Even he, a Son of Heaven who left everything to others, was this busy, let alone ministers like Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi, whom he had dragged in to toil like oxen and horses.
To ease his ministers' burdens, Liu Xie had introduced shifts for those staying in the palace to handle government affairs. Today, Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang were assisting him there, and Liu Xie had kept them to dine with him.
Ordinary people thought the Son of Heaven ate delicacies from the mountains and seas at every meal, but that was not the case in the Imperial Palace, because Liu Xie disliked extravagance and favored simplicity.
Unless it was a grand banquet, the meals were never particularly lavish.
Even today, with Liu Xie keeping Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang for a meal, there were only three or four small dishes and a pot of soup.
Of course, their preparation was distinctive. Liu Xie had personally taught the palace cooks these methods; after all, cooking techniques in this era were far too limited.
"Your Majesty dresses and eats simply and allows the people to rest and recuperate. I truly admire you."
Sima Yi made no attempt to hide his praise for Liu Xie. Though he was flattering him, he was also speaking the truth.
Liu Xie shook his head at this. "Compared with what most people in our Great Han eat, these dishes are already a luxury."
"I wonder how many years our Great Han will need after the realm is unified to restore the prosperity of the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing."
The damage wrought by war could not be repaired in a short time.
Especially when the Great Han had endured so many years of warfare.
Its population, grain supplies, and institutions all needed to