Two dishes and one soup now symbolize a simple life and the most basic respect for dinner.

"Two dishes and one soup" tells the story of Song Daigong, the king of the Song Dynasty during the Spring and Autumn Period. Song Daigong (? - 766 BC), whose surname is Song, whose given name is Bai, was the son of Song Aigong. He was the eleventh king of the Song Kingdom, a vassal state during the Zhou Dynasty, and reigned from 799 BC to 766 BC. In the first year of Song Ai (800 BC), Song Aigong passed away, and Song Daigong succeeded him as king. During the reign of Duke Dai of Song Dynasty, he was assisted by Zheng Kao's father. He is honest and self-cultivated, loves the people like a son, and is deeply supported by all people. In the thirty-fourth year of the Song Dynasty (766 BC), Song Daigong passed away and a state funeral was held. People traveled long distances to the capital and knelt beside the tomb. King Zhou Ping gave him the posthumous title of "Dai".

Dai Gong of Song Dynasty was in danger. At that time, large areas of the Central Plains suffered from drought and insect infestations. The crops in the Song Dynasty and the surrounding vassal states were severely reduced. In some places, there was even no harvest, and the people were miserable. Citizens who had no land to cultivate or very little land suffered greater disasters, and many people were displaced. Faced with this situation, Song Daigong was very anxious. For the sake of the country and the people, he decided to implement four reforms in the royal family to reduce the burden on the people. The first is to abolish public land and land, and the land tax is reduced from one tenth to one twelfth; the second is that the royal family stops brewing, and all the brewed wine is sealed and reserved for sacrifices and entertaining foreign guests; the third is that the state bans banquets All banquets are suspended except for foreign guests; fourth, the number of dishes for royal meals is reduced.

Dai Gong of the Song Dynasty proposed these reform measures in the first court meeting after he ascended the throne, calling on everyone to be frugal and save materials to help the people. The ministers had no objections and thought, as long as the monarch can do it, we can do it too.

Dai Gong of the Song Dynasty took the lead to set an example and set an example by abolishing public and private fields, and reducing the land tax from one-tenth to one-twelfth, which was immediately implemented. A minister was very distressed about the reduction of land tax. One day, he came to Song Dai Gong's house with generous gifts, hoping that he would allow his land tax to be retained. Song Dagong looked at the generous gift and said, "Do you want to use this to make me extra merciful? Let me tell you, I am considering the country and the people, not my own interests. Not only will you fail to achieve your goal, but you will also Be punished." So he ordered the minister to hand over more property to help the people. Shangqing Zhengkaofu took several ministers to Song Daigong's house to report an urgent matter, and happened to catch him eating. When everyone saw, he was holding a coarse-grain steamed bun in his hand. There were only a plate of green vegetables, a plate of salted beans, and a bowl of noodle soup on the table. He was eating it with a mouth full of sweetness. Zheng Kao's father said: "Two dishes and one soup, how can my lord's meal be so simple?" He said: "Is this simple? Now is the year of great disaster, and many people may not even have enough to eat." Zheng Kao's father said Said: "The king has many things to do and worries about every day. He should have good food to nourish himself, otherwise his body will collapse. Besides, even if there is another disaster, how much can you eat by yourself?" Song Daigong said: "You can't say that. I let you Everyone should save money and save money to help the people. Otherwise, how can we speak in front of everyone? If we all work together to survive the famine, the country will be better."

Zheng Kao's father was moved and said to everyone: "Have you seen or heard? Our king has set an example for us. What reason do we have for not following the king's will?"

From then on, the ministers Like him, every meal consists of two dishes and one soup. People who had different opinions on Song Daigong's reforms also obeyed him wholeheartedly.

One day, Song Daigong asked the ministers what happened. Zheng Kao's father said: "We went to the city and outside the city for a trip. We saw many hungry people without food, and many victims almost starved to death. I felt that we should immediately Come and report to the Lord for help." Song Daigong immediately ordered the warehouses to be opened to provide relief to the victims. At the same time, he ordered the rescue of starving people who were suffering from illness and hunger, and personally organized personnel and made specific arrangements, so that many people who were in danger of starvation and disease were saved. The victims had nowhere to stay, so he led his ministers to organize manpower and material resources to build houses and resettle the victims. At that time, people were superstitious about heaven and earth and believed that disasters were caused by the gods of heaven and earth to the people. Song Daigong followed the virtues of Shang Tang and set up an altar outside the city to pray to the gods like the mulberry forest prayed for rain in Shang Tang. He said: "I am the king of the country. If the people If I have offended the gods, it is all because of my lack of education, and all the sins will be borne by me alone." He prayed that if the gods wanted to bring disaster, he would bring it upon himself and not let the people suffer.