At around five feet in height and slender as a marsh reed, Mi-ho Wai might be best described as "slight".  At the best of times, he's perfectly unimposing in physical terms.  Dark hair is worn long, most frequently bound in a topknot, less commonly in a long queue when travelling.  Clothing varies by the day, usually the robes and other impedimenta of his official office; at home it's less formal versions of traditional clothing suited to his station.  While travelling, he bends fashion to practicality, abandoning robes for trousers, vest, and outer coat.  Always, however, his clothing is of a fine quality, materials and workmanship alike.

Born into a modestly wealthy family of the gong class, the young man had ample opportunity for a formal, classical education, but as a fifth son, stood to inherit little.  This left options for him as a soldier, priest, or bureaucrat.  Though intelligent and sound of body, given his lack of physical stature it was readily apparent that Mi-ho Wai would never rise to prominence as a warrior.  Further, he showed no particular inclination to mysticism or connection to the divine.  He was a firm adherent to Legalist principles, however, so tutors were hired and he was trained as a civil servant.

Mi-ho Wai is married, with a number of children at home in his own nation.  His marriage is one of political convenience, arranged by his family when he was at a very young age; there is little love between him and his wife, and he is strict in his expectations of his male children, but he dotes on his daughter.  While outwardly loyal to his wife, but he is a discreet hedonist.  Fine foods, beautiful works of art, exotic scents, unusual intoxicants, strange enchanted items, and foreign courtesans all draw his attention. Though he's not a slave to his vices, he enjoys them cautiously, but intemperately.