Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 152 The Origin of Zhangzhou Prefecture (1)

"My memory has been quite terrible lately; I keep forgetting things. This hairpin would be two hundred taels," the old man said sheepishly.

"Then I’m out of luck, the silver I’ve brought isn’t enough. How about you wait here for me while I go back to get the silver?" Feng Xuxu looked at the hairpin with great regret, her gaze also catching the old man’s reaction.

"And Young Master, when will you be back?" he inquired, craning his neck.

"Well, I’ll come back as soon as I fetch the silver from home." She put down the hairpin, gazing at it longingly, then left with reluctant steps, constantly looking back thrice with each one.

*Snicker* "Miss, this old man is really funny, believing whatever you say!" Baihe tried to hold back her laughter, her face turning red.

"Hmph, just by looking, you can tell this old geezer is greedy. How dare he ask for so much for such a small hairpin?" Yingsu said disdainfully, pursing her lips.

Fanning herself with her fan, Feng Xuxu laughed and said, "Merchants should treat all goods equally, whether they are cheap or expensive. The old man just now looked down on me for wanting to buy an inexpensive hairpin, so I took the opportunity to teach him a lesson—that one should not judge a book by its cover."

"All right, from now on I am your young master; if you slip up again, then you can head back to the manor." She strolled down the street with great flourish, unconstrained by her feminine identity, thrilled by the liberating feeling. Feng Xuxu continued to amuse herself by wandering the streets.

"Yes, Young Master, we will remember," Yingsu and Baihe exchanged glances and stuck out their tongues sheepishly.

*Bump...*

"What’s wrong with you? Can’t you watch where you’re going? Isn’t there enough space for you, that you’ve to bump into me?" A fairly decently dressed man rubbed his arm, staring displeased at the person who had bumped into him.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you," apologized a young scholar, embarrassed as he tried to respectfully make amends.

"Tch, be more careful next time. It’s only because it’s me that I’m not making a fuss. Had it been someone else, they would not have let you off easily," he said with a sidelong glance before flouncing off.

*Pfft.* "Young Master, that scholar is really... cute," Baihe commented, shaking her head at his naivety.

"He is quite adorable," Feng Xuxu said, then followed the scholar into an inn, trailing him up to the second floor.

The three of them had just settled by the window when a waiter approached.

"What can I get for you three? Our house special includes—" he began, but Feng Xuxu cut him off.

"Just bring us a few of your signature dishes and a good pot of wine."

"Right away, the dishes will be ready very soon—please wait a moment," said the waiter before scurrying downstairs to pass on the order.

"Young Master, the Prefecture Government is quite large, but why is it named after a surname?" Yingsu wondered, puzzled over the use of a surname for naming.

*Hehehe,* "Are you young gentlemen from out of town?" an elderly diner asked, overhearing them and speaking with a chuckle.

As Feng Xuxu enjoyed the street view, she turned to see the elderly man dining alone and, smiling, said, "Elder Sir, if you don’t mind, would you care to join us for a meal and explain why the Prefecture Government is named after a surname?"

"Hahaha, well then, I shall do you the honor," the old man said, picking up his pot of wine and taking a seat with them.

After pouring himself a cup of wine and taking a sip, he stroked his beard and began, "A hundred years ago, this wasn’t Zhangzhou Prefecture; it was called Jianzhou Prefecture. After the rebellion by the Five Lords, there was a Zhang Family in the Prefecture Government that made commendable contributions, allowing the Emperor to quash the rebellion. In gratitude to the Zhang Family, the Emperor changed Jian to Zhang to name the prefecture. Since then, it has been known as Zhangzhou Prefecture."

"So that’s how it came to be. Is the Zhang Residence still around?" she inquired.

The waiter, bringing the dishes, chimed in after hearing the old man’s tale, "Yes, they’re still here. After that war, only one branch of the Zhang Family remained, and it has continued to this day, with few descendants," he said with a sigh.