Women enter the game proactively offering their bodies, men enter the game risking bankruptcy

And still thank the schemers gratefully, even today this game remains unsolvable
In the capital city, there is a wealthy merchant with a fortune, owning shops along the entire Chang'an Street,
One day, his son rushes into the study shouting, "I’ve caused a big problem."
The wealthy merchant initially pays no attention; with his wealth, as long as his son doesn’t mess around, he can spend for several generations.
But the next second, his son's words make him freeze: "I bet my life and lost my life."
Although he indulges his son, he never expected his son to dare to gamble his life; helpless, he rushes to the gambling house with heavy gold.
Strangely, the gambling house, which usually is obsessed with money, directly refuses the money, saying no matter how much you pay, it cannot buy back your son's life.
The wealthy merchant, out of options, brings lavish gifts and goes straight to the county office, kneeling to beg the magistrate for help, willing to spend his entire fortune—after all, this is his only son.
Unexpectedly, the magistrate refuses to take a single coin, promising to help plead for him.
Three days later, the magistrate publicly pleads for the wealthy merchant.
The gambling house people dare not oppose the county magistrate and demand that the merchant hand over all the shops on Chang'an Street, plus the ancestral house, to redeem his son.
To save his only son, the merchant grits his teeth and considers agreeing, but then pleads desperately to keep the shops and the ancestral house, or his entire family will be forced to live on the streets.
Just as the gambling house people are about to reprimand and refuse, the magistrate immediately sternly scolds them, "I've already given you the best shops, and you still want the ancestral house? That’s overstepping."
Seeing the magistrate speak, the gambling house crowd has no choice but to give up; to prevent any reversal, the magistrate makes both parties sign a written agreement on the spot.
The wealthy merchant is grateful to the magistrate, almost treating him as a second father.
The merchant returns home with his son, barely managing to get by in a remote shop.
Every festival, he must prepare generous gifts to visit the magistrate, believing in his heart that the magistrate saved his son's life.
One day, the merchant passes by the old gambling house and encounters the former magistrate, walking into the back courtyard of the gambling house.
He becomes suspicious and follows, and inside, the conversation makes him instantly feel like falling into an icy pit.
It turns out that years ago, his son dared to gamble his life because the magistrate deliberately incited and set a trap.
This seemingly honest magistrate is actually the behind-the-scenes boss of the gambling house.
They are plotting together, and the next target is Li, a merchant as famous as him.
The merchant, devastated, walks back to his ancestral house.
He has thought about reporting the magistrate to recover his property, but upon recalling the signed agreement from years ago, he realizes that all hope is lost.