Chapter 20 Chapter Nineteen

Kryon, the emperor of the Galactic Empire, hurriedly walked through the arcade leading from his bedroom to the office area, where a large number of bureaucrats at all levels lived in the annex buildings of the palace, and it was also the central nervous system of the empire.Several personal attendants followed behind him with dignified expressions.The emperor never moved to visit anyone.He only needs to summon someone to see someone, and that's it.Even if he moved to visit in person, he would not behave in such a hurry and panic.how could be?He is the Emperor, and as such, he is more a symbol of the world than a human being.But now he seems to be normal.

Impatiently, he waved his right hand to the crowd, motioning them to step aside.In his left hand, he held a shiny hologram. "Prime Minister," his voice almost seemed to be choked by someone, and it was no longer the gentle and elegant tone deliberately created by sitting on the throne. "where is he?" The high-ranking officials who blocked his way were all clumsy and flustered to give way, but unfortunately it was difficult to coordinate and became a mess. Kryon passed between them angrily, which undoubtedly made everyone present feel like they had experienced a day's nightmare.

Finally he burst into Demerzel's private office, a little out of breath, and roared—literally roared—"Demerzel!" Demozel raised his head with a hint of surprise, and then stood up steadily. After all, no one can sit when the emperor is present, unless the emperor grants one. "Your Majesty?" he said. The emperor slammed the hologram on Demerzel's desk and said, "What is this? Can you explain it to me?" Demerzel looked at what the Emperor had given him.It was a beautiful hologram, clear and vivid. One can almost hear the little boy—perhaps about ten years old—saying the words in the subtitles: "I don't want fucking robots to rule the empire."

Demozel said nonchalantly, "Your Majesty, I have also received this item." "Who else has it?" "It is my impression, Your Majesty, that such leaflets have been circulated throughout Trantor." "Really, then have you noticed who that little guy is staring at?" Kryon tapped the photo with his royal finger. "Is that you?" "The resemblance is obvious, Your Majesty." "If I'm not mistaken, the intention of this so-called leaflet is to accuse you of being a robot?" "That appears to be the intention, Your Majesty."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, aren't robots the kind of human beings that are supposed to be made of machines in horror novels or children's stories?" "The McGanns take it as a religious belief, Your Majesty, and the robot—" "I'm not interested in the McGanns and their religious beliefs. Why would they accuse you of being a robot?" "I believe this is a mere metaphor, Your Majesty. They wish to portray me as a heartless person whose schemes are the result of the ruthless calculations of machines." "That's far-fetched, Demerzel. I'm not a fool." He tapped the photo again. "They want people to believe that you're really a robot."

"There is nothing we can do about it, Sire, if people will believe that." "But we can't afford to lose face. This is a slander to the dignity of your government agency. What's worse, it is also a slander to the dignity of the emperor. This implies that I——I chose a mechanical person as my The prime minister. Which is tolerable. By the way, Demerzel, don't we have laws against defamation of officials of the imperial government?" "Yes, there is—and it is quite severe, Your Majesty. The establishment of the clause can be traced back to the era of the Great Code of Abramis."

"And slandering the emperor himself is a felony, isn't it?" "The sentencing standard is the death penalty, Your Majesty. That's right." "Great, this incident not only slandered you, but also slandered me—whoever did it should be executed immediately. Obviously, it was manipulated by Qiao Ruonan behind the scenes." "That is beyond doubt, Your Majesty, but it may be rather difficult to prove." "Nonsense! I think the evidence is enough! I just want him dead." "The problem is, Your Majesty, those defamation laws have never really been enforced. At least not for a century, certainly not."

"That's why the society has become so unstable, and the empire has been fundamentally shaken. The law is still clearly written in black and white in the book, and it has been implemented." Demerzel said: "Think twice, Your Majesty, whether this is a wise move. It will make you appear like a fatuous tyrant. Your rule has always been famous for its benevolent and benevolent government. -" "Yeah, but look what I got in return. Let's change our behavior now and make them fear me. Adoration doesn't help anymore—this is the world." "I strongly advise you not to do this, Your Majesty. It will stir up a rebellion, and a single spark can start a prairie fire."

"So what do you do? Go up to people and say, 'Please take a good look at me. I'm not a robot.'" "No, Your Majesty, as you said, doing so would destroy my dignity, and what's worse, it would also destroy yours." "Then what do you say?" "I don't know, Your Majesty. I haven't matured yet." "Haven't considered maturity yet?—Go and contact Seldon." "His Majesty?" "Are my orders so difficult to understand? Go and contact Seldon." "You wish me to summon him to the palace, my lord?"

"No, there is no time for that now. I believe you should be able to establish a closed communication line between us that will not be intercepted?" "Of course, Your Majesty." "Then do it quickly, now!"