 Had the serfs been found guilty and sent to Siberia, Khotiaintsev would have been in a position to buy the vacated land.The serfs were acquitted in a trial in Tula, but Dostoevsky's brother Andrei perpetuated the story.After his father's death, Dostoevsky continued his studies, passed his exams and obtained the rank of engineer cadet, entitling him to live away from the academy.