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

Holding the phoenix wood carving, my heart was filled with emotion, as if a warm current was flowing into my body. The old man's kind face lingered in my mind, and I was almost certain that he was still alive.

"Lawyer Fang, this wood carving... is the head of the old man's walking stick! He must be nearby! We must find him!" My voice trembled slightly with excitement.

Zhan Yu also realized the importance of the matter and immediately arranged for a search around the crime scene. Lawyer Fang held the wood carving and carefully observed the patterns on it, as if searching for some clue.

Time passed, and my heart grew heavier. Just as I was about to despair, Lawyer Fang suddenly spoke up, "Found him! Found him in an abandoned factory in the west of the city!"

We immediately drove to the abandoned factory, where we found the dying old man. He was covered in wounds and breathing weakly, but miraculously still alive.

We carefully carried him into the car and took him to the safe house arranged by Lawyer Fang. Lawyer Fang was proficient in some simple medical treatment. He quickly treated the old man's wounds and gave him some nutrient solution.

During the long wait, my heart seemed to be hanging in the air. Zhan Yu held my hand tightly, giving me silent comfort.

Finally, as the dawn light shone into the room, the old man slowly opened his eyes. He looked around weakly, and his eyes finally fell on me.

"Child..." he called in a hoarse voice.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I rushed to the bedside and held his hand. "I'm so glad you're still alive!"

The old man smiled with difficulty and said, "Children, don't cry... I have something to tell you..."

He recounted his experiences in fragments. It turned out that he was indeed one of the witnesses to the Zhan family will incident. He had witnessed the truth of the matter with his own eyes, but for some reason he had been threatened and could not tell the truth.

"They... they threatened me with my family..." The old man became emotional and started coughing violently when he said this.

Lawyer Fang quickly stepped forward, patted him on the back, and soothed him, "Don't get excited yet. Speak slowly."

The old man took a deep breath and continued, "I... I know... that the old man's will... was tampered with..."

His words rang out like thunder in my ears. I stared at him in shock, not knowing what to say. Zhan Yu's expression also grew solemn.

"Who is it? Who tampered with the will?" Zhan Yu asked anxiously.

The old man took a deep breath, as if he had used up all his strength, and slowly uttered a name.

"Yes……"

At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door. Lawyer Fang walked to the door alertly and looked out through the peephole.

"It's Mr. Qin!" he whispered.

My heart sank. Old Qin was from the older generation of the Zhan family, always stubborn and conservative, and he firmly believed in what happened back then. How could he suddenly appear here?

Lawyer Fang opened the door, and Old Qin walked in with a gloomy face. He saw the old man lying on the bed at a glance, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

"You...are you still alive?"

The old man didn't say anything, but just looked at him quietly, his eyes filled with complicated emotions...

My heart tightened at the sight of Mr. Qin. The two black-clad bodyguards behind him made me even more uneasy. Had he discovered something? Was he here to stop us from revealing the truth? I subconsciously tightened my grip on Zhan Yu's hand, drawing strength from him.

"Mr. Qin, why are you here?" I tried to make my voice sound calm.

Elder Qin didn't answer my question. His gaze was fixed on the old man on the bed, as if he could see through him. "You... you're still alive?" He repeated his previous words, his tone filled with disbelief and a hint of... fear?

The old man didn't say anything, just stared at him quietly. The atmosphere in the room was so heavy that it was suffocating, like a taut string that could break at any time.

"Mr. Qin, this is the witness of the will incident." I broke the silence. "He knows the truth of the matter."

Old Qin turned his gaze towards me, his eyes sharp. "The truth? What truth? What happened back then is long since settled. What truth can there be?"

I took a deep breath and said, "The old man's will was tampered with. This old man can testify to this."

"That's nonsense!" Old Qin shouted. "I personally witnessed what happened back then. The authenticity of the will is unquestionable!"

The old man finally spoke. His voice was hoarse and weak, yet it carried a force that could not be ignored. "Mr. Qin, do you really believe that the will was true? Do you really believe that this was what the old man meant?"

Elder Qin's body trembled slightly, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes. The old man continued, "The Song family's side branches have long coveted the family inheritance. They have been operating in secret, tampering with the will and forging evidence..."

He slowly recounted the events of that year, every detail crystal clear. It turned out that a branch of the Song family had bribed the Zhan family's steward to tamper with the old man's will. They exploited the old man's trust and carried out their scheme step by step. After the scheme was accomplished, the steward was silenced, creating the illusion of suicide out of fear of punishment. Witnessing all this, the old man was threatened by the branch of the Song family, forced to hide his identity and flee far away.

The room was completely silent, with only the old man's faint voice echoing. Qin Lao's expression shifted from gloomy to bright, and it was clear he was going through a fierce struggle within. The shock of having something he had always believed in overturned right in front of him was unimaginable.

"This... this is impossible..." Qin Lao muttered to himself, his voice trembling, "I always thought... I always thought..."

I could sense his wavering feelings, his inner defenses gradually crumbling. I stepped forward and said, "Master Qin, I know this is hard to accept, but it's the truth. We can't let the true culprit go unpunished, nor can we allow the old man's wishes to be distorted."

Zhan Yu also walked to Qin Lao's side and said in a deep voice: "Qin Lao, we know that you have always been loyal to the Zhan family, and we have always respected you. We believe that you will make the right choice."

Elder Qin was silent for a long time, then slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "I... I need time to think about it..." he said slowly, "This... This is too sudden..."

His gaze fell on the old man on the bed again, his eyes full of questions and inquiries. "What evidence do you have?"

The old man smiled weakly, stretched out a trembling hand, and pointed at his chest. "I... I am the evidence..." He breathed hard, as if he would faint in the next second.

I knew I couldn't force Mr. Qin at this moment, so I said, "Mr. Qin, please take a good rest first, we..."

Before I could finish my sentence, Lawyer Fang suddenly spoke up. "Mr. Qin, if you need evidence, we have some here." He pulled a stack of documents from his briefcase and placed them in front of Mr. Qin. "These are the materials we collected during our investigation. They may help you understand the truth."

Mr. Qin hesitated for a moment, but ultimately reached out to take the document. He flipped through it slowly, his expression changing with the contents. The atmosphere in the room grew tense again, and we all held our breath, awaiting his reaction.

He flipped to the last page, suddenly raised his head, and stared at Lawyer Fang with a sharp gaze, saying word by word, "Where did these... come from?" He clutched the documents tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging...

Lawyer Fang pushed his glasses up, a sharp gleam flashing across them. "I cannot reveal the source of this information for now, but I can assure you it's authentic and reliable." He paused, then added, "We have even more crucial evidence, sufficient to prove the conspiracy of the Song family's side branch, but now is not the best time to disclose it."

Old Qin's brow furrowed as he flipped through the documents in his hands, seemingly weighing something. The room was eerily quiet; I could hear my own nervous heartbeat. After a long pause, he sighed deeply and placed the documents on the table. "This information does make me doubt what happened back then." He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over us sharply. "But this alone isn't enough to convince me of your complete trust."

I understand Mr. Qin's concerns. After all, this matter involves so many people that even the slightest misstep could cause a major uproar. Furthermore, he needs time to process and accept the fact that we have overturned something he has believed in for so many years.

"Master Qin," Zhan Yu said in a deep voice, "we understand your caution. We also understand that this incident is a huge shock to you. But the truth will eventually come out. We just hope that you can stand on the side of justice."

Elder Qin was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "The family meeting is about to take place. If you truly possess solid evidence, you can disclose it at the meeting." His gaze fell once again on the briefcase in Lawyer Fang's hand. "I believe that should contain the key evidence you're talking about, right?"

Lawyer Fang smiled faintly and didn't deny it. "That's right, Mr. Qin. To ensure the validity of the evidence, we have been keeping it in safekeeping. At the family meeting, we will reveal the truth to everyone."

Elder Qin nodded, a look of determination flashing in his eyes. "Alright. I'll give you this chance. But," he changed his tone and warned, "you must ensure that the evidence is absolutely flawless! If there is any problem with your evidence, I will not tolerate it!"

I took a deep breath and nodded solemnly. "Master Qin, please rest assured. We will be fully prepared."

Mr. Qin stood up and, accompanied by two bodyguards, slowly left the room. After he left, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became much more relaxed. I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like a huge stone had finally been lifted from my chest.

"Finally convinced him." I whispered.

Zhan Yu held my hand and gave me a reassuring look. "Yes, this is just the first step. Next, we will face greater challenges."

Lawyer Fang closed his briefcase, his expression serious. "The Song family's side branches will definitely not sit idly by. They will definitely try every possible means to prevent us from revealing the truth. There will definitely be a fierce battle at the family meeting."

I nodded, my heart filled with worry, but also with fighting spirit. For the justice of my family and for my grandfather's last wish, I will never back down!

Suddenly, Lawyer Fang's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and his face changed slightly. "It's... it's someone from the Song family..." He answered the phone, only to hear a cold voice from the other end: "Lawyer Fang, we want to talk to you..." Lawyer Fang's face became even uglier, and his hand holding the phone trembled slightly... Lawyer Fang hung up the phone, his face pale and fine beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. "They... they want to meet with me."

My heart sank, and a bad feeling came over me. "What do they want to do?"

"They said... they wanted to resolve this privately," Lawyer Fang's voice trembled. "They're willing to pay a huge price to get us to forgo disclosing the evidence at the family meeting."

Zhan Yu snorted coldly, his eyes sharp. "It seems they are really anxious." He squeezed my hand, giving me strength. "Don't worry, we won't compromise."

I nodded, feigning composure on the surface, but my heart was roiling. The actions of the Song family's side branch undoubtedly proved their guilty conscience. They feared the truth would be revealed, afraid of losing everything they had. This only strengthened my resolve to expose their conspiracy.

"Where did they agree to meet?" Zhan Yu asked.

"A private club on the outskirts of the city," Lawyer Fang replied. "Tonight at eight o'clock."

"Okay," Zhan Yu's eyes flashed with a gleam, "Let's go meet them."

My heart tightened, and I looked at Zhan Yu worriedly. "Isn't this too dangerous? Since they dared to propose a private solution, I'm afraid..."

Zhan Yu stroked my hair and said softly, "Don't worry, I will protect you. We also need to find out what tricks they are trying to play."

Lawyer Fang agreed: "Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle. If you meet him, you might be able to get more useful information."

I finally agreed. I knew this struggle was inevitable and we had to face it bravely.

At 8 p.m., we arrived at the agreed location. Located on the outskirts of the city, the clubhouse boasted a tranquil setting and luxurious decor. The air was filled with the faint scent of sandalwood, yet it couldn't mask the tense atmosphere.

In an elegantly decorated box, we met Song Yuanhang, a representative of the Song family's branch. He was dressed in a suit and tie, his hair was neatly combed, and he had a hypocritical smile on his face.

"Lawyer Fang, Mr. Zhan, Mrs. Zhan, welcome." Song Yuanhang stood up and greeted us warmly.

We ignored his hypocritical politeness and sat down on the sofa.

"Mr. Song, our time is precious, so just say whatever you want to say." Zhan Yu said straight to the point.

Song Yuanhang smiled and slowly poured himself a glass of red wine. "Mr. Zhan is a man of few words. Okay, I won't beat around the bush. I know you have some evidence against us, and I hope you can..." He paused, looking at us meaningfully, "Please spare me."

"Please show mercy?" I sneered. "When you framed my grandfather and seized the property that rightfully belonged to him, why didn't you think of showing mercy?"

Song Yuanhang's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. "Mrs. Zhan, let the past be the past. We're talking about the future now. If you're willing to give up the public evidence, I can guarantee that you will gain unimaginable wealth and status."

"We are not interested in your wealth and status." Zhan Yu said coldly, "We just want to know the truth and take back everything that belongs to us."

The smile on Song Yuanhang's face finally disappeared, and his eyes turned sinister. "It seems you are not planning to cooperate?"

I met his gaze without fear. "We never intended to cooperate with you."

Song Yuanhang sneered and clapped his hands. The door to the box suddenly opened, and several black-clad bodyguards walked in, surrounding us... My heart was in my throat, and I held Zhan Yu's hand tightly. It seemed that tonight was destined to be a restless night...