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

Night enveloped the Zhan family mansion like a vast black velvet sheet, concealing every secret. My heart pounding as I quietly crept into the secluded courtyard. In the center, an ancient locust tree stood silently, its lush branches and leaves blotting out the sun and adding a touch of eeriness. Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground, dancing like ghosts.

Servant Luo stood at the gate, holding a dim lantern in his hand, his face a cold expression I had never seen before. He slowly raised his head, his gaze fell on me, and a strange smile curled up at the corner of his mouth: "Madam, you are here too..."

A chill ran from my feet to my head. I forced myself to remain calm and said, "Uncle Luo, it's so late, what are you doing here?"

He didn't answer my question, but just smiled meaningfully: "Madam, there are some things that knowing too much is not necessarily a good thing."

His words further confirmed my suspicions. He must know something! I took a deep breath and stared into his eyes. "What did you see the night Han Liming got into trouble?"

His eyes flickered, avoiding my gaze: "Madam, what are you talking about? I didn't see anything."

"Really?" I pressed on. "Uncle Luo, you've been with me for so many years. You should know exactly what kind of person I am. If you really don't know anything, why are you hiding?"

He was silent for a moment, then he sighed deeply: "Madam, there are some things that I cannot help myself..."

His hesitation only intensified my curiosity. Just then, I noticed some strange footprints on the ground around the sacrificial site. They were fresh and shallow, as if someone had deliberately stepped lightly, trying not to be seen.

My heart sank. Could it be that there was something else going on with Han Liming? Was someone secretly monitoring the progress of the sacrifice?

"Cough cough..."

My mother-in-law appeared at the gate of the courtyard at some point. She glanced at me and said sarcastically, "Hey, isn't this our eldest young mistress? What are you doing here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Are you up to something shameful?"

Her presence only exacerbated my already tense mood. I took a deep breath, suppressed my anger, and ignored her, following the direction of the footprints.

The footprints extended to the edge of the courtyard wall and then disappeared. I carefully observed my surroundings, hoping to find some clues. Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of a loose brick in the corner of the wall. I reached out and pushed it, and the brick fell away, revealing a narrow hole.

My heart moved. Could this be the passage those people left through?

Just as I was about to investigate further, I suddenly heard a series of small footsteps coming from not far away. I quickly hid behind a locust tree, held my breath, and listened carefully.

The footsteps were getting closer, and through the gaps in the leaves, I saw a furtive figure walking towards me. In the dim moonlight, I recognized it as a follower of the Han family, who usually followed Han Liqiang around.

He walked to the corner, looked around, and then bent down, as if looking for something.

What is he...looking for?

I held my breath, my heart pounding, as I stared intently at the furtive figure. He seemed oblivious to my presence, still groping around the corner. I noticed he was holding a small cloth bag, similar to a sachet. He brought it to his nose, sniffed it, and then put it back in his pocket.

I ignored my mother-in-law's sarcastic remarks. Her sharp words were like the buzzing of flies to me, too much for me to pay attention. My attention was focused on this Han family henchman. My intuition told me he must know something. I quietly circled around to the other side of the locust tree, making as little noise as possible, and slowly approached him.

He finally found the loose brick and pushed it, revealing the narrow hole. He was about to crawl in when I suddenly rushed out from behind the tree, grabbed his collar and pulled him back.

"Ah!" He screamed in fear, and the bag in his hand fell to the ground. A strange fragrance instantly filled the air. I immediately felt dizzy and my vision began to blur. Oh no, there's a drug in this sachet!

I suppressed the discomfort and shook my head vigorously, trying to stay awake. Seeing his plan exposed, he turned and tried to run. I was quick-witted and kicked him in the knee, sending him tumbling to his knees.

"Want to run? Not so easy!" I shouted, my tone filled with undeniable authority. Years of experience in the Bai family had long since transformed me from the fragile, easily bullied young lady I once was. At this moment, I exuded a fierce aura, like a cheetah poised for action.

His face was pale, his eyes flickered, and he said tremblingly: "Madam, you...you misunderstood, I...I was just passing by..."

"Just passing by?" I sneered. "You sneaked over here in the middle of the night? Do you think I'm stupid?"

He was stammering and unable to speak, his eyes were wandering, and he was obviously lying. The more guilty he seemed, the more I was sure that there was something wrong with him.

"Tell me! Who sent you? What are you doing here?" I demanded, my tone becoming more stern.

He was so frightened that he was shaking all over and uttered incoherently, "I... I don't know anything... I was just... I was just following orders... Madam, please spare me..."

"Following orders? Whose orders?" I pressed on, not giving him any chance to breathe.

He avoided looking at me, not daring to look me in the eye, and stammered, "Yes...it's the eldest young master...the eldest young master asked me to come...come..."

"Young Master? Zhan Yu?" I was shocked. Could it be that Zhan Yu was also involved in this? How could this be possible?

Seeing that I was wavering, he quickly struck while the iron was hot and continued to talk nonsense: "It was...it was the eldest young master who asked me to monitor you...He said...that you were in collusion with the Han family..."

I sneered in my heart. This was clearly an attempt to confuse the public and frame someone. I knew exactly what kind of person Zhan Yu was. He would never do such a thing.

"Do you think I will believe your nonsense?" I snorted coldly, with a cold light flashing in my eyes.

Seeing his lie exposed, he panicked, his eyes filled with fear. He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but I had lost my patience.

I grabbed his collar, lifted him up from the ground, and said in a cold voice, "Now, I'm giving you one last chance. Tell me the truth. Who sent you here? What do you want to do?"

He looked at the coldness in my eyes, his lips trembling. Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he took a deep breath...

He was trembling, his eyes were erratic, and finally, like a deflated ball, he collapsed in my hands, his voice as thin as a mosquito: "It's...it's the third master of the Han family...He gave me some money...let me...let me..."

"What did you ask me to do?" I demanded harshly, clutching his collar tightly, my fingertips almost digging into his flesh.

"Let... let me tamper with the sacrificial ceremony..." He spoke haltingly, his voice slurred by fear. "Put drugs in the incense burner... let... let Madam... make a fool of herself... during the ceremony..."

My heart sank, a chill running from my feet to my head. The Third Master of the Han Family, it's him again! He's so vicious, trying to frame me during the sacrificial ceremony! The sacrificial ceremony is the most important event of the year for the Zhan Family. If I make a mistake during the ceremony, the consequences will be disastrous!

"What else does he ask you to do?" My voice was as cold as ice, as if it could freeze people.

"And... and asked me... to steal some important documents from the Zhan family... and give them to... to the Han family..." He stuttered, his voice getting smaller and smaller, almost inaudible.

I took a deep breath, suppressing the rage within me. The Third Master of the Han Family's scheme was even more far-reaching than I'd imagined! Not only did he want to ruin my reputation, he also wanted to steal the Zhan Family's secrets!

At this moment, a familiar sound of footsteps came. I turned around and saw Zhan Yu striding towards me, his face solemn and with a hint of worry between his brows.

"What happened?" He walked to my side and asked with concern, his eyes falling on the little follower of the Han family in my hand.

I briefly told him what had happened, and Zhan Yu's face darkened. He held my hand tightly, his eyes filled with heartache and anger.

"Don't be afraid," he comforted me softly, "I will take care of everything."

His words flowed like a warm current into my heart, dispelling the chill within. I felt the warmth of his palm, and my heart was filled with a sense of security. There was no need for us to say anything; a glance, a gesture, and we understood each other's feelings.

Zhan Yu handed the Han family's little follower to the care of the servant Luo, then took my hand and walked into the house.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern, looking me over carefully.

"I'm fine," I shook my head, but my heart was still restless. "I just didn't expect that the Third Master of the Han family would be so despicable!"

Zhan Yu gently held me in his arms, rested his chin on the top of my head, and said softly: "Don't worry, I will protect you."

His embrace was warm and strong, making me feel incredibly safe. I hugged him tightly, buried my head in his chest, and felt his steady heartbeat.

We hugged each other quietly for a while, and then Zhan Yu took my hand and went to the study.

"We can't just let this go," Zhan Yu said with a hint of coldness in his tone, "We must fight back!"

I nodded, a glint of determination flashing in my eyes. "Master Han, since you dare to plot against me, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Zhan Yu walked to the desk, picked up the brush, and wrote a line on the paper: Elder of the Qin Family.

"Tomorrow, we will visit the elders of the Qin family," Zhan Yu said, "and expose the crimes of the Third Master of the Han family to the public!"

I nodded in agreement. The elder of the Qin family was highly respected and held great prestige within the entire family. As long as he could uphold justice, the third master of the Han family's conspiracy would be thwarted.

It was late at night, and everything was quiet outside the window. Moonlight filtered through the window, spilling into the room and casting mottled shadows on the floor.

I lay in bed, but couldn't fall asleep. Although the conspiracy of the Third Master of the Han family was exposed, my heart was still filled with uneasiness.

Did he really just want to embarrass me and steal the Zhan family's secrets? Or... was there some bigger conspiracy he hadn't yet unleashed?

I turned to look at Zhan Yu beside me. He was sound asleep, his breathing steady and long. I gently reached out and stroked his face, silently praying in my heart: I hope everything will go smoothly...

Suddenly, there was a slight noise outside the door... I opened my eyes abruptly, my heart racing. Although the noise was slight, it was remarkably clear in the stillness of the night. I gently nudged Zhan Yu, and he woke up, a hint of sleep in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a low voice, his voice a little hoarse.

"I heard some noise outside," I said in a low voice, "It seems like there's someone outside."

Zhan Yu immediately became alert. He stood up gently, took out a dagger from the bedside table, then walked to the window, carefully pulled open a corner of the curtain, and looked out.

It was pitch black outside the window, with only a few dim street lamps emitting a weak light, and nothing could be seen clearly. Zhan Yu gently opened the window, and a cold breeze blew in, carrying a faint smell of blood.

My heart sank suddenly. Where did this smell of blood come from?

Zhan Yu closed the window, turned around and said to me, "I'll go take a look, you stay here and don't move."

I nodded, my heart filled with worry. Zhan Yu, holding the dagger, tiptoed out of the room. I hugged the quilt tightly, listening to the noise outside, my heart in my throat.

After a while, Zhan Yu came back. His face was pale and he was holding a blood-stained handkerchief in his hand.

"What's wrong?" I asked anxiously. "What happened?"

Zhan Yu took a deep breath and said slowly: "Maid Luo...is dead."

My head buzzed, as if something had exploded. Servant Luo... was dead? How could this happen? Wasn't he in charge of the Han family's lackeys?

"How did he die?" I asked in a trembling, almost inaudible voice.

"His throat was slashed with a knife," Zhan Yu said with a hint of chill in his tone. "The murderer's technique was clean and neat, obviously a master."

My heart was filled with fear and anxiety. The death of maid Luo made me feel terrified. The Han family's servant was still at the Zhan family, but maid Luo was dead. This meant... the murderer was very likely still at the Zhan family!

"Where's Han's little follower?" I asked anxiously, "How is he?"

Zhan Yu shook his head and said, "He ran away."

My heart sank. The Han family's little henchman had run away, which meant that the Han family's third master's conspiracy wasn't over yet. He... what bigger conspiracy did he have yet to unleash?

"We must find the Han family's henchman as soon as possible," I said firmly, "He must know something."

Zhan Yu nodded, a determined glint in his eyes. "Tomorrow morning, we will go to the Qin family elders and ask them to help us investigate this matter."

I held Zhan Yu's hand tightly, feeling a surge of unease. The death of the servant Luo and the escape of the Han family's henchman made me realize that things were far more complicated than we'd imagined.

The sky gradually brightened, and the sound of birdsong reached me from outside the window. I stood up to prepare the offerings. As I reached the door to the storeroom, a strange feeling washed over me. I pushed the door open, and a faint fragrance greeted me. This fragrance... seemed a little off.

I walked to the shelf where the sacrificial items were placed and carefully examined each item. Suddenly, my eyes fell on an incense burner, and the bottom of the incense burner seemed to be a little off.

I bent down and looked carefully at the bottom of the incense burner. There were some tiny scratches on it, and these scratches...

"Zhanyu..." I whispered, my voice trembling, "Come and take a look..."