After broadcasting the ancient times live, I handed the system over to the state.

The people below had already sat up straight.

Zhao Kuangyin instructed the child Zhao Bing beside him, "Listen carefully later. If you don't understand, draw it here with a pen, and we'll have someone explain it to you when we get back."

Zhao Kuangyin pointed to the lecture materials that had been distributed on the table.

These materials can help them connect with the content of the course, so they won't be completely clueless.

Although Zhao Bing was only seven or eight years old, he was already quite precocious. He obediently nodded and said, "Understood, Emperor Taizu!"

Zhao Kuangyin grew increasingly fond of the child, and he might even visit him someday. Besides, the child would grow up eventually, so he decided to nurture him now.

We must never follow the same path as those few emperors who left us in despair.

Zhao Jiong, who was standing next to him, handed him a water-based pen. This kind of pen wasn't particularly pleasant to use, but it was convenient. It was easy to carry and wrote on, and you got used to it after using it a lot.

After establishing diplomatic relations with the modern era, many ministers began to enjoy using this convenient pen.

Some people still insist on using a calligraphy brush, while Zhao Jiong prefers a fountain pen, especially when the nib touches the paper.

Zhao Bing thanked him, then opened the pen cap and stared intently ahead.

And the people under the canopy also became serious, just like before, especially those from the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty had a strong commercial atmosphere and many people with a keen sense of opportunity. They could detect business opportunities much faster than people in the Ming Dynasty and then turn them into profits at a glance.

(The banknotes are ready.)

(Along the River During the Qingming Festival? What a magnificent scene! Who is the artist... Zhang Zeduan?)

(This artist is amazing.)

Some people who already knew about Zhang Zeduan were explaining his paintings and life on the sky. They said that Zhang Zeduan's relatively realistic paintings were not very interesting or popular in the eyes of Emperor Huizong of Song, so they were not very popular during the Song Dynasty.

Later generations did not evaluate a painting solely based on the emperor's preferences or the trends of the time, but rather on its painting techniques, its humanistic value, historical value, and so on.

Professor Yi Mei began with a vivid analysis of the painting, which depicts the urban landscape of Bianjing (Kaifeng). It shows that Bianjing at that time had a dense network of waterways, accessible bridges, and a constant flow of riverboats.

Before the establishment of the Song Dynasty, the north was plagued by years of war, which severely damaged its economy, while the south was relatively stable and peaceful.

Fortunately, the Grand Canal, built during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui, runs from south to north, with Bianjing (Kaifeng) situated at its core.

"...The rivers within Bianjing City form a network and connect with the outside world, allowing goods from all directions to reach here via the waterways. In particular, the continuous influx of goods from the southeast has made this canal a vital economic artery."

The button in Yi Mei's hand can be pulled out to become a stick, pointing at the screen, which is no longer "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" but a map of Bianjing City.

“In particular, the supplies from the nine southeastern routes were recorded during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song. The court’s various expenses, such as military food, currency, tea, salt, coins, gold, copper, lead and silver, and even feathers and glue, all came from here. This was the source of the Song Dynasty’s ability to govern the country without shortages of supplies.”

At this point, the people below paused for a moment.

Those under the heavens now understand one of the reasons why the Song Dynasty, despite shrinking its territory, remained prosperous even in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Even if they fled to the south, as long as the economy didn't collapse and the roots remained, they could continue. In addition, the Song Dynasty's economy largely relied on commercial taxes, and land taxes were much lower, which prevented the later Southern Song from being unable to organize a counterattack.

"The constant flow of boats in 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' demonstrates the Song Dynasty's active development and utilization of water transport, which promoted economic development and trade, and also contributed to the prosperity of both sides of the canal."

"We see here again. When we get here, we can see some shops open on the street. After reading some explanations about the Ming Dynasty, some people may have preconceived notions and think, 'What's so special about this? Isn't it normal?'"

Yi Mei spread her hands, then changed the subject, "But we should know that there was another great dynasty before the Song Dynasty, which was the Tang Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, there were markets and wards."

“At that time, there were high walls between the wards and between the markets, and a strict curfew system was enforced, which was the morning bell and evening drum. By the Song Dynasty, the wards and the city were no longer clearly separated.”

Everyone nodded slightly.

Li Shimin also knew this, and he understood the importance of commerce.

They used to be what later generations called a small-scale peasant economy, and the separation of markets and wards was conducive to management. But the Tang Dynasty knew that the future path was not just about developing agriculture.

Li Shimin wanted to stimulate the economy, so he relaxed the commercial atmosphere a bit and blurred the boundaries between some neighborhoods and markets by piloting the program in a few places.

Sure enough, people who saw an opportunity to make money came, and then stalls, grocery stores, and restaurants appeared. Those who liked to join in the fun also came, and they would spend some money.

The shop owners had to pay taxes to the imperial court when they made money, and the imperial court would also spend the money, thus creating a cycle.

The current analysis by Yi Mei is based on the original Tang Dynasty.

"In order to promote the development of commerce, the Song Dynasty government adopted a proactive commercial policy. The first step was to open up trading locations, which directly promoted the development of trade within cities. At the same time, as the scale of markets within cities expanded, in order to meet the needs of trading, even the hours of business were no longer regulated."

"Later on, the Song Dynasty saw the emergence of grass markets and night markets, and night markets even allowed for trading all night long."

“We know what the night market is.” Yi Mei said, and some knowing laughter came from below. “So what is the grass market? Everyone sitting down here definitely knows, but some of you under the canopy may know and some may not.”

Zhu Qinggu did not expect that Yi Mei would notice the people under the sky, because the previous lecturers did not interact with the people under the sky, but only interacted with the emperor and ministers in the audience.

While they may be called students, they aren't really students; they are all influential figures with their own unique perspectives.

“Have you all heard of going to the market?” Yi Mei said. “The market is a regular rural market that is formed in places outside the prefecture and county towns, such as water and land transportation routes or post stations.”

"The grass market originated very early, appearing as early as the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and reached its peak during the Song Dynasty. Before that, the trading time of the grass market was also limited."