The old Duke became furious upon hearing this.
Boiling with anger, he pointed at Zhou Gu and rebuked, "You good-for-nothing! Not only have you learned to compete for women, but you also learned to look down on others? Your grandfather, I, came from humble beginnings. Who do you think you are to be so arrogant? What's wrong with a common girl from Jiangning County? You may disdain her, but she may also despise you for being brazen and clueless!"
Zhou Gu replied cheerfully, "That would be even better, I can just cancel the marriage."
"You dare!" The old Duke slapped the table forcefully, "Let me tell you, this marriage agreement was personally arranged by me. If you dare mention the word cancel again, you can get out of the Duke Residence. From then on, you are no longer a descendant of mine."
Zhou Gu was startled.
The old Duke soberly warned him, "I'll tell you this, if your third brother hadn't been premature and frail when he was younger, fearing his early death, this marriage would not have fallen on you."
Thinking of his now healthy third brother, Zhou Gu had a sudden idea, "Then why not switch back to him now?"
The old Duke glared at him in rage, "Since I've arranged it to be you, it's you! The birth time and marriage contract are already finalized with your name on it, how can we change it? That's preposterous!"
Zhou Gu grumbled, "Grandfather, I just don't understand, Jiangning is thousands of miles away from Capital City, our family has little to no connection with the Governor of Jiangning. Why would you arrange me to marry a common girl from their family?"
The old Duke did not want to elaborate, "They have done me a favor, you don't need to worry about the rest."
Zhou Gu argued, "Let you return the favor, why involve me?"
"In our family, you are the only suitable one. I have raised you for many years. Don't you think you should repay me in kind?" Seeing Zhou Gu's strong resistance, the old Duke warned again, "There's no room for negotiation on this matter, unless you're no longer a descendant of Duke Residence. As long as you are, you have to obey me."
Such domineering behavior reminded him of the time when he was forcibly sent to study instead of joining the military.
Zhou Gu fumed, "Why would you arrange a common girl for me!" But then, he realized that the Su Family seemed to have no legitimate daughters, only illegitimate ones, which left him speechless.
The old Duke looked at him and made the decision, "The daughter of Governor Su is called Su Rong, she's the seventh child. Her birth mother passed away from illness eight years ago. Her Coming-of-age Ceremony is in a month. You will personally attend it in Jiangning to declare that our Duke Residence will honor the marriage promise."
Without hesitation, Zhou Gu refused, "I won't go!"
The old Duke scowled, "You must go!"
Zhou Gu glared back at him.
Ignoring his defiance, the Duke went ahead to arrange, "You will leave for Jiangning with the guards from the Su Family in two days. I will prepare the gifts for you. You will go there early and stay longer. You're young and reckless so I'm worried. Bring a manager with you and more guards. After the girl's Coming-of-age Ceremony, you'll return. By then, I'll arrange for your mother to accompany the official matchmaker to Jiangning for the wedding discussion."
Zhou Gu was irritated, "It's just her Coming-of-age Ceremony, even if we're getting married, wouldn't it be alright to just send a manager with gifts? Why do I have to go personally?"
"Your personal attendance represents the Duke Residence's emphasis on this matter and signals our stance, which will help appease Su Family. We haven't been in contact for many years." The old Duke said, "As Duke Residence, we've always been in a prominent position attracting attention. Many people are watching us, and I fear that any movements may be noticed, causing trouble and disrupting the peaceful life over there. Now that the young lady has safely grown up and can marry after her Coming-of-age Ceremony, it's time to start arranging things."
Zhou Gu was very puzzled, "What kind of favor is it that makes you so dedicated that you're even willing to sell your own grandson?"
The old Duke felt like slapping him, "What selling grandson? Don't make it sound so unpleasant. It's a union of two families." Seeing Zhou Gu's unhappy face, he angrily said, "If everyone were to follow your logic about social status, then your grandmother, a princess, wouldn't have married a commoner like me and there wouldn't have been your father and you. What's wrong with a common girl? Our Duke Residence does not care for status. Wash that unhappiness off your face. It's irritating."
Zhou Gu wanted to say that he irritates me just as much, but seeing the old Duke's firm attitude which brooked no defiance, he simply shut his mouth and stopped arguing, "Fine! I'll go!"
He was really curious about the person that made his grandfather attach such importance to her, even going so far as to threaten to kick him out of the Duke Residence.
Seeing that he had agreed, the old Duke was satisfied and dismissed him, "Scram!"