Meanwhile, back in Kaifeng Prefecture, after seeing the magpie off, Ruan Dafeng asked a neighbor to take him to the village chief's house.
Ruan Dafeng was impatient. As soon as he entered the yard, he shouted, "Village chief! Village chief! We've been tricked! Those beasts have made a fool of us! Village chief..." Fortunately, the neighbors, fearing that the walls might hear, pulled him back before he could finish speaking and told him to shut up.
Ruan Dafeng then realized his rashness, sullenly pursed his lips, lowered his head, and remained silent.
At this moment, the village chief came out of the house and asked, "Who is it? Why are you shouting here!"
Ruan Dafeng hurriedly said, "It's me, Old Ruan, the village chief!"
The village chief looked at them and said, "Oh, it's Dafeng and Dawei. What brings you here today? I overheard someone inside saying they'd been cheated, and something about beasts. What's going on?" Then a woman came out of the house. She was the village chief's wife. Seeing Ruan Dafeng and Tao Wei, she said warmly, "You've come! Come in and sit down!"
“Village Chief.” Ruan Dafeng stepped forward, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and said in a low voice, “Village Chief, I have something important to tell you today. It would be bad if others saw us outside and the news got out.”
After listening to his words, the village chief thought for a moment. However, having lived in the village for many years, he knew Ruan Dafeng well. He would never do this unless it was something important. So he nodded and said, "Come in." Then he turned and went back into the house.
Ruan Dafeng and Tao Wei followed him into the house. Ruan Dafeng closed the door behind him. The village chief sat down in a chair and asked, "Dafeng, what brings you here today? Why are you being so mysterious?"
At this moment, Ruan Dafeng recounted everything he had heard from the magpie that day, word for word.
After hearing Ruan Dafeng's words, the village chief was furious, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
"So many lives lost, and they just treat them like this!" He then slapped his thigh and said, "We must get justice for the dead villagers and sue them!"
Ruan Dafeng, who had been silent, spoke up: "My father didn't make it this time either. If I, Ruan Dafeng, don't seek justice for him, it won't do. But since ancient times, officials have always protected each other. If we rashly file a complaint, what if the Kaifeng Prefecture is colluding with that imperial envoy?"
The village chief continued, "I'm not asking you to go to Kaifeng Prefecture to file a complaint; I want you to go to the capital. But first, we need to find out who this imperial envoy really is."
Ruan Dafeng patted his chest and said, "That's easy. Don't worry, village chief. Give me a few days, and I'll definitely be able to find out."
The village chief walked over to Ruan Dafeng and patted him on the shoulder. "Dafeng! Whether we can get justice for those dead villagers this time depends on you." Then he sighed and returned to his chair. Afterwards, the group talked for a long time, and everyone's expression was very serious afterward.
That evening, Ruan Dafeng returned home and called his wife to help him pack his luggage, as he was going away for a few days.
Faced with his wife's questions, Ruan Dafeng did not tell her the truth, because this matter was of great importance and it would be bad for her to know. He only said that a relative of the family had an accident and he had to go and see.
Early the next morning, Ruan Dafeng set off with his bundle. Since there were no carriages in the village, he had to walk to Kaifeng Prefecture. That's right, he was going to find his younger sister, Ruan Meiying, because only she knew who the imperial envoy really was.
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