Manbao spent considerable effort explaining to Old Zhou and Ms. Qian the difference between titles of nobility and official positions, and to help them understand better, she used Prince Gong as an example.
"Prince Gong currently holds no official position. He was previously a prince with a large fief in Jinzhou. The taxes and other revenues from the fief belong to him. Although he has no governing power, since the fief is his livelihood, he can still have a say with the local officials there," Manbao said. "For example, he can request tax exemptions or reductions."
"Later, when he became the Prince of a smaller domain, a portion of his fief was taken back. The people in that portion no longer pay taxes to Prince Gong but to the court instead."
Old Zhou stared blankly, "You've become a prince?"
Manbao: "… Dad, I'm just a fifth-rank village lord with a fief of 500 households, equivalent to six of our villages or three villages like Dali Village."
