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

The ancestral hall was filled with the heavy, oppressive scent of sandalwood. The family tree in Old Qin's hands, its yellowed pages looking remarkably ancient in the dim light, seemed to connect the Zhan family's centuries of history. It also felt like a mountain, weighing me down, making me breathless.

"Old Qin, what rules are you talking about?" I tried to keep my voice calm, even though my heart was already swirling with turmoil. I knew that the Song branch must have been behind this, using some of the family's old customs to stop us.

Elder Qin adjusted his reading glasses and pointed to a passage in the family tree. He spoke slowly and firmly, "According to ancestral teachings, all evidence presented at the family meeting must be witnessed by respected elders within the clan and must undergo specific rituals to be considered valid."

I quickly glanced at the text. The ancient font was difficult to decipher, but I understood the general meaning. This was clearly a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for me! The evidence we've found is of paramount importance. How could we possibly let the elders know about it in advance? If they were involved, and word leaked, the Song branch would surely destroy all evidence. Wouldn't that mean our efforts would be in vain?

"Old Qin, it's clear someone is deliberately using family tradition to obstruct us!" I couldn't help but raise my voice, a hint of anger in my tone. "The crimes of the Song branch are too numerous to list. If we can't expose their true colors at the meeting, the Zhan family will suffer huge losses!"

Zhan Yu also stood up. He held my hand, giving me strength, and then said in a deep voice, "Old Qin, you are the elder of our family, and we respect you. But this matter is of great importance, and we must prioritize the overall situation. Are those so-called traditions more important than the future of our family?"

Elder Qin's expression remained unchanged. He slowly closed the family tree, the sound like a heavy iron door closing, isolating Zhan Yu and me. "Rules are rules," he said in a cold tone, "and no one can break them. If you insist on using such non-compliant evidence at the meeting, you are violating our ancestral teachings, and the family will punish you."

His words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the last glimmer of hope in my heart. Are we really going to watch the Song family get away with it? Are all our efforts going to be in vain?

Just when I felt hopeless, Lawyer Fang, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up. "Mr. Qin, could you please let me carefully study the ancestral precepts you just mentioned?" His tone was calm and gentle, yet it carried an undeniable strength.

Old Qin glanced at him, saying nothing. He simply handed him the family tree. Lawyer Fang took it, flipped to the page Old Qin had pointed to, and began to read it carefully. His brow furrowed slightly, and his fingers gently stroked the paper, as if he was thinking about something.

After a moment, he raised his head, a gleam in his eyes. "As far as I know, the Zhan family's library contains detailed interpretations of family rules from past generations. Perhaps there, we can find evidence to support our evidence." He closed the family tree and said firmly, "I believe our ancestors' original intention was not to cover up evil, but to uphold justice."

Lawyer Fang's words rekindled hope in me. The library... perhaps there we could find the answers we needed. I looked at Zhan Yu, and he gave me a resolute look. He reached out and grasped my hand, so tightly it seemed as if he could crush my bones.

"Let's go." He spoke every word firmly.

Elder Qin's expression remained as cold as a thousand years of ice, unwavering. "A library? Ha, even if you find something, you can't change the ancestral precepts. If you insist on doing so, you will bear the consequences." His tone carried a hint of warning and a touch of disdain, as if we were just wasting our time.

I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in my heart. Since he was stubborn, we could only rely on ourselves. "Let's go, Zhanyu." I turned to look at him. His eyes gleamed with determination, which gave me great courage.

Lawyer Fang followed behind us. There was no emotion on his face, but I knew he must be worried about us too.

The Zhan Family Library is an old, two-story building located behind the ancestral temple. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, a musty odor hits me, making me cough a few times. The library is dimly lit, and the air is thick with dust, making it almost impossible to see the surroundings. The shelves are filled with a variety of books, some of which are in tatters, while others are so covered in dust that the titles are hard to discern.

"It seems that no one has been here for a long time." Zhan Yu waved the dust in front of him, revealing a row of old book spines.

"The Song branch will definitely not let us find what we want easily." I looked around vigilantly, always feeling that there was some danger hidden here.

Lawyer Fang pulled a flashlight from his bag and turned it on, finally illuminating the dim library. "Let's split up and look for it. This will save time."

The three of us split up and slowly searched along the bookshelves. I carefully flipped through each volume, hoping to find a detailed explanation of the ancestral precepts. Most of the books here were about the history of the Zhan family and some ancient texts, so obscure that they made my head spin.

Suddenly, I heard a soft click behind me. I turned around, but saw nothing. Was it my imagination? A sense of unease welled up in my heart.

I continued walking forward when I suddenly felt my feet go empty and I felt myself falling. I cried out in surprise and instinctively reached out to grab a nearby bookshelf. The bookshelf swayed a few times, creaking, and seemed on the verge of collapse. At the critical moment, Zhan Yu grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

"Be careful!" He checked my body nervously, "Are you hurt?"

I shook my head in shock and looked down at the trap. A black hole appeared on the ground, filled with sharp bamboo sticks. "That was a close call..." I gasped. If Zhan Yu hadn't reacted in time, I'd probably have been stabbed to pieces by now.

Zhan Yu helped me stand steady, looking around with a gloomy expression. "It seems this place is more dangerous than we thought."

At this moment, Lawyer Fang's voice came from upstairs: "I think I found something!"

We immediately ran upstairs. Lawyer Fang was standing in front of a bookshelf on the second floor, holding a thick ancient tome. He flipped open the book, pointed to a page, and said, "Here is a detailed interpretation of the ancestral precepts. It says..."

Before he could finish his words, there was a sudden loud noise from the roof of the library, followed by a large amount of dust and debris falling from above... "Oh no!" Lawyer Fang suddenly pushed us away...

Amidst the swirling dust, I was held tightly in Zhan Yu's arms, a deafening crash filling my ears. Once everything calmed down, we slowly rose, looking around in shock. A large section of the library's roof had collapsed, and sunlight streamed through the gaping hole, illuminating the previously dim space and the scattered dust and rubble.

"Lawyer Fang!" I suddenly remembered Lawyer Fang, who had just pushed us away... I frantically searched for him and finally saw him amid the rubble. His leg was pinned by a beam, his face pale, beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Lawyer Fang, how are you?" Zhan Yu hurried over and tried to move the beam.

"My legs...can't move..." Lawyer Fang said gritting his teeth.

We worked together to move the beam. Zhan Yu carefully helped Lawyer Fang up and checked his injuries. "It's okay, it's just a fracture, no broken bones."

I finally breathed a sigh of relief, thankful we'd all escaped. This sudden collapse only confirmed to me that someone was trying to stop us from finding the truth. Who was it? Old Qin? Or someone else? I was filled with doubts.

Despite this, we still found a key clue. Lawyer Fang, enduring the pain, handed me the ancient book. "This contains additional explanations about our ancestral teachings. Perhaps it will be useful to you."

I took the ancient book and carefully opened it. The pages were yellowed and the writing was blurred. I carefully deciphered the text. Sure enough, one of the rules caught my attention: "Any dispute involving family inheritance, if there is solid evidence, may be submitted to a family meeting for deliberation, regardless of ancestral restrictions."

"Great!" I excitedly grabbed Zhan Yu's hand. "With this rule, we can present evidence at the family meeting!"

Zhan Yu also showed a relieved smile on his face. We immediately rushed back to the Zhan family mansion with the ancient books and the injured lawyer Fang.

When Mr. Qin heard the news of the library's collapse, his face darkened. He took the ancient book from my hand, flipped through it carefully, and frowned.

"This..." He pondered for a moment and said slowly, "This rule does exist, but the right to interpret it belongs to the Elders Council. I need to discuss it with the elders before making a final decision on whether it can be used at the family meeting."

My heart sank. Mr. Qin's words undoubtedly poured cold water on us. The "discussion" he mentioned sounded more like an excuse to buy time. Was he really going to stop us?

"Old Qin, the family meeting is just around the corner. We don't have time to wait any longer." Zhan Yu said firmly, "This rule is clearly written. We have the right to present evidence at the meeting."

Old Qin looked at us deeply without saying a word. He closed the ancient book and placed it on the table. "I will give you an answer as soon as possible."

We left Mr. Qin's study, feeling uneasy. Lawyer Fang's injuries required rest, so he was placed in the guest room. Zhan Yu and I returned to our room, speechless.

Outside the window, night fell, and the room was silent. I looked at Zhan Yu, his face full of fatigue and worry. I knew that he was just as worried about Mr. Qin's response as I was.

Suddenly, a rapid knock on the door broke the silence. I quickly got up and opened the door. Standing outside was the butler, his face pale and his expression panicked.

"Young Master, Young Madam..." he stammered, "Old Qin...he..."