Three months before her twin girls would turn sixteen Empress Jade I paid an unannounced visit to Neopolis. To her astonishment at several places in town she was welcomed by groups of elderly men with long beards and long hair.
When she walked into the palace apparently somebody had already warned Elisheba of her arrival because she was sitting on an improvised throne: "What have I always told you about men with long hair and beards? Your streets are teeming with them!!!", her mother cried out.
Elisheba told her that it were mostly old men, that had left the army. "I don"t care. You will oblige every single one of them to have their hair cut and beard shaven. Those who refuse will be taken to Opal, and I will deal with them there." "But...." "No buts, you know what? I'll tell them myself."
"And by the way, in three months time you will be sixteen. You will be crowned to queen. So get a grip on your city and see to it that the event is well prepared."
The next day Empress Jade I gathered the men at several places and told them about the new rule. There was a lot of mumbling, but the majority of the men were ex-soldiers who served under Neo but also under Rokhshan as she was originally called and they knew she was not one to mess with.
In no time men with long beards and hair were lining up at the barbers in town.
There were so many who had to be shaved, that some local entrepreneurs started a provisional barbershop.
For the men in the army, the mandatory shaving was nothing new....they were mainly surprised that nobody had intervened when they had let all that hair grow.
At least there was one advantage for them...no queues...the few with longer beards and hair were shaved in their barracks.