Guo generously gave the man money without asking further questions, impressing Xue and Zhao, who were present at the time.
When then-reigning Wu Zetian (Emperor Gaozong's wife) heard of this, she summoned Guo to the capital Luoyang, intending to punish him.
She also made Guo Zhuke Langzhong (主客郎中), an official at the ministry of rites in charge of managing visits by foreign ambassadors and maintaining the households of the descendants of the rulers of prior dynasties.
Guo ordered the building of two outposts, Baiting Base (白亭軍) to the north, and Herong (和戎) to the south, to serve as warning posts and as counterattack points.
He also ordered his subordinate Li Hantong (李漢通) the prefect of Gan Prefecture (甘州, roughly modern Jiuquan, Gansu), to build irrigation and promote farming.
Juechuo was, however, unable to prevail over Suoge, and in 708, at Guo's suggestion, he was set to give up his forces and go to the Tang capital Chang'an, when the Tang general Zhou Yiti (周以悌) suggested to him the idea of bribing the chancellors Zong Chuke and Ji Chuna to launch an attack against Suoge.
Suoge heard of this plan and acted first, successfully attacking several Tang outposts and then sending an envoy to Chang'an to demand that Zong be executed.
Subsequently, Guo reported the facts of the situation to Emperor Zhongzong, which led to Zong's accusing him of treason.
In 710, Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly—a death traditional historians believed to be a poisoning by his powerful wife Empress Wei and daughter Li Guo'er the Princess Anle.
Subsequently, Guo Yuanzhen was made the commandant of the forces of the Suofang region (i.e., modern Ningxia and northern Shaanxi) and the minister of defense (兵部尚書, Bingbu Shangshu).
It was further said that they discussed, with the lady-in-waiting Lady Yuan to poison the gastrodia elata that Emperor Xuanzong routinely took as an aphrodisiac.
On July 29,[1] Emperor Xuanzong had Wang Maozhong take 300 soldiers to the imperial guard camp to behead Chang and Li Ci.
For his contributions, he was created the Duke of Dai and awarded silk, and further given the additional post as chief imperial censor (御史大夫, Yushi Daifu).
Emperor Xuanzong thus exiled Guo to Xin Prefecture (新州, roughly modern Yunfu, Guangdong).