Why can Confucian classics be the basis of judicial trial?

Because in the Spring and Autumn Annals, the Confucian theory of propriety and righteousness is the fundamental criterion for judging right and wrong, good and evil, so later Confucian scholars often regard it as a classic, and many viewpoints are regarded as unshakable dogmas.

Spring and Autumn Annals is a chronicle revised by Confucius in Lu, and it is also the first chronicle work in China history. Spring and Autumn Annals emphasizes the virtues of monarch, father, son, husband and woman, which Confucius has always advocated, that is, to save the society from the collapse of rites and music.

Extended data:

During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, naturalized scholars first decided on the Spring and Autumn Prison, because in the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, social development had provided good conditions for Confucianism. However, in the judicial field, legalist thoughts still dominate, and these legalist classics cannot be changed soon. Therefore, Confucian scholars such as Dong Zhongshu began to use Chunqiu to explain the existing laws and even directly guide the trial.

Dong Zhongshu also wrote the Chunqiu Judgment, which was often quoted in judicial trials at that time. After Dong Zhongshu became an official, the court often sent people to Dong Zhongshu's house to ask about gains and losses. It can be seen that the trial in the Spring and Autumn Period had a far-reaching influence on China's legal thought in feudal period.