"Excluding the other sons from performing the sacrifices 支子不祭 " was a rule defined by specialists establishing etiquette of the Warring States Period(475–221 BC). It main aims were to privilege the eldest son of the official wife (嫡長)over the other sons( 支庶)and maintain long-term order and peace within patriarchal clans. Studies of Zhou Dynasty society have indeed revealed that "excluding the other sons from performing the sacrifices" was a commonly enforced rule during the period. However, as social mobility increased, patriarchal clans branched out and split. As the other sons became more influential, they began to engage in sacrifice independently. The number of the ancestors to whom they performed sacrifices was far extended by relinquishing restrictive bans imposed by the etiquette books, including "the other sons are not allowed to perform sacrifice to their grandfather or deceased father." Nor were the other sons limited by the quota system for ancestral temples whereby, for example, higher-level officials were allowed three ancestral temples, while lower-level officials could build only two. Research into the real history of "excluding the other sons from performing sacrifice" not only reflects changes in familial sacrificial institutions throughout the Zhou Dynasty; it also deepens understanding on how, within the patriarchal clan system, the traditions of "loving those worthy of love" and "honoring those worthy of honor" interacted with one another.