From around 859 BC the area around modern Taiyuan was occupied by the Rong people.

Later that year, Emperor Yang put him in charge of the key city of Taiyuan (太原, in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi).

At some point thereafter, he apparently served as an assistant to the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi).

Gao Wei and Consort Feng then fled north to the secondary capital Jinyang (晉陽, in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi).

Emperor Xiaozhuang was subsequently delivered to Jinyang (晉陽, in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) and killed.

He was later transferred to Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi).

He then captured Jinyang (晉陽, in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi).

Gao Wei was intending to visit the secondary capital Jinyang (晉陽, in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), which he and his predecessors did on a regular basis.

Gao mostly remained at his headquarters in Jinyang (晉陽, in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), but made occasional visits to Yecheng.

The Guo (郭) clan of Taiyuan Commandery (roughly modern Taiyuan, Shanxi)