"So, do you want to cut off my hand, Your Highness? Here I give you my hand so you can cut it off immediately."
It seemed that Yu Ming was deliberately challenging Wu Jingguo, and he even extended his hand toward Wu Jingguo as if ready to accept the Prince's punishment.
But Wu Jingguo only groaned in annoyance before throwing the obscene book onto the table, and he once again sat down on the chair while showing an irritated expression on his face.
Seeing how the Prince behaved in front of him, Yu Ming withdrew his hand before placing his butt on the only bed in the room.
"Would you like to drink or eat something, Your Highness? Our Red Pavilion not only serves bodies, but we also serve delicious food and drink. I can ask someone to prepare food and drink for you if you want," calmly, Yu Ming voiced the offer while looking at the cold Prince.
Meanwhile, the Prince finally turned to the older man again before replying, "I know what kind of activities you usually do in this room, so you think I can still eat or drink while I'm here?"
It was a harsh remark from the black-haired man, but Yu Ming simply smiled before saying, "Ah, right. I am detestable indeed, and it is already an honor when you still want to sit with me here, Your Highness. I will not offer you food or drink anymore, so you don't have to throw up later."
"..." Wu Jingguo once again looked annoyed after hearing Yu Ming's reply, but this time he chose not to rebuke.
Instead, he only glanced at the table in front of him one more time. To be precise, he glanced at the pile of books on the table, but he didn't dare touch them anymore.
"Is it true that you are the artist of those lewd drawings? Are all the books on the table your work?" Wu Jingguo voiced two questions, but he didn't look at the person he asked.
For some reason, Wu Jingguo didn't talk about the punishment he mentioned before when it came to a person who dared to draw something perverted. Instead, he wanted to know more about the artist.
"Yes. I was the one who drew the lewd drawings of the two men," Yu Ming replied. "What are you going to do with that information, Your Highness? Do you want to cut off my hand like what you said earlier? But I have to say that if you cut off my right hand, I will still draw with my left, and if you cut off both hands, I will draw with my feet. I will not stop drawing pictures like that no matter what, Your Highness."
"…" Wu Jingguo was once again speechless after hearing Yu Ming's answer.
Such erotic books were indeed forbidden in Wu Li. If palace soldiers caught such a book in the market, the seller would be punished, and the artist would be hunted down. Thus, such books were not sold openly in the market. On the contrary, the books were distributed secretly, and Wu Jingguo was sure that Yu Ming's books were the same.
'I didn't expect he can draw,' the Prince thought to himself. 'He even made several books as a compilation of his drawings, and even if he drew something he shouldn't, I still need to admit his talent.'
"Do you like to draw?" Wu Jingguo finally responded to the man when he suddenly felt curious about it.
Yu Ming did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked like he was thinking for a while, but then he finally opened his mouth to say, "I only draw when I feel lonely. I don't know if I truly like drawing or not."
Finally, Wu Jingguo's eyes left the pile of books on the table, and they fell on the older man sitting on the bed instead. "You said earlier that you would still draw even if I cut off both of your hands, so does that mean you've always felt lonely?" He asked again.
"…" This time, it was Yu Ming who couldn't answer the question right away.
Perhaps Yu Ming didn't expect that the younger man would understand the meaning behind his words like that, and that was why he looked momentarily stunned.
But Yu Ming wasn't one to be at a loss for words for long, and that was why he finally smiled before replying, "You could say that, Your Highness. You could say I've always felt lonely."
Yu Ming didn't sound like he was joking, and that was why Wu Jingguo didn't immediately reply to the man's answer. As he continued to stare at the older man, he could see how he continued to smile at him, but he felt that many meanings were hidden behind that one smile. Unfortunately, he couldn't describe every meaning of that smile.
In the end, Wu Jingguo looked away from the man, no longer able to make eye contact with the man. "Is that the reason why you still want to manage this place? You feel lonely, and that's why you like being in a noisy place like the Red Pavilion. Am I right?" Wu Jingguo asked again, but he didn't even look at the person he was talking to.
Once again, Yu Ming looked stunned. It seemed he didn't expect the younger man to say such a thing to him.
However, the look of surprise on his face did not last long as Yu Ming sighed heavily before replying, "You do know that this place actually belongs to your brother, right, Your Highness? Originally, Xiao Hai used this place to lure Crown Prince Bai Chen, but since he didn't use it anymore, he said I could manage this place. He even appointed me as the manager of this place. People out there might only see me as the boss of the Red Pavilion, but maybe you're right about how much I value this place. You're right. I insisted on continuing to manage this place because I feel lonely. To me, my home is not in the demon realm or the Xinyang Imperial Palace, but my home is this place."