It was a week after the assassination¹ of Cleon-and a horrible week it shad been. All of Trantor was in chaos².
    Hari Seldon still kept his office as First Minister, but it was clear he had no power. He called in Manella Dubanqua.
    "I want to thank you for saving Raych's life and my own. I haven't
    I a chance to do so yet." Then with a sigh, "I have scarcely had a chance to do anything this past week."
    Manella asked, "What happened to the mad gardener?"
    "Executed! At once! No trial! I tried to save him by pointing out that was insane. But there was no question about it. If he had done anything else, committed any other crime, his madness would have been recognized and he would have been spared. Committed-locked up and treated-but spared, nonetheless. But to kill the Emperor-" Seldon shook his head sadly.
    Manella said, "What's going to happen now, First Minister?"
    "I'll tell you what I think. The Entun Dynasty is finished. Cleon's son will not succeed. I don't think he wants to. He fears assassination in his turn and I don't blame him one bit. It would be much better for him to retire to one of the family estates on some Outer World and live a quiet Because he is a member of the Imperial House, he will untie³ allowed to do this. You and I may be less fortunate."
    Manella frowned. "In what way, sir?"
    Seldon cleared his throat. "It is possible to argue that because you killed Gleb Andorin, he dropped his blaster, which became available to Mandell Gruber, who used it to kill Cleon. Therefore you bear a strong share of the responsibility of the crime and it may even be said that it was all prearranged.?
    揃ut that抯 ridiculous. I am a member of the security establishment, fulfilling my duties-doing what I was ordered to do."
    Seldon smiled sadly. "You're arguing rationally and rationality is not going to be in fashion for a while. What's going to happen now, in the absence of a legitimate⁴ successor to the Imperial throne, is that we are bound to have a military government."
    (In later years, when Manella came to understand the workings of psychohistory, she wondered if Seldon had used the technique to work out what was going to happen, for the military rule certainly came to pass. At the time, however, he made no mention of his fledgling theory.)

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