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

I turned around suddenly. The ancestral hall was empty, with only the flickering candlelight casting mottled shadows, like ghosts lurking in the darkness. My heart was pounding, and beads of sweat oozed from my palms. Who was it? Who was secretly watching me? And who left this warning note?

"Watch your back..." These words echoed in my mind, like a sharp thorn, pricking my nerves. I forced myself to calm down and reflect on recent events. Ever since I married into the Zhan family, I've been embroiled in various open and covert struggles. Those enemies lurking in the shadows, like venomous snakes, waited for an opportunity to devour me.

The lost incense burner, the mysterious note, all of this points to a terrible possibility: someone wants to sabotage this sacrifice, and I am their target.

Over the next few days, I became even more cautious, closely monitoring every aspect of the sacrificial preparations. I assigned trusted servants to take turns guarding the ancestral hall to ensure no items were lost. At the same time, I began a covert investigation, attempting to identify the mastermind behind the incident.

However, things weren't as simple as I imagined. Just the day before the sacrifice, members of the Han family also came to attend the Zhan family's family gathering. The Han family is related to the Zhan family by marriage and has always maintained close ties with them. But I knew that some members of the Han family did not welcome my arrival and even secretly hoped that I would make a fool of myself so that they could have the opportunity to mock me.

Sure enough, at the gathering, Han Liming, the second son of the Han family, said in a sarcastic tone in front of everyone, "I heard that the young lady has been busy preparing for the sacrifice recently. She's really worked hard. However, the sacrifice is no joke. If anything goes wrong, it will offend the ancestors."

His words were full of provocation, and the people around him all looked at him strangely. I knew he was deliberately trying to provoke me and make me lose my composure in front of everyone.

I took a deep breath, tried to control my emotions, and replied calmly, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Han. I will do my best."

"Try your best? Haha..." Han Liming sneered, "Sacrifice is not something you can do with your best. It requires experience and ability. After all, the young lady is a new daughter-in-law. I'm afraid she is not familiar with these rules and etiquette. If you mess up, don't blame us, the Han family, for not reminding you."

His words were like a bucket of cold water poured over my head. I knew he was deliberately putting pressure on me, hoping to make me back down.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging deep into my palms. The pain kept me awake. I couldn't let him anger me, nor could I let him intimidate me. I raised my head, looked him straight in the eye, and said firmly, "Master Han, rest assured. I will definitely perform the sacrifice well and will not let the Zhan family down."

After saying that, I turned and left, ignoring him. My back was straight, my steps firm, without a trace of panic. I knew this battle had just begun... I walked to the door of Elder Xu's room and knocked gently...

"Mr. Xu, are you there?" I knocked gently on the door of the old priest Xu, feeling a little nervous. Mr. Xu had been the priest of the Zhan family for generations, and he was familiar with the procedures and rules of the sacrifice. I needed his approval and help to successfully complete this sacrifice.

"Come in." Mr. Xu's calm voice came from inside the room.

I pushed the door open and walked in, only to see Mr. Xu sitting at the table, flipping through a thick ancient book. He raised his head, looked at me kindly, and motioned for me to sit down.

I asked him a few questions about the ritual process, and he patiently answered them, explaining in detail the meaning and precautions of each step. I listened carefully, afraid to miss any details.

Over the next few days, I visited Master Xu almost daily to learn from him. From the preparation of sacrificial supplies to the execution of the ritual, I meticulously inquired and took notes. Master Xu was impressed by my diligence and eagerness to learn. He told me that sacrificial offerings are not just a ritual but also a legacy, requiring careful understanding and reflection. His words reaffirmed my resolve to complete this sacrifice successfully. Han Liming's words, like a gust of wind, vanished without a trace. I was so absorbed in my studies that I almost forgot everything around me.

However, just when I thought everything was going smoothly, an accident happened.

That evening, I was alone in the ancestral hall, sorting through the offerings for the ritual, when I suddenly realized that my previously drafted ritual plan had been tampered with. The once neatly arranged plan was now in disarray, and some important steps had been altered. My heart sank, and a sense of foreboding washed over me.

I carefully examined the altered content, and the more I looked, the more alarmed I became. These changes might seem minor, but they could disrupt the entire ritual process, even leading to its failure. If such a thing truly occurred, the consequences would be disastrous.

Who is it? Who is behind this?

Han Liming's face appeared in my mind. Could it be him?

I forced myself to calm down and carefully analyzed the traces of these changes. The method of modification was very clever. If I hadn't been very familiar with the plan beforehand, I would have been hard-pressed to detect the clues. But this also exposed the other party's identity, because only someone with a certain understanding of the sacrificial process could make such changes.

I suddenly remembered that when the Han family came to the family gathering that day, Han Liming had gone inside for a while, using the excuse of visiting the ancestral hall. Could it be that during that time, he secretly revised my plan?

Thinking of this, my heart was filled with anger. How could they be so despicable as to try to frame me during the sacrifice? I absolutely could not let them succeed!

I immediately restored the plan to its original state and reorganized the revised parts. Then, I carefully checked all the sacrificial supplies to make sure there were no other problems.

The next day, all the family members gathered in the ancestral hall to participate in the sacrifice. Han Liming also came, with a smug look on his face, as if he had foreseen my embarrassing behavior.

I took a deep breath, walked over to the front of the group, and tried to remain calm. "Dear elders, fellow clansmen, today is the Zhan family's annual sacrificial ceremony. As the Zhan family's daughter-in-law, I have the honor of overseeing the preparations for this ceremony..." My eyes flickered over Han Liming. His smile froze for a moment, then returned to its false expression. My heart sank. It seemed he hadn't realized I'd discovered his ruse.

"But during the preparation process," I paused deliberately and raised my voice, "I discovered some...problems."

I picked up the sacrificial plan in my hand, slowly unfolded it, pointed to the modified part, and said word by word: "In the original plan, the order of sacrifice was to sacrifice to heaven and earth first, and then to the ancestors. However, this plan was modified, and the order of ancestral sacrifice was moved forward. As you all know, the order of sacrifice cannot be changed at will. It is related to the fortune of the entire family. If the sacrifice is carried out according to the modified plan, the consequences will be disastrous!"

My words caused a lot of discussion among the crowd. They all looked at the plan in my hand in surprise, wondering who was so bold as to tamper with the sacrifice.

Han Liming's face turned pale. He tried to explain, "This... this might be a mistake made by one of the servants. Miss Bai, there's no need to make such a fuss."

I sneered, "Servant? Mr. Han, do you think an ordinary servant could know how to modify the sacrificial plan? Moreover, the modification method is so clever that if I weren't very familiar with the plan, I would probably find it difficult to detect the clues. This is clearly someone doing it on purpose!"

I looked directly at Han Liming and said sternly, "Mr. Han, you spent some time inside the ancestral hall that day under the pretext of visiting it. May I ask what you did during that time?"

Beads of sweat appeared on Han Liming's forehead, and he stammered and couldn't speak.

I looked around at everyone and said in a resounding voice, "I believe there is only one truth! I hope that the person who did this will take the initiative to stand up and admit their mistake, and not bring shame to the entire family!"

The ancestral hall was completely silent, with everyone's eyes focused on Han Liming. His face was pale, his lips trembling, but he remained silent.

At this moment, Zhan Yu walked in. He had just finished dealing with company matters and had rushed over immediately after hearing what had happened in the ancestral hall. He walked over to me, gently shook my hand, and gave me an encouraging look.

His presence was like a warm current flowing into my heart. I no longer felt alone and had the strength to continue fighting.

I took a deep breath and continued, "Since no one admits it, then I can only leave this matter to the clan leader."

I handed the plan in my hand to the clan leader, then turned and left the ancestral hall.

Zhan Yu followed closely behind me, his hand holding mine tightly, giving me silent support.

After returning to the room, Zhan Yu hugged me in his arms with a distressed look and said gently, "Thank you for your hard work."

I leaned in his arms, feeling his warm embrace, and my heart was filled with emotion.

I know this is just the beginning...

"Tomorrow..." Zhan Yu suddenly spoke.

"Tomorrow..." Zhan Yu suddenly spoke, his voice low and filled with a subtle worry, "Tomorrow I will accompany you to see Master Xu."

I lifted my head from his embrace, gazed into his deep eyes, and nodded gently. Elder Xu, the priest, was a highly respected elder within the Zhan family, thoroughly familiar with the ritual procedures and rules. Han Liming's audacity to tamper with the ritual plan indicated a lack of familiarity with the process, and he was likely to reveal his handiwork elsewhere. Meeting Elder Xu would not only allow me to learn more about rituals, but perhaps also offer some insider information about Han Liming.

The next morning, a thin mist enveloped the Zhan family's old house, the air thick with the faint scent of sandalwood. Zhan Yu and I arrived at the courtyard where Elder Xu lived. The courtyard was filled with a variety of exotic flowers and plants, emitting a delicate fragrance. An elderly man in simple clothes sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, holding an ancient book. It was Elder Xu, the ritual master.

Seeing us, Mr. Xu slowly put down the book in his hand and smiled kindly: "Zhanyu, Miss Bai, you are here."

We bowed and greeted Elder Xu, then explained our purpose. After listening, Elder Xu's face grew serious. "The sacrificial ceremony is the most important ritual of the Zhan family, and no mistakes are allowed. Anyone who dared to tamper with the plan is truly audacious!"

I handed the revised plan to Mr. Xu. He examined it carefully, his brow furrowed. "Although this revision is clever, it makes a fatal mistake. Moving up the order of ancestor worship violates the ancient precept of 'honoring heaven and earth first, then worshiping ancestors.' This is a grave taboo!"

"Mr. Xu, do you know who did it?" I asked anxiously.

Elder Xu shook his head. "Although I'm old, I'm not senile. This technique, while subtle, is also naive. It's obvious that it was done by someone with only a passing understanding of the ritual process. As for who it was, I can't speculate." He paused, then added, "However, I can teach you some ways to distinguish authenticity, as well as the complete ritual process, to prevent anyone from interfering again."

Over the next few days, I followed Mr. Xu through the various procedures and details of the ritual, meticulously following every step, from the placement of offerings to the recitation of the sacrificial text. Mr. Xu's explanations were insightful and simple, deepening my understanding of the ritual. Meanwhile, I secretly observed Han Liming's behavior and noticed that he had been frequently entering and leaving the ancestral hall, seemingly searching for something.

One night, as I was getting ready for bed, I heard a subtle noise outside the window. I quietly walked to the window and peered through the crack. I saw a dark figure sneaking into the ancestral hall. Although I couldn't see the man's face clearly, I had a vague feeling that it was Han Liming.

I immediately woke Zhan Yu up and told him what I had just seen. Zhan Yu's face became serious: "It seems that he is still doing something behind the scenes."

We decided to quietly follow Han Liming and see what he was doing inside the ancestral hall. The night was deep, and the hall was completely silent, with only the occasional cry of a night owl adding a touch of eerie terror. We hid in the bushes outside the hall, holding our breath, and watched every move inside.

After a long time, Han Liming emerged from the ancestral hall, a black wooden box in his hands and a smug smile on his face. Seeing this, my heart sank. What exactly was inside this wooden box? Why would Han Liming go to such great lengths to obtain it? All of this, like a huge mystery, loomed over me, filling me with unease. But I knew this was only the beginning of the conspiracy, and greater challenges awaited me.