Being an emperor is hard, being a good emperor is harder, and being a puppet emperor is the hardest. Puppet emperors could be considered the most dangerous profession in ancient times. On their heads wasn't a crown, but rather a time bomb, which might explode one day, leading to the loss of both their empire and their lives. Those with good luck, like Emperor Xian of Han, after losing the Han Empire, could still die naturally and be buried with the rites of a Son of Heaven. Those with bad luck, like Emperor Shi Daya of Later Zhao, not only didn't leave a complete corpse, but eventually his entire family was exterminated. In the end, it all depended on the breadth of mind and quality of the powerful ministers who controlled them. However, before most puppet emperors stepped down, these powerful ministers generally would still give them a bit of dignity in terms of appearances; the bows they should pay had to be paid, and the "Ten Thousand Years" they should shout had to be shouted. But there were exceptions, such as Gao Cheng, the famous powerful minister of Western Wei, who showed no respect at all for the then puppet emperor Xiaojingdi Yuan Shanjian, and once gave the emperor three punches without hesitation, becoming the first person in history to beat an emperor.
The reason why Gao Cheng did such a bad thing that even Cao Cao wouldn't do is closely related to his family background and upbringing. The era he lived in was the chaotic period of the Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern and Southern Dynasties, when non-Han peoples invaded China. He belonged to the Xianbei people, whose ancestors lived in what is now the northeast region of Baotou City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Although the Gao family gradually became sinicized over time, the barbaric genes deep inside them hadn't completely degenerated. His father, Gao Huan, was originally a poor man in the countryside. At that time, the whole family sat down worried about whether they would starve to death. Later, with good fortune, taking advantage of the uprisings of the six garrisons, he successively joined Du Luozhou and Ge Rong; later, he left the rebel army and joined Erzhu Rong, receiving favor and serving as the governor of Jin Province. After Ge Rong's failure, he reorganized Ge Rong's remaining troops and used Ji, Ding, and Xiang provinces (now parts of Hebei and northern Henan) as his base. That year, after Erzhu Rong was killed by Emperor Xiaozhuang of Northern Wei, members of the Erzhu clan controlled the court. In the first year of Putai (531), Gao Huan raised troops to denounce the Erzhu clan, establishing Yuan Lang as the emperor of Wei (later deposed). In the first year of Yongxi (532), he captured Ye, decisively defeated the coalition army of the Erzhu clan due to internal discord, entered Luoyang, deposed the two emperors established by the Erzhu clan and himself, and established Emperor Xiaowu Yuan Xiu instead. Gao Huan served as Grand Chancellor, Grand Tutor, and hereditary governor of Dingzhou, subsequently pacifying Bingzhou, establishing the Grand Chancellor's office in Jinyang, firmly grasping the Northern Wei Empire in his hands, laying the foundation for the establishment of the Northern Qi Empire.
Originally, the Gao family aimed to control all of northern China, but unfortunately, in 534 AD, dissatisfied with being a puppet, Emperor Xiaowu Yuan Xiu broke relations with Gao Huan, fled westward to Chang'an, and sought refuge with another regional warlord, Yuwen Tai. In the chaos of the times, three-legged frogs were hard to find, but there were plenty of two-legged emperors, so soon after, Gao Huan enthroned the 11-year-old Yuan Shanjian as Emperor Xiaojing of Wei. From then on, the Northern Wei split into Eastern and Western Wei, plunging the previously unified northern expedition into several decades of chaos.
It's said that a tiger father doesn't have dog children. During the days when his father was commanding the winds and clouds, as the eldest son, Gao Cheng also revealed his little fangs early. This kid had an especially smart brain from a young age, and even his teacher admired him greatly. At just ten years old, he completed an important political task. There was a minister named Gao Aocao who, dissatisfied with his elder brother Gao Gan defecting to Gao Huan, sent women's clothing to his elder brother, indicating his disdain for Gao Huan. In ancient Chinese culture, one of the hardest insults was calling someone a "woman." Sending women's clothing was undoubtedly the ultimate contempt for Gao Huan. According to Gao Huan's usual temperament, he would definitely have executed Gao Aocao immediately. However, this time he wanted to test his son, so he sent Gao Cheng to see Aocao. Despite his young age, Gao Cheng treated Gao Aocao with great respect, ultimately touching him so much that he went to pay respects to Gao Huan, thereafter loyally serving Gao Huan until his death in battle. By today's standards, Gao Cheng was just a third-grade elementary school student at the time, yet he managed to subdue his elder, showing intelligence comparable to the prodigy Gan Luo of the late Warring States period.
Although Gao Cheng had some barbaric genes deep down, he grew up in a civilized society and could have become a decent adult, at least avoiding the absurd act of punching the emperor. However, things took a turn because his father was a crude man. What does it mean to be crude? Water Yinhe believed it meant using fists faster than words. Gao Huan didn't want his sons to be cowards, so his parenting style was extremely strict, with fists and foul language (probably everything except "dog shit") being his favorite tools, resulting in violent tendencies among his sons, who killed without mercy, eventually practicing family terrorism and mutual slaughter. Gao Cheng endured constant beatings and scolding from his father, and a minister named Chen Yuan Kang couldn't bear it anymore, crying and pleading for leniency on behalf of Gao Cheng: My Lord, you need to use more scientific and reasonable methods to educate your child. But Gao Huan, the roughneck, continued to beat him regardless, with the only "scientific" aspect being ensuring Chen Yuan Kang didn't know. As the saying goes, under the rod comes filial piety, but under Gao Huan's rod came a green hat. When Gao Cheng was 14, just entering puberty, he already displayed remarkable skills, successfully seducing his father's beloved concubine Zheng Dachē. Gao Huan was so angry he almost jumped onto the roof, giving Gao Cheng a severe beating that nearly cost him his life. Additionally, one of Gao Huan's younger brothers also had an affair with Gao Huan's wife, resulting in another severe beating from Gao Huan. This younger brother, unlike Gao Cheng, didn't have the same resilience and died from the beating. This incident deeply ingrained a violent nature in Gao Cheng. Afterwards, Gao Huan finally calmed down and allowed Gao Cheng to enter the court to assist in governance, adding the titles of Left and Right Commander-in-Chief and Grand General of the Capital, participating in state management. At that time, Gao Cheng was only 16, equivalent to a modern junior high school student, yet he handled court affairs with acumen, decisiveness, and appropriate severity, resembling seasoned officials with long-term experience, making both civil and military officials dare not underestimate him.
In November of the fourth year of Wuding (546), Gao Huan fell seriously ill during his campaign against Western Wei and soon passed away. Gao Cheng inherited all of Gao Huan's positions and powers, always ready to replace the nominal Western Wei Empire. As for the puppet emperor Xiaojingdi, Gao Cheng simply replicated the treatment his father had given him, beating and scolding whenever he pleased. Xiaojingdi, speaking of, was a pitiful individual born at the wrong time. He had a face of a standard handsome man, and possessed both literary and martial talents. He could carry stone lions with both arms and leap over walls, and could also recite poetry, write essays, and discuss ancient and modern topics, thus earning the admiration of many court ministers. The ambitious Gao Cheng naturally couldn't tolerate this, sending the Yellow Gate Attendant Cui Jishu to monitor every move of Xiaojingdi, reporting everything back to him. Moreover, he imposed numerous restrictions on the emperor, even stricter than Cao Cao's treatment of Emperor Xian of Han.
Once, while hunting, Xiaojingdi galloped his horse swiftly, and the warning from the guard general Wu Naluoshou was: "Your Majesty must not ride too fast, or else the Great General Gao Cheng will be angry." Another time, during a drinking session, Gao Cheng forcibly offered wine to Xiaojingdi, who resented, "I am the Son of Heaven, yet I am restricted everywhere, what's the point of living?" Gao Cheng immediately became furious and said, "What 'My' and 'My,' you dog-footed 'My.'" Unsatisfied, he then ordered Cui Jishu to punch Xiaojingdi three times. Perhaps even Gao Cheng didn't realize that his order set a precedent in Chinese history - he was the first person to physically assault an emperor. Previously, powerful ministers either verbally humiliated puppet emperors or directly killed them, never resorting to physical abuse. Even commoners found it hard to endure, let alone an emperor. Unable to suppress his anger, Xiaojingdi plotted with the Minister of Rites, Yuan Jin, and the Chief Eunuch Liu Siyi to kill Gao Cheng. Unfortunately, the plot leaked out, and Gao Cheng led his troops into the palace, accusing Xiaojingdi face-to-face, uttering the famous falsehood in history - "Emperor, are you going to rebel?" It was unheard of for ministers to rebel against the emperor, but here it was the emperor rebelling against the minister, truly a rare occurrence, demonstrating his arrogance. Afterwards, everyone involved except the emperor himself was executed.
In the seventh year of Wuding (549), in April, Gao Cheng held the position of Grand General and concurrently served as Chancellor, enfeoffed as King of Qi, with special honors, meaning he could be praised without naming, walk into the court without hurrying, and wear sword and shoes while ascending the throne. As a minister, his authority had reached its peak, and his arrogance had also reached its zenith. But there are limits to how far one can go. If one doesn't stop oneself, heaven will intervene. In August of that year, Gao Cheng invited close friends such as Cui Jishu, Chen Yuan Kang, Yang, etc., to his residence in the East Cypress Hall of the North City, secretly plotting to usurp the throne. A cook named Lan Jing, who had suffered much bullying from Gao Cheng, gathered a group of men, rushed in together, and slashed wildly with knives, chopping Gao Cheng into minced meat. This man who once beat an emperor never got to sit on the imperial throne.