Background
Cen Xi's grandfather Cen Wenben served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong, and his father Cen Manqian (岑曼倩) served as the secretary general of the capital prefecture Yong Prefecture (雍州, roughly modern Xi'an, Shaanxi) and carried the title of Duke of Xi.
Cen Xi himself passed the imperial examinations sometime before 691 and served as Taichang Boshi (太常博士), an official at the ministry of worship. In 691, during the reign of Emperor Taizong's daughter-in-law (and one-time concubine) Wu Zetian, who had declared a new Zhou Dynasty and interrupted Tang Dynasty, Cen Xi's uncle Cen Changqian, then a chancellor, was accused of treason and executed. As a result, Cen Xi was demoted to be a legal officer at Chen Prefecture (郴州, roughly modern Chenzhou, Hunan). He was subsequently made the magistrate of Jintan County. At that time, his brother Cen Zhongxiang (岑仲翔) was the magistrate of nearby Changzhou County (長洲, in modern Suzhou, Jiangsu) and another brother Cen Zhongxiu (岑仲休) was the magistrate of Lishui County (溧水, in modern Nanjing, Jiangsu). All three were known for their abilities in governance. The chancellor Zong Chuke, when an official was sent to examine the governance of the circuit containing those three counties, made the comment, "Do not forget about the three Cens east of the Yangtze River." He subsequently recommended Cen Xi, and Cen Xi was made the magistrate of Sishui County, near the capital Luoyang—which was considered a major promotion due to its location.
As of 704, Cen Xi was serving as the magistrate of Guangwu County (廣武—the new name for Sishui), when Wu Zetian asked the chancellors to recommend officials suitable of serving as low level officials in various ministries. The chancellor Wei Sili recommended Cen, but commented, "Alas, his uncle was Cen Changqian, and he suffers from the taint." Wu Zetian responded, "As long as he is capable, what taint can there be?" She therefore made Cen Tianguan Yuanwailang (天官員外郎), an official at the ministry of civil service affairs. It was said that based on Cen's precedent, thereafter family members of officials previously killed during Wu Zetian's reign were able to begin getting promoted.
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