Pei Yan
In 681, Guo was made the "Mishu Shaojian" (), deputy head of the archival bureau as well as acting "Zhongshu Shilang" (), the deputy head of the legislative bureau. In 682, he was given the designation "Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi" (), making him a chancellor "de facto". It was said that because Guo had been at the legislative bureau for a long period and was familiar with how it was run, most of the edicts were drafted by him, and he was considered capable in this. In 683, when Emperor Gaozong became seriously ill, he had Guo, along with Pei Yan and Liu, assist his crown prince Li Zhe in handling important matters of state.