North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 198 The Magnificent Princess Sissi

“Yes!” Azu laughed, “I am that yellow-skinned Chinese man!”

With a smile, Azu took out a handful of small, pure gold tiger figurines from his pocket and distributed them to all the children.

Everyone, including Helene, has one!
Moreover, each tiger cub has its own name engraved on it.

"This is a gift I'd like to you as we meet. Do you like it?"

Azu, holding two-year-old Maximilian, asked.

"I love it, little tiger...!"

"Hahaha!" Joseph waved his hand indulgently at the children: "Go play, all of you, don't bother the Earl here!"

After all the children had left, Joseph led Azu into his study.

His wife, meanwhile, led the others on a tour of the beautiful castle and the surrounding scenery.

"Bang... Bang...!"

Joseph opened two bottles of Munich dark beer and handed one to Azu.

"Ding……!"

Joseph and Azu clinked their bottles together, then tilted their heads back and gulped down half a bottle in one go.

Then he said, "Earl of Gold Mountain, you haven't answered my question yet. Why are you, a guest from afar, interested in my remote castle?"

Azu also took a big gulp of dark beer and replied, "Joseph, I'm not interested in the castle, but in you and your family!"

"Why would a Grand Duke of your noble lineage and high rank choose to stay away from politics and power, and live in seclusion in this remote and quiet Postenhofen Castle for so many years?"

"For me, I actually hope to be like you, far away from politics and power, and live such a quiet and carefree life... Sigh!"

"Unfortunately, I can't do it!"

"It's precisely because I can't do it that I thought of coming here to experience what kind of heavenly life you, Joseph, are living...!"

As he spoke, Azu took another big gulp of wine.

"Haha...!" Joseph patted Azu's shoulder heavily: "Li, I only learned a little about you from my wife's letter to the emperor's nephew."

“Unlike me, you did not obtain your title entirely through bloodline and birth.”

"You earned the title of Earl personally conferred by the Pope in just two years entirely through your own abilities."

"To me, this is simply incredible... You envy my peaceful life, but how could I not envy you for achieving such great success at such a young age?"

Maximilian Joseph, born into a collateral branch of the Bavarian royal family, was of noble lineage but was never able to hold any substantive office throughout his life.

Even if he had wanted to make something of himself, he wouldn't have had this opportunity.

This is similar to how the Ming Dynasty treated its imperial relatives. The court supported a prince who was idle and powerless, and he couldn't help but live a carefree and leisurely life.

After a few bottles of dark beer, Azu and Joseph had become quite good friends. The two chatted happily, arm in arm, like old friends.

Not long after, the two secretly slipped out of the castle, rode their horses to a tavern in a nearby town, and had a good drink.

……

The next day, early in the morning, there was a knock on Ah Zu's door.

Still feeling groggy from a hangover, Ah Zu, dressed in his pajamas, opened the door with a blank expression.

Outside the door stood Princess Sissi, dressed in hunting attire, looking dashing and heroic!

"Mr. Azu, why aren't you up yet?" Sisi asked in surprise, looking at Azu's appearance.

"I drank too much with your father last night, and I have a headache... Let me sleep a little longer...!"

As he spoke, Azu collapsed onto the soft bed again.

"Mr. Azu, get up quickly...!"

As she spoke, Xixi pulled Azu off the bed.

"You and my father made an appointment to go hunting today...!"

"Hunting...?" Azu asked curiously, "When did we agree to go...?"

"Have you forgotten...? When you came back last night after drinking...!"

Ah Zu drank himself into oblivion; he completely forgot everything.

"Get up quickly... My father is waiting for you outside... The grouse and rabbits on the mountain won't be waiting for us...!"

Sisi struggled to pull Azu up and pushed him directly into the bathroom.

……

When Azu came out, he had already changed into a hunting outfit.

Those who went hunting with them included not only Joseph and Sissi, but also Vivian, Victoria, and Shi Dakai, among others.

A group of about ten people climbed the Alps and hunted in the lush forests on this crisp autumn day.

Azu and Xixi formed a team and searched for prey all over the mountains and fields.

"Sissi, have you met your cousin, the Emperor of Austria?"

Faced with Azu's sudden question, Xixi asked curiously, "No, why do you ask that?"

"Hmm...!" Azu replied, "It's best if we haven't met, and it's best if we never meet again...!"

"Why...?" Sisi asked curiously, "I've seen a picture of that emperor cousin, he's quite handsome...!"

"What's the use of being handsome? Anyway, you're better off not seeing him, otherwise...!"

"Otherwise what?" Sisi said dismissively.

"Hmm...nothing...!" Azu suddenly pointed to a big tree: "Look, a grouse...!"

"Bang... Bang...!"

Azu and Xixi raised their hunting rifles almost simultaneously and fired two shots at the grouse in the tree.

"Gu...!"

The plump grouse fell headfirst from the tree without making a sound.

"Hehe, I caught a grouse...!"

"I was the one who hit it...!"

"You're lying, I was the one who hit it...!"

……

Ah Zu and Sisi, one holding the grouse's head and the other its tail, glared at each other, arguing fiercely over ownership of the grouse.

At that moment, Azu felt an unprecedented sense of ease and freedom.

There was no scheming or competition for fame or profit; everything was so natural and heartfelt.

"Look, there are grouse again...!"

Azu suddenly looked behind Xixi.

“Where, where…!”

Sisi immediately let go and picked up the shotgun.

"Haha, this grouse is mine now...!"

With a smile, Azu put the plump grouse into his game bag.

"You...!" Sisi turned around, pouting and glaring at Azu, "You're so despicable! How could you lie to someone...!"

……

For the next few days, he either went hunting, fishing on the lake, or drinking with Joseph.

The bond between Azu and Xixi's family grew stronger day by day.

Here, Azu spent the most relaxed and enjoyable few days since he came to this era.

They're even so happy they've forgotten all about home!
Ah Zu even considered buying a large house nearby and living out the rest of his life in peace.

But that's impossible!
On my shoulders lie the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people, and... the dreams of the future.

If I were to choose to give up at a young age like Joseph, I would truly be a complete failure.

It's time to leave this comfortable nest!

Before leaving, Joseph was reluctant to part with this uninvited friend.

"Li, you are one of my favorite friends... I really don't want you to leave so soon!"

"Why don't you stay a little longer, and when winter comes, we'll go skiing in the mountains and go wolf hunting...!"

Joseph held onto Azu's hand tightly: "With you as my friend, these past few days have been the happiest I've had in years!"

"Could you perhaps postpone your departure for a few more days...?"

Not only Joseph, but Sisi was also deeply saddened by Azu's departure.

In the past few days, she has developed a bit of a crush on this young and handsome Chinese man!

The days spent with Ah Zu were so happy and carefree!

"Mr. Azu, are you really leaving...?"

Sisi's eyes welled up with tears, threatening to spill over at any moment. "Yes, it's time to leave. We've been bothering your family for so many days!"

Azu smiled and gently patted Princess Sissi's head.

"If I have time, I will come again!"

"Of course, I would welcome your family to visit America and California!"

"Then, I will take you to the high seas to hunt enormous whales...!"

"I will take you to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to hunt down cougars...!"

"We can also catch rattlesnakes and make you beautiful shoes and belts...!"

"I can also take you to see the largest and oldest giant tree in the world...!"

……

Azu's words filled Joseph's family with longing, and they couldn't wait to go to America, to California, with Azu right away.

Joseph even looked at his wife, seeking her opinion with his eyes.

Seeing his wife shake her head slightly, Joseph looked dejected and turned to Azu, saying, "Li, there will definitely be a chance!"

"At the latest, our whole family will visit you next year. When that time comes, you must keep every promise you made!"

"Haha!" Azu laughed heartily, "Of course I will keep my word! I'm just afraid that your family won't come to visit me."

"Don't worry!" Joseph patted Azu's shoulder heavily. "I will definitely keep my word. See you in California next year!"

"Okay! It's settled then!"

Azu and Joseph clasped hands tightly together.

Ah Zu added, "I'm so sorry to have bothered your family for so long, so I've prepared some small Californian specialties!"

As he spoke, Azu had a heavy wooden box carried off the carriage.

“What…what is this?” Joseph asked in surprise.

"These are some local specialties as compensation for the trouble I've caused your family these past few days. I hope you won't mind!"

Azu's gaze finally fell on Princess Sissi: "Sissi, I will write to you! You must come to my California next year!"

"Mmm...!" Sisi's beautiful eyes were filled with tears, but she tried her best to hold them back and not let herself cry.

……

When Ah Zu boarded the carriage, Princess Sissi, unable to hold back any longer, turned away crying and ran all the way back to her room.

"This girl...!"

Joseph didn't take it to heart and said, "Li, of all our family members, you and Sissi are the closest. Parting is always a little sad, please don't blame her!"

"Of course I don't blame her. To me, she's the cutest little sister!"

……

After Azu's caravan slowly left Posenhofen Castle, Joseph had four servants carry the large wooden chest he had left behind into his study with considerable effort.

"Boom...!"

The heavy wooden box landed heavily on the carpet in the study.

Maria asked in surprise, "What local specialty did that count leave behind that is so heavy?"

Joseph seemed to have guessed something, and silently opened the heavy wooden box.

Sure enough, the large wooden crate was filled with neatly stacked gold bars...!
“Mein Gott…!” (German: Oh my God!)

"This...!" Maria exclaimed in utter shock, "So much gold... that count is incredibly generous...!"

Joseph was equally shocked: "Lee, this is the California specialty you were talking about...? This is amazing...!"

"A 'local specialty' given away casually was a whole box of gold...!"

"The Earl of Gold Mountain truly lives up to his reputation...!"

"This makes me even more excited for my trip to California next year!"

As he spoke, Joseph turned his gaze to his wife: "Maria, you won't stop our family from going on a trip to California, will you?"

Maria gradually came to her senses, recovering from the shock of seeing a large box of gleaming gold bars.

"Let's talk about next year's problems next year...!"

"However, what exactly does the Earl of Gold Mountain mean by inexplicably giving us a large chest of gold?"

"What do you mean?" Joseph laughed loudly, "It's to thank him for the warm hospitality he's received these past few days!"

“No!” Maria shook her head. “Joseph, it’s not that simple!”

"We entertained them with beer, sausages, and beef...it's barely worth a penny!"

"The pure gold tigers he gave to the children alone would be enough to keep us entertaining them for a month or two."

"And this large chest of gold weighs at least several hundred kilograms and is worth four or five hundred thousand tyrenes...!" (Tyrene is the Bavarian currency; 1 US dollar is approximately equal to 5 tyrenes).

“This is a tremendous fortune!” Maria continued. “Even if the Earl of Gold Mountain is extremely wealthy, he wouldn’t give us such a huge fortune for no reason.”

"He must have some other purpose...!"

At this point, Maria suddenly had a thought: "Joseph, the Earl of Gold Mountain, he's not married, is he?"

“Yes!” Joseph thought for a moment and replied, “He is twenty-one years old this year and is indeed not married yet.”

Maria pondered, "Do you think it's possible that he's fallen for our girl...?"

"Was...?!!"

Joseph was shocked again: "Maria, what are you saying...? How is this possible...!"

"How is that impossible...!"

“Nene is already sixteen, and Sisi is fourteen…!” Maria thought about it more and more and it seemed more and more likely: “Whether it’s Nene or Sisi, they are both of suitable marriage age with him.”

"Nene and Sissi's beauty has long been known throughout Bavaria and Austria."

"Perhaps, his visit to our Posenhofen Castle this time was for Nene and Sissi...!"

Upon hearing his wife say this, Joseph couldn't help but seriously consider this possibility.

“When he first arrived, I asked him about his purpose in coming to Posenhofen Castle.”

He said it was to experience our lives.

"At the time, I felt that this reason was far too far-fetched...!"

Joseph was startled: "Now that I think about it, he really did have other motives...!"

“I, a duke with no power or influence, am of little value to him, a man who holds great power and is the richest man in the world.”

"So...maybe he really came for Nene and Sisi?"

Maria nodded emphatically: "Thinking about it that way, his purpose for coming here makes sense!"

“Nene and Sissi…!” Joseph scratched his head, puzzled. “Then who could he have his eye on…?”

“Nene is already sixteen years old. Logically speaking, it would be more appropriate for her to be his age!”

"But these past few days, he's been spending all his time with Sisi. It seems like he's fallen for Sisi...?"

Maria nodded again: "It must be Sissi!"

"Besides, judging from Sisi's expression, it seems like she's fallen for him too...!"

"When he left just now, Sisi looked heartbroken. It didn't seem like she just considered him an ordinary friend."

The more the couple talked about it, the more they felt that this was a reliable idea!

Maria added, "But his current title is only that of a count!"

“But our Nene and Sissi are both duchesses… the difference in their titles is too great!”

"Besides, he's a Chinese man with yellow skin! I think this is really inappropriate."

Joseph waved his hand: "Titles and such are secondary...!"

"According to your emperor nephew's letter, this Earl of Goldberg is very popular with His Holiness the Pope in the Vatican."

"He's still so young, the Pope might even knight him in the future."

"Most importantly, he wields immense power in America. Moreover, he owns the largest gold mine in the entire Americas, and also controls penicillin and advanced weaponry…!"

"According to your emperor nephew, he can even build and sell powerful warships such as frigates and cruisers...!"

"Your emperor nephew's men saw with their own eyes the powerful frigates he built in Venice, which possessed incredible speed and powerful cannons."

"Such a person, even your emperor nephew, had to personally humbly pay homage to him. He even wrote to us personally, instructing us to treat him with the utmost hospitality."

"This shows just how formidable his strength is!"

Joseph pondered, “This is a powerful earl with real authority, personally conferred by the Pope, not a powerless duke like us.”

"Although the title of count is indeed a bit lower than that of duchesses like Nene and Sissi, it is still a fair match."

At this point, Joseph couldn't help but smile and ask a question.

"Maria, what are you thinking...?"

(End of this chapter)