A Thorn Amongst the Flowers
is a Scumbag System fanfiction written by DrunkServal on Archive of Our Own.
Instead of torturing and ruining Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe decides to force his abusive shizun to become his bride. Now living in the Demon Emperor's harem, the Immortal Master finds himself plotting to survive and turn his former disciple's obsession for him into a weapon that will finally bring Luo Binghe down.
Contains the following tropes
- Alas, Poor Villain: Shen Qingqiu cannot help feeling a tad upset by Shang Qinghua's murder, since the man was a fellow Peak Lord from Cang Qiong. It's aggravated when everyone else in Cang Qiong refuses to mourn as they consider it as just rewards for Shang Qinghua's betrayal — which leads Shen Qingqiu to wonder if his own demise is going to be treated the same.
- And Now You Must Marry Me: Luo Binghe threatened to raze Cang Qiong to the ground if Shen Qingqiu refused to marry him, and still dangles it over the former Peak Lord's head as an incentive to behave.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Shang Qinghua and Sha Hualing are quite sirupy when they're interacting together, but blatantly wait an opening to backstab the other.
- Evil Uncle: Linguang-jun openly leads a revolt against his nephew and rightful ruler, and apparently sent more than a few assassins against said nephew's consort. He openly laughs when the latest attempt is successfull.
- Gold Digger: Shang Qinghua makes no mystery of the fact that Mobei-jun's main charm points are his political influence and his wealth. However, it's hinted the human could be in love with more than the demon's assets.
- He Cleans Up Nicely: Luo Binghe is utterly gobsmacked when Shen Qingqiu appears in front of him, dressed and adorned as befits the First Consort. He outright admits the sight dazzled him.
- Hide Your Lesbians: Liu Mingyan and Ning Yingying are implied to have been romantically involved in Luo Binghe's harem. Of course, they are married and cannot openly flaunt it.
- In Love with the Mark: Shang Qinghua is definitely implied to have fallen in genuine love with Mobei-jun. He's quite bothered by the possibility.
- Insult Backfire: When Shen Qingqiu calls Shang Qinghua a rat to his face, the former An Ding Peak Lord points the critter's ability to survive and thrive in very hostile circumstances.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Shen Qingqiu agrees with the general assessment of him as a hateful scum villain. Yet he sacrifices his dignity and freedom to protect his sect, desperately tries to protect Liu Mingyan from punishment when she assaults him and is the only Peak Lord to be seen mourning for Shang Qinghua.
- Kick the Dog:
- Right after marrying Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe sends the bridal sheet — a white silk sheet that would prove the wedding's consummation — to Yue Qingyuan, hoping to push the Sect Leader into a fatal qi deviation. It almost works.
- Luo Binghe also feels annoyed and irritated in front of Mobei-jun's distress following Shang Qinghua's murder, calling his subordinate weak for mourning his consort.
- Loving a Shadow: Shen Qingqiu blatantly calls Luo Binghe a fool when the Demon Emperor confesses he abducted his shizun because he received a vision from the Scumbag System timeline, telling the half-demon that he cannot force Shen Qingqiu to become the nice and sweet shizun from the other world.
- Manipulative Bastard: For all his disgust regarding Luo Binghe's infatuation, Shen Qingqiu has no remorse using said crush to gain power over the Demon Emperor.
- Powerful People Are Subs: The fearsome Demon Emperor is very happy to let his First Consort tie him with rope and verbally abuse him when they're in the bedroom.
- Pragmatic Hero: Shen Qingqiu is very aware that a kicked dog is liable to bite their owner and calls Linguang-jun out for mistreating his assassin Zhuzhi-lang.
- Riddle for the Ages: Liu Mingyan really wants to know how exactly her brother died. Unfortunately, Shen Qingqiu is unable to remember what happened in the Lingxi caves.
- Top Wife: Following his duel against Liu Mingyan, Shen Qingqiu is acknowledged as First Consort by the harem.
- What You Are in the Dark: Liu Mingyan lands in rather hot water when she duels Shen Qingqiu and manages to harm him. Instead of pushing for her to be punished, Shen Qingqiu begs Luo Binghe to spare her. The Demon Emperor is quite surprised by such behaviour coming from the supposed scum villain.
- Wrong-Name Outburst: Luo Binghe almost strangles Shen Qingqiu for calling another man on their wedding night. Considering his immediate Kick the Dog moment, it's implied the other man was Yue Qingyuan.
- You Kill It, You Bought It: After fighting Liu Mingyan and getting her exiled, Shen Qingqiu is promoted First Consort in her stead. He rolls with the flow as he's aware that no one will believe it was unintended.
