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

"In the 1950s, for various reasons, our per capita GDP was only around $448, which was less than $450 in the early Song Dynasty, let alone more than $600 by the end of the Song Dynasty. Meanwhile, Europe's per capita GDP had reached more than $5000 at that time."

Upon arriving here, everyone was secretly surprised.

For thousands of years, China's per capita GDP has hovered around a few hundred US dollars, and even declined, while at this time, those foreigners have already reached several thousand.

In comparison, while the Song Dynasty's economy was indeed prosperous, it didn't experience the same rapid development as that of Westerners!

"As I said, everything has two sides. Increased commercial mobility led to chaos in household registration. Emperor Taizong of Song issued several edicts to reorganize household registration, which made it very difficult to register and settle people's residence because these people did not own real estate."

"Thus, the 'fangguo households' came into being, which is today's urban household registration. The large-scale emergence of these people marked the formation of the urban class. Then, handicrafts and commerce expanded, which in turn attracted capital investment. The main source of national tax revenue was no longer agriculture, but gradually shifted to industry and commerce."

So that's how it is. The person under the sky thought of a saying: "Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise." Isn't this a typical example of the duality of things?

People should not view things critically; only by approaching them rationally can they gain a more comprehensive understanding of their advantages and disadvantages.

Zhu Qinggu glanced at the time and gave a brief overview of the economic situation in the Northern Song Dynasty. Only an hour had passed, and there was still one hour left.

However, the time was adjusted this time because the pace of everyone's lectures was also adjusted.

There is a 20-minute break in the middle.

The group went outside to a tea break area. A well-dressed man held up various-shaped kettles high, his hands steady no matter the angle—behind him, in front or behind—and the boiling water poured precisely into the teacups like a silver dragon.

"Please!" Mao Hexuan gestured for him to enter.

The others then sat down at a distance.

The man's movements were fluid and graceful. He handled the cup as if it were an extension of his arm, flicking his finger and lightly rotating the lid before tossing the cup to let the boiling water swirl around in the teacup before pouring it out.

When pouring in the tea leaves, I also shook the tea leaves to mix them well before adding boiling water.

Every move has its own explanation.

Mao Hexuan said with a smile, "Now this is called 'Crushing Tea to Enhance Fragrance, Flying Dragon in the Sky'."

A man not far away poured the first brew of tea onto the tea pet, and the golden toad changed color, turning golden.

The first infusion washes away dust from the tea leaves and softens them, allowing the aroma to be better released in the second infusion.

"Double pour of Longquan tea, dragon escapes its predicament, Guan Yu patrols the city, Han Xin commands his troops..." Mao Hexuan saw that the man had already poured the second batch of tea into the teacup, and the clear aroma of tea slowly wafted over.

Everyone's eyes lit up.

People in the Song Dynasty naturally loved tea, and tea tasting was an elegant affair. However, they preferred whisked tea, while Gongfu tea gradually matured in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties.

This is related to the fact that the processing techniques for Fujian black tea and oolong tea were mature at that time.

Before long, Mao Hexuan, Zhu Qinggu, and others were drinking tea with Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Jiong. The amber-colored tea was clear, fragrant, and sweet, with a slightly different taste from regular tea.

Some people naturally brew tea directly, but this method seems to bring out the aroma of the tea leaves better, leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth.

I took some pastries from the tea break area and ate them while sipping tea; it was quite a delightful experience.

Some people are curious about other drinks, such as coffee or some fruit juices, but they still think tea is the best. It makes them feel refreshed and invigorated!

……

When the course resumed, Yi Mei had already moved on to the next stage of the lecture.

Previously, we gave a simple overview of the economic situation in the Song Dynasty to give everyone a basic concept. Now, we will move from the general to the specific, and she and the experts behind her will choose a specific point to start with in the overview.

And she chose the Maritime Silk Road.

"You've probably heard of the Maritime Silk Road before, but there aren't many detailed explanations. Today, let's discuss the Maritime Silk Road."

The slide has now moved on to the next point.

This is the beauty of adding rest periods in the middle; it allows you to adjust the rhythm.

Zhu Qinggu had just drunk a cup of tea and felt the fragrance still lingering in his mouth, which was very refreshing. He glanced at the live broadcast on the screen and saw that everyone was still having a heated discussion.

Just now, Wang Anshi and Zhang Juzheng were discussing finances, with Zhuge Liang and Changsun Wuji occasionally joining in, and Sang Hongyang also making an appearance.

The discussion wasn't just about finances; it also included the Multiverse Mall.

Many people are eager to enter the mall and take a look, but Zhu Qinggu said that the mall's organizational structure is not yet complete, and the warehousing of goods also requires time and procedures, so it may not be able to open for business for another ten days to half a month.

They've waited for decades, so what's ten days or half a month?

Some people are working hard to earn points now, hoping to shop in the mall when it opens.

Zhu Qinggu glanced at it and then focused his attention back on Yi Mei's class.

Just now, ministers who thought they were on good terms with each other gathered together to drink tea and chat, such as Ouyang Xiu, Fan Zhongyan, and a group of others.

Zhu Qinggu walked over there, thinking that the stubborn Prime Minister Wang Anshi might smell, but when Zeng Gong saw her coming, he knew what she was thinking and quickly said that Wang Anshi was going to take a bath on the emperor's orders, and then he and several other people helped him take a bath.

This made Wang Anshi's face turn black, while the people under the sky burst into laughter.

Wang Anshi and Zeng Gong knew each other when they were young and had a close relationship. Although they later had differences in political views due to the reforms, their personal friendship remained.

I can still take a joke now.

Now that these people have gotten used to writing with water-based pens, they write incredibly fast, and each of them is a master of shorthand.

"Looks like they're all kings of exams!" Zhu Qinggu glanced at them and was inexplicably overwhelmed by the aura of these academic geniuses.

"Let's explore the origins of the Maritime Silk Road and examine the underlying civilizational landscape and competition between civilizations. This is quite interesting."

Civilized competition? Zhu Qinggu immediately sat up straight.

Those seated below also realized the extraordinary nature of the second half of the lesson and became even more focused.

"In fact, there were already sporadic records of my country's maritime trade during the Han and Three Kingdoms periods, but it only flourished after the late Tang Dynasty. After the Han and Tang Dynasties, foreign trade was mainly conducted along the Silk Road."