Simplify the following text for a Grade 11 native English-speaking person.
Original: However , after the establishment of the Empire , the consuls were merely a figurative representative of Romeâ s republican heritage and held very little power and authority , with the emperor acting as the supreme leader .
Simplified: In the Roman Empire , the consuls were merely a figurative representative of Romeâ s republican heritage . The consulate then held much less power and authority , since the emperor was the supreme leader .