with a hint of uncontrollable excitement.

"Where is it?" Zhan Yu and I asked in unison.

Lawyer Fang pointed to the pattern on the photo and explained, "This pattern is the symbol of the family library..." He paused and looked at us with a burning gaze, "The key should be hidden in the library!"

He reached into his briefcase and pulled out an ancient parchment map, slowly unfolding it. "If my guess is correct, it should be right here..." His finger paused at an inconspicuous corner.