North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 228: A Very Dilemma!

The minor incident did not significantly affect the hunt.

In the following days, the large hunting party not only hunted three more cougars, but also a pack of gray wolves, and even two extremely large North American grizzly bears.

As for rattlesnakes, they are all hibernating because the weather is too cold this season.

But this was no problem for the Blackfoot Indians.

Even rattlesnakes that hibernate in caves were dug up by the Blackfoot tribe, fulfilling Azu's promise to make snakeskin boots and belts.

With the addition of hundreds of North American bison, this hunt was truly a fruitful one.

By the time they returned to San Francisco, it was early March of 1852.

At this time, the two fast steam merchant ships that Azu had arranged to be converted into whaling ships had also been converted.

After a short rest, the group immediately set off on their whale-hunting voyage.

In this era, San Francisco was the port city with the highest concentration of whaling ships in the entire West.

Because of the gold rush of the past two years, countless whaling ships have docked at the docks of San Francisco, and the former captains and crew members of whaling ships have all become gold prospectors.

Even now, a large number of whaling ships remain abandoned on the docks.

Azu found some of the most experienced whaling captains and crew members, and under their guidance, two whaling ships converted from merchant ships of more than a thousand tons headed north, straight for the cold Bering Strait.

Along the way, Azu and the others were not idle; they went fishing for bluefin tuna at sea.

Bluefin tuna are enormous; the largest can grow to over three meters long and weigh up to a thousand kilograms.

Moreover, bluefin tuna is one of the most delicious and economically valuable marine fish.

Duke Maximilian Joseph, who was already an avid fisherman, and Princess Sissi certainly indulged in their passion for catching giant fish along the way.

That evening, after enjoying a feast of bluefin tuna he had personally caught, Duke Joseph, carrying a bottle of whiskey, knocked on Azu's cabin door.

When Azu opened the door and saw Duke Joseph looking radiant, he asked in surprise, "It's so late, Your Grace, is there something else you need from me?"

"Let's go inside and talk, let's go inside and talk, hahaha!"

Joseph, carrying a whiskey, went into Azu's room, found two glasses, and poured himself and Azu a full glass first.

After the two sat down facing each other and drank three cups, Duke Joseph, whose face was even more flushed, finally spoke slowly.

"Earl of Gold Mountain, do you like my daughter, Sisi?"

Duke Joseph got straight to the point right away.

Azu nodded without hesitation: "Who wouldn't like a girl as beautiful, lively, and generous as Princess Sissi?"

"Hahaha!" Duke Joseph laughed loudly, "Count, I'm not talking about that kind of liking, but... the kind of liking a man has for a woman, you know!"

"Uh...!" Azu's old face flushed slightly. After thinking for a moment, he finally nodded honestly: "Duke, to be honest, I do like Sisi!"

"Hahaha, I knew it! Earl, the way you're looking at my Sisi is just weird!"

“A few days ago, you risked your life to save Qianqian. Since then, my Qianqian has been sticking to you almost every step of the way.”

"The way my daughter Sisi looks at you is even stranger now!"

Duke Joseph laughed heartily: "Things have come to this point, so there's no need to hide anything anymore. I'll just say what I have to say!"

“Earl of Gold Mountain, to be honest, I also like you very much… as a friend!”

"Uh...!" Azu was almost startled.

Duke Joseph continued, "As far as I'm concerned, I don't mind having a Chinese son-in-law like you at all."

"Whether in terms of status, title, wealth, strength, position, or personality, character, and appearance, Earl, you are completely worthy of my Sisi."

"Although I am just a minor member of a branch of the Bavarian royal family, a duke in leisure, Sisi is only my second daughter."

"But from the day she was born, Sisi held the title of Duchess Elizabeth."

After taking a large gulp of wine, Duke Joseph continued, "Before coming to California, Sissi's mother and I actually had some concerns."

"But after arriving in California and witnessing your immense strength firsthand, our family realized that even in Europe, it would be difficult to find many young men as outstanding as you, Earl."

"If you and Sissi are both willing, I think neither Sissi's mother nor I would object to you being together!"

“However…!” Duke Joseph’s face darkened, and he continued, “Count, you have far too many women.”

"For European nobles, no matter how many lovers they have, they will only have one wife in the legal sense."

“Sissi holds the title of Duchess; it is impossible for us to allow her to share a husband with other women!”

"This not only violates our beliefs and is legally untenable, but also... the Bavarian royal family absolutely cannot afford to lose face like this!"

Joseph stared into Azu's eyes: "Count, do you understand what I'm saying?"

Azu nodded slightly and said frankly, "Indeed, this is a problem that is almost unsolvable." "Of course I love Sissi, but I also love the other women around me!"

"I will not treat others unfairly for Sissi's sake. Similarly, I will not treat Sissi unfairly for the sake of others."

Hearing what Azu said, Joseph picked up his glass again in frustration and drank most of it down in one gulp.

“Earl, I know that for you Chinese, having many wives is a tradition that has been around since ancient times, and there is no problem with it.”

"But for Europeans who believe in our Lord, this is completely unacceptable."

Duke Joseph probed, "Count, can't you just marry Sissi? The other women just don't have the formal title of wife, but that doesn't prevent you from being with them... well, that's how European nobles do it!"

Azu shook his head firmly: "No, Your Grace, I treat all my women fairly and will not let any of them suffer any injustice!"

"Besides, I've known them for a long time, and our relationship has only grown stronger over time. How could I do such a thing?"

"Sigh...!" Duke Joseph poured himself a full glass of wine, downed more than half of it in one gulp, and said with a grim expression, "Is there really no other way?"

"To be honest, I don't think I can find a son-in-law who satisfies me more than you!"

"If you and Sissi really can't be together because of this, that would be such a shame!"

Ah Zu also took a big gulp of whiskey and said in a muffled voice, "Actually, if Sisi herself is willing, then... there's always a way!"

"What method?" Duke Joseph quickly asked.

After thinking for a moment, Azu finally shook his head sadly: "Forget it, it's better not to say anything. Doing this would be too unfair to Qianqian...!"

"What exactly is the method?" Joseph asked anxiously, scratching his head and pressing for an answer.

But Azu refused to tell.

……

The next morning, Duke Joseph arrived with large panda eyes, clearly having not slept a wink all night.

Sisi, who had just gotten up, immediately noticed her father's unusual behavior.

Sisi knew her biological father's character all too well!
For the incredibly cheerful and carefree Duke Joseph, it would be extremely difficult to suffer from insomnia or sleeplessness.

"Father, what happened? What were you doing last night? Didn't you sleep at all...?"

Sisi tugged at her father's sleeve and bombarded him with a barrage of questions.

Duke Joseph, still sleepy and drunk, looked at his daughter and asked, "My dear Sisi, answer me honestly for one question."

"Dear Father, what is the problem?" Sisi asked curiously.

"Cough cough...!" Joseph coughed twice, wiped his face, and tried to clear his head before asking, "Sissi, do you really like Earl Goldberg?"

"Father... Oh dear!" Sisi blushed instantly, her face turning bright red with embarrassment, and she couldn't help but stomp her feet shyly.

"How could you ask such a question so early in the morning?" Sisi couldn't help but say coquettishly.

Joseph stared at his daughter and said, "Sissi, you're fifteen now. This concerns your lifelong happiness, so you must think it through before you answer."

Seeing her father speak so seriously, Sisi couldn't help but put aside her girlish shyness and answered earnestly, "Father, I...I do like the Earl...!"

"Hmm...how much do you like it?" Joseph pressed.

Sisi lowered her head shyly, and after a long while shook her head and said, "I... I don't know! I only know that if I close my eyes, I will immediately think of him."

"Even if I open my eyes and can't see him, I'll still be eager to see him again!"

"I felt so happy when I was with him!"

"And when I left him, I felt like I was suffering day and night...!"

……

With each additional word his daughter uttered, Joseph felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.

My daughter is completely trapped in this situation and there's no saving her!

After his daughter finished speaking, Joseph said in a deep voice, "Sissi, you've seen it yourself these past few days. The Earl of Gold Mountain has so many women around him. Don't you really mind?"

"I...I...!" Sisi's face darkened with embarrassment at the thought of this.

As a young girl just beginning to experience romantic feelings, it would be a lie to say that she didn't mind.

But she was absolutely unwilling to leave that man because of it.

That's why Sisi seemed so conflicted at this moment.

After much deliberation, Sisi finally made her decision, raising her head and saying, "Father, even though he already has so many women, I still want to be with him!!!"

(End of this chapter)