That pitiful look made Mu Hanyan's heart ache.
At this time, the other priests heard the noise and rushed over. When they saw the scene, they guessed what was going on and anger appeared in their eyes.
However, they had also heard of Zhao Xinghu's identity and knew that they could not afford to offend such a person. Even the chief priest had to give him some face, so they dared to be angry but not speak out.
"The High Priest has truly devoted himself to Huayu City. He hasn't even gone to bed yet at this late hour." Zhao Xinghu simply ignored the anger in their eyes and complimented Mu Hanyan perfunctorily, as if nothing had happened.
Although she had known that Zhao Xinghu was shameless, she had not expected him to be so shameless that he would do such a dirty and despicable thing and act as if nothing had happened. Mu Hanyan simply despised and was disgusted with him to the extreme.
"Lord Zhao, shouldn't you explain what's going on first?" Mu Hanyan didn't respond to him and asked with a cold face.
Judging from Zhao Xinghu's expression, he obviously wanted to make a big deal out of a small matter. The other priests knew his identity and did not dare to make things difficult for him, but Mu Hanyan would never let him go easily.
Although she couldn't really say she was familiar with Ruan Zhi, due to the vast difference in status, Ruan Zhi treated her like a deity, always trembling in her presence, not daring to even breathe. Mu Hanyan also found it difficult to find the sisterly closeness she had felt with her personal maid back in Blackstone City. However, Ruan Zhi had taken care of her daily life these days and was considered a close friend. Given Miss Mu's protective nature, how could she possibly bear to see her humiliated?
What's more, this is the Huayu Temple, and she is the chief priest of the Huayu Temple. If she is indifferent when the maid below is defiled, how can she face the priests, the parents who send their daughters to the temple, and the tens of thousands of people in the city!
"Oh, that's what happened. I thought this maid was pretty and wanted her to sleep with me. But I didn't know that this little girl was so ungrateful. I was impatient and ended up making a fool of myself for the High Priest. The High Priest doesn't have to punish her. I think she is young and ignorant and will regret it later." Zhao Xinghu said disapprovingly.
Mu Hanyan was slightly startled, almost suspecting her ears were faulty. Forcing a temple maid into bed was, in Mu Hanyan's opinion, far from being a glorious act. Yet, he spoke of it so openly and legitimately, even pleading for Ruan Zhi, asking Mu Hanyan not to punish her. Shouldn't he be the one pleading for himself?
Looking at the other priests, they all had thoughtful expressions, with a hint of sadness in their faces. Mu Hanyan vaguely realized that Zhao Xinghu seemed to be more than just shameless.
"Master Priest, you seem to be unaware of these rules?" Seeing the surprise in Mu Hanyan's eyes, Zhao Xinghu thought of something and asked.
"What rules?" Mu Hanyan asked coldly.
"It's like this. Usually when a high-ranking priest comes to a subordinate temple to do business, the temple will arrange for maids to sleep with him. Generally speaking, for a woman from a commoner family, this is also a great opportunity to make a name for herself. If she gets the favor of a high-ranking priest, it's not surprising that her family will also benefit from her success, so no one will refuse." Zhuge Qiu took the initiative to explain, with obvious disgust in his eyes.
After saying this, he thought for a while and added, "Of course, not every high-ranking priest will need someone to sleep with him. It depends on the person." This sentence can be regarded as a vindication for the temple.
As a priest of punishment, he also hated this kind of thing, but there was nothing he could do. With his strength and priesthood, he could not change anything.
Mu Hanyan did not doubt Zhuge Qiu's words. Seeing the hint of sadness in the eyes of other priests, she knew that the temple did have such a rule. However, since the Huayu Temple was abandoned by the Lord God, no senior priests had come to the Huayu Temple in all these years, so everyone had forgotten about it.
"Master Priest, if there is nothing else, I will go back to my room to rest." Seeing that Zhuge Qiu explained for him, Zhao Xinghu walked towards the guest room as if nothing had happened.
Behind them, Shen Yuhe, An Xiaxin and others crossed their hands, their fingers twisted so hard that they turned white.
As women themselves, they hated this kind of thing even more. Although Ruan Zhi was insulted, when Shen Yuhe and others saw her pale face, tears of grievance, and tender and weak shoulders, they were deeply moved by her pain and humiliation, and their hearts were filled with anger.
If they could, they would have wanted to tear Zhao Xinghu into pieces, but when they thought about his status and position, as well as the old customs and habits that had lasted for who knows how many years, they felt helpless.
"Stop!" At this moment, Mu Hanyan suddenly shouted.
"Master Priest, is there anything else?" Zhao Xinghu said impatiently.
He also saw the unwillingness of Chen Yuhe and others, and even more so the suppressed anger in Mu Hanyan's eyes, but he was fearless and did not take this little matter to heart at all.
He is one of the twelve punishment priests of the Temple of Life. Whether Mu Hanyan can get the reward from the main temple depends entirely on his words. Moreover, he has an elder brother who is the right priest of the Temple of Life. What's more, there are already established rules for sleeping with the emperor. He absolutely does not believe that Mu Hanyan will make things difficult for him because of such a small matter.
Unfortunately, he was wrong.
"Sir Zhao, after doing such a vile and shameless thing, don't you want to let it go?" Mu Hanyan asked while suppressing her anger.
"What else does the High Priest want? Do you want me to sacrifice my life in exchange? Hahahaha..." Zhao Xinghu laughed with contempt on his face. It was obvious that he did not take the Huayu Temple or Mu Hanyan seriously.
Seeing this, the priests were filled with indignation and shame. If it weren't for Mu Hanyan's growing prestige, no one would dare to offend her majesty. Several hot-blooded young priests would probably have taken action on the spot.
"Lord Zhuge, are the rules you just mentioned also the laws of the temple? Why have I never heard of them?" Mu Hanyan looked at him coldly and asked Zhuge Qiu.
"It's not the law of the temple, but the custom agreed upon by the major temples and passed down from generation to generation. However, over time, it has become as natural as the law of the temple." Zhuge Qiu said.
"I understand." Mu Hanyan nodded.
Such an answer was not beyond her expectations. In fact, such things were not uncommon among the wealthy families in the Holy Court Continent, but after all, they were against etiquette and law, so it would never be possible to form a written law. It was just that everyone knew it.
"Sir Wen, according to the laws of the temple, what is the crime for defiling a temple maid?" Mu Hanyan turned her head and asked Wen Gaoren.
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