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

"Bang!" A dull crash rang out in my ears, followed by a painful groan. I looked up in horror and saw Zhan Yu tightly protecting me. He had been hit hard on the back by Hu's thug, and his shirt was instantly stained bright red.

"Zhan Yu!" I cried out heartbreakingly, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably.

"Don't worry about me! Go find him..." Zhan Yu gritted his teeth, his voice weak, but he still tried hard to push me away.

"What are you looking for? Tell me! What do you want me to look for?" I held his hand tightly and asked tremblingly.

Hu thug grinned and raised the iron rod again, "You bitch, still want to find something? I think you are looking for death!"

I instinctively hugged Zhan Yu tightly, closing my eyes and waiting for another sharp pain. However, the expected pain never came. I opened my eyes and saw that Lawyer Fang had arrived beside us without me noticing. He used all his strength to block the attack from Hu's thugs, but he also stumbled back a few steps, a trace of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.

"Madam! The safe! The password may... may be related to the painting on the wall!" Lawyer Fang shouted intermittently while struggling to resist the attacks of Hu's thugs.

Painting? I turned my head sharply to look at the darkroom wall. In the dim light, an old landscape painting hung on the wall. It was unremarkable. If Lawyer Fang hadn't pointed it out to me, I wouldn't have noticed it at all.

Could it be... this painting is the key to unlocking the safe? My heart was pounding, as if something important was about to be revealed. I had to get the evidence, for Zhan Yu, and for myself!

Hu the thug seemed to have noticed my intention. He attacked Lawyer Fang even more frantically, glaring at me viciously as if he wanted to eat me alive.

"Don't even think about it!" he roared, giving up attacking the lawyer and rushing towards me instead.

I didn't dare to delay any longer, so I picked up a bronze ornament nearby and smashed it hard at Hu thug. The ornament hit his head with a dull sound, and Hu thug staggered for a moment, but soon regained his ferocious appearance and rushed towards me again.

I dodged his attacks while desperately trying to get closer to the ancient painting. The light in the darkroom was dim, and my vision was blurry. I could only rely on my intuition and survival instinct to avoid the attacks of the thugs.

"Don't try to play tricks!" Hu the thug saw through my intention and swung the iron rod even more frantically. The iron rod cut through the air, making a sharp whistling sound. I felt that death was approaching me step by step.

I finally arrived in front of the ancient painting. With trembling hands, I stroked the rough texture of the scroll, my eyes quickly scanning it, hoping to find some clues... Suddenly, my fingers stopped at an inconspicuous corner of the scroll. There...

"No——" Zhan Yu's roar suddenly echoed in the dark room.

"No—" Zhan Yu's scream was like a sharp thorn, piercing my heart. I turned back in horror to see a fresh wound on Zhan Yu's already injured back. Blood flowed down his shirt, a shocking sight. It turned out that, taking advantage of my distraction, another of Hu's thugs, who had been hiding in the shadows, had attacked Zhan Yu from behind.

"Zhan Yu!" I screamed heartbreakingly and wanted to rush over, but the thug grabbed my hair and pulled me back fiercely.

"Want to save him? Take care of yourself first!" Hu the thug grinned, raising the iron rod in his hand high and about to drop it.

I closed my eyes in despair, waiting for the excruciating pain that was about to come. At the critical moment, Lawyer Fang suddenly rushed over and blocked the attack of Hu's thugs with his body. "Quick! Madam! Find the password!" He shouted weakly, his voice hoarse.

I flung my eyes open and saw Lawyer Fang huddled on the ground in agony, blood pouring from his mouth. My heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, and I could barely breathe. I couldn't hesitate any longer. I had to find the password quickly, rescue Zhan Yu, and rescue Lawyer Fang!

I turned and cast my gaze upon the ancient painting again. In the dim light, the landscape on the scroll appeared even more hazy, as if shrouded in a mysterious veil. With trembling hands, I carefully felt along the edge of the scroll, inch by inch, hoping to find some clue.

The thug approached again, his figure like a ferocious beast, carrying a strong murderous aura. I didn't dare look back, and could only speed up my movements. My heart was beating violently in my chest, as if it would jump out at any moment.

"Don't bother! You won't find it!" Hu's thug voice sounded behind me, with a hint of mockery. "Even if you find it, what's the use? Do you think you can leave here alive?"

I ignored his provocation, my full attention focused on the ancient painting. Suddenly, my fingers touched a tiny bump, hidden in an inconspicuous corner at the lower right corner of the scroll. Holding my breath, I carefully moved the bump, feeling it move.

I pulled the bulge outward with all my strength. With a slight "click", a small piece of canvas was peeled back, revealing what was hidden underneath - a string of numbers written in beautiful small characters: 8-1-2-7.

Could this be the combination to the safe? My heart raced, as if something important was about to be revealed. With trembling hands, I memorized the string of numbers.

"What are you doing?" Hu's thug's voice sounded again, with a hint of alertness.

I didn't dare to delay any longer and turned to rush to the safe in the corner of the dark room. The safe's combination lock was an old-fashioned mechanical dial. I took a deep breath, tried to keep myself calm, and then slowly turned the combination dial according to the numbers I remembered.

8...1...2...7...

I held my breath and pressed the combination lock's unlocking button. However, the safe remained motionless. "Beep—" a sharp alarm suddenly rang out, breaking the silence of the darkroom.

"Oh no!" Lawyer Fang exclaimed, "Wrong password!..." Before he could finish, Hu's thugs rushed in front of me, pulled me away from the safe, and stared at me fiercely, "Are you kidding me?"

"No! No!" I explained in a horrified voice, my heart nearly leaping out of my throat. The sirens pierced my ears like a knife through my nerves, and fear washed over me like a tide. The thug's face was grim, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent. The iron rod he held high seemed ready to drop at any moment, smashing me into a pulp.

At the critical moment, my eyes swept across the corner of the dark room and an inconspicuous pull ring came into view. I had accidentally discovered it when I was looking for the password. At that time, I didn't know its function, but now it has become my only hope.

I instinctively lunged for the ring and pulled with all my might. With a loud bang, a massive iron cage suddenly dropped from the ceiling of the darkroom, trapping Hu the thug.

"Ah!" Hu thug roared angrily and shook the iron cage desperately, trying to break free. The iron cage made a harsh friction sound and was shaky. I knew it was only a temporary measure and could not hold him for long.

I had to hurry! I rushed to the safe again, my palms soaked with sweat, and my fingers kept slipping on the combination dial. I tried hard to recall the string of numbers: 8...1...2...7... Could I have remembered it wrong?

No, that's impossible! I remember it clearly! I cast my gaze upon the ancient painting again. In the dim light, the beautiful small characters were still clearly visible. Wait... beautiful small characters? A thought suddenly flashed through my mind. The ancient custom of writing was from right to left. Could it be...

I gasped, a terrifying possibility flooding my mind. What if the numbers were also written from right to left? In other words, the real password should be 7-2-1-8?

My heartbeat grew faster and faster, nearly suffocating. With trembling hands, I slowly turned the dial in the new order. 7…2…1…8…With each turn, my heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the tension so intense I could barely breathe.

With a soft click, the lock on the safe flipped open. I flung the door open, revealing a brown paper bag lying quietly inside. I snatched it up and quickly opened it, revealing a stack of documents and several photos.

I quickly scanned the contents of the document, each line of text exploding in my mind like a bomb. These documents revealed the evidence of the Song family's collusion with external forces to embezzle the Zhan family's property, and how they planned the conspiracy step by step to frame Zhan Yu.

"Damn it!" The thug in the cage roared, and he was about to break free from the cage. I tightly grasped the documents in my hand, knowing that we had to leave here immediately.

I turned and looked at Lawyer Fang. He was struggling to get up from the ground. His face was pale and there was blood at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were firm and full of hope.

"Let's go!" I grabbed Lawyer Fang's hand and ran towards the exit of the darkroom. Zhan Yu...wait for me!

Just when we were about to reach the exit, a cold voice suddenly sounded in the dark room: "It seems that you have found what you want..." I turned around suddenly and saw a familiar figure standing at the exit, holding a pistol in his hand, with the black muzzle facing us... That is... Don't believe it!