Chapter 29: Chuntao - The Maid
Chuntao was thrown forward, her knees hitting the floor with a painful thud before she collapsed beside Shen Yurou.
The entire hall immediately turned toward her.
Her face was deathly pale. The struggle from earlier had left her hair disheveled and her clothes wrinkled. The moment she recognized where she was and saw the people surrounding her, the last trace of color disappeared from her face.
The time she turned her head, she saw Shen Yurou. Their eyes met for only a brief moment.
A moment so short that most people would have missed it.
Chuntao breathed hard, her chest heaving up and down while her shoulders trembled out of fear.
Meanwhile, Shen Yurou remained kneeling on the floor. Her head was still lowered and her shoulders still trembling slightly looking like she had still not recovered from the earlier accusation.
In everyone’s eyes, she looked pitiful, wronged and helpless. Yet when she slightly lowered her head further, her lips moved almost imperceptibly.
The voice was so soft that only Chuntao could hear it.
"Don’t say anything."
Chuntao’s body stiffened. Her fingers immediately wrapped into fists.
Shen Yurou did not even look at her. She simply continued whispering in the same weak and trembling manner she had shown everyone else.
"If you still want the medicine..." The words were barely audible, "for your younger sister..."
Chuntao’s pupils contracted. She heard every single word. A cold chill instantly ran down her spine because she understood exactly what Shen Yurou meant.
Her younger sister was still waiting for treatment.
The rare herb Shen Yurou had promised was their only hope. They had searched for months and spent nearly everything they owned, yet they still could not obtain it. When Shen Yurou offered to help, Chuntao had believed she had finally found a way to save her sister.
But now... That promise had become a chain around her neck.
Chuntao slowly closed her eyes. For a brief moment, she felt as though she had fallen into an endless abyss with no way out.
On one side was the truth and on the other was her sister’s life.
If she spoke the truth, her sister would lose the medicine. If she remained silent, she might suffer for a crime she never committed.
The choice should have been simple... Yet it wasn’t.
Meanwhile, Shen Yurou remained kneeling quietly beside her, her head still lowered toward the floor. To everyone else, she looked like a pitiful and wronged woman who had been dragged into a matter she knew nothing about. No one knew that behind that helpless appearance was a threat sharp enough to cut straight through Chuntao’s heart.
Shen Yurou knew exactly where Chuntao’s weakness was. And she knew Chuntao could never refuse when her younger sister’s life was placed on the scale.
"Young Master Xie..." Chuntao slowly raised her head. Her trembling gaze first landed on Xie Rong before shifting toward Shen Taotao.
"I... I..." The words reached her throat but stopped.
For a moment, she found herself unable to continue because she did not want to admit to something she had never done. But the hard thing was she could not bring herself to expose Shen Yurou.
The conflict almost tore her apart. Honestly, when the guards dragged her here, Chuntao had been completely shocked.
She truly knew nothing about the poisoning.
Maybe she had indeed accepted money, helped deliver messages and even reported what happened inside the Xie Residence to Shen Yurou.
But poisoning?
That was something she had never done. Which was precisely why she had been so frightened when the guards discovered the packet hidden inside her room.
The moment it was found, she knew someone had set her up.
The problem was... She already knew who.
Chuntao’s fingers slowly tightened against the floor before she once again raised her head. This time, her gaze landed on Shen Taotao.
"Young Madam..." Her voice trembled slightly.
The moment she called out those words, Wang Gege instinctively looked toward her.
"I..." Chuntao opened her mouth then fell silent once more.
The words once again seemed stuck in her throat. No matter how hard she tried, she could not force them out.
Because if she admitted to the crime, Shen Yurou might truly give her the medicine her younger sister desperately needed.
But after that? What would happen to her sister?
Poisoning someone was a serious crime. Especially when the victim was the Young Master of the Xie family. Once she confessed, she would not simply be dismissed from service.
She would be imprisoned. Perhaps executed.
And when that happened... Who would remain beside her younger sister, earn money for her medicine, care for her when her illness worsened?
The thought alone caused Chuntao’s heart to sink. Her younger sister was still so young, weak, and fragile. Even walking for too long would leave her breathless.
How could she possibly survive alone?
Just as despair began swallowing her whole, a figure suddenly crouched down in front of her.
The movement caught everyone by surprise, Chuntao herself froze.
Shen Taotao had lowered herself until they were almost at eye level, then she leaned closer. So close that only Chuntao could hear her next words.
"Don’t admit it if you didn’t do it... I will the way." The whisper was soft and almost drowned out by the noise inside the hall.
Yet the moment those words reached her ears, the tears she had been desperately holding back suddenly fell.
One drop after another. Before long, they were streaming down her face uncontrollably.
Because no one knew. No one knew how much those simple words meant to her.
She had served Shen Taotao for years, the same with Qing’er. From the day Shen Taotao was brought into the Shen Residence until today. She had followed behind her, watched over and helped her.
Yet if Chuntao was being honest with herself, she had never expected much in return.
After all, the Second Miss could barely protect herself.
Throughout the years, Shen Taotao had always been the one being bullied, the one being overlooked, the one forced to swallow her grievances in silence.
Many times, Chuntao had wanted to help. Many times, she had pitied her.
But never once had she imagined that one day, when everyone was pointing fingers at her, Shen Taotao would be the one standing before her and believing her.
The realization struck her harder than any accusation ever could.
Chuntao locked her eyes with Shen Taotao and mumbled, "Young Madam... this servant really didn’t poison the Young Master."